biker1

I am working on a 4.3 swap into my 1990 4runner. I have started this thread to give some info to people who are interested in doing it and to try to get some help from those who have done it before. I currently have the the motor in, clutch and transmission bolted up, radiator in, new driveshafts in, wiring harness started.

What we are working on is finishing the wiring (help!), installing the slave cylinder, electric fan, radiator hoses, p.s. pump, fuel pump, horshoebracket/serpentine belt, cold air intake, exhaust.

I have some pictures that I will be posting up when I get the chance.

I have searched thru most every thread on yotatech, pirate and others I have followed links, etc,etc. It is easy to get info but it is hard to get definitive answers and pictures or descriptions of tried and true solutions. If you have done this TBI swap then please let me know what works. If you haven't done it please don't chime in and tell me "I should search the site..." If you are thinking of doing a swap and have questions I will answer as best as possible and try to get as much detailed info and pics up here as possible for your reference.

Here are the particulars of my swap:

1990 4runner SR5- Daily Driver (we live at 3500 ft in deep snow at the end of a 3 mile dirt road) Baja Expedition rig (offroading for weeks at a time)[LIST]
4" susp. lift, 2" body lift
35x12.5 tires
5.29 gears, Detroit True trac front, Detroit rear
Toyota 5 speed manual transmission
4.3l TBI from 1992S10 4wd Vin Z: ($500 from yard)
- Block #10105867
- Head casting #14094768
- Bored .30 over, .10 over on rods & mains
- Crankshaft & 153t AA flywheel balanced (all machine work cost $250)
- New STOCK cam, lifters, springs, etc (will add more detils here soon)
IMPORTANT: Only install a stock camshaft in a 92 TBI and I believe that is true for all TBI
- New pistons, bearings, etc (will add details soon) ($300 for all)
- Heads pressure checked - were perfect
- S10 exhaust manifolds (will add more details here soon)
Spectre cold 4" air intake and fittings, AEM cone filter ($175 from Jegs or NAPA,etc)
Advance Adapters Bell Housing (used)
AA 153t flywheel (used)
AA Engine mounts ($135)
AA Pilot bushing
AA lc slave cylinder ($65)
AA copper/brass 4 core radiator & 22lb AA pressure cap ($13)
Flex a lite #400-118 electric fan ($150 from Jegs)
Flex a lite offroad mounting bracket ($6 from Jegs)
GM Throwout bearing (from NAPA)
Centerline clutch and flexplate (used but fat)
GM 153t Starter ($50 from yard)
-My setup needed a small bodied starter with a very small nose)
Painless Wiring Harness #60101 ($359.95 from carshopinc.com - get the long one)
GM computer #1227747 out of 91 Astrovan. ($25)
- This is the preferred computer from what I have read

** Probably best to get a donor vehicle. I wish we had. This is my first ever swap and I have learned a ton. But wish I had a complete donor vehicle to start with...


We are trying to finish this swap up asap as there is 6" of fresh snow on the ground and lots more on the way... I am stuck driving an 81 f-150. So it is getting urgent...

Currently we are having trouble with:

POWER STEERING: What is the definitive way to do this? What is the best way? Tried and true method?

FUEL PUMP: Considering my setup - what is the tried and true method? I am also going to add an 10 gal aux. fuel tank where my spare tire used to go just to let ya in on a little more info.

WIRING: aagh - where 2 start? Anyone specifically installed a Painless #60101 wiring harness on their 4.3l/Toy? Am stumped on the EGR solenoid (they said I need some pigtail??), Ignition wiring, how to use stock gauges with harness. Will this Astrovan computer even work right with the S10 motor? Any tips from wiring experts or someone w/ personal experience with the 60101 painless harness and a TBI 4.3 would b really appreciated.

A/C: While I live in Northern Idaho I like to travel to warm and even hot places... What is the tried and true method for hooking up the A/C to the Yota?

EXHAUST: Not really any problems here. Just not done yet. The manifolds dump out close by the bell housing and clutch fork but they clear. Planning on a dual exhaust if possible. But any tips or whatever is welcome.

ALTERNATOR: Currently I have a stock GM alternator but am considering a hi output 100A type. Any reccomendations on this?

