jeremyt

So i bought this junker off ebay 8 years ago. Im on its second 3.0 and have hated the engine since I bought it. When it blew i needed something in it right NOW and went the safe 3.0 route. the ol 3.0 started eating coolant few weeks ago and I spied two extremely impulse buy inducing deals on craigslist the same week. I picked both engines up. The first was simply "Free 3.4l tacoma engine, you pick up"

Picked it up, Im sure its from a much newer truck. Was from truck of a more affluent person. Was told the reason she blew was too much oil. Ended up being from an auto. But they loaded all these extra goodies on me for free I was happy. New timing belt, thermo and water pump all new in box. For, free. The rod lunched but the block wasnt punched. Hopefully I can ditch a few parts from it on craigslist before carting whats left to the recycling place.

The next day after assessing that motor #1 was not worthwhile I went to pick up a motor that came out of a 1996 4x4 manual pickup that had been rolled severely. 112k on odo. Bits of glass abound, but fan and valve covers look fully untouched. All hoses and wires where disconnected, no cutting. 500 bucks! Asked for clutch and pressure plate as I read somewhere (maybe here) where there might be some need for these parts to get 3.4 to fit to older tranny. Motor has all wires on engine still hooked up. I was told by what seemed like a good natured guy that worked on the engine that he pulled all the plugs and cranked engine to get oil out of chambers. Replaced plugs and started. He ran it for 20 mins a day for a week or so and a few days in the oil burning had stopped and ran good before pulling it from the truck. I didnt get to hear it run.

My current situation puts the engine about 1 hour from where I live in a very very cold dirt floor barn (friend's house). Engine stand is on a door i got of craigslist for free. Still has the door jam around it. Im hoping it proves to be a good floor to work on, and the jam should hopefully stop parts that drop from disappearing into the dirt. My access to tools is also an hour away from where I live, with the distance from tools to engine being about 1 hour as well. So I am trying to get a punch list going with all the required tools and materials needed. My computer access is from home only, so have to get all my questions wrapped up and a game plan in place before leaving! I have tomorrow through thursday free to get as much as I can done. I have the exhaust from both the engines at my disposal for crossover tinkering but have no access to welding or machining tools. Next week looks tighter on time, but am hoping to be running the 3.4 by the end of feb. Taking some extra time and learning to do things (right) beats having to buy expensive crossover conversion parts ect.

So first question. Where should my punchlist start. My daily is the yoda. so have to concentrate on prepping the 3.4l while its on the stand fully before yanking the old out. This also makes taking pictures of wires ect on the truck hard as it needs to remain running.

I heard one thing that needs to be done is relocating the oil dip stick. This true for all switches? What size taps plug is recommended? How do you put new tube into block and get the right height?

Switch the fuel line to the other side. Should I do this right now as well? Tools/parts needed? Need to make sure I grab EVERYTHING i need from where my tools are.

ECU question resolved. On market for stock ecu for 1996 manual 4x4 taco, can get plug picture if needed.

I honestly dont mind a slightly louder exhaust. would skipping the crossover pipe and having a twin muffler system be adventageous? Or does the scavanging effect from the crossover help the 3.4 alot?

I know I need to pull the engine mounts. Would it be worth it to get new engine mounts as my current ones do have some years and hard use on them. Money is for sure tight, so might force the decision.

I will pick up the resistor for the tach ASAP, any other radio shack needs before i head there?

Is the wiring between a manual tranny truck to a manual tranny truck easier than some of the nightmares ive recently read on here? Im not sure if my doner had auto hubs or not. I can take pictures of the donor engine tonight if I feel confident I can get some progress done tonight, or tomorrow when i have had time to formulate a more solid plan of attack. With the help from you guys!

jeremyt

Got the ECU figured out and going to order it this morning. donor truck was a 96 extended cab with manual hubs.

Downloaded some pictures on timing belt replacement on 3.4l engine. I got the timing belt and water pump with the first free engine so plan on swapping those out today and replacing the other belts while i am at it. going to leave the radiator hoses alone till the engine is in the truck and im sure I dont need any custom or old 3.0 hoses to make it work.

mt_goat

Basicly yes, unless you can figure out a way to fit the donor 3.4 oil pan into your truck. Was the donor truck a T-100 by any chance?

