B4Runner

After a few years of following YotaTech and desiring a 3.4 swap after learning that 3.0 was not the motor to have chosen, I have began the process.

Last night, I left home around 5:30, drove about 3.5 hours to Tehachapi, with my brother riding shotgun, to pick up a beautiful donor truck, and then drove it all the way back home, returning around 1:00 this morning.

My swap is probably going to very slow to begin as I am in school and working full time as well raising my son, but I have made the initial purcahse.

1999 Toyota 4Runner Limited 3.4 A/T 2x4

I bought it for $1200. I spent exactly $100 on gas for the entire trip, including my brother's V6 Explorer (which averaged 21 MPG) and the 4Runner (which I only had to put $20 in because it has almost a full tank when I picked it up).

The lady I bought it from was very nice and generous. She herself once had an 88 4Runner 22RE, and hated to see this car go. She is going to be following the build to see how her baby is going going to good use.

She had hit black ice and spun off the road, slamming the rear end into a telephone pole. In fact, after her ordeal and my 200+ mile trip home, there is still wood from the phone pole stuck to the side of the truck.

RogueYota

Nice find...im not lucky enough to find a running driving donor car for that...Im lucky to find a complete swap for that much. Good luck! Ill be following.

HighLux

Great score!

4x4runr

Nice find! Why not just bob the runner and throw everything you have in your 94 on it? Much easier and faster IMO...unless you're like me with the sentimental value on your old rig lol.

VANCE164

iTrader: (1)

Nice Brandon! Looking forward to seeing this!

B4Runner

It's pathetic how many hours I sit in front of my computer screen searching Craigslist for deals. I almost drove to Sac to buy a front end wrecked one that would have needed to be trailered, but it sold. So I just spend more hours searching and searching ans searching. But all those hours I spend always pay off.

Thanks man! I was proud of the find too! It was quite ...fun... to drive it home. Lol. I didn't get a pic of the whole roof, which is crumpled all the way up to the moon roof. But with the crumpled roof and huge indent with smashed window, the aerodynamics were quite off. But I cruised at about 70 the whole way home. Haha.

Sentimental value for sure! It's an 88. But I've had it since I was 15. So 3.5-4 years now. Just too many memories in it to get it go. In addition to being able to take the top off, but put it back on and keep it sealed. I see where you're coming from and I totally agree it would be easier. But I'm up to the challenge.

Thanks Vance! I am too... Lol. Gonna slowly start pulling the 3.0 with my spare time, of which I have very little to none usually. Haha. But it'll happen. If anything, it will happen this summer. Because I won't have any school to worry about and my highschool Toyota buddy will be home from AZ for summer to help out.

B4Runner

I made the ever so slightest bit of progress today. Put my son down for his afternoon nap and got to work.

While he was asleep, I managed to get the battery, radiator, fan, and intake off and out of the 88, disconnected several body-to-engine electrical connectors, removed the exhaust from the headers back (nothing was holding it on besides the 3 bolts to the headers and the support bolted to the bell housing), and removed all 4 engine mounting bolts and most of the bell housing bolts. I got a lot done in a very short amount of time.

The project is finally underway.

Sorry for the low quality pictures. It was starting to get dark, I was using the video camera (since I couldn't find the good camera atm), and I was holding my bouncy son in my other arm.

dntsdad

Hey Brandon I replied to your PM FYI.

Also, just so you know.....the truck are suppose to go INSIDE the shop when you work on them.

You will MAKE money on that donor if you part out everything that you will not use. I did and mine wasnt even in that good of shape.

Good luck

RogueYota

Excited to see the process!! Theres 3 tabs always open on my lap top....
1. Facebook
2. YotaTech
3. Craigslist

I search everyday for a good motor swap....really looking for 2rz. But maybe after follwing this and seeing it done....ill start looking for a 3.4 as well. Maybe ill get a really nice stroke of luck and find a Suprecharged one

Looks like it should be fun man!! Keep the info good...might just have a popular 3.4 swap write up in store...

B4Runner

Thanks!

I was there was room in that garage! Haha. All the room is taken up by a 26' SeaRay, 64 Corvette, 87 M6, and about 30 years of junk my parents have collected while together. Lol.

