hey all, just wanted to see some opinions out there. i was pondering to do an engine swap next tax season. then i began looking for alternatives. one was switching to a 3rd gen. what do you think is cheaper? pros and cons? i love my 2nd gen but i cant stand the power band and the noisy cabin. ive been working on padding and soundproofing the interior. ive got most of the doors and the rear padded with the peel and seal method. its shaved a bit off the annoyance scale so far but still lots of road noise. i know it will never be a lexus but i would like it to be damn near close. so i figured the 3rd gen would take care of both things. but ive looked around and most 96 t4r 4x4's are 5k and up. so mabey a 3.4 swap would be cheaper and then just keep modding the interior to quiet it down further. so lets hear the comments.

 

My opinion is do what you have time and money for. I like both gen's. If I were in your shoes and could afford the 3rd gen., that's what I'd do. Otherwise, by your own reasons already, I'd just mod the 2nd gen. I guess it depends also on how attached to your present ride, though.

 

Your status says your running BFG M/Ts. Thats a pretty loud tire. If noise is really bothering you try switching to the BFG A/T or the General Grabber AT or any AT for that matter. As far as power for the truck, I think you have a V6, so there are little things that you can do to increase the power of it. Block off your EGR, Advance your timing, Find lower axle gears (4.88s maybe, you might already have 4.56s depending on what tranny you have (auto or manual)

 

yeah i got rid of the mudd terrains way to loud for me.

 

Wow I didn't find the BFG mud terrains bad at all. There are much louder tires out there

 

The swap isn't that bad, I'm in the middle of mine now. But I don't think the swap will fix the road noise. I had considered trading my 2nd gen in for a 3rd, but I love my 4 runner. I just cannot see myself driving anything else. Plus, I don't have the heart to take a pretty 3rd gen out on the trails to be beat up and scraped up yet. I will look to buy my wife a 3rd, but it will more than likely be a street queen.

If you like the ride, do the swap. Can't handle the noise, drive a few 3rd's and see if you like it better...
my .02.

 

Bottom line here is what you really want out of your truck, you said you found it difficult to take a nice 3rd gen out on the trails to "beat it up". Sounds like you really enjoy your 2nd gen, so take the cash and find a wrecked 3rd or even a tacoma with a 3.4, get the harness, ECU and search like crazy on here, there are alot of write ups and info on the swap. In the 3rd gen forum there are a few threads on sound dampening that would be applicable to your truck as well. Everyone of the 3.4 swaps I have read about the guys were thrilled with the change. But if after driving several 3rd gens and you decide to go that way, look at the 99-02, they have many improved interior goodies that you will eventually want if you don't get one, but if doing mods is your thnig, you can find good 96-98 4runners for really reasonable priceing and a few below the $5K price. Good luck!

 

Just some questions I'd ask:

1) Do you have the space, time, equipment and ability to do a 3.4 swap?

2) How much time do you already have invested in your 2nd gen?

3) Is your 2nd gen in decent shape?

4) How much attachment, emotional or otherwise, do you have with your 2nd gen?

My decision to do the swap came down to a few points...I had the space, time, and equipment to do the swap. Ability came as I went along, since I had only done a timing chain and head gasket on a 2.2 liter Sunflower...er, Sunfire...prior to taking on an engine swap.

I already owned the 2nd gen, so that wasn't an issue, and it was going to cost less to buy the 3.4 than do a rebuild. Plus, I couldn't afford to sell the 2nd gen with its anemic 3.0. I wouldn't have gotten very much out of it.

Mine wasn't in bad shape, but I did buy it to learn on, so bodywork and all the rest was just something I knew I was getting into. Interior on mine is in really, really good shape given the miles on it.

I do like the 2nd gen just a bit better than the 3rd. Something about the look of it.

But know that you'll probably never, ever get the money back out of the 3.4 swap that you put into it, not including the sweat-equity you're going to have to put into it. In the long run, selling the 2ng gen and buying a 3rd gen will probably be cheaper.

Comes down to how much you're willing to give up and what you're willing to invest.

 

I have tools but no welder, cherry picker or air tools. but i could use a buddies shop. ive already planted the seed in his head to do the swap at his home shop. if i plan it well ahead and get everything i need i should be able to tackle it in a weekend i think. i think that the swap would be cheaper than buying a 3rd gen. im looking to spend under 1500. ill do the wiring myself. i could get the harness and prepare it before hand. i just need to gather everything that i need. i want to try and do the cheapest possible swap. now the easy way out is fix the remaining issues on my truck which is i can probably sell mine for $2500. then use that money to buy an early 3rd gen for about 5k. so like ritzy said it would probably be cheaper to get the 3rd gen. sounds like i have some decisions to make. im going to try and drive some third gens. are they quieter inside?

 

I think the third gen has more better aftermarket parts.. suspension and such..

And aftermarket parts like the supercharger..
Front end flexes better then a 2nd gen..
Looks a bit better.
No major issues reliability wise.

I don't think you can go wrong either way though.

 

Not a good idea to block off the egr on this motor. Best thing for the 3.0 v6 is headers.
Op... 1500 ? i finished my swap for 2100 and thats me doing everything myself. If you do the swap... find a complete donor rig. It makes everything so much easier as you'll have all the parts needed and matched. Make sure you read through all the 3.4 swap write ups as there is loads of info in there and thats how i Got my swap done.

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f160/

 

I did most of mine with tools I already have. You don't need air tools, but they would make things quicker. You also don't need a welder unless you're making the exhaust crossover yourself. Personally, I had mine done, but it was pricey. I did it all in my brother's carport with a borrowed engine hoist.

Getting the swap done for $1500 is do-able, with more engines becoming available, but it will be tight for that amount.

 

Why do a motor swap, or upgrade to 3rd gen when you can do both right.....

 

Um...yes?

 

The nice thing about LOUDS tires is you dont hear your valves ticking!!! LOL.