2GR-FKS failure at 150K, looking for input/some questions

I guess I just can't imagine not having a missfire code. And if the vvt was not matched (desired vs actual) I can't imagine not setting a cam phaser code as well. Like I said tho, imma dummy.

 

Here’s another thought:

overheat/oil starvation causing ring lands piston failure. or one of your valves guide failure leading to bent piston are two very possible options IMHO.

given this is a chain driven engine I just don’t see the chain/tensioner being the failure point (unless a bolt came loose). Check it out and post back. Very interested in what you find.

Cheapest fix:
Salvage engine swap (trans doesn’t need to come out)

funnest fix:
Stroker engine (using your current one if salvageable)

good luck OP. Hope you have fun with it.

 

That's the great part is I did get a Cam position error code right as it happened, it registered as a trans temp error code but that warning is also triggered by the CPS.

 

That's kindof where I'm at too. Just seems odd.

 

That would be great. I'm thinking I'll swap for a salvage and take my time to build up the original for a performance swap. I just don't have a ton of cash or time at the moment.

 

If that’s the case…. How are some these owners getting way above 150,000 miles without having this issue?

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/who-has-the-highest-mileage-3rd-gen.694646/page-6

 

One is life expectancy and the other lifespan.

 

But goddam that guy really got to 400K. Envious for sure, but at 400,000 miles has probably had some preventative maintenance, if not definitely should.

 

My vote for culprit or root cause of the failure was the fuel injector cleaner. I'm wondering what brand? Lots of that stuff is snake oil at best, worst case it could be engine poison as it seems here?

 

5vfe swap it!

 

I’m not even close to being smart enough for something like this but I appreciate the vote of confidence.

 

if the timing was out it would set a check engine light period.. even a little bit half tooth what ever. if any of the solenoids or actuators were not moving or had stuck it would set a check engine light.. period.. if it misfired more than couple hundred times on a specific cylinder it would set a check engine light.. a misfire is not going to over stress that cylinder... it is not firing. hence MISS fire.. so it would have less stress than a firing engine.. an out of time engine so out of time that it would not fire correctly on each cylinder would not even run... you cant have a out of timing on just one cylinder on a dual overhead cam engine unless the camshaft was broke in half.. it would have to be out of time on that entire bank..
ive dealt with enough crappy GM 3.6 engines timing chains and low to no oil concerns to know all that as fact.
you relize how many chevy traverses are running around with timing chain codes set in them for thounsands of miles cause the owners don't have money to fix them... LOTS

 

please post links of this.

 

I don't think it's possible it was out of time personally. There is absolutely no way it wouldn't throw a code as far as I know. Unless.. it jumped time, and immediately blew??

That's what this means in my head... but I'm just a dude who fucks with motors in his garage. I'm 99% probably wrong and it's probably something really simple.

Keep us updated OP, I'm invested.

 

I'm sorry you had to go through that experience! I'm just surprised by the fact that toyota put the expected life expectancy of the 2grfks at 150k miles.

 

This just sounds like a freak accident to me like manufacturing screwed up somewhere . Maybe some tolerances were missed somewhere . I'll be subd to this cause I'm at 144,000 + miles 2017

 

Yup. I think your situation is just bad luck..it's like some people get a lot longer from a timing belt than the recommended interval but it was not necessarily wise, it just means it can happen. Or you can have one jump or skip like my old girlfriend's car did and in theory it never should have.

The old Colorado was famous for timing chain issues too..and the cylinder head puking. Reason why I will not buy another GM

 

No idea what I did with the formatting there, sorry y'all.

Misfire doesn't mean the cylinder failed to fire, it means it failed to fire at the appropriate cam bank interval. If the cylinder was overheating from oil starvation it could fire in advance which is enough to screw the ringlands and potentially melt/warp the piston like @henryp suggested, besides that comparing a GM to a Toyo motor for timing issues doesn't really hold much water. They're different platforms, different motors and different characteristics. You could run a R-series toyo without oil for a decent number of miles but you'd be fucked trying to do that in the 2gr platform.

That kind of failure can happen really quickly and might store as an in-progress code that hasn't had enough instances to throw a permanent code. Early on there was a thread regarding the 2gr fks in a highlander (I think??) that threw ringlands in 5 and 6 that had recorded several misfire instances without throwing a code. Definitely don't rely on a CEL to tell you if your engine is out of time, most ECM's require a particular degree of bank misfire before throwing a diagnostic code and that can be enough to harm other components that are weak enough.

Definitely some kind of unfortunate circumstance, like I said earlier I wouldn't claim it's something inherently wrong with All 2gr-fks motors but it does seem to be a problem that is sprinkled across the 2GR platform as more than 3 shops suggested the same likely problem. I just happened to be one of the few unlucky guys.

 

The thing I've learned from this thread is: 3K mile oil changes lead to premature engine failure. I'll stick with the factory interval.

Thanks, and yeah I'll see myself out now...