lithium

Hi all-

I just bought a 95 3.0 4runner on Saturday, great shape, few minor issues but getting fixed this weekend.

However after buying the Toyota I find out these have a bad reputation for blowing head gaskets, mine were replace at 57k under recall (currently has 137k). So now I am stressed out that they will likely fail again in the near future.

Questions:
Is there mechanics in Seattle (or surrounding) that will do a 3.4 swap? I've asked a dealer and independent, both said no. If the only way to get a new engine in is DIY, I am out of luck. Never done it before, and don't have the tools/time.

If I get a new engine in, with a 3.4 can I expect to have a fairly reliable vehicle? I just don't want to be stuck in my current situation with 8k in my BMW in the last 6 months (I hate that car, getting a new ECU tomorrow). I'm a bit gun shy to say the least.

I love the 4runner....Love it, but if I have to lose sleep anytime I drive to Wyoming on whether I will be stuck on the side of the road, well this baby will have to go.

Any help would be appreciated...

CRafferty

I'm not sure, because I don't live up there, but there are a TON of members here from WA and I'm sure they'll be able to help you out.

Regardless of the poor situation, Welcome to YotaTech!

Matt16

Shouldn't be hard to find a shop to do it.

The 3zve (v6) was bad for a Toyota motor- probably sill leaps and bounds better than most domestic engines. Keep the cooling system in good cond and you shouldn't have too much trouble as i understand it.

lithium

Sounds encouraging. My BMW might just have me jaded, I keep expecting after less than 3 days owning to see white smoke spewing out.

Mechanic says gaskets look fine, but I'm preparing for when they don't.. What I would like to do is keep my eyes out on a good replacement 3.4 over the next 4 months then pay to have the entire thing done. Would love to keep it for years, and will dump the $$ into it if the outcome is worth it.

For those that have done the conversion, anyone got 100k+ miles and still going strong?

Again, any Seattle recommendations? Im sure at least some of the people here are mechanics by trade and in the area. I'm not looking for a handout, I'd pay well for top-notch job.

CRafferty

Well, my thoughts would be to keep driving it as is. Throw some gasket repair in the oil if you feel paranoid any more. Pick up a 3.4L and do what you're able to to freshen it up and tune it and only put it in after the 3.0L blows. If the motor is running fine, there's no reason (other than increased power) to throw a new one in there.

JonnyBoy

I don't have 100k miles on the swap, but the engine I swapped in has 113k miles on it, and it was dang clean inside when I removed the oil pan. I also had a lil over 215k miles on the 3.0, and the reason it crapped out on me was because my radiator had a tiny leak and after awhile it was low enough for the engine to overheat pulling a long hill.

If you're set on swapping the 3.4 in, make sure you get everything you need from 1 vehicle if possible. Makes things oh so much easier if someone is doing it for you or if you're doing it yourself. As for a list of everything you need from the 3.4 equipped vehicle, check out http://www.offroadsolutions.com/34co...on_manual.html for the list of parts needed for a manual transmission or http://www.offroadsolutions.com/34conversion_auto.html if you have an auto transmission.

lithium

Makes sense, appreciate the advice.

Probably just a little worked up from the carsurvery.com complaints. At least this will give me some time for a good deal on a 3.4, and when the itch hits for more power i'll have the motor clean and ready to go. Chances are when I buy a 3.4 engine my gaskets will never fail on the 3.0 anyway....

JonnyBoy

So buy one and you can take your time tricking it out with a TRD supercharger, headers, and such things like it so you don't have to go and install it all a piece at a time while the engine's in the vehicle!

CRafferty

^Exactly!!!

lithium

Bingo! I like it. So now I have a game plan, I was seriously debating putting this back up for sale, but this is a much better idea. I would have been sad to see it go.

KVRunner

The headgaskets on my runner were replaced about the same time as yours under recall. Now at 168000 with no problems.

94runnerfan

My head gaskets have never been replaced as far as I know I only have 130000 though. 3.0 get a bad rap, I would happily have a 22, but the 3.0 engines are solid. I have been looking into swapping to a 3.4 or a chevy 4.3, but if it is your daily driver, and you live in a county that you need to pass smog you may have issues. I called the department of ecology the smog inspection station, and the vehicle inspection station, and nobody seemed to want to give me a straight answer. All they did was read me the law which is that you can not swap in any engine that wasn't previously offered in your car. If somebody has done the swap, and drives it daily, I would actually LOVE to be proven wrong, I might get to still do a swap for more power. I guess my 2 cents would be to just drive it, and don't stress that much about head gaskets.

yoder519

dag on lithium. thats one of the most clean stock 2nd gen runner ive ever seen in my life. nice runner!

NYChopshop

mother of god that's a clean runner... a 3.4 liter swap worthy vehicle if I've ever seen one... well, that is of course if it's a 5-speed. It's reasonable to expect anywhere up to another 100k on the head gasket if the job was done well and you take good care of it, you can keep that 3.slow for a good long while. I totally agree on the getting the 3.4 as a whole donor vehicle or a 'front clip' so you know you have absolutely everything you need. The 3.4, even if you do find all of the conversion parts, will take an ass-long time to do right. You need to come up with a wiring harness, a custom fabbed exhaust system, and other busy work you could and probably should do yourself to save some cash. If you're diligent and careful, you can save yourself a grand or two on labor.