Get a picture of your donor block showing the area between the oil filter and the oil cooler, like this:







I did. The ORS swap kit included them.

jeremyt

So called friend to get these snap shots, and it appears I have an engine mount in the way. But here they are anyhow if you can read anything off them.

Got a strange call from guy who sold me engine today. I had asked him if the truck had manual or automatic hubs. He said manual. Called me today and said he thinks it is all time 4wd. no hubs to turn, and no buttons on interior. I asked him to make sure it had a front axle and he said it does. wtf? truck was not a t100.

Looking up instructions on timing belt/water pump Im a little dismayed. Special tools galore. holding pins, some fabbed bar, a torque wrench that goes to 217 ft lbs? Im thinking the engine might get installed running old unknown belt. Im looking at this: http://www.toy4x4.net/timing_belt/index.htm

mt_goat

You almost got a view of it in the far right pic. I think I see the dipstick adapter already in place, but there is a shadow making the view of it bad.

neoworm0

I agree. Looks like the adapter is already there.

syber_kowboy

The 99 4runner 3.4 that I got had a plug that looked like the guide. It was a pain to pull, but after it was out I put a guide from the dealership in.

mt_goat

Oh, ok I'd heard there was a plug but I didn't know what it looked like.

jeremyt

So firstly, i got a close up pic of between the oil filter and cooler. i see a big plug thing like in your pic. what does having the adapter already there mean? cut out a few steps, or do i just need to switch the tube over and i'm done?

Secondly, i finaly received the ECU. the plugs in it fit for 3 plugs but not the fourth. This is highly bogus as i thought i was getting the exact same ecu this engine used. Now I have to decide what to do with this situation, any helpo would be appriciated. Here are some close up pics of the plugs in question:

mt_goat

That means you don't have to drill a hole though the block for the dip stick (PITA).



The plug that won't fit, it that off the donor engine harness or your 91 body harness?

jeremyt

The plugs in the pic are all of donor engine and the purchased ECU.

So with the oil dipstick, since i dont have to tap it, is there a set of instructions out there somewhere on what i need to do with this lready tapped situation to get it ready for dropping in? I heard Im going to be using the oil pan and oil pickup off my old engine right?

jeremyt

So still looking for more definitive info on what i have to do with the dipstick situation now that i have the adapter already there. any image step by steps with circles and arrows for dummies?

Also heard id need to use oil pan off old engine. I plan on selling the old 3.0 as its still running. so need to source a oilpan and a oil pickup from a 3.0 right?

So with my ECU situation I'm thinking info i got on engine from the seller isn't correct. So I can pull the VIN# off the engine and look that up? where is the VIN on these engines? is it hard to get to/special tools needed to see the VIN? If i can buy a different ecu for same price (70$ + 30 shipping) by getting right vin# that might be cheaper/safer/easier than repinning or purchasing plugs? where would one source individual plugs? toyota dealership only type thing? since the ecu seems to fit 75% of the plugs, would i only have to repin that last plug or would i have to do the whole shibang most likely?

Thanks for the hands on help Mt Goat. Seems I need my hand held more than I thought! I will try to make it worth your time somehow

syber_kowboy

I do not understand the dipstick question so I am not going to try to answer it.

You should be able to get a 3.0 pan and pick up from just about any Toyota junkyard in your area. The other option is to sell the 3.0 without the pan and pick up and tell the buyer to find one. That is what I did.

Depending on the motor you got the VIN # may or may not be there. The T100 3.4s do not have a VIN number plate on them. They are "blank" blocks. If the motor came out of something else the VIN plate should be on the "passenger" side of the block in the front right by the crankshaft pulley. It is a small (3 inches x .5 inches) metal plate mounted by two rivets. You have to remove the timing belt cover to see it.

mt_goat

Start by reading the ORS instructions here. https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f160...ctions-166052/

Tragic Drive

Buy this part (see pic) and also buy a dipstick and tube($20.) for a 97 T100 and your problem is solved. You will also get support because the dipstick tube will bolt to your exhaust manifold or header.
I have the part in the picture if you need it, just pay for shipping maybe 5 or 10 bucks.
The second pic I posted is of my 3.4 when I bought it and there was a plug in the block that looked like a dipstick fitting. However it is not, its just a plug for the hole in the block.