REAR COILS & SHOCKS: And on one other note... since there are so many experienced yota guys on here maybe one can tell me what rear coil springs I should put on my rig? I have the 4" pro comps but they sag like a #$#@! and are way to soft for loaded - off road touring. If someone has a good tip on what length and which brand and where to get them...? Or should I just use a spacer? and which size/brand? Let me know (I don't want to go air bag). Additionally, while I am asking so many questions anyways, where do you guys get your bilstein shocks? Most everywhere has been out of stock that I have checked.

Knowledgeable members please respond with advice, tips, diagrams, photos, etc. This rig is our family DD and it has been out of commission far too long. I will greatly appreciate your help and also I will answer any questions for folks who are looking to get going on this swap.

biker1

UPDATE: I just returned from the garage. Figured out a few things and found a few more problems. I received the flex a lite 400-118 fan today from Jegs. And I also purchased a basic universla switch relay for the fan which Painless Wiring Tech support also reccomends doing. Also the rest of the modular air intake pieces to extend from the Spectre air plenum out towards the driver fenderwell. I also got the AEM cone filter. It looks like tht will all work pretty well. We did have to bend the stud on the TBI unit to fit the cast aluminum plenum. And purchased a 5 1/8 gasket from Napa for the plenum to sit on. It looks good and will work well I think. So that was easy and it is super low profile compared to a standard air filter. And do believe me, I do have hood clearance issues even with my 2" body lift. I have good clearance on the firewall. I do not have the clearance to run a clutch fan. Mainly because the fan sits up to high and looks like it would most likely take off a finger or arm at the wrist... So tomorrow we hope to find a bracket for this motor that allows the alternator to be placed on the passenger side. Both brackets we have found so far have the alt on the drivers side and everything is set up pretty high. I have found pics on the web that show the alt on pass side and a/c on driver side. Also it looks as though everything is sitting down lower towards the ground which would also allow me to much more easily route the upper radiator hose. So the hope is to find an s10 with that bracket and the filler neck, etc and get everything for the serpentine belt off that vehicle and mount it (again) to see if it solves a bunch of issues.

I had to order an ac-delco part# 214-339 EGR solenoid from NAPA because on this swap you can either run egr (more oxygen in exhaust) or not. According to the Painless wiring guru I spoke to on the phone today you can completely remove the egr valve and hook the solenoid up with no lines. The GM computer just has to be able to see that the egr is there to function correctly. So I am in Idaho which has no emissions test this is not a problem. Other states will have to deal with this hurdle differently I suppose.

I think we have figured out how to get the stock toyota gauges to work. As wel as the ignition Originally someone at AA told us we should completely remove the Toy harness so we did. Now it seem we need to re install just those gauges that go to the dash and of course the Toy ignition wire. I have read somewhere that you need to install a booster relay of some sort since the Toy ignition does not have enough juice. Can someone verify this or shed some light?

I also picked up a NAPA GM 105 amp alternator today. It is a reman and a 2 wire unit. I also got some 8 gauge wire to run to the battery with. I a hoping that the 105A unit wil be enough to run the electric fan, lights, stereo and all the that. Apparently the 2 wire units charge better at lower rpms. Steve the Napa guy said at below 1200 rpm the 1 wires dont do as well. It won't be mounted until we find the right serpentine belt setup so it is still in the box and can be returned if need be. I would take opinions here from anyone as well. I am no expert and learning every step of the way so input is appreciated.

We disconnected the rear Valve Proprtioning System for the brakes today. I am not planning to hook it back up as it seems vague as to what or how it does whatever it does and it doesn't seem needed. Any confirmation on this?

I also pickup a new thermostat and gasket for the manifold today. That was an easy one.

I ordered a GM external fuel pump part #P74017. 10 - 14 psi today to mount inline. It was $80 but new parts are new parts... I also picked up a cannister type fuel filter to mount inline with it using the 3/8: line. We will leave the Yota pump in the tank and then that will give the system 2 filters and it will give me a backup pump for emergency use. Hopefully we are on the right track there?

Today we reflared the PS line but experienced a little cracking on the edges. Not sure what to do to remedy that yet but any other tips would be appreciated. A couple of months back I had planned on purchasing some of these things like the p.s. hardware from Downey but they went kapoof and I can't find any of their parts all of a sudden. Anyone know where to get a hold of some of the Downey stuff? I was also planning to buy their coil springs and a few other things. Who has some Downey inventory out there? All that stuff had to go somewhere didnt it?


I also picked up a new 6 row belt from NAPA today in anticipation of the new serpentine belt assembly we are searching for. That was easy.

