Toyota Tacoma 2.4L I-Force Turbo Engine - FULL Engine Review & Breakdown from Diesel Mechanic

More yapping about the most reliable part of the 4th gen.

 

Two years ago The 2.7L is iron block. But indeed it's no guarantee of reliability. The 2.7L in the 3rd gen is known for cold start rattle, caused by something as little as a failed O-ring in the oil pickup.

 

Wait, I paid a lot of money for an aluminum block, are you saying they are no good?

 

Manufacturers got away from cast iron blocks because having 2 different metals on either side of the headgasket was not working out.

When the cylinder head is aluminum and the block is iron they expand and contract at different rates. This was causing headgasket issues because the head would have to "slide" across the head gasket surface in relation to the block. They were literally building headgaskets with Teflon on the surface to allow for this movement

When they went all aluminum engines drastically stopped blowing HGs as often

 

Without proper structural support at the top of the cylinder, such as you get from closed deck or semi closed deck, vibrations and movement of the cylinder walls can "scrub" against the head gasket and cause it to fail. A very common, and well documented problem, especially with Ford ecoboosts (especially the 2.3L). There is a reason the Ford Focus RS is almost unseen on the roads these days.

For a turbo engine, you generally want a closed or semi closed deck.

However, the cast Iron cylinder wall Toyota uses can potentially off set this issue. It doesn't change the fact that, generally, open deck engines are not the industry approved design for forced induction.



The Tacoma T24A-FTS uses a plastic coolant control valve housing. The plastic WILL FAIL. Period. Jeep, Subaru, Ford, Chevy, VW/Audi, Dodge, EVERYONE who has used a plastic thermostat housing has had issues with leaking, including ongoing class action lawsuits, recalls, extended warranties. Not disputable. Toyota also uses plastic coolant couplings. I'm emotionally at peace with the fact that these also will fail and hope Toyota offers a proper solution/fix.

 

Where's the XLT Ranger?

The Pro has a two tone color scheme, way larger wheel openings than the Ranger, a hood scoop red front and rear tow hooks, an ARB rear bumper, TRD Pro embossed in the tailgate, a hood scoop with iForcemax badging' on the hood. Lots more flair than the Raptor. Tge Ranger in any comparable guise is much more conservatively styled than the Tacoma.

The Pro should have more performance to back up its looks. I think that's what they was getting at im the video.

 

That one on the right doesn't look the same as the others. It's pretty obvious.

 

[QUOTE="batacoma, post: 30800563, member: 229983"

The Pro has a two tone color scheme, way larger wheel openings than the Ranger, a hood scoop red front and rear tow hooks, an ARB rear bumper, TRD Pro embossed in the tailgate, a hood scoop with iForcemax badging' on the hood. Lots more flair than the Raptor. Tge Ranger in any comparable guise is much more conservatively styled than the Tacoma.

The Pro should have more performance to back up its looks. I think that's what they was getting at im the video.[/QUOTE]

For the 4R Pro the only thing comparable is a Bronco? but that's smaller. Maybe some people will cross shop those. Bronco, depending on trim, is definitely a quicker ride.

Not necessarily disagreeing or arguing with you on Pro/Raptor looks. The Pro two tone is less noticeable on some colors (no two-tone on black) and certainly isn't as bold as the optional Raptor side graphics. Ranger has the side scoops that (I think) are functional but "racy". Rear bumpers actually look almost the same, and all Tacomas and all Rangers have six letters on the tailgate. As long as you don't get the inserts, they're pretty subdued.

It's funny, there are so many new Tacoma owners that pass on the Pro and/or Hybrid but then add a $400 spacer lift, wide wheels/tires, and a Heritage grille. They want the look but power and suspension capability isn't important to them.

When I do a nationwide search for Pros, there are 544. Same search for Ranger Raptors, there are 750. For those looking for high(er) performance midsize trucks, why are the Raptors sitting on the lots - they're way cheaper than the Pros. I'm guessing most people value the Toyota brand and/or other Tacoma features more than the extra performance from the Raptor - even when it's available at a lower price. Toyota is under no pressure to up the performance on the Pro, they're selling just fine.

 

Toyota probably felt comfortable as 1GR and 2GR have had plastic thermostat housings with minimal issues. However, it will depend on access. The plastic 2GR coolant crossover pipe obviously hasn't done well.

 

For the 4R Pro the only thing comparable is a Bronco? but that's smaller. Maybe some people will cross shop those. Bronco, depending on trim, is definitely a quicker ride.

