Getting a second gen as a project. Is it worth rebuilding these 3.0s? It's got 200K miles. It has code 52, plus the speedometer needle flails up and down as it moves up. It definitely sounds like it's misfiring. OD light was flashing when in Diagnostics jumping but never appeared while driving. ATF Fluid low while hot with a significant cooler line leak...

If the 3.0 isn't worth the trouble, are there any other engine swap options that could mate to the present 4WD tranny or would I have just have to replace the entire power train into 2WD?

 

If you have the time and money, the 3.4 swap is a major upgrade. Mounts up pretty straightforward, just electronics and exhaust and stuff.

Speedo jumping up and down sounds like a trans problem though.
im not familiar with code 52

 

Welcome to YotaTech.

Congratulations on getting a low-mileage 3VZE (not a typo). If you are so interested, there is an entire forum here devoted to the 3.4 swap. https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f159/ While it will bolt up to your engine mounts and transmission, I wouldn't call the rest of the swap "straightforward" (raising the hood?!). But, obviously, plenty of others disagree. Of course, if you wanted a project with a 5VZ-FE, it would have made more sense to buy a Tacoma (Tundra, T100, etc.) in the first place.

The speedometer, OD light, and ATF fluid have nothing to do with the engine and won't be affected by a swap. (In the usual case, those won't be that hard to fix.) Misfiring can be caused by anything from a cracked block to a mis-gapped spark-plug, so I wouldn't rely on that alone to decide on jumping into a new engine. Code 52 is almost always due to a bad knock sensor "pigtail." A bit of job to replace (the knock sensor is under the lower intake manifold), but nothing compared to an engine replacement, much less an engine swap.

Enjoy your new ride. Let us know how it works out for you.

 

Haha it's true. I just pulled mine with 365K to do a 5VZ-FE swap. It was running on 5 cylinders, but it WAS still running.

 

I had an 89 4runner that puked oil, totalled the truck, ran the engine without coolant and drove it home.

Like scope said, the 3.4 swap isnt "easy" its still a motor swap but compared to dropping in a chevy 350, a 2jz, tdi or the other popuar options, the 3.4 requires much less head scratching and all the homework is available online.

But it sounds like youve got some time before you need to do a swap

 

Hey everybody, thanks for the replies. Hoping to settle the transaction today so I can then rent a truck and trailer and bring it back home.

I had a feeling those engines were a bit stronger than they get credit for. A shame about the transmission though. Looks like I'll be most likely finding another 4WD auto tranny to switch to. I'm gonna be sticking with the 3.0 since I really can't afford a 3.4 swap atm. Would it be wise to stick with the 4WD auto or maybe play with swapping in a manual version of it? Is it complicated, electronics-wise?

 

What, is there no snow where you live? Mud? Rain? Why would you take a fully equipped 4wd and down-convert? (Okay, there are reasons, but geez....)

Some (most? but not all) later-model A340Hs have an electronic speed-sensor in the back of the transfer case. When they fail, the speedo needle will drop to zero, then spring up. A few have the cable speedometer; crud in the cable will make the speedometer wacky. You can lube it, but they're not that expensive. OD light flashing diagnostics are limited to electrical issues; broken wires or dead solenoids. Not too hard to fix.

But, the truth is, an automatic transmission runs on Magic. If enough Magic has leaked out, you might have to replace it. If it were me, I'd try to stick with 4wd.

 

Have you been watching South Main Auto?

 

needs to be added to your sig.

 

"Hello viewers, and welcome back ...."

 

"Like a Saint Bernard coming through the cat door."
- SMA

 

So! Got the truck! $750, second gen, Florida truck. Me, the dingdong, forgot jumper cables so I had to drive 30 minutes round trip in the middle of the musky Florida coast night. Two hours round trip, sheesh. Transmission leaky leaky. Gonna have at it with the cooler line and replace it but the fluid is pretty dirty... doubting whether not it will be viable but it's a start before I decide to spend on a transmission, wanna see if the issue is just the fluid. Engine looks strong but I'm gonna do a compression test another day. Anybody here recommend any good vendors for these 4WD autos? It's actually a 1995!