2016 Tundra Pro engine replacement??

Since driving my truck off the lot back in '16 I heard a slight ticking in the engine. I took it back to the dealer and they could not replicate it. I took it to multiple mechanics looking for answers and nada. Eventually I just chalked it up to it being my first Toyota and it being the sound of the engine.

Fast forward to today. The tick is more of a clang and finally, after a lot of mechanic hopping, I have answers. I'm not mechanical to be able to explain it all, but it has to do with the tensioner, timing chain, gears, and cam phaser. The chain is loose and has been for years. That in turn has caused some damage to the phaser. Video and pictures below.

The mechanic spoke with Toyota and is being told that they won't send those parts for repair. When this issue arises, which is supposedly rare, they do an engine swap.

On a '16 truck with 116,000 miles, I am not really interested in an engine swap. I freaking love this truck... and I'm not in love with the new Tundras at all, though it seems there are a lot of raving fans around here. Maybe I should drive one.

But for the time being, I'm heartbroken. I thought I'd get at least another 100K out of this truck. Anyone else have this issue or hear of it happening? I've kept up with all oil changes and have done no real off roading with this truck.

Here is a link to the actual clang as it's happening:

https://youtu.be/H1SgruvfSrM

Per my mechanic:

"You can see the guide and chain moving excessively to the left of the phaser/timing gear. It's hard to tell in the video, but when the noise settles, the chain/guide stops moving quite as much. Also take a look at the photos I'm sending you and you'll notice wear marks on the cam phaser where the chain is smacking it from the loss of tension.

Those pics are attached.

 

Sorry to hear about the engine woes. I have no answers but am curious to hear others’ opinions and a final resolution when that happens.

 

I’m sorry this is happening. Did you get any prices on a engine swap?

 

So the dealership told your mechanic that these parts cant be purchased separately? I find that hard to believe because problems with guides/tensioners seem to be one problem that the 3UR-FE does seem to have from time to time. I would definitely search around to see if you can find these parts before just giving up on this engine. Good luck.

 

I just called the mechanic back. They corrected me that they can find the parts. But that the quoted price would be in the neighborhood of $6K with labor. It's not a small job. Which leaves me where I was originally... dare I drop this kind of coin in a truck I love but one that already has 116K on it. My heart says yes but my brain says it'd be a poor investment.

 

I have made this repair before. Pay the money for new tensioners, guides, & chains. Be sure to use Toyota parts, and the repair shop will offer a 12-month warranty on the repairs.

 

^ this. An engine swap for a faulty tensioner seems excessive - you can’t get an engine for $6k before the labor even starts.

What was your oil change interval and what weight oil?

 

Just did timing chain tensioners, new guides, chains, etc along with a cam tower leak and coolant valley plate leak fix a few months ago for $5200 on a 2016 with 118k miles. I was back and forth between a new truck and fixing this one.

At the end of the day, it didn't sit right with me to try and pass the issue off to someone else, and the math just didn't add up. $5200 is way cheaper than $70000 for a new truck with more things that can and will break.

 

If you love the truck and want to keep it, then just get it fixed. 6K is probably cheaper than buying something new that can depreciate 20k+ in a couple of years.

 

Truck is probably worth $30k fixed - what’s it worth in this condition? I don’t think you’re losing money fixing the truck.

 

Its definitely not a small job, but not the end of the world either. If you really love the truck and this is all it really needs I would consider it, especially with only having the mileage you do, which is basically just broken in for these trucks.

 

It is cheaper to fix it than take the loss and buy new. Anyway, curious if the noise goes away when you step on the gas? My son’s Jeep has a noise like this that is not the infamous lifter tick. I have chased it and chased it and no one can solve it.

 

Yep, I'll be sitting idle and the sound drives me nuts. If I tap the gas slightly, it'll temporarily go away.

 

Temporarily go away as in goes away until it comes back to idle? That is exactly what this Jeep does. It will tick at low idle. Touch the gas and the tick speeds up for like 2-3 ticks and is then normal. Take foot off and when it gets back to low idle there is a tick again. Only difference is if you drive the hell out of it and get warm it will not tick at low idle. I have long suspected a tensioner as the culprit.

 

They are hydraulic tensioners that use oil pressure so it makes sense it tensions better when the oil pressure is higher. I’d try running 15-40 and see how it sounds.

 

I've seen some of those tensioners getting blocked due to oil coking inside, I wonder if a good engine cleanse at the fist sign of additional noise could prevent this?

 

2021 200 Series US market specs 0W20.

 

Here’s the job if you want to get familiar with what would be going on with the repair. This is the most comprehensive video covering the topic.

https://youtu.be/CEwUC7cxGz8?si=2r7w6crqpsKiDEtI

 

In North America, they’re spec’d 0-20. Around the world, the manual says any of these -



I run 5-30

 

Definitely the tensioner. It’s a big job you have to remove tons of hoses and clamps and water pump and few other things on the front of the engine just to even get to the front cover.

https://youtu.be/2bsULQcMxlg?si=a28wS1vZXoOJuyoc

hmm, you can shop this work around @ that price it’s definitely beatable. Watch the video up above this guy really knows his shit.

he said even if you have zero oil pressure it will lock so I don’t think your tensioner has a spring I think it’s a hydraulic tensioner he’s working on a 2016 so even if you swapped oil that’s not going to fix it. It’s basically locked but still has enough play in it to make a noise.

I would do the other repairs as well since it’s a good time to do them and he also talks about what he charges. Heat exchanger, timing chain and cover I think he said it was only about 5k? Good time to get everything inspected catch up on maintenance so the truck can go another 250,000 miles.

 

All of our trucks have this clicking noise. The tensioner clicking seems to be a common discussion.

Question is how to mitigate it from getting to this stage??

 

you can’t its a common problem.

 

5k mile / 6 month oil changes is step 1 imo. Sludge is the enemy.

 

This is probably a waste of time, but if you have kept meticulous records and have been getting your truck serviced at a dealership is there any chance that you have paperwork that shows the many times you’ve asked about this problem? If you have a record of this, perhaps you can file a claim with Toyota corporate.

 

sadly even if you had regular oil changes it’s not going to stop a hydraulic tensioner from going out it happens. Oil pressure has nothing to do with that tensioner that’s a smaller clip on the top of that tensioner and it will lock. However it still has some wiggle room so that’s the noise you heard. It’s a decent design because that clip will stop your engine from blowing itself up if that chain snaps. The newer trucks have springs in them now so it’s not common on the newer trucks.

 

This explains how they work and oil pressure is a factor.
https://www.tundras.com/threads/5-7...t-tower-resealed-success-updated-title.87078/

 

Go to 24.55 on this video, even when the tensioner is locked it still has some play in it that can still cause the chain to rattle around even at zero oil pressure. The clip locks the tension if oil isn’t going into it, keeps the chain from falling off.

https://youtu.be/2bsULQcMxlg?si=NoN6DPyyguHgn0E0

 

Right - and as pressure builds it ratchets tighter. Why have any oil port if it’s not using oil pressure? Think about that…

he actually shows the oil delivery to the tensioners about a minute after that.