Cyberman

As the subject implies. Anyone following my other thread knows that I am rebuilding a 91 Extra Cab from the frame up. My dilemna now is whether to spend the extra $$$ on a rebuilt engine, or go with a JDM.

Right now, I'm leaning toward the JDM (yesterday I was thinking rebuilt).

Anyone with honest information on either, please respond. I know someone who had their 22RE replaced with JDM, and it runs superb. The JDM has a 90 day warranty, whereas the rebuilt has a lifetime unlimited mile warranty.

Adding the necessary parts for the rebuilt will add around $300 more to it, and take me $1000 more than I have budgeted.

Please do not suggest a 3.4 swap. I originally was going that route, but I already researched that thoroughly, and I'm not into spending an extra $2000+ on a high mileage engine swap.

tc

How much is a rebuilt engine?

How much is a JDM engine?

How pissed will you be when you have a nice rebuilt truck and the engine goes?

While I see no reason to pull out a perfectly good, running 3.0, I for darn sure see NO reason to put one back in once yours goes.

I think you will find that a 3.4 swap is more reasonable than it seems, especially with gas >$3/gal.

Cyberman

$2320 shipped

$1879 shipped

Well, you tell me. Did you see my Frame-up Rebuild Thread? A nice rebuilt engine with a lifetime warranty sounds great. A <60k JDM sounds great. Finding a low mileage engine at a good price, be it 3.0 or 3.4 is pretty hard.

Please realize, this truck was given to me by the PO that ran it into the ground. I am treating this truck with the respect it should have had in the first place, so the 3.0 should hold its own. The best I found for a 3.4 swap was $1000 for one that was rolled, sat for 2 years and has 141k on it. I really don't want to add the $$$ to rebuild it and get the rest of the conversion stuff. if I play my cards right, I'll have a nicely restored truck with zero miles on the engine, and be out a little over $4k. The 3.4 swap is looking closer to $5k, and I have no guarantees.

flatland4runner

well just one man's opinion...but a big time warranty is huge . I realize it'll hit you in the budget a bit more but to my knowldge the JDm doesn't offer any gains engineering/performance wise that would trump such a warranty especially when factoring in our problematic head gaskets.

bigt

are you talking jdm diesel engine?

82yota

You wouldn't be able to get a JDM diesel for that price. I got mine for $3700. But it was worth it. 30mpg is nice.

RobD

Having done the 3.4 swap myself, and from watching your thread on the rebuild process, it would seem that you would have little problem doing the 3.4 swap yourself. The conversion kit is NOT necessary, but it's nice and convenient. I did the majority of the work myself, with some help from my brother and his neighbor. If you're doing a frame-off, the installation would be that much easier.

I got my 3.4 for $2000 with everything, including A/C, power steering pump, and alternator. I put $1000 into custom exhaust, but I discount a big chunk of that, since it was necessary anyhow. Another $500 or so in other parts and tools to complete the job. I ended up getting $300 for my 3.0.

If you're contemplating a 3.4, it is the way to go. I have better power and fuel economy. The truck is more fun to drive. If you have any questions about the swap, feel free to ask.

tc

3.4's are out there for $800 or even less. I have one.

The other stuff can be had cheap, even free. I have done it.

You can easily do the swap for $3000 if you shop around, especially if your 3.0 is in saleable condition.

But you have your mind made up, more power, better gas mileage, more room in the engine bay, and more aftermarket support be damned.

mt_goat

Ask Mama what she thinks of reman engines:
https://www.yotatech.com/50762405-post26.html

She got about 7,000 miles out of one before it blew,

Cyberman

Well, no offense to Mama, or anyone else, but even Orient's website would stop me from going with them.

I don't need anyone to scare me about an engine blowing up. I am aware that ANY engine I get could blow up 2 days (or even 2 hours) after I put it in. It could happen with a re-man with 0 mi., a JDM with 60k, or a 3.4 with 141k. I'm pretty certain that the lower the mileage, the lower the risk.

