Your new engine is here. Come get your truck.

I just received a call from the dealership here in the Houston area that my 2022 Toyota tundra is currently having the engine replaced right now and it should be ready by the afternoon for pick up.

Exciting news, but I am concerned that my truck had been in storage since June of this year . Sitting in the Houston sun for five months, completely exposed to the elements and not being driven.

What things do I need to inspect on the vehicle before I accept the keys from the dealership upon pick up?

Some of my concerns are cosmetic as far as the paint but also I imagine the wheels may have some flat spotting due to being still for five months. Gas line, filter etc.? And even so, what leverage to I have to negotiate things outside of the engine having to be replaced?

 

Nothing, drive it and if something fails, take it back.

 

Since it hasn't even been 6 months, any flat spots should come out with driving, make sure the pressure is up and I would definitely go get a tank of premium to run through it just to purge any of the old fuel

 

Drive it. If something went bad in 5 months that's not cosmetic, you'll never know upon accepting the keys.

Do you work? Would the truck have sat in your work parking lot all day while you're putting in your 9-5? That would be no different than it sitting in a dealer parking lot. The sun doesn't discriminate among parking lots. If the paint faded after 5 months of Houston sun, then there's bigger quality problems.

Hopefully everything works smooth and the truck drives as expected.

 

Yeah totally understand that, but the difference would be that the tires will be constantly rotating. The brakes would be working consistently. I would be getting regular car washes with ceramic wax to help protect the paint. I don’t imagine Toyota employees would be walking around wiping bird poop, etc. off of my truck on the regular while it bakes in 100+ degree weather.

Where I work we have shade or breaks from the sun, parking garage now.

The reason about the worry about the paint is that I used to have a Corolla and I noticed Toyota paint goes pretty dam quickly if you don’t keep it clean and neglect it, which I did at the time.

but yeah, I’ve missed the hell outta my truck and hope for the best, I just hope things don’t start costing me more in the long run.

 

great idea with the premium fuel, I’ll def try that! Thanks!

 

I’d check all those things before I left the lot- oil level/pressure, rad fluid, tire pressure, tires dry rot or flat spots. I’d also look it over for cosmetic damage like scratches etc.

Let us know how she feels. Good luck.

 

Give her an Italian tune up.

 

Just enjoy it!! Its been too long!

 

THIS ^^^^.

 

Haha.

Depends in what was replaced, I would focus on proper break-in.

My concern would be on how well the body panels align, scratches, dings and condition of the interior plastic and upholstery.

 

Please keep us posted.

 

Congrats getting her back. Even though Winter is coming use your A/C a lot the first month or so to be sure there is not a Freon leak. Those joints often don’t re-seal 100%. Pull your skid plate and leave it off for a week or two so you can do regular checks for awhile under there for any fluid leaks.

 

Check your drivers door threshold & door panel for abuse & neglect...whenever I let a dealership or auto shop touch my autos, they always scratch up these two spots

So check your truck & if they damaged it then get them to provide a replacement threshold & interior door panel

 

Check your turn signal fluid level.

 

If your wheels get flat spots from sitting, you have more concerning issues to address.

 

Here's what I expect will happen: Drive truck home and within a mile, the CEL comes on. Return to dealer and drop off truck. Wait 2 weeks to find out bad gas caused the problem. Warranty denied.

 

When I drop my baby off for its new recall engine I am going to have videos and photos of the drop off condition inside and out. Maybe even drone footage of the roof and hood.

 

Chance are they have put 20ish miles on the new motor making sure everything "works" as it should.

 

So did you pick up your truck? How is it running?

 

OK so I got my truck back last week with the new long block engine. 2022 Plat with 36000 miles. Mine froze up in Aug after a 2000 mile road trip. When talking tho the service agent, the engine came in unexpectedly and a Toyota engineer showed up the next day. The dealership gave me 2024 limited as a loaner. So the first thing I noticed driving the 2024 was the a/c. Way better, much colder. The ride seemed smoother, not sure because on the Plat I had the AVS. BUT.....I have put on about a 100 miles on the new engine and I can say that WOW what difference. The 2024 still had the lag ( turbo lag) when accelerating. Not the new engine. Buttery smooth. Still had the quickness but the transition thru the gears was nice. A/c still sucks but I haven't tried the carista thing yet. Hopefully the engine go's well as I pile on the miles.

 

Man as odd as it sounds, this makes me hope they add the late 2023's into the recall.

 

Me too...kinda. Aside from the inconvenience, and potential for subsequent other problems as a result, a brand new engine after 30-40K miles wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

I'm also thinking these new engines might have an increased level of quality control under the circumstances. It would be disastrous for Toyota if these new engines suffer from similar problems. Wouldn't it be ironic if they turn into the new standard for reliability and longevity in 1/2 ton pickups.

Yeah, I can be a Pollyanna at times.

 

My thoughts as well. Especially if it does take care of the turbo lag and hesitation that has been an issue for many.

 

I think the ECU software would need to be flashed as well so that the older programming is updated to the new engine parts.

There might even be some other parts that would need to be updated to work with the new programming.

 

The 2000s frame and engine issues (limited compared to this) was certainly a pain in the ass, but Toyota made it right and then some. I'm hoping that the same is done with this problem. Even if the recall isn't expanded, I would not be surprised if they extend the powertrain warranty on 2022-2024. Having that peace of mind would be huge.

 

Curious to know - did they have to lift the cab or anything else to remove and install the new engine? I have a Super Pacific camper shell installed on my bed that overhangs the cab. Can't find any videos or information on this. Also - what did they tell you about the warranty from this recall fix? It would be nice to know what to expect in advance. Thanks for your post and good luck with the new engine!

 

Yes they have to pull the cab of the truck off to replace the engine

 

Buddy of mine had a Ford engine recall and they lifted the body off the frame. He had some running boards on his truck and they charged him a few hours to re and re the running boards. I would expect Toyota to charge you to remove this and put it back on afterwards.

 

I understand they were pulling the cabs for both short block and some long block swaps, but that will soon change. Shops supposedly are getting newly designed hoists from Toyota that will remove and install the engines without a cab lift or even removing the front grille. Just the engine hood supposedly needs removed. There is an update video yesterday on YouTube. The video shows a letter from the CEO of Toyota Quality Assurance. According to the video, Toyota has been experimenting for weeks on a new safer and more time efficient swap process. Techs are receiving training modules ahead of the new process. Also talked about loaners during the swap outs. No mention in the letter about warranty decisions. We shall see what happens! So far no problems with my 2022 Tundra Limited. Fingers crossed.