So tomorrow hopefully we find all the brackets for mounting alt, a/c, etc,etc. Then I will update again with what I learn. In the meantime I hope some of the 4.3l swap community see this thread and offer some advice, etc. Pictures of your engine compartments would be great.

fillsrunner4

Youll probably want to put that back in as you are suposed to set the thing so the rear brakes engage just after the fronts. they are mostly used when converting the rear brakes to rotors instead of drums. I run it for simplisity and got rid of all my ABS crap. I also run it with my stock drums

Sounds like you got alot going on.. Cant wait to see some pics. Ide offer some more advice but my swap is with the CPI not TBI so I have a little bit different things to work with. got a link to my build thread at the bottom of my sig if you havent seen it yet

biker1

Thanks for the interest fillsrunner - I have seen your posts re: the 4.3l swap. Get 'er done!

I scored at the wrecking yard 2 days ago. Not only did I finally find the correct brackets for alt, p.s., a/c, and basically the whole serpentine belt system. I also got, off the same rig, a brand new NAPA 105 amp alt., a brand new gm starter (mini style), brand new 6 row belt, brand new hoses and a brand new set of Belden performance spark plug wires, throttle cable, and a few other scores off it as well. They dinged me for $150 at the yard but it was well worth it. In the glove box of the s10 were receipts for all the new parts which had just been mounted prior to the time the thing got impounded. So that was a score and I was ale to go and return the same exact brand new items I had just picked up from Napa. Ya gotta love wrecking yards.

I also got the smaller fan off that s10 and hope that I can run it and return my flex alite electric. Thats a maybe and I wont know until everything is bolted up and we can check clearances.

I made contact with Jim from Downey Offroad yesterday and got some info about their swap parts. I think I might try their p.s. hose assembly (at least 2 have as a back up) and it sounds like they are the only place where you can pick up the adapter fittings for oil pressure and temp sender from the gm block to the Toy harness/gauge. I also found the Downey Swap Manual. I wish I had found that online about a month ago... but it is pretty straightforward and tells you lot's of do's and dont's.

We pulled out all of the un-needed wires from the Toyota harness and reinstalled it in the dash so we can have it doing what it needs to do. Hopefully I can get either the downey adapters for tem sender Downey p/n#15609-f and Downey p/n#87251-f or find someone online who can tell me where I can cross reference the parts #'s and purchase them. and who knows maybe soeone out there is reading this post and has these items laying in a box for a never realized 4.3l swap... it's a snowball's chance in hell but I would take 'em if you want to get rid of 'em.

The EGR Solenoid that cost me $61 at NAPA did not fit into the harness plug. Apparently the computer has to be able to see the egr solenoid even though it doesnt have to be working. If anyone knows about the p/n #214-331 or 214-339 that Painless reccomends for this please let me know. That is the p/n we used at napa and the part they ordered for me does cross ref with that # so I am stumped there and will probably have to call Painless for a painful conversation. But that should be figured out by today I hope.

i am unsure of which route to take for the fuel pump Jim at Downey says to use the Toyota pump and a regulator. Any comments or suggestions?

We had about another 4" of snow fall yesterday so I hope to have the 4runner 's wheels turning here asap.

mud4life

Maybe a dumb question, but couldnt you just convert the tbi to run off a carb setup? My 87 yota, has no powersteering or anything and i just wanna keep it simple and cheap. The 22r locked up last night so i need an alternative. I have a 4.3L tbi out of an S-10 and i was trying to find out how hard it would be to swap it in?

biker1

If you keep it carbed. You'll keep it simple. I like the fuel injection.

RMA

I thought downey was closed ?

and I dont think the toyota pump will put out enough pressure for the 4.3 , that motor is very picky about having high fuel pressure ..

fillsrunner4

The stock pump may work for the Tbi as it requires a little less psi than say the CPI like ive got that needs a pretty high FP. A nice easy option is just to go pickup a stock GM pump and mount it in place of the yota one in the tank. couldnt be to hard to rig it up to the toyotas sending unit I bet

Mudforlife... Its an easy swap carbed or not Plenty of good info on this site and like pirate. its a vary highly recomended swap for toyota trucks and 4runners. great power, performance, cheap parts, reliable and fits perfect

