96t100whiteghost

I'm looking at 1995 4runner that needs a new motor, has a manual transmission so it's tempting me but I'm not sure what I'm in for with this truck. I keep reading the 3.0 motors r notoriously bad but I'm just looking for something to use as a secondary vehicle and don't want to break the bank on it.i found a used 3.0l motor out of an 89 pickup for sale but I'm not sure if this would be a straight swap or not. Anyone that could give me some direction I'd appreciate it. I'm not very experienced with a lot of this but I feel like I can find my way with a little direction (in other words I'm willing to give it a shot haha). I'm not 100% opposed to a rebuild but I've never done one before so I'm not sure if that's a reasonable option either or what I would be in for as far as cost..... Any ideas or opinions would be greatly appreciated.
thanks
Pat

scope103

Welcome to YotaTech.
Stroll this forum for a while. You'll find lots of threads by owners who love and baby their truck, but the years are taking their toll, and the money (and time!) is starting to leak away.

YOU don't love this truck. No one has babied it. It can't be test-driven. It's 22 years old, and you're thinking of buying a 29 year old used engine.

And you don't know all that much (yet) about what it's going to take.

Everyone has to start somewhere. That truck could be perfect but-for the engine, and your used engine might just drop in and go. I doubt it. I would expect this to turn in a long-term project for someone with a lot of experience. And not be a rewarding learning opportunity for some one with less experience.

Find yourself a good-running Toyota truck that just needs a few things, but is otherwise safe to drive. Cut your teeth on that. Then you can evaluate a non-runner.

By the way, the 3VZE is an excellent power plant.

96t100whiteghost

Point taken and I definitely agree with what you are saying. My problem is I really prefer a manual and i really like the runners and Tacoma's from this era before they got a little bigger. The issue is most are high mileage, older, and often plagued with rust in the north east. This runner appears to be better off as far as rust goes (will need to confirm). I think I can get the whole package for around $1500, which makes it tempting. I know you get what you pay for for sure, but is it reasonable to think with some time and effort ( I have a few friends that are well versed I can lean on for help) I can get it going? Seems like just about any Tacoma or 4runner I see is minimum $5k. And on top of that I feel like anything from this era is going to be higher mileage and will prob need some form of tlc yo get it up to par. Will the motor from an 89 work or is compatibility going to be an issue?

ZeroHour

Both the 95 and the 89 are 3VZ-E but there will be some differences in electrical/sensor connections i.e. distributor and such. Nothing too major that I can think of off hand but don't assume that I'm not missing anything. I'd think that hardware-wise it'd be a bolt in. However, I feel that there is a certain level of dedication and love required when you jump on this bandwagon. You're definitely on the right path with the demand for a manual!! Because if it's 4wd, you don't want to know about the loss of power and other problems that could potentially occur over time and abuse with having an automatic. Most of ours are automatic and I've crap I have to deal with every now and then, but don't get me wrong, it's all still solid especially considering antique tags and mileage .
I put a 98 out in the field today because my brother rolled it and the interior is drenched and I wasn't going to waste time on the misfire which I think is fuel/electric related.... but man it was still fun to drive and would pull it's weight.
Anyway.. I don't have a 95 anymore sadly, but I do have an 89 and a 92 I can glance back and forth between and tell you off the bat that there are minor differences in electrical connections. Maybe a couple of emissions hoses or cooling lines as well but nothing that I'm aware of that should stop you from doing it and can't be swapped from one engine to the next.

PreviousOwner

I just put an '88 3vze into a '90 4runner. The distributor wiring and shaft lengths were different and the motor mounts were different (the '88 mounted lower on the block but at the same location on the frame and height in the engine bay). If you have access to both engines (and engine bays) the swap should be fairly straightforward...don't throw anything away until you have one running vehicle :-). There are many ways to skin this cat - I kept the '90 plenum and its attachments, I spliced the '88 distributor into the '90 harness (could probably have swapped heads), used the '88 motor mounts. It took longer than I expected and every hose in the engine compartment should be changed - vacuum, air and coolant. The runner cost me $600 and the '88 motor cost $75; parts and machine work ran it up another (roughly) $400. Old cars never stop reaching into your wallet.