Original Owner with 06 Tacoma PreRunner Trying to keep it running.

I have been a proud and happy 06 Tacoma Pre-Runner 4.0 V6 owner with about 185,000 miles on it . But on a recent trip I had a major problem.
It all started when I noticed my oil light started to flicker on and off randomly. It seemed to go away at lower RPM's and come back at higher RPM's. I stopped and checked the oil level and it was maybe 1 qt low so I added some and the problem seemed to go away for about 100 miles then I started to notice the oil light again flickering on and off at times but not steady. I again stopped and checked oil level and it seemed to be just fine so again I started up and the problem just disappeared so I figured it must just be a gremlin in the electrical idiot light and proceeded. Well all was well for many miles till I started to accelerate to pass a slower vehicle and all of a sudden the engine was making all sorts of racket and I pulled to the side of the road as I did the check engine light and oil light all came on plus the engine died.
Being 180 miles from home near Bridgeport Ca. I knew this was not good. After collecting my thoughts I tried to restart the engine but it would not turn over however I do not remember how long I sat there with my lights and flashers running but as far as I could tell at the time the engine had frozen up or at least I thought so at the time. So after several calls to family and friends I realized I needed to get towed Thanks to AAA I had 200 mile towing and had the Tacoma towed to my home where it has sat for about a month now because I had no money to fix it right away.
Now fast forward about a month and yesterday I decided to at least go out and investigate just out of curiosity. Since the Battery was completely dead now from sitting and the flashing lights when it broke down I had to hook up my Battery charger for about an hour at fast charge before I could test anything. Well after an hour or so I decided to go ahead and try to turn the key on and see what happened. Much too my surprise it started right up with no hesitation nut making quite a bit of noise for the first few seconds. I shut it down and thought huh Its not frozen but there still must be a problem. So I started it up again just to see what happens if I run it a bit longer. There was quit a bit of clacking and clanking going on but not like a rod noise more like valve train noises and a sort of squealing noise like a slipping belt but it was not that. After about a minute or too the noises started to got away accept if I revved the engine a little it would return. I also noticed that the oil light would again start flickering on and off.
So Know I know the engine at least will start and run but there is definitely a problem most likely due to low oil pressure. My problem is that I know that to properly diagnose the extent of damage the engine will have to be at least partially torn down. My suspicion is that the oile pump is failing and or I have some sort of clogged oil passages causing oil starvation. I have read a few posts in the web of similar symptoms but I am sure its going to be costly to find out. I asked around and was told a dealer would probably charge about $2700 to pull it apart and replace the oil pump, Valve cam chains and water pump. I have a hard time justifying that much expense on an engine with 185,000 miles but a new engine would cast at least double that or more.
In the past I would just tear it apart myself but even though I think I am a pretty good mechanic my expertise is all old school and the last engine I tore apart was a 1984 Jeep inline six. I have never worked on any of these new overhead cam modern sophisticated engines.
So here I am posting this long get to know me post wondering what too do.
Dave

 

Sub'd. Let's see if I can find someone to help. @gearcruncher @Mush Mouse @Clearwater Bill Assistance?

 

Ok, So far the only response I have received is to cross my fingers. Maybe I will just pray on it ? Seriously I probably should start a new thread in the Technical forum or somewhere that I can discuss my options and or the difficulty of trying to do the work myself.
I am interested in hearing from others who may have had a similar problem and how much it cost them to fix it and if they took there truck to a dealer or an independent shop. If I were to tackle it my self where is the best place to get the proper manuals or instructions to get the job done properly with the least amount of hassle.

 

If I had to guess thrown rod and/ or bearing. Usual cause of that is starving engine of oil. Which basically means you need a new engine, or rebuild the bottom end and have everything micro checked by an engine shop. If that was the problem it may be more beneficial to find a salvage running engine at a junk yard or similar.

 

With that kind of noise on an engine with that kind of mileage on it, I would suspect mains, or rod bearings at the minimum. Not to mention a dead oil pump.


Best bet is the Full Shop manual from Toyota as well as Haynes and/or Chilton.