Cracked engine mount report

[Beach Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beach]

I don't know exactly what occurred but toyota took it to a chassis repair workshop and welded in the part supplied by toyota for $34 and the rest was labour and they didn't have to take out the engine. Sorry I don't know anymore info.

Do you have before and after pictures?

[norrs Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close norrs]

Snapped my Engine Mount bracket off the Chassis!!

I own a 120 series petrol GXL Prado (2006) model.

About a month ago I was driving down a dirt road and saw a deep washout in the middle of the road. I braked heavy and skidded for about 15m until I hit the washout really hard. The suspension was fully compressed when I hit the bump (I hadn't heard about the benefits of releasing the brake before bumps until after the accident!!). The car seemed to still drive normally after that until I got home and noticed oil leaking out of the engine. Upon closer inspection I found that the engine mount had broken off the chassis rail. It snapped all around the engine mount welds on the chassis side of the welds and then the engine collapsed onto the front diff. One of the bolts on the diff then pierced the engine sump and oil was leaking out. The engine wasn’t cooked and it was still running fine. This happened to the passenger side mount.

I put in an insurance claim and it appears that the Insurance company is now going down the path of this being caused by fatigue not damage caused by the accident. I doubt this very much. I have spoken to Toyota in Darwin and they say they have never come across such damage caused by fatigue.

My Questions are

1. Is there a known history of fatigue to the welds around the engine mount on this model car
2. Are there any accounts of mounts snapping off the Chassis when hitting bumps at speed

I suppose this might start a side topic of - should one release the brake to allow the suspension to rise before hitting bumps!

Thanks in advance

PS - I have also contacted Toyota to see if they can shed any light on such issues.

[norrs Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close norrs]

Dam!

Yes I should have used the search button better. Thanks for merging my post back to this thread.

Now I don't know what to do...... Talk to Toyota or my insurance company. Hmmmm

Looking at that link from "Beach" above, maybe there is some hope in getting it repaired?

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

It will depend on whether the weld was already cracked and was fatiguing or it was broken just by the accident. If the former the crack will be dirty and rusty on the outside and you will see what is referred to as beach markings (like the marks the tide makes as it recedes) and only the fresh break will be clean otherwise the whole break will be fresh and clean. Can you get to it to post a picture of the failure?

[norrs Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close norrs]

Thanks mate. I hope they don't rely on rust because they have had it sitting there for over 4 weeks now in the weather. It would be rusting as we speak. I'll try to get out to it to take a picture as I still have to salvage parts off it.

[norrs Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close norrs]

It will depend on whether the weld was already cracked and was fatiguing or it was broken just by the accident. If the former the crack will be dirty and rusty on the outside and you will see what is referred to as beach markings (like the marks the tide makes as it recedes) and only the fresh break will be clean otherwise the whole break will be fresh and clean. Can you get to it to post a picture of the failure?

Ok my insurer has rejected it stating:



Here are the pics:







so now I have a paper weight unless I can find a way to fix it.

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

Can you post up bigger pics? Especially the first. The third shot though looks like it has been cracked for a while because it is polished from rubbing and vibration. There also appear to be beach markings. The cracks in this area initiated the cracks that then took out a whole piece.

It can be welded back in with correct preparation and processes.

Other damage as a result of the engine mount failing or the impact?

[norrs Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close norrs]

Can you post up bigger pics?

Other damage as a result of the engine mount failing or the impact?

Please see below for more larger pics. The engine hit the front diff and put a hole through the pan (I think) and it lost heaps of oil but the engine seems fine. The mechanic said the diff and engine should be fine.

[norrs Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close norrs]

you may have to zoom in on this one

[Byrnsie Member Find all posts View Profile Close Byrnsie]

Norrs . . . . Any update on your chassis problem. Did you get it fiixed.

[Offroader Member Find all posts View Profile Close Offroader]

Another Chassis/Engine mount failure

Chalk up another chassis/engine mount failure. Discovered this after noticing that the engine dropped to the passenger side. You can see the engine mount weld has failed and has dropped into the hollow section of the rail. I think this is pretty poor given it is not a wear item but a structural failure on a vehicle that is supposed to be designed for offroad use. Toyota didn't want to know anything about it when I took it to the dealership and said they had only seen "one" before and due to it being out of warranty were obliged to do nothing. I wonder how many 120's are a ticking time bomb with this problem now?

[Offroader Member Find all posts View Profile Close Offroader]

Has anyone got a copy of the TSB or repair documents from Toyota?

[Pradopolous Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pradopolous]

OFFROADER, may i suggest a quick call to one of the current affairs programs to inform them of a 'safety issue' with yr toyota....if done along those lines might get you some national air time which toyota wont be happy about and obviously trying to keep their customers happy, they may fix yr problem, for free

they all hate negative pr and any safety motor vehicle related issues is always cause for concern for the PR dept

[Offroader Member Find all posts View Profile Close Offroader]

Pradopolous: Might be worth going to A Current Affair or the ACCC.

Although it appears primarily limited to the 1GRFE V6, there is definitely a known problem with the 120 series chassis. There are plenty of examples on other forums of the exact same thing happening on Toyotas which use the same chassis including the FJ Cruiser. It is likely that the failure occurs gradually over time as the parent material on the inner rail begins to crack imperceptably and eventually, without any warning, completely gives way. I have sent the photos to a few welding experts and they have told me that it comes down to a design flaw. The entire weight of the engine should not be supported on the thin face of the inner rail. Basically it is a failure just waiting to happen. It appears Toyota have subsequently changed the design and have installed a steel reinforcing plate behind it now. I have called Toyota Australia numerous times and they simply deny any knowledge of the problem. When I told them the internet is full of photos of the same problem, "no comment".

[Marlan Gounden Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Marlan Gounden]

Been a victim of the left cracked mount as well. Engine cover was actually resting on fan cowl. Had it repaired by a boilermaker without removing engine but it was a painstaking job. Toyota South Africa haven't seen this issue before. I reckon its because most of the Prado's here in SA are only used as mom's taxi and never even see bush dust.