I do plan to make big bucks of the donor. I picked up a complete 89 (1st gen) for 2 years ago for $300 and doubled what I paid for this donor. People will always be in the market for these trucks.

I have the same tabs open 24/7. Good luck on finding something!



So it would figure that a few days after I sold my other daily driver (a 2000 Dodge Durango whose profit contributed to buying the donor) the water pump in my truck went out. So there goes time I HAVE to take away from the 4Runner to work on that, but it lets me DD the 3.4

RogueYota

Well thats rather unfortunate.....the way it goes usually! But hey..everything happens for a reason! lol

B4Runner

Made some progress today! So exciting. I knew when I parked my 4Runner where it is that that might be my last time driving it for a while, but the reality of that never sank in until now.

Some people are more mechanically inclined than by technology, I am more inclined by technology than I am mechanically. So I tend to go a little pic crazy and in depth with my story/experience. Oh well.

I made a few beginner/rookie/teen/unacknowledged/impatient mistakes, but I'm not too worried about them. This is how the 4Runner sits right now.

I didn't have any plywood to put on the ground, and didn't feel like taking the tires off to lower it, so I used my new car trailer and extended the boom. Was just a bit short, but worked fine.

On the driver side, I need to disconnect a ground strap, seen in the pic. On the passenger side, I need to disconnect a rubber hose going to the evap canister and the AC lines.

I had no idea (and would never have thought to check) that the slave cylinder line was mounted to the block. (My thought process would have been: master on body, slave on tranny, line not on engine.) So it's a bit mangled, but that's the only thing I have to replace so far.

The donor doesn't mind helping out while it still can.

STR8AXLE84

Good progress keep up the great work!

B4Runner

After so long of longing for this day, the 3.Slow is out.

I am not completely happy with the way I resolved a few problems that were holding the removal process up. PLEASE do not flame me for what I did. They were my choices, consequences I will have to deal with, and expenses I will have to incur to mend.

As I mentioned in the last post, I accidentally mangled the clutch line because I didn't realized it was attached to the engine. I cut it. It was going to have to be replaced anyways.

The AC lines had some kind of weird coupling I couldn't figure out. I do not intend to run AC in my truck anyways because as soon as it is not to cold to take the doors and top off, they are off. I never use the AC. The lines, cut.

I actually attempted to remove the PS lines properly. When I tried to unbolt the fitting from PS pump, the nut behind the fitting turned as well. As I was out of time and my son was going to waking up from his nap soon, and I wanted the damn engine out, I cut the line. (After doing so, I realized that the rubber coating of the line was deteriorated in a spot or two and the metal mesh was showing through, so it was going to have to be replaced anyways. Maybe that explains the PS leak I had.

I'm going to be doing a 3" drive train lift to accommodate the 3" body lift. Therefore, I'm going to drop the tranny too so that it will be easily mounted to the 3.4 before it goes back in.

Lastly, I found this snipped plug on the 99. Does anyone by chance know where it goes to? I searched for it yet. I am not yet at the point for it to be a necessity to know, so that's why I haven't done so. Figured I'd ask though.

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Nice find on donor.

:wabbit2:

B4Runner

Alrighty Guys, I have a few questions. I have been going over all the main 3.4 swaps, but have either skimmed over a few places or, well basically, have not found my answers. If you know, please chime in?

1. If I understood properly, the 3.0 alternator is used on the 3.4 because of the steering shaft. If this is correct, I should be able to keep my 3.4 alt on the 3.4 because I am doing a 3" drive-train lift at the time of install. The 3.4 is now keepable, correct?

2. My donor is a 1999 2x4 A/T and I am keeping my 88 M/T. I know I need a M/T ECU. I know that it does not matter if the M/T ECU is 2x4 or 4x4. I know that I need to find a CA ECU, lucky me. What I need to know is if the year ECU has to match my engine year. The only M/T ECU I have come upon so far is from a 2003 Taco. I know things change from year to year, so that is why I am wondering if my ECU absolutely needs to match the engine year. (At least here in CA.)

