In the Spirit of LeMans

"LongbowMkII" (longbowmkii) 06/19/2016 at 09:21 • Filed to: Heartbreaking

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Tell us the worst time your Toyota broke.

I’ve regaled this tale before, but on my Mk2 supra there was a coolant line to the intake manifold (early 80's emissions tech ftw). Naturally after 25+ years it finally failed. It was located under the manifold, behind the thermostat and above the steering rack and engine mount. All this was filled in with 80's emissions tech so access was a problem. Found one of the last OEM replacements which, probably due to installation error, always leaked. After about 4 times of uninstalling, installing and reinstalling I finally had a leak free intake warmer or whatever. I ended up using standard 3/8" coolant hose bent around things as opposed to the formed OEM hose.

Bonus points if your Toyota left you stranded.

hike > LongbowMkII 06/19/2016 at 09:30

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My Previa spent a few years doing a lot of sitting. One spring we went to get it going and found there to be a loss of power when you get deeper into the Rev range. I decided it was probably due for some new fluids and spark plugs so I did that and still had the problem. I thought to check the air filter and aha! Problem found! Turns out a mouse made a nest in the filter and blocked airflow. That's also the only mechanical issue the car has ever had. Well the AC stopped working but that's no big deal. And the sliding door came off once. I've never been stranded by a Toyota mechanical issue though. What poor luck at Le Man today.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > LongbowMkII 06/19/2016 at 09:31

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1995 4Runner: Head gaskets 150 miles from home, in rush hour, on I65 in Montgomery.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > LongbowMkII 06/19/2016 at 09:32

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I’ve never had a Toyota but my dad had an OG 2WD Tacoma that was affected by that frame rust recall. He got the dealer to buy it back for close to a grand more than it was actually worth.

He also had a supercharged AWD Previa for a few years.

Sam > LongbowMkII 06/19/2016 at 09:39

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Mk3 Supra, thermostat failed and the head warped.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > LongbowMkII 06/19/2016 at 09:41

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My first car was an auto 92 Camry. I’m still not sure what happened but the trans stopped working properly. It had no reverse, and it moved in neutral. It could have just been some linkages, but it could have been something worse. It was 100% my fault though. Either all the 3500rpm neutral drops I did of the time I drained the trans fluid instead of the oil. And then drove the car around a bit with just a quart of autotrans stop leak in it., before realizing what I had actually done. And that kids is why your first car shouln’t be a nice car.

sonicgabe > LongbowMkII 06/19/2016 at 09:43

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Nothing so bad ever happened to my ‘81 Corolla wagon where it couldn’t be driven until I had a chance to fix it.

Chasaboo > LongbowMkII 06/19/2016 at 09:45

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My family chipped in money to get my mom a new Toyota Camry because they’re allegedly reliable. Not true! The bottom of the engine let go and Toyota would not cover it under warranty.

Best day ever watching that Toyota die at the finish line. Clearly there is a god. I hope they never win anything again. Thank you Le Mans, you’re still the greatest race.

LongbowMkII > Sam 06/19/2016 at 09:45

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The 7m was just a bit too developed off that 1960's design I guess. M-6M were all just bullet proof it seemed, not so much for the 7M.

LongbowMkII > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 06/19/2016 at 09:46

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That and automatics are magic. Can't trust them.

Sam > LongbowMkII 06/19/2016 at 09:50

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7M is not bad, they just didn't torque the head bolts down enough, this the head gasket failure.

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > LongbowMkII 06/19/2016 at 10:31

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Had a 2003 Pontiac Vibe with the problematic 1ZZ-FE. It was a weird car with many issues, many related to road salt. There where also many non rust related issues. I was anal about taking care of it.

1: Bad transmission, did not like shifting into 4th.

2: It ate head gaskets.

3: Found metal in the oil, the ring on piston #2 went and wore down the cylinder wall. After that I sold it AS-IS to some kid for $1200.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > LongbowMkII 06/19/2016 at 10:33

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Both of my Toyotas had bad enough issues that I swore off the brand. Toss-up:

Wife’s2002 RAV4 purchased new. 70k miles in 2007 so just out of warranty. Transmissions starts slipping and slamming into gear. Sometimes stuck in 2nd. Don’t want to pay dealer rates so went to independent transmission shop. $3000 for reman transmission installed. One week later same issues. Drop transmission, check, replace. Same issues a week later. Drop transmission, do complete rebuild, a week later same issues. In the shop for close to a week each time. Work warrantied, but racking up close to $500 in tows and $1,000 in rental car costs just to get to work. (Under 25 renting a car gets pricey.) Give up, have it dropped one last time, trade in on a Honda before it starts acting up again. Find out a month later Toyota has a TSB for the BCM. If we had taken to the Toyota dealer it would have been $500 and done with. Transmission was fine. When battery was disconnected the memory cleared and it took a while for the BCM to get messed up again. Toyota got sued over this. Part of settlement was that you could submit your 3rd-party repair bills and get paid back. Submitted everything, got push back because I didn’t have the car anymore... In the end didn’t get anything back. Oh also the car had valve issues due to a messed up VVT-i at just over 60,000 miles that would have cost $1,500 if it weren’t for the dealer lying about the odometer reading to get it warrantied.

93 ES300 (5MT woo!). Lots of miles, so this one shouldn’t be unexpected. Overheating got me stuck 5 hours from home. Needed up keeping temps in safe range by driving with the hood partly open and heat on, and shutting off the motor when I was stopped. 2nd-gen ES300 uses a hydraulic fan. Shop noticed a small leak in the rack. Decided to replace whole front end to the tune of $2800 thinking fan wasn't kicking in due to low hydraulic pressure. Overheats next day. Surprise, head gasket! Traded it for a low mileage S10 that also liked to stand me but with far less expensive repairs. (Fuel pump dies while you're at the bar in DD duty? Start the party while waiting for the tow truck!)