My brother's Toyota Highlander blew the engine

[rfuerst911sc]

My older brother called me the other day to discuss an intermittent low oil pressure dash warning . It is a 2015 Highlander V6 with 94,182 miles . Being intermittent we thought replacing the oil sender was a good first step .

He replaced the sender and all was good for a day . Oil level full and he does 3k oil/filter changes . Yesterday he was driving and kablamo the engine stopped . As David Hobbs would say it suffered from excess crankcase ventilation .

Yep a hole in the block . No warning no noises nothing just full stop . He bought the vehicle 3 years ago and purchased an extended warranty that's good for 6 years or 100k miles . So it looks like minimal $$$ impact . I am not a fan of 0w20 oil but I have no way of knowing if that had anything to do with it . An internet search by me found very little bad reviews on the Toyota 3.5 V6 . Maybe just a bad part ? Any of you guys have history with that V6 ?

[john70t]

At some point the oil wasn't changed and the PVC plugged up, just guessing.
Anything further down the EVAP system would be a rubber hose blown off instead of a popped case.

Lack of compression ring sealing means the bypass pressure had nowhere to go.
It's a big self-propelled air pump.

[908/930]

So bearing spun and threw a rod, sounds like it is catching. Im also not a fan of that thin oil. Do you know who was changing the oil? I wonder if they fired it up at one point without replacing oil. Lucky to have the extended warranty.

[red 928]

Other than a tendency to leak a little oil
from the timing cover, those engines
are bullet-proof,
not easy to blow one up.

Something went wrong. Obviously.
Not an oil problem, an oiling problem.
The oil pump is driven off the crank, can't see that failing.
I'd be curious
to see the oil pick-up/screen.

[Reg]

We had one and no problems after almost 180k miles. New one we have now is a turbo 4. Sounds like a tractor.

[rfuerst911sc]

I just asked my brother if it made any noise before the engine quit. He did say it was rattling . But only for a few seconds and it died . He has the oil/filter changed at a local shop he's used for 15 years . I think the comment about the oil pickup is interesting . I will report back after the autopsy

[hcoles]

There's an engine oil cooler pipe that is often mentioned as a weak point.
If this breaks - almost no time to get stopped without damage.
This is why there is an all metal replacement available.
Curious to find out the root cause.

[ckcarr]

That's a Toyota thing too?
It's the most common engine problem in Jeeps. The plastic oil cooler has to be replaced, and it's a pain to get to. You have to remove the intake manifold, and other parts as it's deep in there. Stupid design.

Originally Posted by hcoles

There's an engine oil cooler pipe that is often mentioned as a weak point.
If this breaks - almost no time to get stopped without damage.
This is why there is an all metal replacement available.
Curious to find out the root cause.

[David]

I run Mobil 1 truck specific 0W-20 in my Tundra. The gauge oil pressure is higher with the Mobil 1 than the OEM oil and when I pour it in, it doesn't pour like 0w-20 oil would pour (so not like water). So I'm wondering if Mobil is playing a little with the viscosity for their truck 0W-20 vs their Prius 0W-20.

[porsche tech]

I have no experience with Toyota but I do have experience with 0/20 Mobil 1. Have used it in our 2011 Odyssey since new with no problems. Currently at 145K miles. Changed routinely per the maintenance minder with filter every change.

[rfuerst911sc]

My brother just texted me the dead car gets towed on Wednesday to the dealer he purchased from . The extended warranty company has been notified and a case has been opened. Hopefully the autopsy doesn't take too long along with the repair .

[Steve Carlton]

What sort of engine is the warranty company going to provide?

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

What sort of engine is the warranty company going to provide?

No clue .

[Steve Carlton]

Might be possible to pay the difference to upgrade what goes in there.

[red 928]

2015 3.5l had 270 hp.
New highlander has 295 w/same engine.

Don't know if a newer engine would drop in
without all sorts of fiddling, probably not.
The difference is probably just cams and tuning anyway.

[Steve Carlton]

I meant more like used to rebuilt to factory rebuilt to new.

I had a transmission go out on a 2007 Volvo S80 V8 and upgraded the replacement transmission from rebuilt to new for $350. It helped of course that I worked there and was friends with the service advisor. That was just the difference in net cost to them.

[rfuerst911sc]

He has already purchased a 2021 Highlander and picks that up tomorrow . The 2015 engine will be repaired/replaced per the warranty . When my brother gets the 2015 back he will drive it for a while to make sure no issues and then will sell it .

[aschen]

Maybe the previous owner neglected it in some way or just plain bad luck but I think that is uncommon for that engine to be anything but a tank.

our 2024 highlander (hybrid) calls for 0w16 oil, didnt even know that was a thing until I saw it on the filler.

[rfuerst911sc]

My brother bought the 2015 because it was in great shape and came with all service records . Oil/filter were changed every 4-5k . So definitely not abused . I know the Toyota 3.5 V6 has an excellent reputation. I am as curious as you guys on what happened . Just have to wait on the autopsy .

[red 928]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

My brother bought the 2015 because it was in great shape and came with all service records . Oil/filter were changed every 4-5k . So definitely not abused.

Every 10,000 miles, you should bring your Toyota Highlander in for an oil change, oil filter replacement, and cabin air filter replacement. Oil is the lifeblood of your Toyota Highlander, so you don’t want to skip this interval.

Synthetic oil changes are not cheap.
I can't help but wonder why someone
would spend more than twice as much as the
factory service/maintenance schedule called for.