ellex44

I know the reviews are mixed. Some of you love 'em, and some don't care for them. We all know that they are a bit under-powered, but do we agree that they are bullet-proof? I thought I would start this thread to tap all you veterans for knowledge on how to get the most out of the 3VZ-E.

Asuarez737

im currently trying to figure out my parts for power, but im getting cams, oversized valves, my plenum is going to be ported, im doing the 7mge air flow meter swap, headers, exhaust, forged internals, ported heads, modified ignition system, bigger injectors, and a few other mods that should get me close if not past 300hp. im going to be working with an ex crew chief of a NHRA race team, so he has all the knowledge on getting high gains.

ellex44

Asuarez737,

Do you have any recommendations for those who want some low/mid torque for pulling? Is an exhaust system even worth it if you don't get headers to go with it?

TrikeKid

Best way to get the most out of it is to put a 5VZ-FE in its place.

Asuarez737

if you want to get low/mid power, id do the headers with a complete exhaust. i would also do the intake. i have a weapon r intake that has the isr mod so its pretty nice. with the intake i start getting my real power around 2400rpms. from what ive heard, with the complete exhaust you get power around 1800 rpms sometimes even lower if you do cams and other mods.

fork

i came here expecting to see something along the lines of "drain the fluids and use it as the base for a new coral reef"

it's my PERSONAL OPINION that the best thing you can do with a 3vz is run it until it pops, and be looking for a 5vz in the meantime. keep it running as best as you can and that's pretty much the way to get the most out of it. trying to convince more power out of it is futile by most accounts here. I know I tried with mine and all it did was make it noisy and annoying/embarrassing to drive, and take a lot of money out of my bank account in the process.

Asuarez737

i hope you do realize that the 3VZ is an extremely reliable engine, and that saying that it doesnt produce a lot isnt true. you can make it produce, just you have to know what youre doing and fixing the problems that it has. the 5vz has its own set of problems as well. true it has more power, but you have to keep in mind that its a 3.4 and not a 3.0 so more fuel=more power. it also has the ability to be FI so of course more power. and it also has a dohc compared to the 3vz sohc. so really all this talking bad about the 3vz is kind of pointless and really annoying.

fork

anyway...

TNRabbit

I know he meant FORCED INDUCTION (supercharged) but we all know FI as fuel injection~


There is an EPIC thread here somewhere entitled "Everything you need to know about the 3VZE" or words to that effect. You should read that before reading another thing here regarding the 3VZE.

hmills110

Just an ignorant newbie, here, but I've come across those who claim improved gas mileage with the 3.4 conversion. That 3.0 is certainly working hard.

Granted, mine has never quit on me, but you never realize how underpowered the thing is, 'til you're catchin' 3rd on a steep grade in the CO mtns.

My '93 is OH so much stronger than my old '84 in those Interstate mountain pass situations, but ever since the 3.4's came out, I've wanted to drop one in my '93. Come to find out after a bit of research, that folks are making the conversion all the time.

Sweet! I've found my new home!

j2the-e

My old 3 point slow got 14.4 mpg. Same truck with a s/c 3.4 swap is double the power and gets 17 mpg! And it was a lot cheaper than building a performace 3 liter would have been.
As far as reliability goes....The 3.0 is notoriously un-reliable in my experience. I was a Toyota dealer tech for 15 years. The injectors leaked, they burnt valves, blew head gaskets, they had stupid drivability issues, and I've replaced many a short block after a connecting rod found a new home hanging from the skid plate. Never had these issues with the 3.4...

ellex44

If you don't mind could you tell us all the average cost to drop a 3.4 into the 2nd gen 4runners. Also, is it possible to drop a motor from a 2000 Tacoma pre-runner into a 4x4? What issues arise when swapping these type of motors?

vital22re

iTrader: (2)

Indeed, I'm seeing up to 20 mpg with my sc swap. I never have to worry about my motor blowing up like it did with the 3.0.

Its either you keep the 3.0 factory and reliable or you just modding it and wait for the boom.

ellex44

Could anyone advise me on what brands to purchase? I need to get the following: Spark Plugs, Wires, Distributor, Rotor, Ignition Coil, O2 Sensor.

I want to get: Exhaust System but I'm not sure it's worth the cash. I'm just trying to keep the motor from crapping out on me.

Thanks

MaK92-4RnR

exhaust system = waste of money. swap a 3.4 in. the only thing headers, no cat, and a free flow muffler does for the 3.0 is make it sound cool.

j2the-e

NGK or Denso. As far as how much $$ for the swap? Dont know. Depends on how much you find a donor for. You could just buy my truck. Probably cheaper in the long run

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/cto/3144831603.html

bone collector

search "3vze mods" and pay special attention to MudHippy and Nashman00 posts. as for exhaust on a budget look up the "exhaust crossover elimination mod" it will help with the major cause of blow head gaskets and burnt valves, heat at #6. I love my veezy and will keep it living a long time

hmills110

That's both odd and encouraging. Odd, because I've always done much better that your 14.4. Encouraging, because of the jump in power you noticed.

My sense has been that the 3.0 was the closest thing to the right powerplant I'd ever seen (up to that point) in a riceburner pickup. When the 3.4's came out, I owned my '93 outright and just wasn't on the market.

Taking my '84 on summer trips was a matter of gritting my teeth 'til I reached my destination. It was a blast, once I got to the backroads and offroads. The '93 added much to the driving experience, but still lacked the extra oomph on steep grades, especially loaded-down with my idea of 3 weeks' worth of gear and supplies.

So I'm jacked to learn that I can KEEP the '93, and fix the only thing that was ever wrong with it. Since I'm finally getting a 2nd vehicle, options are wide-open on my '93, starting with the 3.4.

Other than failing to multiply by 2, and getting caught off-guard by the 2ND timing belt deal, my 3-point slow was otherwise perfectly reliable. The previous owner did need to replace the manifold gasket and replaced the water pump at that time, as recommended.

ellex44

I have a 95 4runner 4x4 v6 3.0 automatic and I would like to do the swap to the 3.4 . Question: Is it significantly more difficult to do it on an auto transmission than it is on a standard if the donor engine I used came from is an auto?
Is it possible to use the 3.4 engine from a 2000 Tacoma Pre-runner 2WD and drop it into a 95 4runner 4x4?

I really appreciate it. Thank You.

SacRunner

I hate to be "that guy" but you need to spend some time reading through some of the stickies and other build threads in the 3.4 Swap forum: https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f160/

Realistically though, you can swap any 3.4 into any 3.0 application, some combinations just take a little more work than others; the closer you can get the two to match the better off you'll be. The real tricky part boils down to the wiring; with a pre-runner there are no accommodations for the 4x4 circuit so your dash light may not work when shifting into 4x4, or your ADD hubs may not lock as there's nothing to trigger the VSVs (if you even have ADD; a non issue with manual hubs).