Hello to everybody,

I am living in Europe and want to import a 2011 Tundra Crew Max. I have the choice between the two motor variants. I ssomeone able to give me the differences between the two motor designs? Which parts are modified?

Due to the high taxes for fuel and the horrible prices for unleaded fuel most imported cars with big V8 engines in Europe run with liquid petrol gas (LPG). LPG has round about 110 octane which is similar to E85. Running LPG needs hardend valves and valve rings because of the higher temperature when driving with higher rpm. My idea is that a flex fuel engine is better prepared for this purpose.
Now a mechanic told me about more problems with the FFV engines than with the standard ones. He said that Toyota only uses hardend valve stems. The valve inserts (seats) are the common ones. This means that the rings are worn sooner. Is this true.

Thanks for Your expertise.

Greets from Belgium.

Berber

Yesterday a got an answer from TOYOTA Technical Support. Not very helpful.

"FFVs have some unique components in the fuel system in order to meet our strident durability requirements, most notably higher capacity fuel injectors, fuel pumps, and ECU logic, designed to deliver larger fuel loads due to the decreased energy output of E85 versus normal gasoline. FFVs also include ethanol-resistant gaskets and seals. There are no other mechanical differences to the engine or drivetrain."

I couldn't imagine the valves are not modified in FFV. To reach a similar lifetime with E85 hardend valves und inserts are a must have.

Is there any technician or mecanic who knows exactly and could give me the answer I need? It seems that TOYOTA is not able to answer such a question.

Perhaps it should be found in the Repair Manuals or parts list.

Thanks a lot for support,

Markus