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Toyota Tundra Problems
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The only logical conclusion is that the Tundra runs forged pistons requiring the larger tolerances due to the fact that Forged pistons are NOT thermally efficient. Forged pistons shrink more when cold and expand more when hot requiring larger tolerances. That is why you get the clatter on cold start up that those who live in cold climates experience almost daily.
Bama, what is your explanation for the larger than usual cylinder-to-wall tolerances? How about you Arkie6?
Hypereutectic pistons are the next type of piston, these pistons are also a cast design. However, the pistons are manufactured from an aluminum alloy which contains approximately 16% silicon, compared to the standard cast piston's 7%. The increased silicon content helps control thermal expansion, and can be installed with even tighter tolerances that a traditional cast piston. The high silicon content in these pistons also allows them to be able to withstand higher operating temperatures and pressures, and improves the hardness of the pistons. These pistons, while being superior than the standard cast type, are not as strong as the forged design, and can shatter under extreme conditions, such as heavy detonation.
Forged pistons are generally thought of as the best design for performance and racing applications. These pistons start out as a cylindrical piece of aluminum, which after being heated is pressed into a piston shape, and then machined to become a finished piston. This results in a dense grain structure which is much stronger than a cast design, and also is better able to transfer heat away from the piston crown. The forged piston does have some drawbacks however, this design requires larger operating clearances than cast pistons, and may be heavier than some cast types.
If the Tundra runs CAST pistons, then why are the piston-to-wall tolerances 0.0035 - 0.0044 in as reported from the FSM of the 2000 Tundra. { tolerances are a function of coeficient of expansion between dissimilar metals, not how they are produced } Cast pistons usually run 0.001 in piston-to-wall to tolerances. But not in the Tundra. Why is that? { What do you base your information on the "usual" clearance of piston-to-wall clearances ? Are you talking about piston to wet or dry liners ? }
The only logical conclusion is that the Tundra runs forged pistons { how is this logical ? } requiring the larger tolerances due to the fact that Forged pistons are NOT thermally efficient. { no such definition as thermally efficient or thermally inefficient, every metal has a specific coefficient of expansion, which has nothing to do with "efficiency "} Forged pistons shrink more when cold and expand more when hot requiring larger tolerances. That is why you get the clatter on cold start up that those who live in cold climates experience almost daily.
Bama, what is your explanation for the larger than usual cylinder-to-wall tolerances? How about you Arkie6?
Hope that helps.
I believe it is because it runs forged pistons. Forged pistons have greater thermal expansion than cast pistons.
"Forged pistons also run 18% to 20% cooler than cast pistons because the metal conducts heat away from the combustion chamber more quickly. This reduces the risk of detonation – but the trade-off is greater thermal expansion in the piston. Consequently, forged pistons require greater installed clearances which increases cold start noise and blowby."
"Piston rattle or slap when an engine is cold indicates too much clearance between pistons and cylinders. This may be due to excessive assembly tolerances or worn cylinders. Some forged pistons have a higher rate of thermal expansion than cast pistons, and may require slightly greater cold clearances to compensate. This, in turn, may produce some unwanted piston noise when a cold engine is first started, but it has no effect on piston performance, durability or longevity."
Is that clearer?
http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S-8i1njJ450hy/ProdGroup.asp?s=0&g=780
Good luck
-Eric
- Mick
"Are the pictures of the pistons from your Tundra?"
Yes, Sweetoy they are from my Tundra. I removed them one night in my spare time.
Check out the GM engine knock topic. He's much more helpful there, enlightening all the hapless GM owners with his unwanted, toymota engine knock wisdom.
Or read up a few posts. You're not the first Tundra owner to report engine knocking. Just ignore his attacks, and someone else will help with your problem.
There are other toy owners with
engine knock also.....
Them guys over there seem levelheaded
and ready to HELP a fellow Toy owner!
..... Good luck....geo
Knock sensors for a cold start knocking problem!!!
Guess them there knock sensors tighten up them clearances real quick now!!
I've heard it all.
So far it's no big deal - like Toyota, I'll watch it and see.
-Eric
And even IF they did duplicate it - what are they going to do? "Try" something? And how would they know if they fixed it? Wait around til the next cold morning and give it another go! So now we're on day TWO with the loner - and in all likelihood they still haven't fixed it.
So why do it unless there's something known to be wrong in the first place? Satisfying idle curiousity just isn't worth my time. Now if Toyota comes out with a TSB or warranty action, that would be quite a bit different.
It's wait and see for now.
Jeff
-Eric
spots where the paint has peeled off. It is not from bird droppings or any chemicals. I have seen some posts on the Tundra Solutions web site related to this problem. Is anyone having this problem? Has Toyota responded in any way?
The Center for Auto Safety analyzed complaints made to the government by Americans having problems with their vehicles. Below are the models that received the fewest complaints, and those that received the most. Models introduced in 2000 and 2001 are not represented due to a lack of data.
