'13 V6, 4500 miles and my motor may be shot!

If I posted a video of my truck "tapping" you guys would shit your pants

 

You have my attention

 

Imagine a angry dwarf with a sledgehammer in your engine bay trying to escape.

 

Yeah that can't be good, fixed under warranty?

 

Well, that bites. I hope for your sake this goes smoothly and quickly for you. Out of my own curiosity, do you know if the reflash was done on yours? It might be as simple as a fuel or ignition timing issue causing the knocking.

 

I was afraid of that ... Sorry hotrod

 

Hotrod, definitely keep us updated on the "Lemon case", mine hasn't duplicated the sound again yet. It did it a couple times before over this winter but I never got a chance to record it with my phone because I had my two year old with me.

I was out at lunch today and ran into a Toyota tech at lunch. I asked him if they had any other Tacoma's at the dealership with weird noises (described the noise our trucks have been making), he said they've had a couple come in with something similar but they ended up all being power steering pumps freezing.

On a side note my 2003 Ford Explorer Sport Trac 4.0l V6 has been doing the same sound for the last two weeks at start up until it warms up and I know for fact that the timing chain tensioners are worn out and partially broken and the power steering has been freezing up on it as well.

It's hard to tell what it could be but I still lean towards some kind of oil pump/ getting enough oil to rotating parts/ timing parts fast enough. Although the whole power steering problem idea kinda makes sense as part of it.

 

LOL... Screw Toyota. They are worthless the majority of the time and I could of possibly caused it myself anyway. I took it in once when I set up an appointment with the service manager when he had his best engine guy in and those two douchebags had about 11 points of IQ between them both. Tried telling me it would cost over 1k to even take the head off of it so I got in my truck and said FU. New engines go for just over 1,200 if your lucky like I was when I was looking.

 

I have one done every time I change the oil in my Subaru. I will probably do my first one with the Tacoma at my 20K change.

Did they replace the timing components/accessories or reuse what you had on the truck. I'm just wondering if it's something that was on your existing motor and they re-used it.

 

My trucks only had the dealer touch it twice in 6 years. Once for TSB springs they screwed me on and never did alignment and the other time was trying to get a starter replaced under warranty when my truck was literally dripping with mud.

The only good experience I had at a dealer was when I lost my lugnut key and the salesman who sold me the truck overrode the service manager who wanted to charge me $60 to borrow a techs key so I could unlock them in their parking lot. Even after that I was pissed they tried to make money off me.

 

The timing chain idler gear and bearing, sliders and adjusters, serpentine belt pulleys, and oil pump were already new and probably not part of a short block. Most likely reused.

The noise presents in the lower left side of the block, I thought sure that the short block would have fixed it.

 

That's what I'm wondering...if it's something in your existing setup that might be causing the issue.

 

I am still leaning towards timing chain making noise. Secondary question is why. It could be failed tensioners, it could be stretched. I would think tech working on the truck had checked it but I guess not.
If chain is stretched that would mean it's not getting enough oil. Maybe clogged jet.
Either way. It's lemon or they need to give you new engine

 

They did give him a new engine (short block), when they should've installed a completely new engine with everything on it from the factory. You pay for a complete engine when you buy it new so you should get a complete new one if it craps out this fast, JMO.

 

This is a terrible situation, but like you said probably the best outcome. I wouldn't want a rebuilt motor in a brand new truck.

 

I'm beyond the new engine satisfying me at this point. 3 trips in the shop, 33 days out of service since mid January, and now I own a $34,000 truck that has been apart more than an erector set. My Carfax has to be a disaster at this point and it can't help but affect the value if I were to sell it. I just know that all of the work that has been done will be detrimental to me somehow later in my truck's life.

I wanted a crate engine but they forced me into a short block, I didn't like it, but it was my last ditch effort. I lost the use of my new vehicle all winter, through 3 Pittsburgh snow storms. I have made at least 6 round trips to the dealership, 44 miles round trip, I've taken time from work. I was stuck in peoples driveways twice this year. I had to get a ride home because my loaner Corolla would go in the snow when my brand new 4X4 sat in a nice warm dealers garage. I was unable to go to our camp all winter because it's back in the woods and I wouldn't even take a Corolla there in the summertime. Spring is on it's way and it will be boat towing time, I will need to deliver a couch and loveseat to my son's house in a few weeks, I need a truck, that's why I bought one!

I've been patient until it was time not to be patient, I think that time is now, that's why I opened a lemon case yesterday. As I have said all along, my dealer has been great, he can't do something unless Toyota authorizes it. I'll have to go to the next level but I'm not taking any prisoners, my dealer has continued to do his best.... that's why I bought 3 out of 4 Toyotas from him. If Toyota doesn't screw me, that's where my 5th one will come from.

 

same location as my gremlin

You're taking this pretty good.

One thing you need to do is get a comparable rental. You need to put your foot down about that. Giving you a POS Corolla while working on your 35k truck is not sufficient. You need to tell the dealer you are a contractor and need a 4x4 truck to get to jobsites and such.

 

I've already been offered a somewhat comparable rental.... after about day 25, I drove to get it and Hertz where they rented if from, they closed at noon on a Saturday and I couldn't get it! I had to drive the 44 mile trip for nothing! The dealer didn't even know they closed at noon!

I am a contractor and I use the truck for work and person use. I have been hesitant to this point to ask since I was told that taking payments and such would not shine well on the lemon case. They did offer me 1 month payment so far, when I told them my concern I never heard about it again.

 

Damn this sucks....

 

Well your frustration is understandable.. Hopefully lemon process goes quick and easy.
Its obvious that whoever is working on your truck is not very good at it. They just tossing parts at it, with out actually trying to find root cause.. And root cause from what you posted never was in the block. There is nothing inside the block that would buzz. I would imagine any tech would be smart enough, to open FSm and check, what is at that location.
Problem is (and that's not limited to auto industry) that people with skills are very hard to find, and at the same time, an amount of people relying on those with skills is constantly increasing. That dealer maybe great to purchase cars but you are probably better of servicing your next truck somewhere else.