clint

hello, i was just wondering if toyote engines like the 22re are so reliable wouldnt any other engine made by ford, chrysler, or gm be just as reliable as long as they had the proper maintenance.

bob200587

maintenence is important, but initial build quality is important too. Alot of times it's not just the engine that makes a car reliable as well.

tulsa_97SR5

There are plenty of stories of folks getting tons of miles out of almost any engine, your odds go way up with with motors like the 22re though. I think that it has a lot to do with how much the automakers try to wring out of their engines, there's always a few more hp you can squeeze out of an engine, but you give up longevity.

ChickenLover

Are you suggesting that all engines are created equally? Or maybe toyota owners are just better at maintaining their engines? Either way, I got a good laugh out of it. Why are toyota engines so reliable? It comes down to superior engineering.

90yota

Hummm, guess those superior engineering guys at the 3.0 head gasket department must not have got that memo. Now I am looking at a very expensive repair. if the rest of the truck was not such a nice 4x4 I would junk it. There is nothing superior about a heavy under powered V6. Not one of toyotas better products. They have produced a lot better.

ieldib

Just to chime in, I used to own a chevy S15 blazer tahoe (yes that is the actual name) that had 286k miles on it, ex beach patrol car. It was starting to crap out,transfer case and transmission was leaking, as well as a oil leak but hey, 286k orig miles is still 286k original miles. I personally have seen firsthand 22RE's go for 360K+ miles though (wich is insane!). Toyota truly does built excellent products.

ChickenLover

Heavily...Would you like to compare the 3vze to other V6 engines designed and put into production in the 80's? If so, the HG should be the least of your concerns. You are almost guaranteed to get over 200k on this engine. There are people on this board who have over 400k on their 3vze's. It can get over 20 mpg on the highway. I'd say it does pretty damned well for a 3 liter V6 (moving 5k lbs) that was designed over 20 years ago.

Jeffires

I agree- it's not super powerful, but I move 4.5K down the interstate at 75 mph and get around 18 mpg. Mine was produced in '90 and has close to 200K on it, and besides the head gasket recall, has never been worked on other than maintenance.

regularguy412

I once owned a, brand new off the showroom floor, 1979 model Chevy Z28 Camaro -- 350 cu. in. ,, factory rated at 176 HP. That works out to roughly .5 hp per cubic inch. The 3.0 has a factory rating of 150 hp. When you convert the litres to cu. in., you get about 180 cu. in. That's about .83 hp per cu. in. 'Back in the day', we thot we were doin' well ,, after thousands in performance mods, to get 1 hp per cu. in. So in my view, a stock 3.0 is actually a pretty efficient engine for its size (displacement), considering the time frame within which it was produced. It's still 20 year old technology, but I think it has held its own, despite its flawed head / exhaust design. it has plenty of power for what I use it for,,, as a daily driver. Keeps the miles off my other Toyotas.

Mike in AR

kyle_22r

well, the 350 in 1979 was a low compression, emissions choked engine. with a halfway decent set of heads, exhaust, carb and intake, you'll surpass the 1hp/cubic inch margin.

i think the design of an engine has a lot of effect on reliability. let's look at the toyota R series...

these engines are very simple mechanically. the oil pump is directly driven by the crankshaft, and there are no pushrods or lifters. the oiling system is superb -- the crank and rods recieve their oil right away. the camshaft lobes are dip into a pool of oil in the head before wiping against the mechanical followers. in the event of an oil system failure, the engine will sacrifice the valvetrain in order to save the bottom end of the engine. i think these are the main reasons these engines are so reliable. combine it with excellent quality parts and you've got an engine that'll go 350,000 miles without anything other than good preventitive maintenance.

for how low-tech the R series engines are, they were still leaps and bounds ahead of most other manufacturers when it came to engineering until recently. take the rear main seal for example. most domestic engines until about 10-15 years ago(and some still in production) used a 2 piece rear main seal that is prone to leaking. the R series starting with the 8R in the early 70s utilized a 1 piece rear main seal that is driven into a retainer and bolted to the back of the engine. in fact, the design was so good that the retainer is the same between every OHC R engine!

coloradodragon

Factory tooling and tight tolerances has alot to do with reliablity also. Quality control is a very high priority in Japanese factories. Im not speaking for all Japanese cars and trucks of course, but they usually have a higher resale value because of great engineering,materials and workmanship. American made vehicles are catching up though finally. I swore I'd never by an american disposable car, but ended up buying a little gas car for my wife and have had no problems so far. I think European quality has slipped in the last decade also. Thats my 2 cents anyways.. Of course Im partial because I have 275,000 on my 3.0 engine with no problems yet. (knock on wood)

AH64ID

Both of my toys have held to my abuse better than both of my showroom floor new fords did. And I owned both rangers before I even started wheeling....Toyota is the new redneck truck for reasons like this...

