V6 3.5 L Failed at 71k Miles

That blows. I have not heard of head gasget issues, but i spend most my time on the suspension forum scared of blocks and wheel spacers.

I agree, be polite but stay on the dealer, see if toyota will pay for teardown if it shows a defect. Talk to another toyota dealership in town if the are jerks.

 

Well that sounds like a head gasket.
As long as you didn't drive it that way for miles the bottom end of the engine would usually be fine.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2017-dclb-cracked-block.654067/

This guy had the cracked cylinder under warranty.

 

I second this. Curious about the symptoms too.

 

Not that it’s your fault, but how long did you drive it since the first symptoms started?
This sucks

 

Started with rough idle. It might have started a couple of days before, but it got to a point where I knew there was an issue on Friday, when I was 45 miles from home. Vibration went away once I started driving, so I drove it home on the interstate. No warnings or check engine lights at this point. 1.5 miles from home, and on city streets (~25 mph), I got a temperature warning and the temp gauge was pegged out. I pulled over and the temp gauge went down a bit. I shut the truck off and checked under the hood. Coolant overflow tank was high and bubbling over. I restarted and the check engine light came on. I drove gingerly the next 1.5 miles to home and shut if off for the night. Next morning I check coolant level which was at fill line, maybe a 1/4" lower. Started the truck and rough idle continued and white smoke was coming from the exhaust. Had the truck towed to the dealership at this point. Dealership reported no coolant and milky colored oil indicating the coolant had leaked into the crank case.

 

You haven't done anything wrong in how you proceeded with this thus far. The price quoted is extreme to put it mildly. Get a second opinion from someone you trust and proceed from there..... ....and call Toyota Corporate and tell them your story. Get a case number. No one can convince me that this type of customer treatment doesn't drive them crazy.

Be persistent and polite and if you don't hear back from them in 10 days, call them back for follow-up.

Good luck and welcome to the forum.

 

Curious, was the coolant ever changed?

 

Definitely a crappy deal. But, to your original question, head gasket issues are not even a remotely common. There HAVE been sporadic issues with the 3.5L dropping valves and having valve-related issues, but not head gaskets. My opinion is that if the rotating assembly is good and bearings are still good (assuming you didn't run too long with a milkshake in the crankcase), then a head gasket job by a qualified independent shop (who stands behind their work) is a good solution. Otherwise, I would throw a used engine at it. Good luck and I hope you update the thread with the solution you choose.

 

I had a 1991 4Runner that I bought new in fall of 1990. In June of 1996 with 104,000 miles on it, my engine blew a head gasket. Being that it was a Toyota that I had complete faith in regarding reliability, I contacted Toyota corporate and asked if there was a directive out on my engine. The answer was yes — with warranty to 100,000 miles. When I voiced my concern that I was at 104K I was told to contact my dealer and it would take care of me. (It was not the dealer I purchased from — that was in another state.). Sure enough, the dealer towed me in, gave me a loaner and completely repaired it. All at no charge. Keep the faith and be persistent.

 

Well, anytime coolant has gotten in the oil is not good. Lots of bad stuff can happen.

 

No, haven't replaced the coolant.

 

My head gasket on my 2022 blew at 10k miles guess it's common, sold for a 2023 black one

 

Trade it

 

This is so similar, it's scary.
2017 tacoma, 3.5l v6
71k
Engine blown.
42 days ago truck died. 2 mechanics, 1 - 1300.00 injector later, it's barely ran w/nasty knock. Drove approx 25 mis, parked it and had it towed bk to mech that put injector in, a week ago. Couldn't get call back on status. Showed up today with car hauler. And after being "schooled" on how he's worked on tacos for 20 yrs, how he's forgotten more that most mechanics remember, I got the key, loaded it up and took it to Toyota dealership. Within an hour, I find out the engine is blown. 11k to replace..
2 things..
How could a mechanic miss a blown engine?
Dealership said they don't know exactly what happened and tech doesn't feel right abt charging the 3 hrs labor to drop the oil pan and dig into it, as he doesn't think he'll find the answer as to what went wrong.
Is this normal for a dealership to say that?
How can they sell me an 11k engine, and not have an answer as to what happened?

 

Do the headgaskets change the oil and sell it.