I’m looking for a Toyota Tundra used engine right now and finally starting to see a few decent options pop up. A lot of the local listings were either crazy high mileage or had zero info on maintenance, but I actually found some good options from BluePrismAutomotive while digging around. One of them is a 2014 Toyota tundra engine that looks pretty clean, at least on paper, but I’m still trying to figure out what to watch for before I pull the trigger.
For anyone who’s bought a used Tundra motor before, what did you check? Compression numbers, oil condition, signs of towing abuse anything that helped you avoid getting stuck with a tired engine? I’d rather catch the red flags now than after it’s sitting in my garage.
Thanks

 

Leak down test results are good to see, and doing a general visual inspection of the engine and possibly the vehicle it came out of could tell you a lot to see if it looks taken care of, similar to if you were buying a used car. Having a Toyota oil filter and pink coolant along with other OEM parts would be a good sign that it was maintained at the dealer or someone who knows Toyotas. Look in any passage you can making sure there is no rust, sludge or anything strange in the coolant passages, oil passages, etc. Look down the oil cap fill hole and on the inside of the cap to make sure there is no water or sludge. Check any remaining oil for metal particles. A bore scope would be helpful for looking in the passages and in the spark plug holes. Check the exhaust passages/manifold for oily residue. Getting a VIN number and history of the vehicle could also tell you a lot and verify it really is low mileage. Personally I avoid engines that came out of a rolled vehicle because you don't know how long it was ran upside down with no oil pressure. I don't know the interchange years on Tundras specifically, but sometimes you can get a newer engine than the junkyard interchange lists and you just have to swap more parts like manifolds and sensors. Try to get it from a reputable junkyard that has a good history of honoring their warranties, and check whatever else you can before installing it in the truck.

I will be interested to see what other suggestions people add. I personally like to buy engines I can hear run first, but I have got good ones from junkyards before.