1GR-FE Broken Rod

I have a 2008 Tundra with a 1GR-FE with the dreaded "keeps blowing perfectly good head gaskets and overheats again" issue.

I chanced to find a used 2007 1GR-FE from a guy on Facebook for $200. He bought it in a 4-Runner and drove it home about 150 miles despite it making a terrible noise. He swapped another 1GR-FE that he had, and never tore into this one.

I finally got it on an engine stand this afternoon and took the oil sump pan off. What to my wondering eyes should appear but the connecting rod and bearing cap from Cylinder 6, in about 4 pieces.

This thing was tough enough to make it 150 miles like this!

The crank journal has not a hint of roughness. It is absolutely smooth to the touch. From what I can see from the bottom end, the cylinder walls are not scored up. There are some dings and dents on the bock, but it is surpassingly unscathed.

I am going to frankenstein one good one out of the old one and the new one - With new bearings and rings and such but taking the #6 piston from the overheating engine and putting it all together to get some more mileage out of this thing or sell it. I have a 2011 Tundra with a 4.6 that pretty much takes care of me, and I am not sure that I need two of them.

I'd love to hear if anyone else out there in Tundraland has dome something like this before.

 

Dude,

How did this end?

I have a 2008 with a 4.0 that is a little noisy. Sounds like a tough engine, even with a failure.

I hear Toyota conceived these engines for busses in the Asian market. Hence the frequent, (conventional) oil change intervals, and conventional spark plugs, also with frequent change intervals.