madmanhiker

...new to this forum. Hello all.

So, either I need to go to the doctor to check my head, or I seriously have a case of bad luck. Either way... I'm screwed.

I picked up a 1992 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD 3.0 on CL from a guy that lives right down the street from me. Part of the selling point was that the truck was owned by a Toyota service technician across town at a reputable dealership and that the motor and transmission were in good nick. The body is solid aside from some rust on the doors (which have been since replaced) and I have been slowly buying parts to restore he back to showroom condition. Clearly, there must be something wrong with me.

Anyways, I recently encountered a Code 71 (EGR) and subsequently replaced nearly 90% of the components and all of the vacuum lines. Everything is now good (on that front).

Then, I took the truck to Toyota to do a radiator flush on it because I noticed green antifreeze in the radiator and I know that stuff is bad for Toyota/Honda motors.

The Toyota SA called me back and told me that the original thermostat (TS) was gutted out and the new TS was causing the truck to overheat. Knowing that this motor was rebuilt about a year ago, I can only assume that I DON'T have a bad headgasket but that is what they are saying - without even doing a compression test.

So..... I am at an impasse. I have been thinking about doing a swap for a while, I've done a ton of research on the subject (this forum is full of good information)

Here is what I know:

VIN: JT3VN39W4N8033841
MANUFACTURED: 11/13/1991
I have a MANUAL Transmission

I do NOT know what transmission code I have - will the date of manufacture point towards that? a340f or the a340h?

I have a line on a 3.4L motor out of a t100 which has 51K miles on it and comes with an insurance grade A rating and a great warranty.

I am not sure if it has the manual transmission wire bundle though.

I have heard that the 90-95 4Runner 5speeds are probably the easiest to swap - GOOD. That's what I have.

And..... going from the 3VZE(3.0) to the 5VZE(3.4) is about as easy as motor swaps get.

So.... that being said, is the hardest part wiring? Is this really just a pull, relocate the battery, and install?

Assuming I get a MANUAL wiring harness........ is wiring still a freakin nightmare?

Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

I have a trusted shop here in Jacksonville, Florida which does phenomenal work they quoted me about 10.5 hours in labor = $1200 and they can get this motor delivered to them for $1300 bucks.

I have to pay for the motor up front.... I just need to make sure I get the RIGHT motor for my manufacture date to make sure this is a KISS simple as physically possible.

Any and ALL help is greatly appreciated.

SacRunner

The 3.0 M/T is the R150F (so is the one found behind the 3.4 with a different bellhousing, input shaft and transfer case, maybe some other differences).

While a 3.0 to 3.4 with an M/T is a relatively easy swap, its not plug and play, you do have your work cut out for you, with most of it being to read through various swap threads (Elvotas, Cadman, Mt. Goat, and dntsdad's to name a few) and seeing what others have done, what they got hung up on and what went wrong for them.

Just assume that EVERYTHING under the hood will have to swap sides of the engine bay, and be thankful for those things that don't need to be.

4x4runr

If overheating is just the issue why not just look into it? Check the coolant, different coolants have different boiling points. I had that problem on my 94 Z28. Anyways, if you decide to do the swap, the wiring is probably the hardest part, unless you buy a plug n play kit like I did. The other thing that will hold you back is the exhaust. Someone here sales a cross-over just for our swapping needs.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

It all comes down to what you consider hard !!!

If your going to pay someone to do the whole swap the best bet is to buy a premade harness.

After all labor by the hour is expensive.

I myself find nothing hard about the wiring but it is very time consuming sitting down and going one wire at a time.

I would like to know just what the 10.5 hours of labor buys you??

If you are getting the complete swap out the door for $2300.00 get out your check book.

Joe Hilux

Got a bad 3.0 in my 1991 sr5 4x4. Little bastard leaks from the LH camshaft seal.


I destroyed the vibration damper in angry attempt at removing the crankshaft bolt, engine is a big waste of space.


I don't have enough for conversion right now, but I would love a 3.4 that doesn't leak.

Joe Hilux

I've decided to fix the POS 3.0, and if I run across a 3.4 I'll at least have experience dealing with what tools I need to replace and repair and swap. etc.