85 chevota

Hope these help, one pic is of modified sending/fuel pump housing, I installed a factory delco 13 psi fuel pump in place of toyota pump. I also removed the 1/4" return and replaced it w/ 5/16" rigid steel hose I made and soldered in place. For the supply I adapted up to 3/8" after the toyota rubber hose you can see. Having a donor vehicle I chose to use the chev. fuel lines from the tank to the engine. Other pic is of p/s hose. I straightened the toyota pressure hose and cut end flare off. Then I cut the fitting off the gm hose, slid onto toyota hose and reflared. You also asked about the temp sending unit and factory temp. guage. The ohms range between the toyota 22re unit and the chev unit are very close so I stayed with chev unit on engine and guage works fine. You might check what your range is for the original sensor you yota came with.

biker1

Thanks. We are kind of taking a step backwards unfortunately. A guy who frequents the Pirate 4x4 forum by the handle CrazyMatt sold me a screwed up bellhousing adapter and throwout arm. We have to remove the machined, welded and basically ratf_ _ _ ed bellhousing/throwout arm and replace with a new set up from Advanced adapters. Unfortunately we took Crazy Matt's (Matt Little from CDA Idaho) word for it (he said it was all good...) and installed the piece of crap he sold me. I also ordered a pair of AA headers since after messing around with 2 sets of s -10 manifolds the exhaust was not clearing bell, starter, frame, etc... Best to just by the whole AA conversion kit from the get go if you ask me. Hopefully this Matt character will refund me some of the cash I paid him! So Monday I should receive the parts from AA and get the tranny hooked back up as well. It's time to get this fired. I wish I could just buy the adapters and what not from Downey. but after getting 1 email out of Jim Sickles (Downey ex-president) saying he had some parts to sell me - I have not heard a peep outta him... Anyone know whats up or where to get some of these Downey parts? I'll update again soon.

boonedog

I just talked to Jim Sickles about 10 days ago about a 4l60e adapter for my 4.3 swap. Did he give you his phone #?

biker1

Well, we got it running but ran into a problem. The flywheel I purchased from Crazy MAtt on Pirate 4x4 seems to be to thick and the clutch will not work right. Basically I cannot shift it into gear with motor running. So I guess we will have to pull the tranny, etc and get the flywheel out and turn it to the correct step or whatever. What a pain in the ass. The motor sounds great and no GM trouble codes at all. But this snafu is no fun and will cost me extra $$ and time... I guess I will get it right at some point but we took Crazy Matt's word that this stuff was right and it now appears it isnt... Hopefully turning the flywheel to correct thickness will allow room for clutch to disengage. Took photos and will post next time.

korn111685

please give detailed pictures...

i'm picking threw threads.. i've yet to come across a good TBI 4.3 with a toyota 5 speed set up..

i just baught a dodge it's in the shop for transmission work, after it's out the yota comes off the road. for good untill she is right or the way i want it at least..

so please pictures, pictures and more pictures

graduatedpine

I don't know if this is what your looking for or not, but its one hell of a build up. https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f160...started-82145/

toyotaman1371

Hey, how's everything, i am doing a 1992 chevy 4.3 tbi swap in my 1990 toyota 4X4 pickup, originally it had a 3.0 v6 and i am wandering what wires do i hook up from the fuse block to the engine wire harness.

texcat101

Hey Biker1, here is my 4.3 build there may be some usefull info... I like the AA kit!
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f163...-chevy-156022/

r_mac1973

I just bought myslef a pretty good 86' runner and it has a 4.3 liter out of a blazer , bored .20 over, flat top pistons. big cam. edelbrock high rise intake, 750 double pumper carb. My question is is what do you guys think the best tranny is to put behind this. I'm not real sure what it has in it it is a 5 speed though and the runner is a turbo sr5 the shifter has a lil slack in it but seems to shift fine and the t-case I have yet to even try out. Like I said I just bought it last Saturday for 2150.00. I feel like I got a decent deal but just trying to figure out how to make this thing a beast it sounds strong as crap. Thanks for any advice you guys can offer this is the second runner I have owned the other was an 86 22RE never really messed with it though. The ex didnt like it much so when I went to Iraq she sold it( hints the reason she is EX) and I swore I would get another and I did now just looking for a lil advice from you guys.

haruchri

I'm looking for starter for my 4.3 v6 that I'm putting in 1990 4runner with 153t flywheel what year and model of vehicle did you find the stater you use Parts stores are having problem finding one for me

kornhuskerwizard

That's what I did...nice build!!!