bxlt

Okay so I have been on here for awhile and can't seem to find a lot of advantages for the 3.0. I have the opportunity to buy an 89 4runner with a V6. My ideal would be to have a 1st Gen Runner with a 22re but the deal on this one is really good a low millage engine, 5sp and new timing belt for a price that with the money I have to spend I could even afford to get a locker and tires.

So what I want to know is what are the pro's and con's to the 3.0? Should I buy this one or look for a 22re?

Dan.3

you should know google. www.google.com

you should also know the search function on here as well.

I would also recommend that you would familarize yourself with the NEWBIE section too

JonnyBoy

Makes a 3.4 swap easier in the future!

No, but really, it does have more power than the 22re, close to the same fuel mileage I think, might depend on how many and how bad the hills are in your area. As long as it's taken care of an stuff, the 3.0 is an ok motor. Mine had 215,000 miles on it when it blew a head gasket, and I sold that engine as a good solid block and the guy rebuilt it to put into another 4Runner.

bxlt

Well I was hoping to get some response from a few people on here that have owned a 3.0 or maybe even both and they could help out. I thought that was what a web forum is for

bxlt

Thanks that was what I am looking for! I know it can't be that bad of an engine I feel more comfortable with the 22r but that is the only Toyota motor I know

yodathespian87

I was only familair with the 22R for a while then got my 4Runner and blew the 3.0. Swapping a 3.4 in it now. Cons to the 3.0 are heavy block, which had some problems, not really that much power getting pushed out with it. There is not a lot of space under there (it's a wide engine) Not a lot of good mods you can do to a 3.0 to pull any good amount of power from. So I went with the 3.4 instead of replacing the 3.0. There are plenty of mods, more power, better gas mileage, more space under the hood (it is a little taller) Thats what I saw between the 2 engines and why I went with the 3.4.

JonnyBoy

Oh, you did ask for cons too. You'll end up paying more if you wanna do dual cases or a gear reduction because the 3.0 5spd uses a chain drive transfer case. That's one of the biggest cons to me, 'cause it means I'll pay something like $350 extra to Marlin in order to run crawlbox or something.

kodiak90

I've had all three motors and to me the 3.4L is the best. More mods and options for the avid off roader. The 22RE is a great motor as well. You'd be suprised what you can do with a little 4-banger under the hood. As for the 3.0L, That's what I gots right now and it does ok. It's kinda sluggish but it gets around. It does it's best work in 4 low. As far as the parts go, the 3.0L is a pain. Parts are hard to find and there are few upgrades you can do cheaply. JohnnyBoy has a good point about the transfer case.

bxlt

Yeah that is a huge con to me I plan on making the 4runner a street/trail rig and I don't like the chain drive case. Of course around here the V6 4Runners are $300-$600 cheaper then a 22r so I guess what I save on the runner will go to the crawlbox

klbeans

Damn straight! The whole "search" or "don't you know google" comments are getting really old. If it wasn't for all the repetitious questions, forums would cease to exist.

a4runnerfreak

Well, all I'm gonna say is, I've had 2 3.0 engines with over 300 thousand on them, no problems what so ever, and the 3.0 in my BEAST is around 280 thousand. Still running strong.

But the early 3.0 did have HG problems with the design. In 90' the HG design changed, and not so many problems after that.

NYChopshop

the 3.0l v6, a.k.a. the 3.slow, isnt extremely powerful for its weight or displacement. It tends to blow head gaskets between 140 and 210k depending on how you treat it. There are NO worthwhile high performance modifications (for the money), although I threw on a cold air intake and was very happy with the results. It's pretty bad (worse than the 22re) on gas mileage, I get around 14-15mpg myself. The chain drive transfer case isnt all that great, but it will work for you until you get yourself a gear driven transfer case and bolt it up. The V6 manual transmission is vastly superior to the 4 cyl, and if you are EVER thinking of upgrading to a modern 3.4l block, the V6 transmission is one of the few parts you can reuse (and what a big expensive part it is!). You get the V6 differentials, which I believe are stouter. You also do wind up with some more power than the 22re's before you do an engine swap, and when the engine swap comes about, you save more money in the long run. If I had to choose between a 22re and a 5vze, I would pick the 5vze any day of the week and twice on sunday.

