Dealership Ruined My Engine

...as others have stated, the concern with the used 100,000 mile engine is lack of knowing how it was, or wasn't maintained. 100,000 miles can be a lot, or a not so much miles on these trucks, depending on this....

 

My objection to a used engine was that there was a chance it came from a totaled truck or it belonged to some kid who skipped oil changes and thought he had a race truck.
I met the tech who worked on it, and to my surprise, it was an older gentlemen who was very knowledgeable. He took 100% ownership. Don’t get me wrong, I was beyond pissed, but until a full solution is on the table, nothing is written in stone. They did order the new short block which should be arriving in the next day or two. How does this affect the trade in value of the truck?

 

How does a tech proceed with starting an engine that they suspect might have ceramic in the cylinder and then not get a visual of the cylinder with a scope. This isn't the 90s these cameras are 20 dollars on Amazon. Every shop tech should have one.

 

Also compressed air goes a long way.

The enemy in this story is the work structure, flat rate and pressure to push work out. I've made really questionable mistakes because of these factors.

 

I agree, the alternative of replacing and engine seems like it would counter the time pressure aspect

 

This is probably the way I would want to go too.
I wouldnt trust a used engine since I wouldnt know the history of it. Did the used engine get oil changes every 5k, 10k, or "whenever they got a chance", thats the unknown that I wouldnt want to gamble on without a extended warranty added on top of it.

 

Correct, with all valves closed….
Truth is the broken ceramic could be a cover-up but we will new know….
I’ve seen it happen, you get a hurry and don’t clean the top of the engine with high-pressure air before removing the coils and removing the spark plugs hard piece of foreign material drops into the cylinder, maybe even a random screw that was left behind once upon a time, came over as he had no idea he got into the Cylinder until you fire it off, damage done, and too late most of the time .
Tech is being honest in this situation, he could’ve kept his mouth shut and shipped the vehicle as long as no damage was done to the valves, customer would’ve never known until further down the road, and at that point could’ve played stupid…

 

DUDE, there’s a much smaller chance of screwing up an engine swap vs a short block. I worked as a master tech/foreman at a dealership for 25 years. I know what’s out there working on your car. Just because a “senior” tech is working on it doesn’t mean squat.
I’ll tell you why: after a broken plug extraction, there should have been a cylinder inspection before proceeding (bore scope). You don’t gamble like that with a 10-20,000 dollar engine. If a true pro had done this, it could have eliminated this entire fiasco. This simple fact does not inspire confidence in their ability.

 

Great idea for the future!
My fleet of beaters allows me to complete repairs in my garage and not worry about how long it takes to get parts and complete the job.
Sorry to hear about your situation...good luck!

Cheers

 

It's funny you mentioned that. My neighbor offered me an S10 from his late fathers estate for $500. I accepted and I plan on that being my spare vehicle if I need to do long jobs on the truck

 

damn, hard to find good help nowadays... after my dealer screwed up a simple oil change for the second time, i found a good local shop that is trustworthy and competent. can't trust the dealers

i wouldn't want a used engine after that either, you did the right thing. hope it all works out

 

Been an engine master senior tech for 32+ years for ford, seen it all a few times….
Still save new / reman hands down over used…
I agree 200% about inspecting…
That’s why I suspect a rookie or possibly some other foreigner matter fell in the cylinder & had no idea…
From the damage, I see, he could’ve easily kept his mouth shut and shipped the truck if the valves weren’t compromised and lost compression from indigestion of whatever it was.
Regardless, the kid has a conscious and is doing the right thing…
New over used….

 

I think getting a new short block is great. All new wear items...sheeeet. as for the head...possible valve seat or valve damage. Referb that head you know its hostory. I rarely say go to the dealer for work but in your case it got you a new momo. Take that and run!

 

Or rebuild the other head that doesn’t have impact pitting as long as there’s no gremlins behind it, same, same…


I don’t know how Toyota does things….
Or all manf. Dealers for that matter…
That being said there’s a huge advantage to where I worked, we all specialized & weren’t bumper to bumper…
Made me the best there was at what I did, all engine related repairs, coolant & exhaust, manual trans, noises / vibrations, etc… “line work”

Me all had our specialties & departments, doesn’t mean I didn’t help with other issues if I was needed, but our skill sets were very polished, and what we did…

 

I agree with both of these statements. The Tech was honest, but not thorough with the repair. Me being a long time Senior Master Tech for Ford. I know a thing or two about porcelain debris form seized spark plugs..anyone remember the original style Spark Plugs for the F150 5.4L?

I wonder if there are complete Long Blocks available for the 3rd Gen. I know there are only Short Blocks available for the 1GR-FE and only approx. 28 left in inventory for the US. I know this because I was at my local Toyota Dealership a few weeks ago which is literally next door to my dealership picking the brains of the Front Counter Parts guy. Next summers project for my junk will be a new Short Block and Cylinder Heads.

 

I didn't read all the other replies.
But I would settle for a short block and a new head.
I reality, the head can be "mostly" fixed. But the dents and gouges in the dishes can lead to issues later.
Such as detonation (many miles later) or possibly some weird cylinder imbalance code. Which is why I'd want a new head.

Things happen man. And I bet the tech working on the truck is sick.
That's not just a bad day. That is a bad week. More like a bad month.

Let them fix it and move on. Life is going to move on anyways.
Might as well move with it.........

 

Im sure they have parts manager involved, toyota involved, dealer managers, just trying to find a solution in a timely manner, at this point saving money isnt on the priority list....
The kid that did the damage, may be down the road motors....
As I stated, theres been huge supply chain issues that havent let-up since covid....
I remember it would take a year+ to get a 5.0 coyote engine for dozens of border patrol f-150s I had torn apart...
Think toyota is still dealing with alot of that....

I personally think that the dealer is being 100% transparent with the OP at this point as they still dont have a plan as the ball is rolling & theyre still trying to finalize the plan & solidify the resources, parts, etc...
They probably feel theres no reason to communicate all the small pieces of the equation to the customer till they have a plan...
Or the ball is being dropped by the service writer & not communicating all the small details till he actually knows something...

 

https://www.dieseltoys.com/2016-2023-tacoma

 

Yes I agree with that, probably why the OP still goes there considering it’s not the first mistake they’ve made.
We all make mistakes, the key is ownership of the issue.

 

dealerships can suck, even the one that claim to be great. i had one up until last week i trusted. i have 60K plus on my truck. i had the 60K overhaul service done by them back at 50K to be conservative which includes change the plugs.

well had some work done by another trusted mechanic (not a routine regular thing / it was a special project/build thing i am doing out of a garage in NH) and found 2 plugs were loose, like could take out by hand and one wasnt changed at all since too hard to get to under manifold. like WTF - got lucky.

makes me so discouraged. really hard to find the ones you trust. I am reassessing things... I wish i had the time to just do it all myself. only way to know sometimes.