Broken Metal Ring in Oil Pan?

I had some systemic oil leaking I noticed along the underside of the transmission and around oil pan. I took to a shop and this is what they found in the oil pan. Any idea what they are?

 

Together, all those pieces look like they make more than one "circle".
At first I wanted to say it was a snap ring, but it looks too big.
Then I wanted to say it looked like a "seat" or some sort.

We need more pictures of the parts. (closer up)

And more than likely a guy like @gearcruncher that has been inside these.

This is one of those case where, you need hands on experience, to help.

 

I only have one more picture they sent me. I can see if they have more.

 

What did they find was leaking?

 

Not good at all.

 

Piston ring

 

Engine oil pan looks like. It also looks too small to be a piston ring.

Also this is a manual, so it doesnt have a pan.

I'm at a loss. I've had 1GR's fully apart.

 

Looks like it would be a spacer of some kind but yea it also looks like its from more than one of whatever it is.

 

I can't find anything in any pictures or diagrams that would match that, I'm kind of wondering if it even came from the engine.
Did you have any noises before?

 

Maybe they tossed those in there and they're trying to sell you a motor or buy the vehicle

 

Too big for a wrist pin clip, too small for a piston ring... ... Some kind of freeze plug related bit.. thrust berting or spacer of some sort?

 

I would really hope a shop wouldn't be that shady but it does seem suspicious being that it doesn't appear to belong.

 

does the shop have any idea????
Did they say anything, we think....
see any scoring on the cylinder walls while the pistons are in the up position, looking from the bottom with the eng oil pan off?
the big piece kinda does look like a piston ring, but hard to gauge size from pic, does look small...

Do I see additional evidence of metal debris / contaminants from the shrapnel?
Again, hard to tell from the pic....
If the oil thats came-out is metallic, & theres metal flake / glitter in the engine oil pan...
whatever it is, its done....

havent had any toyota engine apart, no idea what the thrust bearing looks like....
on fords, some are attached to the crank main bearing as 1 piece...
But 4.6L & 5.4L triton, its in the rear of the crank totally separate & kinda looks like those broken up smaller pieces.
But I truly have no idea....

You can check crankshaft endplay to rule out, get a pry bar & shift crank pulley all the way to the back of the engine, & they move it all the way forward...
Shouldn't have much movement at all....

 

It really doesn't look like anything that could coma apart inside a motor and fall down in the pan.
Pieces of a bearing or timing chain component? The list is pretty short

 

Looks like this isn't the first time the truck has been in the shop

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-times-within-20k-miles.832842/#post-29845727

 

Why is it so clean?

https://www.monkeywrenchracing.com/product/toyota-oil-filter-cap-2zr-fe-1zr-fe/

i know not same vehicle but it kind of looks like same metal on top.

 

Maybeeeeeeeeeee if it had timing chain work or head work done a piece of this fell in. They were known for falling apart.

Looks like it might have head work done.

I'm declaring myself the winner here (meaning I give up). But this truck is certainly in poor shape.

 

holly shit balls....

Bought (2015 Tacoma, DOUBLE CAB, 4X4, V6,6MT, Tow Package) with ~109k miles in 2022 from Honda as trade-in. I had it inspected at Toyota. Toyota identified what they believed to be Rear Main Seal leak. Honda replaced Rear Main Seal and Oil Pan Gasket prior to purchase. Within a few days I noticed oil along underside of transmission. Honda replace rear main seal again in addition to the retainer that it sits in and the valve gasket covers. At this point I looked up my VIN on Toyota and saw the previous owner (under CPO Warranty) has the Rear Main Seal and Oil Pan gasket replaced twice at around 85k-95k miles. Honda investigated further and identified a head gasket leak on both sides that was dripping oil. I ultimately had to sue Honda as they did not want to pay to repair the head gaskets. I used the money from the lawsuit to have the engine completely remanufactured. This also included a new rear main seal as well as any other components that the shop demanded to warranty their work. Shortly after taking it back it I noticed leaking. The engine was pressure tested and passed (excluding the head gaskets leaking). The transmission was dropped and they noticed the rear main seal was not seated all the way in. They performed some sort of pressure test (to see if that caused it to un-seat: Passed) pushed it back into place and I drove it around. Shortly after I noticed leaking along the bottom of the transmission between the rear main seal and crank shaft.

The repair shop is hesitant to install another seal. They are in communication with the shop that remanufactured the engine to get their insights on the matter.

 

take it back to the shop that did the rebuild....
Let them figure it out....

 

I’d hope this isn’t the case, but it seems odd that there’s no sign of oil on those parts, they look wayyy too clean to have been inside that oil pan for a length of time. Even if you look at the sheared ends of the piece off to the right, there’s no sign of dark oil on the roughly broken (or cut) edges.

I think whatever that is got dropped in there either accidentally or on purpose, after the pan was pulled.