2000 4Runner, 42000miles, 5spd, SR5, 3.4L 3400 4Cam 24,new owners. Intermittent light smoke (smoke not vapor) at startup. Initial concern of ours and Toyota dealership was head gasket. Dealer did compression test and found to be okay. Dealer found leaky water pump, which we had replaced, also gear box service, timing belt, replaced spark plugs and oil change. Rig still blowing intermittent smoke at startup and after sitting a bit at restart. Coolant level holding. Found oil level to be very low after 1000 miles since oil change - no visible leaks. Concern about recent information we've found regarding sludge on other threads. Checked oil res cap and visual check of oil fill - thick black residue. (Comparing to my '97 Tacoma with same engine which looked clean) Looking for suggestions. Has anyone had experience with sludge/symptoms - is this a condition which can be remedied or do we bail now? Thanks for your help in advance.
2000 4Runner consuming oil
- Thread starter skidad-l
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
4-Runner Sludge
Hello,
We have a 2000 4-Runner, Limited Edition, "Gold Package," etc. On a recent 500 mile trip, our oil light came on. We immediately pulled over, the oil level and appearance was fine. Fearing an oil pump or something, we got the car towed to the nearest Toyota dealership (at a cost of $250). To make a long an expensive story short, we were told the engine had "sludge" in it, and they could rebuild it for around $4-5,000 or we could get a rebuilt engine installed for around $7,000. (This was in Kansas).
We live in Omaha, so we had our car hauled back here where our own mechanic is replacing the engine.
Needless to say, big bummer. Surprisingly, the Toyota dealership where we originally had it towed didn't reveal that this has been QUITE a problem with OTHER Toyota engines of this vintage, in fact that a class action lawsuit has been settled. It doesn't; however, include this V6 3.4 liter engine.
Per another posting, we called the Toyota customer care line at
1-888-327-4236 to report this problem. The gentleman I spoke with was very nice, took all our information and gave me a reference number. If the situation changes, and this engine is covered in the future, they will notify us.
So, I good luck, but thought you'd appreciate knowing about our experience, albeit not so good.
Hello,
We have a 2000 4-Runner, Limited Edition, "Gold Package," etc. On a recent 500 mile trip, our oil light came on. We immediately pulled over, the oil level and appearance was fine. Fearing an oil pump or something, we got the car towed to the nearest Toyota dealership (at a cost of $250). To make a long an expensive story short, we were told the engine had "sludge" in it, and they could rebuild it for around $4-5,000 or we could get a rebuilt engine installed for around $7,000. (This was in Kansas).
We live in Omaha, so we had our car hauled back here where our own mechanic is replacing the engine.
Needless to say, big bummer. Surprisingly, the Toyota dealership where we originally had it towed didn't reveal that this has been QUITE a problem with OTHER Toyota engines of this vintage, in fact that a class action lawsuit has been settled. It doesn't; however, include this V6 3.4 liter engine.
Per another posting, we called the Toyota customer care line at
1-888-327-4236 to report this problem. The gentleman I spoke with was very nice, took all our information and gave me a reference number. If the situation changes, and this engine is covered in the future, they will notify us.
So, I good luck, but thought you'd appreciate knowing about our experience, albeit not so good.
