2002 sc430 towed to dealer this morning. I was just told that the engine spun a bearing and they could replace with a used engine for 10,0000.

 

wtf?? How did that happen?? How many miles on your SC? What did you tell them to do, when you were done crying?

 

CR just turned 111,000. I have meticulously maintained from purchase with 84k. No symptoms and all was fine as of last night. Upon starting this morning it knocked and then quit. I was told I was lucky and they found a low miileage used engine and that it would cost 10k imstalled. Once I stopped laughing rather than crying I asked the status of the extended warranty claim. Waiting 24-48 hours for the "inspector" to view the car. Whatever a visual inspection will achieve I will never know. Time will tell but no way is the dealer installing the engine

 

yea thats funny engine on our 94 ES went and we bought a low mile replacement and installed it at an independent shop for around 3k a few years ago....engines on ebay are around 3k shipped...saw one on their with only 27k miles for 3k shipped. An independent shop around here would charge around 800-1200 to install it but that will vary.

 

I'm sorry to hear about this, definitely keep us in the loop on what you may learn.

Best of luck and please keep us informed.

 

Damn. Crazy. Good luck. Warranty is a beautiful thing. Hope it works out.

 

10K installed for a used engine is crazy. I hope everything goes smooth with the warranty. Our SC's have a 6 bolt main. I've never heard of that happening on our engines. Keep us updated.

 

"Spun a bearing"? That's a new one on me too. I agree with the others, $10k is way too high. You might even check other dealers (including Toyota). Let us know how it turns out and good luck.

 

Crank bearing? Rod?

10K is crazy.

Shooting from the hip, but might it be possible to drop the pan and rebuild the lower engine without pulling the engine?? Watched my dad do it many times on old Mercedes diesels. Talk to an independent mechanic who has worked on Toyota V8s. You might be surprised.

 

A spun bearing is due to a lack of lubrication to the crankshaft. Either a rod or main bearing fuses to the crank, causing it to spin inside the cap/rod. There is usually considerable damage to the crank, block or con-rod.

The term usually refers to "friction bearings", as opposed to needle or ball bearings. Friction bearings are found at the crankshaft and rods and camshaft. Ordinarily, a spun bearing is related to a crankshaft bearing.

I'm just wondering what they plan on inspecting. Assuming the motor was properly maintained lubricants i.e. oil, filter, etc. Without a thorough forensic examination no one can be sure why that bearing spun to begin with.

 

+1 on Bob's comment.

About the only thing they could inspect without dropping the pan would be the oil, looking for dirty, filthy stuff so they could fault you with insufficient maintenance. Other than that, there's not a lot you can do to spin a bearing. If they deny your claim, I'd hunt down a good independent mechanic who knows Toyota V8's and explore all the options. If you stay with your block, I'd make sure oil passages are clear, oil pump is functioning, etc. But I think those bearings are oiled passively, right?

 

for 10K I'll have a 5.7 Tundra supercharged motor implanted instead.

 

Is that a direct fit?

 

uPDATE. End of day three. Service advisor calls and informs me that the warranty company wanted me to pay for a tear down to pinpoint the failure. Lexus dealer agreed to cover this cost at this point before calling me. 2 hours later they had dropped the oil pan and found "sludge". The warranty co. Now wants to send an inspector to look at the car.

 

man this is crazy! I would stop by and let them show the build up and so on. Take pictures is your piece of mind. If you did the oil change yourself or had a shop do it, provide them with receipts of the work done... I hope they don't try and screw you. They always try to find a way to not pay, lets hope this doesn't happen to you.. Keep us posted.