The Toyota Tacoma Engine Problem That Could Cost Owners Their Health

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There’s a design problem with the engine in modern generation Tacoma’s that will adversely affect Tacoma owners in multiple ways.

Thinking about buying a new Tacoma because you’ve owned one before or heard about how great the newest models are when it comes to engine performance and better gas mileage? Not so fast warns this popular internet mechanic who tells viewers that Tacoma’s with the new GDI engine are adding cancer-causing particulates to our air.

A Design Improvement That is (Still) Flawed

In a recent Scotty Kilmer YouTube channel episode, Scotty does one of his “I’m-telling-you-about-this-right-now-because-no-one-else-is” warnings about why the newest generation models of Toyota’s ever-popular Tacoma has emission problems that need to be addressed and something done about it.

That problem is with Toyota’s Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engine improvement for the Tacoma that Scotty warns is literally poisoning the air we breathe…and us in the process.

GDI Explained

GDI is an engine design in which the fuel is directly injected into the cylinder where combustion take place as opposed to the fuel being injected into a port (port fuel injection (PFI)) within the intake manifold where it can mix with air before continuing its journey to the cylinder for combustion.

The plus side of GDI is that it makes the engine more fuel efficient and provides more power by providing a more thorough, even, and lean burn of the fuel.

However, on the negative side of this improvement is that because the fuel is not volatized as well when injected directly into the cylinder as opposed to mixing with air within the intake manifold before entering the combustion chamber, the result is that increased amounts of fine particulates wind up in the exhaust and are released into the environment.

In other words, GDI engines “…emit more hazardous fine particulate matter (five to 10 times more particulate matter) than a port fuel-injected engine (PFI), or even the latest heavy-duty diesels equipped with a particulate filter,” according to this earlier study.

The irony of this is that development of GDI engines was initially a good thing encouraged due that it could lead to decreased CO2 emissions, which is so important toward fighting global warming.

Global Warming and CO2 in a Nutshell

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica section on greenhouse gases and global warming:

“Of the greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most significant. Natural sources of atmospheric CO2 include outgassing from volcanoes, the combustion and natural decay of organic matter, and respiration by aerobic (oxygen-using) organisms.”

And, of course, there is mankind’s contribution to greenhouse gases from petroleum products.

The good news is that that there are natural “carbon sinks” that absorb a lot of the CO2 such as forests, jungles, and the oceans.

The bad news is that these sinks act very well on their own in maintaining a balance of sorts to keep everything biologically copesetic, it’s when that balance is disrupted with more CO2 than the sinks can handle, that feedback problems occur that makes things environmentally and ecologically worse.

One example is that of increased man-made CO2 emissions may over-warm the Earth causing the oceans to turn slightly more acidic “…bicarbonate ions (HCO3–) would multiply and ocean acidity would increase. Since calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is broken down by acidic solutions, rising acidity would threaten ocean-dwelling fauna that incorporate CaCO3 into their skeletons” and thereby kill off a lot of ocean life. Which then leads to more problems that cascade like a row of dominoes…until the end.

It’s Just as Bad for Us as Well

Beyond the further-down-the-road-effect / EOTW scenarios climate scientists warn about, mankind may be facing a more immediate demise from air pollutant particles that are ultra-fine and embed deep into our lungs resulting in a slew of respiratory and cardiac ailments…including cancer.

Increasing news reports warn about the potential health effects of both breathing in and ingesting fine and ultra-fine particulates into our bodies that are only now beginning to be understood and as a result is sounding a warning bell for…well…everyone.

Which was the point Scotty (in his own special way) was trying to make as he was discussing Tacoma models with the V6 Atkinson-cycle engine. Another point he hinted at is what is going to happen when California begins to legislate the problem with GDI engines? It does not take much stretch of the imagination to speculate it is Tacoma owners who are going to suffer in other ways for this problem and its solution. Perhaps an additional particulate filter to follow the catalytic converter?!

Follow along with Scotty in the video below and see what has him so worked up about how that GDI is bad not for just your health, but your engine’s health as well.

Here's Why This New Engine Will Literally Kill You

For additional Tacoma-related articles, here are three for your consideration:

Timothy Boyer is a Torque News automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites for daily new and used vehicle news.

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