Brenda The Devastator (Cont.)

[chaotic.entity]

Well, it's been an eventful day. A long and eventful day. But we got to the bottom of it.


As any normal day when you got to collect a car, we prepared the night before.

Hooked up a trailer as we knew Hopeless Wanderer had oh so many parts in store for us, filled the tank as we had a bit of a journey to do. Acquired road snacks. You know, the usual things.

We stuffed oh so many parts in all the nooks and crannies then travelled onto the second storage facility for more parts! I sent my partner in crime on her way with our Surf, Hope, to head home and tend to our dog with our haul in tow.
(Oops, forgot to take pictures here. Too excited. You'll see all the parts later I'm sure anyway )

Hopeless shuttled me back from parts storage #2 back to parts storage #1 where Brenda was kept, we said our goodbyes and fair wells (or so we thought...). And I set myself up ready to take to the roads with Brenda.
And true to her namesake, she did indeed devastate me.

We faced sudden power loss, a loud bang, flashing lights and more! Coasted into a near layby having barely made it onto the main road home not 10 minutes from parts storage #1.
Hopeless came to my rescue, and I cannot thank him enough. What an excellent human being. We um'd and ar'd for a bit, started Brenda, she was leaking some oil etc and things weren't idling right, I could hear a weird ticking... We decided it best to transport her to her new home. Hopeless arranged this for me, and waited with me till he really had to leave to see his kids, but rescue was thankfully 20 minutes away at this point.

So we got her home, and began diagnosis.

It was pretty obvious the smoke from the engine bay and oil leak were caused by the catch can leaking oil directly over the turbo/exhaust. A bit messy and scary and a fire waiting to happen really but hey. Easy to clean up... so I thought... Pulled the intake off and just double checked the turbo too. But this was all fine. No real explanation for the power loss there.

So I put it all back together, and tried starting... nothing... just cranking and cranking... hmmm...
Added some battery charge, threw a spare battery as an extra jumper... cranking and nothing...
Fuck.

Fortunately, I have a tame mechanic on speed dial. Got him on the phone, he listened to the cranking and immediately asked about the timing belt... and I'm sure you can all see where this is going.

Whelp. That don't look right...

Yup that's absolutely fucked.

So that's where I'm at now. A lovely Brenda in a new home, but she ate her valves for breakfast and truly lived up to her namesake.
Hopeless being the amazing human he is has offered to help sort this out and isn't leaving me high and dry. Not sure when we'll sort her but she'll be back.

Watch this space

 

[frank rabbets]

How many miles on the belt? Was it Toyota supplied? Looks like the camshaft has seized thus stripping the teeth off the belt?

Be very interested in what you find.

My condolences.

 

[chaotic.entity]

How many miles on the belt? Was it Toyota supplied? Looks like the camshaft has seized thus stripping the teeth off the belt?

Be very interested in what you find.

My condolences.

Hopeless said it was changed 2 years ago, has gone up and down the country a bit but no more than 2k miles on it. All Toyota parts, tensioner too. Done at a known good garage.
We don't know what has lead to it being stripped yet. Bare in mind the engine has been cranked over a few times at this point and ran for a bit after some of the teeth were stripped off.

The plan is to pull the head on the weekend and see the damage done and figure out where we go from there.

 

[frank rabbets]

I should look at the rocker holders etc under the rocker cover. When a piston hits a valve the energy is transferred through the rocker to the rocker shaft and its holders, all of which might be damaged.

 

[chaotic.entity]

I should look at the rocker holders etc under the rocker cover. When a piston hits a valve the energy is transferred through the rocker to the rocker shaft and its holders, all of which might be damaged.

I'll see if I can get time to pop the valve cover off then and see what can be seen from there.

 

[chapel gate]

I should look at the rocker holders etc under the rocker cover. When a piston hits a valve the energy is transferred through the rocker to the rocker shaft and its holders, all of which might be damaged.

best case scenario imo.

on the 12 valve all that kinetic energy has no place to go. causes a fair old mess..

 

[chaotic.entity]

best case scenario imo.

on the 12 valve all that kinetic energy has no place to go. causes a fair old mess..

If it's only toasted the top end and the bottom end is fine and I can just slap a new head on it I'll be a happy man tbh

 

[chaotic.entity]

Got the cover off fully at least, camshaft turns over a few degree each way without issue so that didn't seize, tensioner pulley also moves freely as I've cut the belt off now.

 

[chaotic.entity]

Looks like simple belt failure to me based on the above and looking at the belt

 

[stumog]

Thats a very odd problem. Looks like a fault in the belt manufacturer to me. Or has the engine seized to cause the belt to shred its teeth. Worth getting receipt and speaking with Mr toyota

 

[chaotic.entity]

Thats a very odd problem. Looks like a fault in the belt manufacturer to me. Or has the engine seized to cause the belt to shred its teeth. Worth getting receipt and speaking with Mr toyota

Engine cranks fine (not tested after realising the timing belt dun died), camshaft moves fine too. So nothing seized internally from what I can tell. I'm inclined to guess fault with the belt too at this stage. Will continue to poke and prod

 

[frank rabbets]

I cant see all teeth coming off at once through faulty belt? A few teeth might come off causing a misfire and the driver to turn the engine off.

 

[chaotic.entity]

I cant see all teeth coming off at once through faulty belt? A few teeth might come off causing a misfire and the driver to turn the engine off.

Not all the teeth have been stripped. But when it started losing power I got into a nearby layby and only turned the engine off once I was there, Hopeless joined me 10 minutes later and we tried to debug. We started and idled the car again at the side of the road before concluding it needed to be towed. Tis only once I got it back and in pieces that the issue with the timing belt was apparent

 

[chaotic.entity]

That's the intake and exhaust manifolds off. Not much left before the head comes off. That'll be tomorrow's job me thinks

 

[karl webster]

Not a great start to new ownership but these things do happen and I'm sure you guys will sort it like gentlemen.

As for the mess. I've had a good amount of customers over the years who have had the same with the 24v lump. Usually it makes a mess of the rockers etc. Fingers crossed it's a minimal damage fix.

 

[chaotic.entity]

Not a great start to new ownership but these things do happen and I'm sure you guys will sort it like gentlemen.

As for the mess. I've had a good amount of customers over the years who have had the same with the 24v lump. Usually it makes a mess of the rockers etc. Fingers crossed it's a minimal damage fix.

Hopeless has been great, he's out there hunting for a replacement head if needs be

How often does it take the bottom end with it?

 

[frank rabbets]

That belt looks a lot older than the ones I've taken off mine at 60k miles each.

Getting the head back on is much worse than removing it. I lowered mine on with block and tackle very carefully in place. But the worst bit was doing up all those head bolts. I was knackered. It's 50/50 chance there is just light damage to the pistons so bottom might will be OK.

Keep in touch.

 

[chaotic.entity]

Stripped out the batteries, the fan shroud to get a two prong pulley on the camshaft pulley... Bah. More work required than expected apparently. Took the valve cover off and have pulled the "nozzle holder seals" ready to pull the injectors. Many of the rockers have play, some are solid still. Both play up and down (with the movement of the valve) and play side to side (parallel with the direction of the camshaft). We continue to await just what's happened internally

 

[chaotic.entity]

Man down, first obvious signs of something gone wrong

 

[chaotic.entity]

Head off. Valves impressively look fine. All pistons have feint valve marks... others however look fuggin' wrekt.

So that's been my weekend. How have all yours been?