Best (Fewest complaints) Worst (Most complaints)
1. Ford F-Series 1. Mazda MPV
2. BMW 3 Series 2. Kia Sportage
3. BMW 5 Series 3. Ford Excursion
4. Volkswagen Golf 4. Ford Windstar
5. Mazda Truck 5. Mercury Cougar
6. Volvo C70 6. Volvo S40
7. Volkswagen Beetle 7. Honda Passport
8. Nissan Sentra 8. Honda S2000
9. Infiniti G20 9. Mitsubishi Eclipse
10. Acura RL 10. Isuzu Rodeo
11. Saab 9-5 11. Ford Explorer
12. Chevrolet Prizm 12. Land Rover Range Rover
13. Toyota Corolla 13. Audi A6
14. Infiniti QX4 14. Hyundai Tiburon
15. Nissan Altima 15. Honda Odyssey
16. Lexus RX300 16. Lincoln LS
17. Nissan Maxima 17. Jeep Grand Cherokee
18. Acura TL 18. Volkswagen Passat
19. Saab 9-3 19. Buick LeSabre
20. Pontiac Bonneville 20. Suzuki Grand Vitara
21. Mazda Millenia 21. Chevrolet Blazer
22. Mazda 626 22. Chevrolet Impala
23. Lincoln Town Car23. Toyota Tundra
24. Ford Focus 24. Dodge Dakota
25. Honda Accord 25. Dodge Neon
You have to navigate a bit....
Click on "Business"
Then click on Center for Auto Safety, Features, Crash Tests
Then click on List of Top Rated Cars
Good luck.
As for the tranny clunk, I get that when I stop suddenly on occasion. You can resolve this by greasing the area where the drive shaft exits the tranny.
I get 15 mpg in mixed driving with towing included. The general average for Tundra drivers is 16 mpg.
why did you ask if I use the parking brake everytime I parked the truck??
As for some of the complaints about minor vibrations and rattles, I can only say that things have improved so much we're starting to expect sedan rides from 4500 lb pickup trucks.
The Tundra can have complaints made about the somewhat drab styling, the lack of rear cab room, the seating position, the doors that won't stay open on hills(a lawsuit waiting to happen the minute a toddler gets his head sandwiched by them), the disappointing paint quality, and a little too much body roll, but I think low end power is fine.
As far as braking- the Tundra is the best in its class. When loaded with 1000lb it outbraked the Chev HD by 32ft from 60mph. They said the Chev brakes were scary.
And this is what Chev calls HD?
Tundra = 6200 GVWR
Bama usually says something like..."why are you comparing a 3/4 ton truck to a 1/2 ton truck?"
Of course, he's just doing it because Tundra loses most (if not all) acceleration comparisons to the 5.3L Silverado 1/2 ton.
Fact is, Tundra is on the Center for Auto Safety list of the 25 worst vehicles for complaints to the government by Americans having problems with their vehicles.
This always cracks me up. I hear people say stuff like this all the time. Helloooo!!! Chevy and GMC are the same! Chevy=GMC. I used to work with a guy who owned a '94 Suburban and had the engine seize up (main bearing) at 60k miles. He was upset when Chevy wouldn't fix it under warranty. He threatened to never buy another Chevy again and buy GMC instead. Talk about a hollow threat. ROTFLMAO!!! That's like threatening Ford that you're going to buy a Mercury. IT'S THE SAME FRIGGIN COMPANY!!!
You guys were pointing statstics to me for a month. Here's one for you. I don't see any GMC's or Rados on that list.
But I can bet it's not the truck, it's the driver.
Things like I was saying before. Radio problems, and such. Just the little things.
Yes they are the same truck, but I have heard bad things about both, so I can't take sides.
I have heard that the GMC frames are Chevy frames that had defects and were fixed. But then again I have heard that the Rado's vortec's were GMC's rejections.
To me I just find the GMC to look and feel cheaper for some reason. Even though it is the same truck. But why is it that some GMC's are cheaper then their Chevy counterpart, and some Chevys are cheaper then the GMc's??? Shouldn't the all be within 2 grand of each other???
I don't know about this one. And frankly I don't care, but the whole issue between GMC and Chevy has lots of stories that I don't want to hear!
I wonder if this is a fluke, or , are they holding something back ?
Occasionally, when I try to start the truck, it hits about 4 times and then, quits hitting and just cranks. After about 10 seconds, the engine stumbles and starts. No smoke out of the back.
Anyone else experiencing this ?
As for engines and chassis I would suspect that those stories you heard are just that...stories. I used to work for a major car rental company, we had the Mercury Sable and Ford Taurus in our rental fleets, same engines, same transmissions, same chassis and almost all the same sheet metal. Other than the grillwork, interior materials and other minor differences they are exactly the same car. Same with the Chevy/GMC trucks.
I would feel like an idiot if I said that at the chevy/GMC dealer. But some people think it's a different car for some odd reason. The major differences are the grill and the wheels. And the fact they use SL,SLE,SLT to rate there lines. Chevy uses Rado, LS, and LT. But yes, they are the same truck, with the same parts.
I know a few others Tundra owners. We all started out happy. But sooner or later, most come around to the reality you can't do work with this truck, or it lets you down in other ways, either poor quality or poor design.
That it made the Center for Auto Safety list of the 25 worst vehicles in America is no consolation.
Jim