Juggalo

That's the only thing I would disagree with you on

I guess the 3.0 doesn't bother me much because I've always had a quick car to play around with when I'm not driving the truck But now all I have is my truck:cry:

Praufet

Well there is an option that I may be check out in the future. That is the 3vz-fe, which is the DOHC version of the some engine in the 4runner. It makes 200hp as opposed to 150. One problem though is that the 3vz-fe is designed for a FWD car so the motor mounting points are most like different as is the transmission setup. Another option I'm looking at is a turbo setup. One guy turbocharged his 3vz-e for 700 although he had a lot of fabrication skills. The 9:1 compression on the 3.slow is very friendly to forced induction. That is all for now.

Tacoma Dude

44Runner

My thoughts exactly...

Praufet

Meant to say its the 3vz-e not the 3vz-f. There is a 3vz-fe which is a dohc version of the 3vz that came in that camry from 92-93, I believe. It could make a nice swap. Just not sure if it would mount right since the camry is a fwd car. I've seen some 3vz-fe for ~$900. That's quite a bit less than what I hear people are paying for the 5vz. Also the wiring should be the same so that saves a lot of time and hassle.

MTL_4runner

The 3VZ camry 3.0L does not at all fit in a 4Runner whithout SERIOUS modification.
Stick to the 3VZ-FE and stay away from camry motors.

Praufet

uh...the 3vz-fe IS the camry motor. The 3vz-e is the 4runner motor.

gwhayduke

I've got 201K on my 3.0 and no it's not fast, but it has been a reliable motor, only needing timing belt, idler pulleys and a water pump in the past five and a half years. There is little to no power above 4K rpm's so revving it is a waste. But on the trail, it's torque and tranny are plenty.

As far as the tranny, there's a big gap between 1st & 2nd on the manual. So I find that many times, I just put it in 4wd-L so that I can operate in the higher, more closely spaced, tranny gears and keep from revving my engine too high.

Go ahead and pick up the 4Runner. You my find that the '95's (expecially late 95) models had fewer headgasket problems. Once you get it though, you may still look longingly at the 3rd gens with their locking rear axle, 3.4L, and coil springs all the way around. The 3rd gens don't cost much more either.

diverjeff200

Hey,

What are you going to use you Runner for? How often will you be towing? Mainly on road or off? Long distance driving or mainly city driving? As a first time Runner owner, (95, auto, 6cyl, no mods), I can say that compared to my F250, 5.4 Triton, the Runner is a dog for power. It would never pull my 28' travel trailer for long distances or haul a few ricks of wood for the winter.

It's all in the use. I have found the Runner to get less MPG than I expected. However, I bought a used Runner with 129K because of quality, manueverability, reliability, functionality. It will run down the road at interstate speeds with no problem. It's comfortable to drive, responsive to the road, and doesn't have that "boxy" look like many of its SUV counterparts. And, it climbs like a mountain goat.

The Runner is a nice alternative to a full size pickup. Only good results so far.

Safety & blue skies,

Copperhead

Keggo

How much is the swap to the 3.4 5vze on average?

Steveh29

My 1995 4Runner has the 3.0 and a 5 speed. It's no rocket, but it gets me where I'm going just fine. I believe the 5 speed makes a big difference in drivability and gas mileage. I get a consistant 17 MPG with 33" tires and stock gears. I did put the Centerforce heavier flywheel in which made a big difference in my opinion.

Additionally I'm the original owner and have never had any headgasket problems - 178,000 miles on it right now. Did I just jinx myself?

Brett636

My 88 PU has the 3.0 and it is not fast at all, but I didn't buy this truck for its power. It gets me around just fine and I have no real complaints about it. Gas mileage is not as good as I would like it, but as long as you get a 5 spd. it shouldn't be horrible. With 50/50 city/highway driving I am averaging about 18 mpg.

amusement

Consider the cost of some wiring or best option is the wiring kit $300
Plus an engine $800 and up (if you are lucky you can find a wrecked truck with 3.4)
Exhaust work, and misc stuff

It should cost $1,200 and up with your own tools and labor (make friends real fast for extra help)

Locate a wrecked Yota with a 3.4 and cost is much lower than finding all the parts independently.

drkgypsy

Well, all I can say is since owning the '91 3.0 v6 5sp longbed for the past 13 years, It's never had a problem getting outta ANYBODIES way..... We were lucky and we missed the HG gremlin. At over 190k miles, my dad had Toyota drop in a new engine, just cuz he had the "extra" cash to play with. New 3.0 block, heads, 95% of everything under the hood was brand spankin new. The engine now has less than 30k miles on it (it was turned into a huntin' truck, til I bought it for the second time), and It runs better now then I remember from when I bought it new. I'm very pleased w/ the 3.sl0w...except for the fact I'm only averaging 18 mph! Only had to replace the cold start injector and the time switch on the #2 engine, so I guess I'm 1 of the lucky few w/ no problems......but that's just me....

leiniesred

My 1989 3.0 has 229,000 miles. Original head gaskets. I have had to change 2 timing belts, 1 tensioner and 1 idler pully, 1 water pump, many oil filters, all accessory belts and 2x coolant in the last 105,000 miles. Granted, all of these were done at the same time plus I did another timing belt only job in there too.

