jiggseob

Got an 89 v6 5spd ex-cab 4x4 truck for a few hundred.

It runs fine, clean-oil - no milky stuff.

But no power, pulls 55mph and have to downshift to get up a short 3% grade.

Any ideas?

Also, hubs don't seem to unlock. They turn fine, but don't disengage. In "free" position, reach underneath and driveshafts do not turn. Any ideas there? Is there something simple/stupid the P.O. could have assembled incorrectly when he took the hubs apart?

The tach indicates 3950 (or so) rpm at 60 mph. Speedo checks ok using chase car. Timed mile is within a couple percent of 60 mph. 4000 rpm seems a bit high, even with 4.88 diff ratio. How do I tell what diff ratio it is?

Anyone tell me how to check timing? Where are the marks, and do I plug the light into cyl #1?

Thanks, Jiggs.

Jay351

I tach at around 3,000rpm 5th gear at around 70mph. So your truck is defantly taching to high. What side tires are you running?

If your hubs don't unlock, the PO probibly didnt rebuild them properly. Take off the covers and take a peek inside. Search aisin manual hub rebuild for some pictures and info on the proper way.

Have you owned a toyota or driven another similar truck? the 3vze has 150hp at the crank from the factory. Your truck weighs close to 4,000lbs. So it aint gonna be no rocket, but it shouldnt be that slow.

scuba

The P.O. Could have fubard the hubs when he took them apart..
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...ebuild-157649/

Too much grease can make em sticky inside

As for the no power, What size tires...?

Also search for things like this its all over this site

Welcome to YotaTech Btw...

scuba

DANG YOU !!

Elton

not called a 3.slow for nothing

xzyragon

x2... never owned one but its the general opinion around the forum

im fine with my 0-60 in 13 seconds in my 2wd (so badass!!!)

24Runna

Tune-up time perhaps?

The 3.0 is a dog, but it could use a tune-up every now and then.

Wires, plugs, TB cleaning, new air filter, new fuel filter, cap and rotor, check timing.

Also, what size tires are you running? 12 inchers? I run 3k at 70 with and auto, 4.88, and 31's.

Elton

ive drove about 4 with the 3.slows they all seem about the same well that 4runner with the auto was pretty scary to drive

24Runna

You get used to it. Much like marriage.

Justinlhc

Sounds like the average 3.oh so slow to me.

spoonist

everyone is always ragging on the 3vze. i don't get it. my 3.0 has no trouble with any hills and seems to have tons of power. I'm regularly climbing hills much steeper than 3% grade and can easily stay at 60/70/80(!) (yes, mph). i'd imagine it just needs a little bit of love. it is 20 years old, after all.

jiggseob

I will be checking into the air cleaner, TBI, injectors, plugs, cap and rotor, etc.

That the P.O. put the hubs together in perma-lock position doesn't help. There's a bit of a vibration at 58 mph, I hope that goes away when I unlock the hubs. A vibration in the front driveshaft or half-shafts is not the end of the world to me, if you free the hubs escept for when you really need them, it isn't an issue.

the tach must be somehow wrong... 4k rpm at 60 mph just isn't right. It doesn't sound like its screaming along at 4k, but then I'm not really sure what screaming sounds like. Is there a difference between a 4cyl tach and a 6? Maybe the P.O. put in (or switched) the tach to 6 cyl.

The Toyota I'm most familiar with is a BJ60 cruiser with 3.4 4cyl diesel. I have three. They "suffer" from low gearing, and an engine that does NOT tolerate revving. That 3.4 will last forever at 2500 rpm and below. Above 2500 rpm, you've got a combination time-bomb-grenade. That translates into 55mph. That wagon is heavy, but it gets up to speed quicker than the much lighter pickup with 3.0v6.

I pretty sure there's something off with this 3.0v6, and I'll check around and find it. I know its not going to be winning the races, but it should be better than it is.

Advice is appreciated, thank you.

Jiggs

TNRabbit

Have you checked to see if you're getting any engine codes? I'd check for knock sensor FIRST, as it will retard your timing to ZERO and give you crap for power. Sounds like that might be yer problem. The pigtail that goes from the knock sensor to the wiring harness usually goes bad way before the knock sensor (which is an expensive little piece at approx. $138!).