Jimmeh

Myself, I baby the crap out of my 22RE

1) It isn't mine yet. Still the very strong, very quick to anger dads.
2) It is my only vehicle until I A) get a new truck or B) get my truck fixed
3) I like it

Now my Geo on the other hand, I trash the hell out of it. Shifting at 6k RPM, drive it too fast for a 75 Horsepower car (most of the time like an idiot) and just plain stupid driving. I think it will last another 300 miles before it actually dies, hence why I am selling it. I figure I can get about $75 or more, and some other person can trash it.

Not only does it come down to maintenance, it also depends on how you drive. If you drive the speed limits, check your fluids regularly, and other such things, you can have the engine get about 350-400K before a rebuild. My dad was able to get his 1979 F-250 to 380K before he rebuilt the engine.

90yota

Well, I can think of the 3.7 Buick and the 3.8 Buick and the 4.3. Look say what you want, this is the 3rd 3.0 I have had. # 1 89 PU 120.000 blown HG junked it was a rust bucket. 93 Camry 130.000 blown HG took out the motor. 90 4x4 extended cab auto. 200.000 blown HG took out the motor. Maybe for you the HG is the least of your problems. For me the last time I will buy another Yota with one. I got 10 mpg in the 90 with an automatic. I love the looks of the 90. It has zero rust on it and is/was a great 4x4. My 4 runner with the 22re is a tad slower but its just a better motor. But I got an offer on it and I will be letting it go also. I am now building a 71 cj5 with the 225 odd fire. So I am still thinking on the 90. I have an 06 Ram extended 4x4 with the Hemi as a work truck that I drive 90% of the time so no big rush. If I find a good 3.0 I might put it back together. But it is only because a swap would be better than a conversion for me right now.

Hubbels

I have a 1994 4 Runner which was purchased new in 8/1994. The truck presently has 38,500 miles . In 11/2001 the heads were replaced pursuant to
a Toyota recall. At that time the truck had 19,000 miles on the odometer. In 1/ 2006 the head started to leak coolant. I mistakenly took the truck back to Westbury Toyota in Westbury, New York, the dealer who replaced the headgasket originally pursuant to the recall notice. They mislead me into believing that Toyota of N. America would honor a commitment to customer satisfaction and replace the headgasket a second time.The dealer disassembled the head to examine the head gasket. They then advised me that Toyota would not honor the original recall commitment. They then advised that it would cost $ 1,600 to reassemble the engine. Obviously, I had no alternative but to consent to the repair which ultimately cost $3,200.00.

Needless to say, I am very disappointed with this vehicle , particularly since it has been meticulously maintained.

leftredneck

Hubbels! You got screwed by the dealership, not by your truck!

I've got 178k on my 1990 3VZE and I'm just having to replace a couple seals here and there. Very pleased with it so far, except the gas milage. If you're worried about the milage, get a motorcycle. 50mpg and I go a buck10 on my way to work in the morning on the freeway. Johny Law LOVES me! Needless to say, I don't need coffee to wake me up in the morning!

Here's a question about the frame on 3.0. I've been in more fender benders than I can count AND I've rolled the thing (had a canopy on, so that allowed it to roll without totally destroying the rig). So far, I've had zero problems with the frame getting bent out of wack....and I've actually had two different autobody shops tell me that this frame is the toughest ever put on any pick-up....ever. That's a pretty substantial claim! Anybody else heard this as well?

FYI, I wasn't at fault with the fender benders!!, however to the truck's credit, I do drive it full goose looney battlewagon style pretty much all the time. i'll take my '90 3.0 any day over a brand new built-to-crap-out-on-you-so-you-have-to-buy-another-or-pay-mega-bucks-for-service Ranger!

leftredneck

Here! Here! If I'd gone 8k miles past my oil change due date with ANY American engineered rig, I don't think I'd be driving the same rig now. It'd be in the junk yard! However I did just this with my 3VZE and it's still tickin'....or will be as soon as I get my air intake manifold back on after replacing my seal on my idler pully. I don't encourage neglect of your rig, just saying that they can take a ton of abuse and still keep runnin'.

JamesD

I got a 156k on my 89 V6. It runs like ลลลล, moves like mud and sucks gas like a big block even after a full tune-up and oxygen sensor. I don't know if the HG has been already replaced but mine doesn't use a drop of oil or coolant. I have had much better luck with my 22r's than this pig. I'am thinking of putting a 302 in it to have more power and mileage. The best mileage I ever got was 13 mpg.

James

JRodsrunner95

Every engine has had there pros and cons, such as the 22re is one of the most reliable motors toyota has ever produced, that being a pro, and then toyota produced the 3.0 which is rediculusly underpowerd and blows head gaskets like the brother the 7MGTE. Every engine can be taken care of properly, but will still have the chance of getting "the bad engine" out of the bunch. My only suggestion is to do your research on the best type of oil, filter, air filter, fuel filter, and make sure to do regular changes, and also engine life also has to do with the factor of the driver and how hard he/she pushed the motor, I have a 95 limited 4runner with 208,000 miles, i change the Mobil one full synthetic, every 2500, use a filter mag, and mobil filter, I always let it warm up, even if its just for 30 seconds, I avoid starting the vehicle, and then imediatly turning it off, such as to move it to the different side of the drive way, I dont know call me meticulous, but I just want to get the most out of my toyota.