slim_slc

there is a 93 4Runner near me for sale for 2200.00. It looks to be in nice shape, very pretty visually. Has 211k miles on it, with reportedly 130k on the engine. The guy says it runs okay, but kind of rough, and has low compression in cyl 3. Said he had it checked out by two different shops and was told he will need a head job, to the tune of about 1500.00 to get it fixed...said he was told it has a burnt valve.

What exactly is a head job? Does 1500.00 sound right for this job?

Should I be at all worried about the rest of the components on the truck at 211k miles? Even if the engine is brand new, there's still 211k on the tranny, axles, and everything else. Still, for 2200.00, plus the cost of repairs, this is a tempting situation.

Give me some advice. And explain what a head job is.

Caffeine

a head job means working on the top part of the engine, although it can mean a lot of different things to different people.

There was a recent thread about the pros and cons of this:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116/friends-3-0-dying-73703/

Epic Ed

Ummmmm...this one is just too wide open for off-topic commentary. hehe (dirty boy! DIRTY BOY! Stop it!).

slim_slc

thanks for the link. I guess that makes sense, especially on a higher mileage engine. I have to wonder what could have possibly happened to require the engine to be rebuilt so early. the truck has 211k, but the engine reportedly has 130k, so that means it was rebuilt at around 81k.......that's way early for a toyota. I think I'm going to pass on this one. Too bad, it looks really good, but I would rather drive a ratty looking truck with bulletproof mechanicals than the other way around.

suprathepeg

You could look at it this way though add another $1000 to it and you have a complete rebuild on a decient core so now you have a very clean truck and solid mechanicals. Or you could do the assembly yourself and save the $1000 this option can work if you have time to leave the truck on ice for a few weekends.

slim_slc

Yeah, I could do that, if I was a great mechanic and had a lot more tools than I do. So, the going price for a rebuild is around 2500.00? That sure seems like a lot of dough for a rebuild. Wouldn't it be cheaper to just buy a whole new engine?

suprathepeg

$2500 is a rough number here is how I break it down as you have explained it. Bottom end is still good so unless there is any uneven wear on the cylinder walls and everything is in spec then only the cylinders have to be honed - $50 or DIY for less otherwise top end $300 for boring and decking, Head rebuild Depending of the ammount of wear between $50-200 each, 430 for the ENGNBLDR.com master kit less the Pistons if you don't need them, $50 for oversized valves from EB (if you want). So thats about $1000 topend for all the work and parts you can't DIY. Then you go to 4x4wire.com and DL the 93 FSM and between that, the help Ted at EB will give and the help you can get here you can do the assembly yourself. Just take your time and don't rush and you will have a real fun project, a minty lookin runner and rebuilt engine all for $3200 or less if you can talk him down.

Then sell the truck for way more then you paid for it and the wife will turn into your sex kitten. (this last part is optional)

slim_slc

nice. I'll have to think about this. I'm struggling with my 89 pu right now. I really need a car I can just drive right away, but I really want a 4Runner, and since I'm broke, I'm seeking out deals.
So, 2200.00 for the runner, plus ~ 1000.00 for rebuild stuff + lots of antidepressants for when I fail the mechanical rebuild and have to trailer the whole thing to a shop.

I have a friend that may be able to do the engine for me for just the cost of parts, so I will check that option. Meanwhile, I am going to go check it out and see if it is as minty in person as on the internet.

Thanks much, and by the way, you are now my sex kitten.

slim_slc

oh, good, the wife......I was getting a little worried about the wire chasing me around the garage!

tc

I wouldn't worry about the mileage, but the price is too high. I paid $3000 OTD for a '93 V6 SR5, with decent mechanicals (needed a CV joint and a brake caliper) and significant rust under the truck, but almost none on the body. It also didn't have a radio.

I would agree with the above posts, but think you need to get him down closer to $1500 to not be upside down on the deal.

Now, at the end of the day, this gets you a very reliable nice driving vehicle. Unfortunately, the 3.0 is not the greatest Toyota engine ever (not saying it's bad, but ....), and for only slightly more, you could swap in a low mileage motor (lots of choices) and have a really great starting point for an AWESOME truck.

FastCat

Wowsers!

For the kind of money I'm reading being quoted for a "head job", I would expect some serious head porting and at least 3-angle valve jobs to justify those prices.

Is that what's being done for that amount, or is it just a "clean up" of the head and restoring it to fresh stock form?

Another thing to remember is that any good head work (porting and valve work) is going to be wasted unless your cams are also modified to take advantage of the increased air flow of the worked heads.

snap-on

I paied $300 for a 3 angle valve job (with my valve seals) and .008 off the heads on my 3.0. Would have been twice as much if i wanted him to set the valves, but thats just wrenching time and i dont need to pay the machine shop to do that.

slim_slc

I don't think it's worth it. I called the guy today and he said 2200 is as low as he wants to go. i told him I can get a running truck for 3k and he told me to go ahead and try. Prices in utah are sickening for these trucks. Most are in the range of 5500-6500, and that's anywhere from a 1991 to a 1995. I would love to pick up this great looking truck for 2200 even, but I need a car I can drive right away. Plus, money is a huge problem. If I had money I probably wouldn't be buying a 10 or 15 year old truck in the first place. And to top it off....I'm really not confident in my wrenching skills to the point that I would want to attempt this kind of huge repair.

CoedNaked

Well use your head obviously - you can't afford it then, bottom line! As much as their is a ton of enthusiasm, youth, optimism, and encouragement in the above posts, I think you may end up being in over your head on this one. So do the right thing! Yeah it sucks but hey, you may turn out better in the long run dude.

Flamedx4

I don't think so. Not on the 3.0. The 3.0 cam is really spot on, the fact that the heads have emphysema *is* the problem. Bigger valves and maybe a little porting will make huge (relatively speaking) gains. Fix the exhaust manifolds to go with (lose the crossover, or do headers) and you've got the most benefit for the least denero.

I don't think a cam will benefit the 3.0 unless it goes with major mods to the entire engine, and then the beneifits aren't big enough to justify the gains. You are never gonna make the 3VZE into a powerhouse, but with just a little better breathing it's a great hard working motor just the way it is.