The second thing I'd check for is vacuum leaks. There is mile of vacuum lines on the 3vze & they get old & crack/rip/etc. Use an UNLIT (!) propane or MAPP gas torch around all the hoses, to include the intake hose with the engine idling & listen for it to idle up. Where it idles up, you have a leak. This is the most effective vacuum leak detector I've run across. 95% of the power/missing problems I've run across were vacuum leaks (again, the trucks are getting long in the tooth & these things crop up over time with rubber breaking down, etc.).

Vibration with the hubs locked could be a universal joint at the front drive shaft or CV joint going south.

bjslade0269

I have no trouble with mine on hills, but I think the 5 speed makes a huge difference. Do a complete tune up and check the coolant temp. sensor. I had a problem with mine and it seemed to run crappy. I also found that mine was running at 3 degrees on the timing. I set it to almost 15 and it runs great there.

gary96360

i have no problems accelerating up hills, passing people on the hwy. i find it accelerates fast as a 5.9 gasser dodge with 33's in 5th up a long hill on the hwy.

Justinlhc

Most of the people ragging on them drive 4Runners. A 150hp motor in a ~4100# vehicle that usually has oversized tires tends to not perform on the highway. You saying your 3VZE has "tons of power" had me rolling though.

spoonist

that does make sense. and maybe "tons" was the wrong word to use, but i've never found myself saying "i wish this truck had more power."

jiggseob

Took the Aisin hubs apart.

The pull spring was not attached to that inside-outside spined sliding clutch thing, it pushed in fine to engage, but did not pull out.

Now, when I take it apart, everything comes out.

And, the hubs engage and disengage. I'll have to keep an eye the hubs, to make sure they continue to engage and disengae. I'm not sure if I have that spring, about half a turn of it, hooked into the splines of the sliding clutch thing. The other end of it goes over two little hooks on the helix follower, and then a hook on the spring hooks onto that stamped steel follower ring.

I looked at a couple of threads on those Aisin hubs, but they all kind of assume you'll pay attention to how it comes apart so you can put it together... After taking it apart, and looking at it, and pulling and pushing, and putting this thing and that thing together, I put it back together and it works. I like puzzles...

But it still has no power. Air cleaner is fine. Will be checking other stuff tomorrow.

I did kind of figure out the ratio of the front diff. It takes about 4 and 1/8 turn of the driveshaft to turn the front axle once. I think that makes the ratio approximately 4.125:1. Is there a 4.11 ratio, if so, thats probably whats in front.

I tend to think that the rear diff is very close if not identical ratio. I ran it down the highway in 4-hi, locked up, and it didn't buck, jump or screech the tires. If some P.O. had swapped front or rear diffs, and got a different ratio, running for a hundred yards down dry pavement would be a rodeo. Given my findings inside the hubs, it would not have been a total surprise.

Which then leads me back to the tach. I think its lying about the rpm somehow. It has 31x10.5 tires. In 4th gear at 60 mph, the tach shows 5000 - yes 5000 - rpm.

4th gear is straight thru. I'll have to do some math, and figure it out. I know 4-crawler has some javascript posted to do the thinking and the math for me. Maybe I can find it...

Thanks again, Jiggs.


Now, onto

Justinlhc

I thought I remembered reading that those tachs had an adjustment or a way to switch from a 4cylinder to a 6cylinder? Maybe that's what's going on? Maybe it's set to a 4cylinder setting, causing it to read really high?

jiggseob

Something tells me the inst cluster may have been swapped. The temp guage works, but there's a non-working auto-meter temp guage under the dash.

For the most part, tachs work by counting engine sparks. Aftermarket tachs have a switch for 4-6-8 cylinders. Some applications, like VW diesels, tachs count the un-rectified alternating voltage pulses coming off the alternator.

It would make sense that Toyota would have a way of using the same tach-part in two different applications, but maybe they have two separate tachometer/cluster parts. There may be a "jumper" you put on a circuit board, or a switch, or something. Someone will know...

I guess I will just get over it, and ignore the tach until I can figure out how to make it stop lying...

Now, its on to whatever else I can find.

Thanks again, Jiggs.