Not necessarily disagreeing or arguing with you on Pro/Raptor looks. The Pro two tone is less noticeable on some colors (no two-tone on black) and certainly isn't as bold as the optional Raptor side graphics. Ranger has the side scoops that (I think) are functional but "racy". Rear bumpers actually look almost the same, and all Tacomas and all Rangers have six letters on the tailgate. As long as you don't get the inserts, they're pretty subdued.

It's funny, there are so many new Tacoma owners that pass on the Pro and/or Hybrid but then add a $400 spacer lift, wide wheels/tires, and a Heritage grille. They want the look but power and suspension capability isn't important to them.

When I do a nationwide search for Pros, there are 544. Same search for Ranger Raptors, there are 750. For those looking for high(er) performance midsize trucks, why are the Raptors sitting on the lots - they're way cheaper than the Pros. I'm guessing most people value the Toyota brand and/or other Tacoma features more than the extra performance from the Raptor - even when it's available at a lower price. Toyota is under no pressure to up the performance on the Pro, they're selling just fine.

[/QUOTE]

Not that I think the Pro is over the top in styling I just think it should offer more performance based on the look of the truck. I think that's what Savagegease was getting at. Toyota could offer a TRD Pro GR edition Tacoma and 4Runner and throw the GX motor under the hood, it would canabalize the t4 hybrid models.

Yes it us interesting how people don't go for the Pro but want their truck to look more like a Pro. I also agree Toyota has no reason to up the performance on the Pro.

Edit I think most people don't want to pay hybrid or Pro prices when they already know they want to lift and modify the truck when they purchase it.

The 4G I want has the least amount of performance available with the detuned engine.

 

Most people wouldn't notice the difference in power. Unless they're on TW, then everyone has an opinion.

 

The common narrative is the 4G is the best performing and most powerfull Tacoma ever. I'm sure power delivery is one factor most buyers take into consideration. Toyota offers the hybrid simply for more performance and nothing else.

 

Getty’s video leans hard on guilt by association. If a plastic part failed on a GM or VW, well then look out, Toyota owner. Seems to ignore that within Toyota’s own eco-system, the choice of materials & designs that he’s personally worried about for the 2.4T have already been tested to their internal durability standards, and proven in millions of mainstream Toyota & Lexus vehicles.

 

The offset crankshaft should ameliorate some of the concerns with cylinder wall scrubbing by the pistons under high load.

 

I'm concerned. Am I not allowed to be?

This isn't a thermostat housing. Its a $700 coolant control valve.




Everyone here needs to take criticism better. I bought the truck; I'm not trolling a forum for the giggles.

 

You're worried about the plastic cooling system components and since the rest of us aren't that means we need to take criticism better?

I'm not speaking from a fan-boy position, I've been a full-time tech for over 20 years. I can tell you from experience that toyota makes their plastics much better than most other car companies. Japanese cars in general have less problems with plastics than European or American cars.

Try staying off youtube for a while and enjoy your truck

 

Does that part fail? The fact that it’s expensive means nothing to me if it doesn’t fail very often.

 

Does Toyota still use better plastics in 2025?

I couldn't tell you which is better or worse. The rear of the 2G headlight assembly used a gray plastic which seemed pretty strong but it was also kind of soft. I see the 4G uses black plastic on the rear of the headlight assembly. I can't recall what the 3G has but I think it was black plastic too. I wonder which is better material or if it makes a difference?

 

I dunno the ranger raptor doesn't sound very exciting to me (3.0 turbo V6) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2PXtAP8Qjo - look wise I think the Taco and Raptor both look nice and aggressive.

I think exciting is the F150 with a coyote 5.0 or a hemi v8 sounds much nicer to me and gets my peter tingle tingling https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6_oHlW0Dzo0

 

If you're a mechanic you should know this. Its common knowledge. Plastic coolant housings have been, and continue to be, a fail item for Toyota. Corolla, Camry, Rav4, Tundra, etc... The thermal cycling warps the plastic and the seals fail. I haven't seen a single Toyota engine that has a plastic thermostat housing or flow control valve, that hasn't had issues with leaks. Prove me wrong.

Its failing for Ford, Chevy, Dodge, VW, Audi, Hyundai, BWM, Mercedes, Porsche, etc... AND TOYOTA.

Ask the third gen owners about cracking coolant pipe couplings at less than 100k miles. IIRC, Toyota went back to cast metal parts (I forget the years) for the 3rd gen. But back to plastic for the 4th.

I'm sorry for bursting everyone's bubble but plastic parts in the coolant system is probably going to a problem, and if you are out of warranty, it will be an expensive problem.

The 3rd gen used plastic coolant couplings that were prone to cracking and failing. Toyota swapped back to cast metal for the 3rd gen but the 4th gen uses a plastic thermal control valve housing and plastic coolant couplings (again).

Not sure why.