Engine Life of 4.0 V6

[AussieTDM Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close AussieTDM]

Hey Aussie TDM,
As a matter of interest, do you run 91, 95 or 98 RON petrol?

Interested in the claims by petrol companies about injectors clogging over time if you don't use their higher octane fuels that are "designed to clean". I figure that after 800,000 Kms you may have a view here.

Easy answer there is Company Caltex fuel card that only allows 91 Unleaded or E10 I did check about a year ago and 99% use of 91 Unleaded.we do add either Pyroil or Castrol injector cleaner at every service.
my work vehicle is a dual cab Hilux and just hit 405,000, have sold others in the past at 713,000k another at 620,000k and still have another in the fleet around 650,000 so this is not an isolated case - just love the 1GRFE and best news is it continues in the new Hilux released in October.

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

My 3.4L V6 has done 328,000km. I bought it at 132,000km in 2007 and serviced it myself every time. Mainly used Penrite 15w40 mineral engine oil and changed every 10,000km but for the last 60,000km been changing every 6,000km. Switching to Nulon 20w50 for the first time at next service due to a minor gasket leak. Early on I used Penrite 10w50 but got better engine response from the lighter weight 15w40. Replacement engine parts due to failure include 1 x alternator, 1 x radiator, 1 x starter motor and that's it. Car has been tip top. I'm expecting to do at least, and hopefully beyond 500k. I would like to think a well serviced 4L V6 would outlast the 3.4L.

Always makes me laugh though when people say, "Just done 120,000km or whatever up to 240,000km & still going strong". I would bloody expect it to as that's still a young 6 cyl motor. I would not expect any issues of any kind with a 6 cyl under 250k on the clock.

Main issue with buying an aged vehicle is gasket leaks. Depending on where the failed gaskets are could decide whether the repair is really worth the cost.
When you've bought an older vehicle, change the engine oil immediately and then again 2 weeks later and that will unearth any stop leak that may have been used so you can make a claim under warranty. Dipping hot engines and drive train components into water crossings are bad for longevity of gaskets. So is mud or muddy water baking onto gaskets. Mud drying on rubber bushes isn't too crash hot either. Mud driving = costly repairs down the track.

[rosco5 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close rosco5]

Easy answer there is Company Caltex fuel card that only allows 91 Unleaded or E10 I did check about a year ago and 99% use of 91 Unleaded.we do add either Pyroil or Castrol injector cleaner at every service.
my work vehicle is a dual cab Hilux and just hit 405,000, have sold others in the past at 713,000k another at 620,000k and still have another in the fleet around 650,000 so this is not an isolated case - just love the 1GRFE and best news is it continues in the new Hilux released in October.

Awesome information thank you :-)

[cfryback Find all posts View Profile Close cfryback]

I'm glad I found this thread. Puts me at ease, as I am about to buy an '04 with 240K km on the clock.

Needless to say I am going to get it inspected.

[jamster Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close jamster]

I was looking for the longevity of these motors as I have been planning on trading in my GXL 120 series V6 4.0l for a 150 Series Diesel. Guess I won't be upgrading now as I love my car! 293,000km's and it pur's like a kitten. Honestly, you don't even know the car is on when it is idling at the lights. Sounds like I've barely run in the motor given some of the crazy km's done by others.

[Whitey Shockie Maker of the Month Award Find all posts View Profile Close Whitey]

Hey all,

Great thread. I thought I could add to this discussion with my recent experiences with a leaking timing cover on my 1GR-FE.

I did a lot of research on problems with the 1GR-FE when I saw the oil leak from my timing cover. The source of the leak was very difficult to pin down as it occurs at the intersection point of the base of the head, the block and the timing cover. It turns out that the leak occurs due to casting errors in the timing cover plate. Have a squiz here at my thread on resealing the timing cover;

http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread...IY-fix-at-home

Some of the other issues for the 1GR-FE that I discovered during my research are common enough that Toyota has issued TSB's for them in the US market. The US market obviously has a lot more vehicles, so any issues with the engine are always found out more easily.

