YotaSnap

Hi, I am in need of as much info about my situation as possible .

I am looking in to buying a 4runner with automatic trans 4x4 and the 3vz-e.

Seller says it has blown a gasket and has a tired transmission.

What is the typical transmission for this engine and how much do they generally cost?

Anything like warnings, pointers or any helpful information would be greatly appreciated.

HighLux

other than avoid the 3.0 like the plague?

Find one with a 22re. Or go to a 96 or up with a 3.4

Just my opinion as one man. Not representing yotatech as a whole
(the 3.0 guys will kill me if I dont state that)

YotaSnap

What is so "bad" about the 3.0? I've heard about the gaskets and I think the belt, but thats all.

Can I swap the 3.0 with a 3.4?

I own an 87 runner and just replaced the engine. I love the 22re but dad wants a v6

HighLux

Alot of guys swap the 3.0 for a 3.4 Win /win situation.

In my opinion....the 3.0 is a terribly underpowered, headgasket sucking, and knucklebusting mechanical nightmare.

I mean if you got the 4runner with the bad 3.0 in it like supercheap....then it could be feasable to rebuild the entire engine or buy a reman engine and be ok.

But then a weak trans on top of that? Is this thing like $100 or soemthing?

YotaSnap

Its $400 and otherwise in good shape.
I'd like to see some other opinions

Yota94ext

Ok I own 2 of these trucks one I bought for 1500 with a blown head gasket on brand new 33s with a 3 inch lift did the head gasket on it (which sucked coulda built 2 small block 350s in that time) drove it 30000 km now the VAFM went because of a K&N air filter but a mechanic said it was the throttle positioning sensor so found a parts truck to get one off for $300 that the guy said was dead but ran with a new battery but a worn out distributor shaft changed all from that truck now the timing belt tensioner blew covering my driveway in a puddle of oil just warming the truck up so switch good parts to the parts truck and driving that till it dies but for my other truck I'm pulling all the Japanese garbage out and outing a small block 350 in so in my opinion get one with the 22re or do a Chevy swap

Gamefreakgc

For the record, both 22RE and 3VZ-E's have head gasket problems. 3VZ-E's just run hotter, and tend to fail more often. But "more often" could mean once every 100k miles, or never if very well maintained.

However, the bigger issue is that transmission. A used one runs $900 or so, a new one probably looking at $2000-$3000. If this were a manual transmission, I'd say do it (HG job can be done for $500 or so). But because of the failing transmission, avoid.

Buy yourself a 96+ with the better motors. The 3.4L swap is nice, but a lot of work still.

95turdrunner

I just got a 95 4runner with the 3.0 and hate it. Fix one thing and another breaks. Weak power. And mpg is about as bad as my 91 4x4 f150 with a 302.

YotaSnap

I think I've heard enough guys. I guess its time to do a little more shopping. I'm hoping to 1st Gen with a good 22re or a 22r.
If anyone knows of a fixer-upper in north west Washington, let me know. Thanks.

ksti

3vzzzzzy's just aren't for the faint of heart.

Gamefreakgc

Yeah, hope you aren't completely turned off by a 3VZ-E! I enjoy working on my truck and mine is NOT slow by any means!

However, they do need a lot of maintenance when they get old.

ksti

Heck no, I love mine, yea it has it's quirks but that's the nature of the beast.
Like you said ----- "Maintenance"

93Xtra-Cab

I'll subscribe. I'm just waiting for MudHippy to come in and throw down some serious 3VZE knowledge

Exactly! Don't count the 3.0 out. I love mine! I get good gas mileage and I also haul some serious you-know-what with it. I'd go as far as saying I prefer it over the 22-RE. I've never owned a 4 cyl. truck, but I've ridden in a friends. It was very slow. Also, I think I read more stories about the 22-REs blowing head gaskets on here than I do about the 3.0L.

If you keep the 3.0 maintained, you'll be alright.

^This. Even if the transmission was in tip-top shape, I'd still avoid. Automatics are just horsepower sucking slush boxes

HighLux

My 87 22re would blow your 3.0 off the road dirt.

RJR

My take on it is to pass on this unit, not so much because of the 3vz, but because of the auto-tranny. The 3vz is a high rev'ing engine, and the automatic just doesn't do a good job of keeping the engine in its power band (3000-4500 rpm). I think Toyota primarily offered the automatic not for sound engineering reasons, but just to satisfy the American market, where 90% of the drivers can't or won't drive a stick shift. Whether 4 cyl or 6 cyl, the 2nd gen 4runners just run so much better with a manual.

If you're looking at a $400 vehicle, I'm guessing you don't have a lot of money to spend. If you want a fixer-upper, I'd suggest finding one that only has one major thing wrong, not two or more. And, if you're planning on much mountain driving, you'll be happier with the V6.

A 3rd gen with the 3.4 V6 is obviously a better unit, but you won't find a running one of those for much under $5K, which is probably out of your budget. (unless it's a 2WD)

YotaSnap

What about a $1300 runner with the 3.0 that needs a valve adjustment?

Sorry to seem so ignorant, but I know wayyyyy more about the 2.4 lol

YotaSnap

He doesn't intend to do any mods or take it to the hills. Daily driver and maybe tow a small trailer for garbage runs and lumber stuffs.

RJR

Depends on how handy you are with tools. A valve adjustment job on a 3vz, by all accounts, is a royal pain and therefore costs upwards of $500 if you have it done. That being said, it's mostly time and following the manual, so you can do it pretty cheaply yourself if you can follow directions and are careful.

How many miles on the vehicle? How do you know it needs a valve adjustment? Also, how old is the timing belt? That's another time-consuming job, but again within the realm of a decent amateur mechanic.

The main thing about working on the 3vz is that the engine compartment is absolutely packed, so doing anything generally requires disassembling a bunch of other stuff so you can get to the area you want to work on. Plus there's lots of vacuum hoses and various sensors that all have to get hooked up right again after you finish. Like I said, if you're careful and meticulous, you can do most any work on it that it needs. Folks who are sloppy and forget where they put stuff, or try to reconnect everything from memory will not have a good time.

You can take the VIN to your dealer service dept and they can tell you if the headgasket recall applied to your vehicle and if it's been done. Word is that Toyota will still pay for it if it applies to your vehicle. On the other hand, my philosophy on head gaskets after this length of time is that, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. If it's lasted 20 years, it's likely a good one and a good install, and I wouldn't disturb it or spend much time worrying about it until you need to.

I'd pull the plugs and look at them (shouldn't be oily or wet or gunked up with sludge, just a nice dry grey-brown) and run a quick compression check before I handed over any money.

RJR

One more thing. If all the user wants to do is drive on the highway and pull a trailer, a 2WD version might be a good fit. Around here, 2wd's go for about 60% of a 4wd price.

YotaSnap

I heard this guy is flipping cars that were meant for parts. I'm not going to pursue it.

As far as people putting stuff in the wrong place, I try to take pictures of everything