DesertLegion

Hello Everyone,

I have a 91 Pick-Up with the V-6 4wd. I am not a mechanic or really know much about trucks. All I got is my driving abilities. My problem is it has 35 inch tires and the original V-6 that has been beefed up a little bit. I really woul dlike to make this truck a good toy to play with because my son picked it out. The engine runs alright, but can't really do much climbing. I am an E-4 in the Army and also don't have any money to spend. I had one hundred extra dollars so I took it to a mechanic. He changed the oil and all that and gave it a good look over. He said that everything on it was good but the engine. He said it would be about $400 to get it running strong, and I just don't have that kind of money. So I was wondering what you would all do. I drive it around town everyday without a problem, it is just when we go up into the mountains that it boggs down. I am looking for a new V-8, but probably won't have the funds to buy it. I am lost, I am a motorcycle guy, but my son is 6 and wanted this truck. Is there anything I can do for VERY minimal cash that will improve the truck, or should I just sell it. I could make a little money selling it.

PismoJoe

V-6 3.0 is notorious for having some issues, but you might be able to get some more use out of it by doing the head gaskets and having the heads cleaned up. You could pull this off for around $500 if you did the work yourself, but since you don't know much about trucks it would take a while and would not be recommended if this is your first mechanical step.

I would say that if the engine runs ok like you say, you could re gear your truck for those 35's or just go back to a smaller tire size and leave your gears alone. Thats why your bogging down on hills. If you can luck out on some used 4.88 gears, this would be ideal for 35" tires.

You need to figure out what is wrong exactly with that v6 and make a decision.
Also, how much do you think you could sell it for?
Do you have a manual or auto transmission?

mightymouse

iTrader: (6)

Well lets start off with the basics. When you purchased the truck did the seller note if or what gears they installed in the differential? This alone will have a huge difference on the motor's ability to move those 35 inch tires. Check that first and foremost. With that out of the way lets dig a little deeper. First search this forum!!! Education is free via this site and will lead you to most of the info you need. Start searching topics like 3.0 sluggish and other similar term to see what you come up with. When a mechanic says it'll be about 400 to do the job factor in labor. Most mechanics make between 50 and 120 an hour where i'm from so that nocks off a lot in reference to total cost. So you're a bike guy huh. These motors are not very complicated and most people with minimal skills pertaining to backyard mechanics can learn read and soak up all the info on this site. A prime example of this is 92toy's thread. He was and by most standards a novice at best but managed to replace his head gasket. A very costly job if performed by a shop. My advice to you my friend is READ UP! and keep the truck you'll be happy you did.

DesertLegion

It is a five speed manual, I bought the truck for 3,000 and have had offers for 4,500 that was after they drove it. I put it a custom built cold air intake, due to the K&N that was on it isn't available anymore, it was a big bore (like off a diesel). So I have about 3,350 into the truck so far. I really don't want to get rid of it, but at the same time it isn't a motorcycle, so I don't know what I am doing. I really know nothing about the truck, I bought it from a wife, her husband was deployed and buying a new truck when he returned.

snobdds

Did you ask the guy who changed your oil what was wrong with it engine wise? It seems that is a big piece of the missing puzzle here... We can't help you with such vague things such as "every thing is good but the engine..."

toyminator2000

The 3.0 doesn't have much power to begin with. I don't know what the mechanic was going to fix for $400 unless it was a complete tuneup. I would guess that whoever put the 35's on it didn't re-gear the axles to compensate for the increase in tire size. The normal gear ratio for 35's in a Toyota is 5.29's. To get is set up properly its gonna be 800-1000 to do both front and rear. If you do that I would have a locker of some sort put in the rear at the same time. If you can't afford this there were some stock trucks that came with 4.88's which is close to what you need. You can find a set of used 3rd members and install them yourself for a few hundred bucks. PM me and I can send you to a source for some used 4.88 3rd's

DesertLegion

Thank you for the help so far. I know the information was vague, but that is what I got. I'm not going to make up stuff to avoid sounding dumber than I already do. I am going to call a salvage yard up north in Tucson tomorrow after work and see what the can get me as far as gears. I have about $350 to spend right now, so maybe that will help.