Let's play "How Screwed am I": Overheat and blown head gasket

Storytime.
2017 Taco, 57k miles
2 weeks ago I had some squeaks that were sensitive to RPM - sounded like a bad pulley
Brought it to a local shop (closest dealer is an hour away)
They diagnosed it as a bad belt tensioner assembly, also some noise coming from idler pulley
Had them replace both plus the serpentine belt while we're at it.
Drove 200 miles or so, squeaks gone, no issues.
Then, when on the freeway, heard a noise, lost charging, started to overheat. I figured, correctly, the new belt went bye bye.
I was on a section of freeway without any shoulder and I was pulling a (light) trailer. So I limped it hot to the next exit - not sure on distance.
Blew all the coolant out of the truck.
Had it towed back to the shop that did the belt/pulley work. They diagnosed a blown head gasket, though no coolant in the oil. Not sure on other damage since they haven't torn the engine apart yet.

They're going to lean on part supplier to cover any required work (which I expect could discovery more damage). If supplier doesn't cover, I plan to try and get the shop that installed the belt to cover. And if they don't, I'll give the Toyota powertrain warranty a shot (I'm still under 5 yr/60k).

If anyone has been in a similar circumstance, I'm curious about what the odds are I'll be paying for all of this out of pocket, and if anyone has suggestions on how to get parts supplier/shop/Toyota to foot the bill.

 

I think there is a very very strong chance that you will not pay a dime, other than time you've spent waiting. This was a defective part or a defective install. The shop should have inspected the belt before installing it.

 

Most shops have insurance just for this purpose. Hopefully they do and they will do you right.

 

you should be ok, with no coolant in the oil the means your bearings and other oil sensitive parts should be ok, also means a cracked head is unlikely, worst case scenario is you warped the head but since you took it easy this shouldn't be likely.

 

you're screwed

 

Don't think Toyota warranty will cover unless you used oem parts.

 

Regarding OEM parts, I'm not sure that bit matters. Powertrain doesn't cover belts (annoyingly).

 

the blown gasket would still be covered if the belt failed, be if non oem stuff was use there's no way toyota gonna touch it.

 

It’s all speculation until you find out why the belt came off.
There’s multiple reasons this can happen.

 

The head gasket likely blew because the belt broke either from a bad belt or pulley or installation error.

Doesn't sound intentional on their part. They tried to fix the issue, but the belt failed or was possibly installed incorrectly which led to further issues?

Nothing to do with Toyota as it's an independent shop that worked on the truck not a dealer. Toyota will use that excuse to remove themselves from liability. Were these OEM parts? Even if they were Toyota wouldn't do much unless they were installed by a Toyota tech/ dealer. Any chance of piecing the truck back together and having it towed to Toyota without saying anything about the shop? See if Toyota will cover under warranty?

You can always have it towed to a dealer for repair, another shop, or let them try and fix it. Are you confident the shop mechanic can pull the head and swap the gasket and put everything back together? The question is who pays for the head gasket repair, new coolant and labor? The shop should pay for a new belt, pulley, and labor for those items. Small claims worst case. The shop should have insurance.

 

Engine currently isn't torn down yet (which is why I don't know if I have a warped head or other heat damage yet).
Sounds like shop is trying to get parts supplier to eat the cost of the remedial work. If that pans out, I'll have the shop do the work on supplier's dime.
If that doesn't pan out, I'm planning to try and get the shop to eat the cost of the remedial work based on a bad install theory.
If they won't do it, then I plan to have the truck towed to a Toyota dealer to see if they'll warranty, though that seems like the least likely option based on all of the points above.
If Toyota won't warranty, then my plan is to have them do whatever remedial repair is required and look at a small claims action. Unfortunately for shop, I'm an attorney by trade.

 

My experience with parts suppliers is its like trying to get blood from a stone. They always say the parts were good when they left the warehouse and its hard to prove otherwise, it will most likely come down to the shop, hope they are reputable and will do right by you.

 

My condolences to the OP for having this issue at only 57K. Even if getting to a Toyota dealer is a huge inconvenience (and they do not always do perfect work), I am a strong believer for this very reason that only the dealer (or me) will work on my vehicles (and boats) until the factory warranty expires.

 

If the shop doesn’t play ball, might wanna get a lawyer involved…

 

OP IS a lawyer.

 

Lol even better

 

Bring down the full weight of that law degree

 

That tends to make people clam up and and not want to help.

 

Similar story. Not meaning to hijack your thread, but maybe it offers a clue to consider.

Similar experience.

Mine was a failing magnetic clutch on the A/C compressor. Replaced same. Drove to Syracuse from CT. Lost A/C, lost fan, lost windows. No sounds of concern. Local Toyota dealer found blown fuses, replace same. Settled into hotel. Next am battery seemed weak. Went to the jobsite. Got back to hotel, spent the night, headed back home in am - NY Thruway east.

Several miles down the road on thruway engine had no power. Had to feather the skinny pedal to keep it running cuz if I tried to accelerate, it would stall. 40 MPH (best) on the thruway is scary! Got towed to a different Toyota shop (had to stay another night).
Their diagnosis: needs new alternator ($$$). I'm thinking nope, it's something else. Just had the frame replaced (forgot about A/C clutch) - it's going back to that dealer. Decide that I'll make it home on a new battery (since it's not charging) and kept the old battery (freshly charged) just in case.
Made it back to my local dealer without incident. Explained what had transpired. The tech who did the frame swap troubleshooted for over a day.
Final diagnosis:
The A/C clutch replaced previously had shorted out (the NEW one), causing a cascade of fuse/circuit breaker trips. The ECU read this as 'no need to charge the battery.' So this meant that after I lost parts of the electrical circuits on the way to Syracuse, combined with not correcting all of the tripped circuits, my Taco was running only on battery electricity. The bogging down on the return trip was due to the almost fully drained battery. I was lucky enough to make it to a rest area.

What did it cost me?
Time, one night hotel stay and inconvenience.
A flatbed tow to the nearest Toyota dealer.
Disputing the service manager on the need for a new alternator.
Initially a new battery. Got home and sold on eBay for what it cost me.
Ultimate shop time to diagnose & fix - $0
Anxiety about the final fix (for a few weeks, then all was good).
My personal conclusion:
Tacoma electrical systems are extremely interrelated and touchy.
Modify with extreme caution and at your own risk.
The problem ain't necessarily where common sense would suggest.
Disconnect the battery before doing ANYTHING electrical.
EDIT: This was on my '06 TRD OR AC, NOT my '21.

 

Fill it up with coolant, roll that sucker into the dealership, trade it and take advantage of that super duper resale!!!....