2GR-FKS Engine Problem/Failure

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuXrX9B3Uo0

Has 3 inch lift with frame components cut off, had no idea if lift needed that

 

Normally no! And I wouldn’t but some 3” and taller lifts do cut frame components

 

3 years and 72 failures. Is this a legitimate issue? Or are we under 1% failure rate?

 

Way way way way under.

 

99% of people that have issues aren’t posting them on forums. I’m sure it’s still not a huge problem though. I’ve talked to one tech that had done over a dozen cylinder head replacements. That’s one tech at one shop. The number is much much higher than 72 failures. But like I said, I’m sure it’s not huge in the grand scheme of things.

 

And I wonder too if there is some sort of aggregate data on region versus problem, for example, the dealership I was at for 2 years just south of St. Louis only ever saw one Tacoma come in with a power issue that mimics some of these symptoms and it wasn't the acis flap.

Agreed that it's obviously much bigger than the forum but unfortunately with Toyota selling a quarter million of these trucks a year, even if it was 700 failures a year, that would be a drop in the bucket.

 

If I remember next time I’m at my dealer, I’ll try to ask the service advisor about it. They’re the highest volume service department in the state (Indiana), so I’m curious.

 

Just watching Youtuber @Waltnasty, assuming he is a Toyota mater tech. There are 4 Tacomas in his shop that he diagnosed with bad valves at the same time, what are the odds. That's Crazy!

 

Sounds clickbaity

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpgXAPLeLpo

Here is longer video he uploaded, with more info

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvVS2pt1u2k

 

Just got done diagnosing my brother-in-law’s 2018 TRD. She done. :-(

Cyl 2 is fukkkkkked. Looks like rings are toast. There’s a loud piston slap and oil in the cylinder. Walls are horribly scored. Compression is shockingly not zero, I got 200psi on cyl 4 and cyl 2 still had 150-160.

Photos are:
- good portion of Cyl 4
- some scoring starting on cyl 2
- cyl 2 rubbed raw

-Mileage that problem/failure happened: 104k

-What actually happened:
- codes for cyl 2 misfire, bank 2 rich, and AFR
- bad engine internal sounds
- running like crap

-Vehicle usage (towing/off-roading/pavement pounder): contractor work truck (so pavement pounder, a little very light towing)

-Vehicle modifications (tune/geared/tires):
Bone stock.

 

In the video, the tacoma is 2018 and other one 2017 I believe. I wonder if they did any changes after 2020 or so on. Since we have one dude who has hit 400K with his 2018 Taco. It can't be engine manufactured bad, it has to be random failures or some kind of common habits between these failed engines.

 

One I think he said over heated I thought . There are so many of these engines around it’s not really an issue I believe. Honestly you really don’t know what people do with their trucks . Do they beat the hell out of them , do they take care of them , I read about people doing weird stuff with there trucks . So do I think the 2GR is reliable over all yes . Will failures happen … yes on any engine . Especially when you start messing with the ecu . I know I know tunes are great but once you leave stock , you roll the dice with anything you do.

 

2GR-FKS is same as 2GR-FSE, just modified.

In short, we can just look all the way back at 2GR-FE engine or 2GR-FSE in 2000s. 1MZ-FE / 2JZs replaced by 2GR-FE . 2GR-FE replaced by 2GR-FSE, and 2GR-FKS is newest version of that.

Here is web if anyone likes reading, this engine replaced Supra and some other sedan V6 engines all the way back.

https://www.motorreviewer.com/engine.php?engine_id=129


To sum things up, its a reliable engine but issues show up as its in so many cars. The 2GRs were basically used in all models except FJ and 4runner. FJ & 4runner too have their own issues with 1GRs, its just they are not sold in such big numbers, so less show. ford dudes can call it car engine and whatever but this engine comes from old roots and in my opinion is solid. It is unfortunate to see failures indeed though.

 

This isn’t a discussion thread so I’m going to make my one post and no more. While yes, the “2GR-FKS has been in tons of models” as many love to say, it isn’t the exact same in our truck as it is in every other model. The cylinder heads used in the Tacoma are only used in the Tacoma and Highlander; nothing else. Go figure, only the models with our cylinder heads have the valve burning issues. So there is something noteworthy there, that while yes we have the same engine as many other platforms, we don’t have the same issues. The timing cover leak and crossover pipe is the same in all FKS versions, except that at least on all the FWDs, the pipe is right there exposed so you can swap it out quick. Whereas on ours it’s at the firewall and nearly impossible to remove without removing the transmission. Bare minimum, that should have been an aluminum pipe for ours.

We also do not have the same block as the other models, not that it really matters. We have the block that aligns with the 7GR-FKS, as opposed to all the other 2GR-FKS engines. Essentially, we have a different block and transmission bellhousing pattern than all the other 2GR engines. Different ribbing and such as well. That is probably a good thing, ours is probably more designed for the stresses a truck engine mounted longitudinally sees. However, the biggest issue with this engine in my opinion is the valve burning issue and that only affects us and Highlanders. So, don’t get too comfy that just because this engine with the same name exists in lots of other vehicles, means that it will be problem free. It is not identical to all the other mostly problem free versions. Why we got our own cylinder head to share with only the Highlander’s, I have no clue. The Highlander is FWD so I’m surprised we even share those. I would think we had our own Tacoma-specific cylinder head design meant for longitudinal vehicles.

 

The heads may be different in our truck, but my mechanic buddy has only fixed this issue in Camrys with the FKS, which I find ironic lol.

 

Just for the sake of consideration:
As a “guesstimate”, Toyota built 150,000 Tacoma’s per year from 2016 to 2023 with the V6…that’s 1,050,000 V6 engines for 3rd Gen Tacoma’s over their lifetime. That means that 10,500 of those engines had to fail to get a 1% failure rate.

 

I bet it's higher

 

The total build number? Yeah, you’re probably right. This was just a guess on the conservative side, in an effort to understand the magnitude of the number of engines we’re talking about.

 

When my engine failed from valvetrain failure, I was told by someone in here that supposedly worked at the Kentucky plant, that I hit the proverbial unlucky lottery......that I had a higher chance of getting hit by lightning than having an engine fail. So here's to hoping my replacement engine goes 500k+!