3.5 long-term dependability

As far as I know there has never been a V6 like this ever put in a truck. One that is so rev-happy. I am not bashing it, the Tacoma I test drove felt in it's element at high-revs. If I revved my 2004 Tacoma to 5,000 RPM it would not feel smooth but the 3.5 feels smooth at high revs.

My question is if you think the 3.5 can make it to 200,000 or 300,000 miles with all that friction from spending lots of it's life at high revs. High-rev on it's own is one thing, but high revs while towing and pulling around 5,000 lbs of truck seems like another.
What do you guys think? Any mechanics in the house?

 

Not a mechanic. Not sure rpm is the issue. My last Goldwing motorcycle had a little over 100,000 miles with no issues. It was not uncommon to take it above the rpm the Tacoma works at.

Good maintenance, improved lubrication products, don't see why the 3.5 can't go that long.

 

Mine isn't in high rpm's most of the time. I cruise on the freeway just under 2k. Also don't tow all the time, but do tow once in a while. I'll stomp on it now and then when I want to pass someone, etc., but it's not like the truck is constantly redlining or idling or cruising at a constant high rpm. If anything, especially with the automatic transmission, the fact that the truck is sort of a dog and sits at low rpm's most of the time is what I think MIGHT save this engine as far as longevity in the long run. I guess it all depends on how you drive it. I'm sure if stomping on it constantly would 'shorten' the life of the engine, that's all speculation, but really don't think so.

I have full faith in the engine in my 3rd Gen, I'm more concerned about the longevity or the automatic transmission.

 

I am not even sure that high rpm's = shorter lifespan. If so, you wouldn't see all those old Honda Civics with 300,000 + miles on them. Of course they are not towing anything though.

 

Have you seen some of the fat-asses getting out of some of those Civics? I'd beg to differ that those little cars aren't 'towing' anything.

 

Most of the time my truck is between 1800 -2300 rpms, I'm lucky to get my truck past 4k.... not sure what you mean by "rev happy".

I wouldn't worry about it unless you're towing everyday. If so then you might have bought the wrong truck.

 

Do you not trust the engineers at Toyota?

 

Do you?! I will say I'm a little skeptical about how these transmissions will hold up given their erratic behavior, under-filled from the factory, etc. It will be interesting to see. Somewhat happy I sprung for the 100k extended warranty, but should have gone for the 125k warranty in hindsight.

 

I made sure to buy my 2015 in Aug a month before the 16 came out. Hope that answers your question

 

There you go.

 

I think most people here trust Toyota engineering to some degree. That's why we own them. However it is kind of naive to assume that Toyota will knock every ball out of the park. A lot can change within a corporation in ten years.

 

I guess I should have tried to make it sound more sarcastic. I hated the 16 when I drove it. The only thing I was really jealous of was the black interior. But nothing a set of nice seat covers can't fit

 

To each his own. I've parked next to quite a few 2nd Gen's and they look like toys next to a 3rd Gen. The 3rd Gen looks like it would eat a 2nd Gen for breakfast. the 2nd Gens look very dated. Only thing I'm jealous of is a possibly more reliable transmission, but we'll have to wait to see if that's the case or not.

 

Park next to a 2nd Gen with a leveling kit. It's not that the 3rd Gen is bigger, it sits level there's no rake on the 3rd Gen. And the monster grill makes it look larger

 

I'll tell you in 200,000 miles. Or sooner if the motor blows.

 

Let's just put it this way, I'm sure they will outperform other truck engines on the market.

I trust this engine a hell of a lot more than a small gas turbo ecoboost engine.

Manufacturing, design, and engine techonology overall is way ahead of where it used to be. 100k miles is nothing now, and 200k miles seems easily obtainable without major repairs with a good company behind the product.

I had the worst ford 4.0 L SOHC engine year (2001-2002) vehicle and it made it to 150k with zero major engine repairs. If these toyota engines in the tacoma don't hold the reputation, then easy enough, they will be out of the market segment. Their "reliabilty" is really what keeps the price and sales so high.

 

As far as investing money into a vehicle I could have Bought domestic or a 2016. I made the wise decision in buying a Toyota and not buying the first production run of a new truck.

 

Ya I'd love to invest in your bridge as long as we can toll it just like the Portman or goldenears

 

Its not a new motor. Derived from the 2GR-FE which was launched somewhere around 2004, and more closely related to the 2GR-FSE, the Lexus motor launched in 2006, a motor that made Ward's top 10 list for 2006-2009, it shouldn't be too hard to derive the longevity of this power plant

With all forged internals and a 6 bolt main, I wouldn't worry about this motor block failing. Assuming all the other auxiliary systems last, this motor should last.

 

Odd. My 2003 loved sitting above 3k and was happy as a lark up to the limiter.