Toyota Prado Engine Problems

You could make a claim for the cost of the 120,000 km service to be refunded, because it wasn’t done correctly, but you don't have much of a case for the engine repair. As the previous owner serviced the car and not Toyota, and the seals weren’t changed, Toyota has a perfect out.

It's not an uncommon problem. It starts with a leakage past the fuel injector seals and ends with the oil pick-up in the sump blocked by a carbon build-up. Eventually the engine loses oil pressure and the engine is destroyed. Toyota recalled and fixed affected vehicles in other countries, but chose not to do anything here. You could try approaching the company to get some compensation for the cost of replacing the engine, Toyota has done it for others who have pressed their case. If that fails you could consult your state consumer affairs people.

There are quite a few reports of problems with the dpf clogging on the latest 2.8-litre diesel, but a Toyota spokesman told us there is currently no service campaign or recall related to the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) on any of the three vehicles you reference.

It sounds as if it has been running lean for some reason, and the obvious place to start is with the injectors. You say the dealer checked them and they were found to be ok, so the next step should be to go through the fuel system, the pump and the filters looking for something that has affected the fuel flow. I doubt that it is caused by dirty fuel as you have been told. While you are checking inspect the oil pickup in the sump as there have been problems with fuel leaking into the oil past the injector seals causing deposits to build up in the oil and eventually blocking the oil pickup. It's a long shot because it usually happens at very high kilometres, not 100,000km like yours, but it's worth eliminating as a cause.

I doubt that your engine had a problem with the cooling system; it sounds like a major meltdown, perhaps due to oil starvation, or a problem with the fuel system that has caused it to severely lean out and damage the pistons. I would suspect it's the latter. Whatever has caused the problem you are up for a new engine, and I would go for a new one over a reconditioned one. While it's more expensive your car has only done 118,000 km so it's still relatively new. I would suggest you remove the aftermarket computer chip and return the computer to factory stock. The chip could well be the cause of your problem. As for assistance you can only consult mechanics, in this case I would consult one that's experienced in Toyotas and Prados.

This is typical of a problem with the Prado blowing engines at high mileage. It was due to carbon buildup on the oil pickup in the sump, the carbon resulting from a leaking fuel-injector seal that allowed fuel into the oil and contaminate it. The dealer's report would suggest that this is not the case, as they appear to have checked the fuel and oil systems for contamination and carbon buildup. You could have an independent mechanic check the engine for you to see if they could find a cause that contradicts the dealer's findings.

There is always a risk when buying a used car, particularly one as old as yours and having done so many kilometres that something could go wrong with it. You really have no protection under the law; you can only hope that the dealer looks on at your predicament favourably.

One thing you might care to explore is the possibility that the engine failed due to the oil pickup becoming blocked with an accumulation of carbon deposits and starving the engine of oil.

There were a number of instances of this problem happening on the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine in the HiLux and LandCruiser. The failure of yours appears very similar to the earlier failures reported in the HiLux, but proving that this was the cause of your problem would be difficult, time consuming, and stressful.

You don't say if it's a diesel or a petrol model, but either way I'd be looking at the injectors and the fuel pump.

Each time you switch the engine off and then on again you are rebooting the computer. Sometimes that resets things and you can drive on with no further problem, but because it is doing it again and again there must be an underlying problem. I suggest you take it to a mechanic with the diagnostic gear to identify the problem and fix it.

The oil sludging is believed to be caused by fuel leakage past the fuel-injector seals into the oil stream. Eventually it can lead to the oil pickup being blocked, which then starves the engine of oil. It's a known problem in other parts of the world, but Toyota has not done anything about it here, even though we know of a number of cars that have suffered severe engine meltdowns. To make it worse the oil seals in question are supposed to be replaced at the 40,000km service when the valve clearances are checked and reset. It's clear that this isn't always done. Like you, I would be very angry about having the engine fail at such low kays, and I would be letting Toyota head office know about it in no uncertain terms. I know of one owner who managed to get them to replace the engine in his car when it had done over 200,000km, so I would urge you not to take Toyota's "no" for an answer and  push them to the limit. Take action through Consumer Affairs if needed. Don't worry that the Toyota warranty has expired, the company still has an obligation to sell you a product that is fit for purpose, and it would seem in this case that it has not.