Uh, melted intake box?

Even though I'm a noob to Tacomas, this can't be right. I popped the hood to finish wiring up some fog lights and noticed my air cleaner box for the first time - it looks melted and is cracked. How the hell did this happen? I haven't touched it, and bought the truck new.

 

DEALER! WHERES THE DEALER!

 

I live in Az and this has never happened to me before.. Something is wrong, but I'd have no clue on where to even start. Was there any frayed wires near it?

 

Heat is the cause of things melting?



Just getting a chuckle out of this, no hard feelings. Now back on track.

Where do you primarily drive the truck? Do you let the truck idle for long periods of time after heavy use?

 

Gremlins

 

But seriously, is there any charring under the hood or any other sign that something burned? I have seen a brand new Taco catch fire because one of the fender splash guards wasn't secured and it touched the cat converter and started a small fire.

Any other signs of heat damage on anything?

Have you had it in for any kind of service where maybe a mechanic took it off and set it upside down on a hot surface and then put it back on like nothing happened?

 

http://www.plasticsintl.com/sortable_materials.php?display=thermal



Material Matters
Nylon is the most popular thermoplastic used in engine compartments. “It accounts for 60 percent to 80 percent of applications, because it can withstand high temperatures,” says Ray LaFlamme, worldwide automotive marketing manager at Dukane Corp. (St. Charles, IL). Nylon has been used under the hood since the late 1940s, but early applications focused on less critical compo-nents, such as valve stems, wiring clips, gears, bearings, bushings, switch housings and windshield wiper systems.

European automakers, such as BMW, Peugeot and Porsche, began using nylon air-intake manifolds in the 1970s. However, the first high-volume manifolds did not appear in the United States until the early 1990s, when General Motors used nylon on its V-6 engines.

Polypropylene is primarily used for reservoirs, such as power steering fluid tanks, because it can’t be too close to extremely hot components, such as exhaust manifolds or turbocharging units. Polyphenylene sulfide is ideal for parts that must withstand tem-peratures above 150 to 160 C, such as water and coolant pumps. Liquid crystal polymers are often used in electronic compo-nents, such as sensor housings and connectors. According to LaFlamme, many plastic components are heat-staked or swaged to metal subassemblies in the engine compartment.

http://www.assemblymag.com/articles/86440-plastics-under-the-hood

 

That would be weird because it looks warped yet still retains the shape by the seal. Looks like it melted in place.

 

Backfiring????

 

I live in Key West, FL, a 7-mile island, and drive maybe a total of 10 miles a day. It only idles at red lights, I never get above 35-40 mph, and the only service I've had done is one oil change (really low miles). I'm completely stumped as to what could have caused it, and there's no other signs of heat under the bay.

 

I'd pull the air box out and see what other damage it has. It may show you where the source of the heat is coming from.

If its still under warranty (should be) then take into the dealer..

 

Open it up and have a look at the air filter.

 

The filter is clean and looks brand new, everything looks immaculate except the box.

 

You said you were installing fog lights but was not done.. Are you 100% sure you didn't leave an open lead somewhere while doing this?

Take more clear pics so we can see.