Dead @ 160k - 2005 4th Gen 4Runner SR5 V8

Hey everyone, not gonna be the happiest post...

About a year ago I moved out to Colorado and took my 4runner along the way. A relative insisted the 4runner get serviced before the trip, and that's when everything went south.

Without getting too far into it, the 4runner had some issues after the service, and they appeared to be resolved before heading out for the drive (Chicago -> CO). About 20 miles out from Denver going ~70mph, the 4runner lost power from the engine, and I came to a dead stop on the side of the highway, all dash lights lit up.

Long story short, the engine seized up. After getting towed to my new place, I noticed the coolant line was completely disconnected, and the coolant was bone dry. I'm not an auto expert, but assume this was the reason why it seized. It's probably too late to pursue legal action on the auto shop, and I don't have much supporting evidence anyways.

I got a temp car and the 4runner has been sitting in my garage since. She only had 160k miles on it, no dents, all electrical working (aside from rear hatch window), 2" spacer lift with BFG AT tires (great tread still). This has been the best vehicle I've driven and hate to consider parting ways with it.

I found this forum and wondering if anyone has any recommendations for this situation. Auto shops in my area quoted $5-$10k for an engine swap (not including the cost of a new engine). Money is getting tight and it may be a while before an engine swap is financially reasonable. Is there any demand for a non-running SR5 V8? Any estimates for a fair price in this condition? Should I part it out or is that just a nightmare situation?

 

Sucks that this happened to you but was there any hints that there wasn't any coolant in the system like the engine temp going up?

 

You just have to be very carful where your 4Runners are worked on and who does the work, many think their local Toyota's service dept. is the best and many find this not correct.
Ask a lot of questions from who ever you pick to work on your truck and buy a third party service manual and start checking any work you have done.