3. To those who have been BAR'd (this may only pertain to CA): How complete must your vehicle be inspected and BAR'd? I ask because my donor is a complete CA vehicle. My (A/T) ECU obviously matched the 3.4 perfectly. Finding an M/T ECU is starting to be quite the search. I have an A/T sitting down on my parts truck (w/o torque converter). Would I be able to bolt my A/T up to my 3.4 once in my 88 to get inspected in order to not hassle in finding a M/T ECU? Or will they actually be checking the complete operation of the vehicle, way beyond just the engine and smog itself? (I have called the neared BAR and they are completely useless over the phone. I do not know how you are supposed to get straight answers from the people when they give you wrong answers - the answers they gave me are different from those I have read on experienced CA swappers.)

Thanks all!

vasinvictor

iTrader: (3)

I used 3.4 alt with 1" body lift, but pretty sure it clears without a body lift too. You just have to modify the tensioner rod. You can cut it off shorter, or cut and weld it back on shorter I have about 3/4" clearance between the steering shaft tulip joint (if that's what it's called) and the alt.

SacRunner

I used the 3.4 alternator with the stock 3.4 tensioner, its a really close fit to the steering shaft, but for me it clears and isn't an issue. With doing a 3" drive train lift, you're going to be losing any hood clearance you got from your body lift (I assume you also have a 3" BL), meaning you're still going to have to cut a decent size hole in your hood to clear the intake plenum.

As far as the smog ref cares, your 88 must have all the components as whatever ECU you end up using and must meet emissions for that application. If you use the 2003 Tacoma ECU, you must have all the 2003 sensors, throttle body (2003 is a drive by wire, 1999 is not), EVAP canister (2003 is in/near the gas tank [I think], the 1999 is under the hood), cats (2003 may have 2, 1999 likely only has 1). And to top it off, you'll have to pass emissions for a 2003 rather than a 1999.

Do yourself a favor and keep looking for the 1999 ECU. http://www.car-part.com/ is a good place to start.

The BAR sticker will state whether you passed inspection with a M/T or an A/T, and to change transmissions you need to have it re-inspected. Check out dntsdad's thread, toward the end he went through it a couple of times: https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f160...ex-cab-196823/

You can take your chances passing the ref with the A/T then swapping back to the M/T and then hoping in 2 years when you need a regular SMOG check that the tech doesn't notice that you've swapped transmissions. I'm not sure that it'd be worth the headache and extra work to do that, vs. a little more searching now and finding the correct ECU.

dntsdad

I would also recommend that you keep hitting car-part.com
Search for "computer-engine"
I just search for 99 computers and there are about 7 on there. Not cheap, but there.

I then searched for a 1998 and noticed there was no Ca spec listed. Maybe things changed in 1999. If that is the case then I would surely be shopping for a 1998 and changing whatever sensors over to match the 1998 ECM, although I am not sure what would be different.....if anything.

Maybe someone here knows what would change from 1999 to 1998 as far as the sensors go.

Anyone have a 99 motor and can post up part numbers for the sensors? MAF, ignitor, EVAP, etc???

B4Runner

Thanks!

Yes I have a 3" body lift and I do know that I have to cut the hood. Which I don't mind having a hood scoop. Haha.

Thanks for clearing up the ECU/engine year. Obviously the truck would not smog with 88 standards, but I was confused as to if it worked based on the actual engine year or ECU controlling it.

I was just curious as to if the smog tech would really care to test by what it really is. People swap 5 speeds into their trucks, but there is no sticker to easily indicate that it was an auto, and therefore gets tested as what it obviously is, a stick. Just kinda lame that they might have to test it as an auto (if I swapped the stick over afterwards) because the sticker told it to.

I swear I just searched car-parts.com last night and couldn't find an ECU that worked, and then tonight I found exactly what I want: 05/99 3.4 4x4 M/T. I must have clicked on a wrong category. But I'd definitely like to try to stick to a 05/99 ECU at all costs. I'm already in over my head doing this swap in the first place, lol. The least I could do is make it as easy as possible for myself and not have to worry about swapping all different kind of sensors.

And thank you for the info of the BAR inspection. That is exactly what I was needing to know, about the mobility necessity.

And to all: The water pump in my 89 Chevy went out, leaving me to DD the 4 donor Runner. As soon as I get that all finished up, it will be time for the 3.4 to start getting pulled.