Oh yeah, the starter failed at 170,000 miles too.
Alternator is Original still!

I get about 17mpg in my gen1 (top comes off) 4runner. My 4runner was on the scales this summer at an even 4,000 (which seems high to me).

I drive abouy 75 mph to work on 35's with 4.88 gears in Denver area. It does OK, but on the hills, I wish for more power.

Keggo

I may do just that! I could probably use the harness of the wrecked truck, too huh??... Nah... I wouldn't want any pinched wires or anything... had that problem with the last guy that owned my bike... what an asshat.

91 4Runner

I've had my 3.0L 91 4RUnner SR5 w/auto, running 31's using the stock 4.10's, and I find it is exactly what it is - A TRUCK - not a sports car.... I find it works great for what it was designed for - truck duties.... Every 3 weeks in the winter I tow a double sled trailer 192km to my cottage with about 1000 lbs of trail ready sleds on it, truck fully loaded with 3 kids , 2 large dogs, the wife and supplies, and I cannot complain about the truck at all... (except for a bad choice in tires) As for 4x4ing - again the only complaint is the tires... Now don't get me wrong the setup I have isn't perfect, but regearing will come with time (after a 2" body lift and 32" MT's), but for now this truck woorks good... And I like the fact that it can fit on some of the very skinny skidoo (non OFSC) farm trails, but that has nothing to do with the engine - just a personal opinion.....

ctcost

Mine does really well. Especially since doin Blu's air silencer removal mod. If you find a good engine (or get one professionally remanufactured like mine), you won't be sorry. As to the head gasket, the redesigned one is fine so if the recall has been done on the truck you find (give the VIN to your Toyota dealer to check) then you should be fine. I have heard of a few probbies with head gasket recalls needing another one but I'm guessing it wasn't a good dealer that did them. Mine is a "stealer" too, but they did even replace the studs on a brand new engine and tear it down to the bottom end to check it all.

Ilovemountains

I’ve had my 88 for 150,000 miles and have only had to do maintenance related things to it, I had the first timing belt replaced at 75k and just had it done again when the H2O pump started leaking. I also had the valve cover gaskets and cam seals done. Other than that and a lot of oil changes, 1 O2 sensor which Toyota paid for "look in your owners manual!" I had the stock muffler rot out about 7-8 years ago and installed the Borla along with the K&N intake and have not had any problems at all, no head gasket issues, no nothing. It does not have the HP of a v8 but it does just fine and I have the auto trans! When I used it for highway only for a few years commuting I had 235-70-15 sport tires installed, they looked goofy but at that time it was basically stock height but having the smaller tires made a big difference in performance and fuel miles, that and I ran them at about 37psi !! I guess its all in what you need it for, if your going to be towing a big heavy boat or trailer buy a v8 Tundra, if your going to be using it as your daily driver and off road rig than it really doesn’t matter which engine you have as long as your still moving! Just my .02!

Flamedx4

1. Compared to what? I have a v8 Ford and sure my 3.0 can't compare. But it drives just fine - much better than the 22RE I had.
2. Funny, the threads where everyone lists their mileages have mostly been near 20. I got 20-21 in my 22RE. I get 14 in my F150. The GF got 15 in her 3.0 Montero. I get 18-19 day in day out with the 3.0, 20 on highway trips, 14 off-roading. Seems good to me.
3. How many HG have you blown? I've blown none. None of my friends have blown them either. The actual number of them that have blown is pretty small, and the fix seems to work, unless the shop didn't do it right. Even then, most of the ones that blow are way way up there in miles - more miles than you could put on most other brands before they go to the scrap heap. But I tend to agree with you on that issue - a poor head design from Toyota is kinda hard to forgive.
4. So? They cost the same to rebuild or replace as any other V6. (Hint: don't take it to the Stealership!)
5. Noisy? How's that? Mine, all stock with stock exhaust, is as quiet as my car or F150. Actually it's quieter, the car has a sporty exhaust note and the 5.4 in the truck has sweet rumble when you get on it, the Yota is the quietest of the bunch. (Well, I did hear that ticking noise until I found the grommet for the steering column shaft was loose.)
6. Agreed. But again, thats true of most modern engines. I replaced the injectors in the Montero - what an incredibly major ordeal for something so simple! I still haven't figured out how I'm gonna change the plugs in the F150 when it's time (soon!) Access is unavailable.

If the 3.0 had never had the headgasket recall I bet no one would be complaining about it. Sure the 3.4 is more powerful. The 3.0 was better than the 22R, which was better than the 20R. I find the 3.0 has excellent driveability, it makes power across a broad range and just does it's job with no fuss. I'd like more power, sure, but it's adequate. Look at it this way - the Dakota V6 was rated for 170 hp and it was slower than a Geo Metro. THAT engine had poor driveability - if it really made the power they claimed it must have been at 7000 rpm, at real world rpms there was no power, you had to rev the crap out of it just to keep it moving. It was a horrible dog. I could outrun and out-TOW a V6 Dakota with my 22RE 4Runner! The 3.0 is way better than my 22RE was.