Anyone else feeling better about their 3rd gen.

Think the blow by pressure of the loose plug damaged the seal? Why it was covered with oil? Or just simply failed. Had one go in my 1st Gen, one of the tubes was filled with oil is why I am asking.

 

1st gen at how many miles? Yes the tube seals go bad. At 60k miles they almost never go bad.

It was covered with oil not because of tube seal damage. It was covered in oil because the plug was so loose that the oil escaped out of the spark plug hole.

 

Like at 400K, so really can’t complain.

Yeah would be shocked one going at 60K.

Ok, gotcha, thanks.

 

At 200k miles my LX470 needed valve cover gaskets, which the job includes tube seals. Seals leaking at high mileage, or 20 years old makes sense.

Seals leaking at 4 years in is a problem for Toyota, and shouldn't happen.

 

Was more than impressed with the 3.4 in my ‘99 other than timing belt every 90K, needed very little attention didn’t start leaking until the 400K mark. Lost a head gasket at 434K, I put a new engine in at that point, thought by the time I did both heads, the bottom would probably let go. Part of me wishes I did that just see how far I could keep it going.

Yeah, reading up on timing cover leaks on the 3.5, that isn’t good. Is there any kind of recall or class action suit?

 

I've owned an replaced countless 3.4 5vz-fe engines. Haven't fully rebuilt one though.

The 3.4 was geared towards low end torque. Like a truck should be. It's an amazing engine.

In Japan and other countries the Hino utilized the 3.4L. As any engine it needs repairs eventually. Typically at 180k miles or much higher.

The newer Toyota engines don't come close to the 5vz, 1uz, 2uz, 3uz engines they used to put out.

 

Great engine, was trying to get it to 500K, so close. Wasn’t the fastest thing, but about as reliable as an anvil. Still have the truck, spent most of its life in AZ, so the frame still looks great.

Sounds like you can do an engine replacement in your sleep.

Maybe this new turbo 4 will get it back to its roots, it looks over built. Time will tell.

 

I'm keeping an eye out for that and leaky valves for my '22. I'm hoping that doesn't happen on mine, because I really like the truck otherwise.

I'm hopeful the last statement turns out to be true just so I have a backup plan whether my 3.5 becomes a problem truck or not. Am a big manual guy as well so I'm thankful Toyota kept the manual option. Otherwise I may just have suck up and get an automatic (5.0 F150) if my 3.5 shits the bed.

 

I bought the extended warranty just case.

Love the truck, however first sign of any major trouble it is getting traded in.

New engine does look beefy, hopefully they did their homework and made it anvil reliable. Guessing the detuned engine is the one to buy if a person is looking for longevity. Dunno, I am not getting any younger, so me trying to squeak every last dime out of a truck days are over. Thinking getting a new one every 5 years now, so long term reliability isn’t too much of a concern anymore.

 

Exactly my attitude towards my truck. I personally love how it looks and I really like the interior as well. It also has the perfect amount of tech without being overbearing, to me. But if it develops a major problem in a low enough mileage, it's getting traded in.

I used to have the attitude of trying to squeeze every dime out of my 3rd gen, but depending on how my 3rd gen treats me and how reliable the 4th gen turns out/how much I like it, I might even just trade mine in for one of the later years.

 

Can we get back to that 4th gen breaking, or simply how bad the 4th gen sucks in general. Man... fuck that truck.

 

Yikes, all this talk of 3rd gen problems and trading in doesn’t inspire confidence in someone looking at buying one. Maybe I should shelve the idea, lol.

 

For the most part , most people have a good ownership experience with these trucks and the ones that don’t are amplified by the forum , of course all vehicles have their issues

 

I'm in. How 'bout that stupid fuckin wannabe spaceship dash

Gimme gauges or gimme - something else. Between that and a turbo 4-banger, I'll sit this one out.

 

i think it is far and few between of the folks on TW that refer to the 3.5 as garbage. those that do likely had one of the major failures and if you put yourself in their shoes, it is understandable.

many complain about the lack of power. i do not have an issue with power but like everyone else, i wish there was more torque lower in the RPM range.

to your point, i think there are more people here on TW that attempt to make the 3.5 sound bullet proof and without issue - posting about their truck making it to 100K miles is an example. 100K miles isn't an accomplishment and i have personally owned and had numerous company vehicles that made is well past 100K miles without issue.

i am certain that if you could choose between the 4.0 and 3.5 in the turd gen, the majority of people would choose the 4.0. that alone speaks volumes of how many feel about the 3.5 and the direction the tacoma has gone.

one last point, no one should feel better about their 3G because of the 4G release which is the thread topic as i understand it. if you do, then you shouldn't attempt to defend toyota because you own the later.

 

Think it is a crap shoot, really won’t know if a particular truck is good or not until you personally put the miles on it. So many variables too.

All of my Toyotas have nickeled and dimed me over the years, it is amazing that I stuck with them for this long. The reality is, there is no perfect vehicle and they all are a pain in the ass, it’s a wonder why so many people are fanatics. Be nice if I could turn the “enthusiast” part of my brain off like my wife, she could give two shifts about vehicles. Nothing more than an appliance, her requirements are heat, air and sitting up high. Oh and being able to fit animal carriers in it, we have a bunch and make multiple vet visits a month. Why I wasn’t too-too happy about them killing off the access cab, the pet carriers fit perfect back there. Guess a DC would be better though, so not a huge issue in the big scheme of things, just going to cost more.

 

Lol! They all suck, if it has breasticles or wheels it’s gonna give ya trouble! One’s a fish bowl the other is a rectangular aquarium.

 

Todays tech has many looking at extended warranties.

https://www.findthebestcarprice.com/car-warranty-statistics/

 

When the dealer was showing me the massive list of non-Toyota parts, I went from “It’s a Toyota! Shouldn’t need a warranty at all!” to…”I better buy one” believe they show you that sheet as a scare tactic to get you to spend more money now.

 

Every generation there's that guy who thinks the previous generation is superior to the new one. Always spouting off about how the new product is cheaper, less durable, and less advanced. He is proud that he bought old tech and claims that his stuck in the stone age mentality will pay off. I say great. Here is to you Mr. Iwon'tmodernize.