CRafferty

No, forums would not cease to exist because of the repetition, that just lags out the server. It says in the RULES to search before starting a thread like this, unless you post in the NOOB TECH section (which you clearly should have) you'll automatically be told to search. It's reflex, just as searching should be.

bxlt

I did search and didn't find anything to answer my question. Yes I have seen people complain about the motor but I haven't seen a lot of the pros so I asked this question, I also don't think it belongs in the noob tech section because I think it is a legitimate question and its not like I am asking how to lift my truck, what size tires I can fit, or how to do a sas I wanted opinions on the 3.0 and that is what I am getting. Does it really matter the section it is in if the information is relevant?

CRafferty

It matters if you're going to complain about being told to search. I know there are threads about the 3.0's performance. It's heavy, not too much power, has tranny compatibility issues, not to much to mod it well, and is somewhat prone to HG failure. The reason you haven't heard many of the pro's is because they are just the average expected from Toyota. It's not hailed as an amazing motor because it just meets people's expectations for a toyota engine, and does not exceed them as others do.

spokane.yota.man

hey ellensburg. good to see some other eastern washington people on here. i agree with the "search" reply's being really annoying. search something common and you get 20 pages of results, half of which are irrelevant. i would rather get zero responses then someone telling me to search. anyways, the 3.0 isn't a bad motor. i don't have one but my brother has one in his 88 4runner and its a good motor. a lot more power compared to my old 22r (even before the 32's). he has 260k+ miles on it and it was rolled once and it still goes great. as others said what you plan to do with the vehicle in the future should really be the deciding factor. good luck.

NYChopshop

big point is that if you preface your post that may have been covered somewhere in the stacks and stacks of pages on common subjects indicating that you understand the material may be out there but is indeed tough to find, and then go out of your way to ignore anyone flaming you for starting a new thread, I feel you will have much better results. Some questions deserve a little more backlash than others, but even so, I think you can find some real answers in this thread already. I still say the 3.0l over the 22re if you like the skinny pedal, but if you want to crawl your way over rocks at a couple miles an hour tops with gearing up the wazoo, the 22re is probably the best bet for inconceivable longevity.

881stGenRunner

they early 3.0s were the ones that did NOT have problems with the headgaskets. Toyota initially designed the engine to run a HG that had ASBESTOS in it and they were able to for a couple of years, but the U.S. put a stop to it. Since then Toyota had to change the HG they put in it and that is where the weak link is, because the newer ones werent able to run the proper HG.

That being said my '88 3.0 has 231K HARD miles on it. I have beaten the snot out of mine. I will admit that i have a rod knock, but by the time our Toyota's reach 231K on our first motor, some other vehicles may be on engine number 2 or 3.

vital22re

iTrader: (2)

if i could do it over again and was looking at a new rig, i'd try to find a rig with a blown v6 i could get for cheap and swap in a 3.4. Best mod to the truck i've ever done. I pull a fishing boat a lot and the 3.0 coulnd't hold 4th gear going up stevens pass. I found myself in 3rd gear motor screamin just to maintain 60. with the 3.4 i can hold 4th gear goin 60 only drop to 3rd to pass. Its a great motor!

RobD

If you want to go with the 3.0, it's not a bad motor, but like it's been said many, many times, it isn't a great one, either. Certainly not one for Toyota to call one for the ages.

I did the 3.4 swap almost two years ago and regret nothing. As has also been mentioned, the 3.4 is a far better motor in terms of power and fuel economy.

So, if you like the idea of a project like that in your future, have the funds, ability and tools to do a swap, then it's something that you can build towards. Otherwise, you'll be okay with the 3.0, just don't expect anything otherwordly.