The most common problems are;

1. Oil leak from timing cover, includes engines up to 2008.

2. Leaking head gaskets, typically #4 or #6 cylinder, quite common on early model 1GR-FE motors, 03/04. New type of gaskets used in later model engines, although leaking gaskets have been seen in 06 and 07 vehicles occasionally.

3. Oil leak from crankshaft seal.

4. Oil leak from shaft seal on power steering pump.

5. Water pump leaking either oil (through a bolt on the timing cover) or coolant.

6. Idler pulley bearings getting old and noisy.

7. Collapsed engine mounts.

8. Faulty oil pump/lack of lubrication/blocked galleries/pickup.

Most of these problems tend to show up by 150,000km. If they haven't shown up by then, then it's unlikely they will occur.

As several have mentioned previously in the thread, regular servicing is critical. I have seen a few threads where 1GR-FE engines have sludged up terribly due to lack of oil change, and they are beyond saving by this point. Some have blown the engines quite badly due to sludged engines.

If I was purchasing a used Prado with a 1GR-FE, I would be pulling the rocker covers to inspect the top of the motor directly. It's only five minutes to pull the inlet manifold off and take off a rocker cover.

Hopefully this information can help anyone out who is purchasing a used Prado!

Best

Mark

[turtlewa Member Find all posts View Profile Close turtlewa]

Thanks Mark for that info mine is 2008 at 176000km got it at 170000 full toyota history
Hoping it's a keeper for over 300,000 keep an on that timing cover me thinks

[Whitey Shockie Maker of the Month Award Find all posts View Profile Close Whitey]

Hey turtle!

You should be fine with an 08 with regards to the timing cover. With 176k and if you haven't seen a leak, it's very unlikely you will! I think the proportion of engines with these problems is probably tiny here in Oz.

Hope you have fun on those big dunes out there!

Best

Mark

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

My 05's coming up to 200 thou. Still purs like a kitten, kicks ass when I nail it, change oil every 10k no problems at all ... Cheers

[Guest Close Guest]

One of mine just hit 222,000... Timing cover oil leak occurred in last 30,000.. Apart from that it purrs. No issues apart from minor oil leak..


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[Whitey Shockie Maker of the Month Award Find all posts View Profile Close Whitey]

One of mine just hit 222,000... Timing cover oil leak occurred in last 30,000.. Apart from that it purrs. No issues apart from minor oil leak.

Hey Piggy,

That's a bugga! So maybe the timing cover leak is more common than I think? What year is your Prado?

This at least shows us it can occur on vehicles from 200,000km onward.

Were you aware of the TSB's in the USA for the timing cover oil leak, how did you track down the source of the leak? Did you fix it at home?

Lots of questions I know, but it would be interesting to hear from someone else in Oz who has experienced the same problem!

Hope you got it all sealed up again!

Best

Mark

[Guest Close Guest]

Noticed it at a service in house at 200,000 wasn't there at 190,000.

Haven't touched it yet, as too busy. But will be done in house, have a hoist and machine shop at my toy shop. Plus we build top end race cars down there so it won't be any issue to tackle it..
Unless I finally decide to go down the twin turbo path I was tossing around a few months back.... 🎂 that might complicate it by a few weeks.. Lol..


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[topic97 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close topic97]

Mine had front crank seal go around the same k's.
Was only $200 supplied and fixed at the time of oil change - no big deal there!

[Rick21 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Rick21]

i own a v6 petrol 2006, it is now 2016 10 year old wagon. it has done 263,000 klms and still has lots of instant power, has been offroad a few times since i had it (not thrashed to much) i have some small issues with it but i am overcomming them, its good to know other potential problems to look out for. i took a 3ltr d4d for a test drive before i brought the petrol and didnt like it at all but thats just me, i will always own a petrol and pay the fuel costs until there is dramatic engineering advancements to the diesel thats makes me a convert.

Rick

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Just sold my 120 and got a 150, and yes I got another V6 petrol. Hope it serves me as well as the 120 petrol did