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Warning from Toyota Mechanic on How Dealership Mechanic Almost Ruined This Toyota 4Runner Engine

Here’s an example of how this Toyota 4Runner owner almost lost his engine due to a simple mistake at the dealership that can also be caused by the way you drive your Toyota.
Despite Good Maintenance You Can Ruin Your Toyota's Engine

There are many ways to ruin a perfectly good engine. Even if you religiously maintain your car as recommended by the manufacturer either paying a mechanic to do the work or deciding to DIY, there are still some smaller details you may not be aware of that could cause your Toyota engine to self-destruct.

Related article: Toyota Owner’s Internal Lie Detector Saves His 11,000 Mile Car from Mechanic Incompetence or Scam

Case in point: Cylinder Washdown

What is Cylinder Washdown?

Cylinder washdown occurs when excessive fuel enters the cylinders and washes away the lubricating oil film on the cylinder walls. Causes of this include a too-rich fuel mixture, fuel injectors that are going bad, or just simply turning the starter off and on repeatedly without allowing the engine to fire-up.

The result of excessive fuel in the cylinders is that it washes the protective oil film between the piston, piston rings, and cylinder walls away leaving bare metal-on-metal contact.

Loss of that oil film in on your cylinder walls will lead to:

  • Increased Wear: Too much friction between the piston rings and the cylinder walls will definitely accelerate the wear and tear going on in your engine’s cylinders.
  • Loss of Compression: The oil film acts not only to lessen the friction between pistons and the cylinder walls, but also forms a seal to hold in the compressing gases from the firing cylinders to power the pistons.
  • Contaminated Oil: Excess fuel in the cylinders will eventually mix with the engine oil resulting in diluting and dissolving the oil and reducing its lubricating properties
  • Engine Damage: Washdown eventually leads to significant engine damage that includes scoring of the cylinder walls, damaged piston rings, and even engine lockdown.

However, as it turns out, there are some surprising ways cylinder washdown can inadvertently happen: During service by a mechanic and by the way you drive your car.

Don't Do This To Your Car! This Toyota 4Runner Almost Lost an Engine.

That was the message in a recent Car Care Nut YouTube channel episode where the host discusses how a 5th Generation Toyota 4Runner with just 100,000 miles on it wound up with a locked engine following a mishap by a mechanic that left a small rubber hose lying loose on the engine. In addition, the host discusses his warnings about how you can achieve the same result of cylinder washdown and engine lockdown just by the way you drive your car.

Follow along with the host in the video below and discover how this Toyota engine almost was ruined beyond repair. However, if you do not have time for the video, a summary of the hot points you need to know is provided below the video.

VIDEO SUMMARY HOT POINTS

How a Mechanic Almost Doomed a Toyota Engine

A small rubber hose feeding into the fuel pressure regulator was left unattached from its port (presumably by a mechanic who was changing the spark plugs) that led to a high fuel pressure condition during idling which led to a cylinder washdown condition. The affected 4Runner engine locked up in one of its cylinders, however, the owner was fortunate in that permanent damage did not result. Repair consisted of removing excess fuel from the cylinder, changing the oil, squirting a little oil into the cylinder to unbind the piston from the cylinder wall, and then successfully turning over the engine until it started.

Related article: New Toyota Brought in Garage After Only 900 Miles! Why?

 

Ways You Can Avoid Causing Cylinder Washdown in Your Car

  1. Avoid very short frequent trips―A cold engine starts up with excess fuel (referred to by the host as “enrichment mode”) to get things going. If the engine is ran for a while, the excess fuel in the cylinders is used up. However, if the engine is not allowed to reach its operational temp, that excess fuel builds with each start and stop which will result in cylinder washing.
  2. Watch for the first sign of cylinder washing―If you have an engine that starts up with an unusual stumbling feel to the engine that then smooths out, this is a sign that cylinder washing might be a problem due to the lack of lubrication is causing the piston(s) to rub violently against the cylinder walls.
  3. Use your eyes and nose―A cold engine with a cylinder wash problem will produce a white exhaust with a strong smell of gasoline in it.
  4. Listen to your engine―If the engine is turning over but sounds odd as if there is no compression in the cylinders, then a cylinder washing problem has occurred and already removed all of the oil off of the cylinder walls allow blowby to pass unimpeded between the piston rings and the cylinder wall. Stop immediately if this occurs.
  5. Check your oil level―If the oil level has risen, that’s not oil magically appearing in your engine. It is gasoline mixed with oil that is increasing the oil level check on your dipstick. Change your oil immediately if this happens or if you suspect your oil level is suspiciously higher than it was the last time you checked.

For additional warnings you need to know about your Toyota model, here are three useful ones for your consideration:

Timothy Boyer is an 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  and Facebook for daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks.

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Image source: Deposit Photos

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