You guys need to understand that I come from owning a long list of Fords. My expectations are low when it comes to reliability. I'm sure the Toyota will be a big surprise.

mt_goat

You were asking for opinions weren't you? Good luck, unsubscribed.

Cyberman

First of all, I said I did not mean to offend anyone with my comment.

I was asking for opinions, but your post didn't have one. You gave me one example of someone who had a bad engine. Those stories are all over this forum. Engines die all the time. I've got a dead one sitting in my garage already. I've seen first hand what a blown 3.0 looks like. But, that blown 3.0 ran for 16 years prior and gave someone the satisfaction of 145,000 miles.

I need an engine, and from what I gather I've only got 3 choices, new, used or rebuilt. New is out of the question. So that leaves the other two choices.

If someone wants to talk about the 3.4 swap, then let's get into it. What mileage was on your engine when you did the swap? Did you rebuild any of it, or just stick it in?

Goat, I've read your thread on the swap, and I'm not alone in appreciating what you have documented. I'm just getting frustrated at all the time I've been spending try to research and figure out which way to go. I'm on a budget, I've got other things in life that require money. Every direction I turn, I get negative information.

I just don't want to buy another headache. If my truck had a running engine, it could sell for $4k. I like this truck, but I'm not planning to put more money into it than it's worth.

Please don't read into this post to hard. I'm just completely frustrated.

just a 22re

heres my .02 cents buddy i say if your doing a frame up like me keep it usa stock that means what it has now keep it get the reman V6 and put that in you dont need a crapy 3.4 or as i call them 3.4slow think about it if it takes boost to move its junk (i have a 22re) and mine is nice and powerfull ask my buddys in cali and as far as what eveyones telling you man its your rig you can paint her hot pink if you like its up to you but i say stay usa stock no JDM crap (i had nothing but crapy luck with them) hope it helps my rant over!

Cyberman

Thought my post above didn't go, but it did

MonsterMaxx

The 3.4 swap 'averages' around $5k. IMHO even if this is $5k MORE than fixing your 3VZE it's money well spent.

Don't spend a penny on the 3VZE, do the swap and never look back.

rootedtree

Well, for what it's worth......
My 1991 3.0 was made in Japan, and has 193,469 original miles. I am the second owner and neither I nor the original owner have ever had any engine or other mechanical problems.
I have several friends with North America-made toyotas and they have plenty of complaints. AFOAF bought an american 'reman' 3.0 and blew a HG in less than 30,000 miles....
....When my Japanese-made 3.0 finally goes (not any time soon, based on how great it still runs), I will certainly go with a JDM with low mileage.

I don't know if it is because of differences in production tollerances between N. America and Japan, but for my money, JDM is the way to go.

thook

Cyberman, it is frustrating. You only have so much money, you want resolve, and you don't want to buy another headache (like who does, right?). But, the 3.0 track record on rebuilds is not very good (comparitively) even with non YT members. The rebuild in my '92 (which was given to my wife and me as a gift) is running very well now, but only after I had to rebuild the top end again myself, spend numerous hours troubleshooting, and replace a number of sensors. That's a long story I won't trouble you with, but everyone is being discouraging only because it's true.....the 3.0 can be a major disappointment for your returns on it. No one wants to see you go through it, so no one is likely to suggest you buy one. All anyone can say if you chose a rebuilt, remanned, or salvaged 3.0 is "good luck". You're taking a chance (as you obviously know) with any motor, but the 3.4 or even a 22re is a lot less likely to be a waste of time and money. They just seem to stay fixed when you fix them.
You could get a 3.0, get it running, and sell it to buy something else. Or, stick with it an hope you don't have any problems. So far, my vehicle is working and I'm glad to not be working on it anymore for now. But, if it ever goes south, I'm seriously considering the swanky "swap" myself.....because! I'm tired of the headaches for the return and a 3.4 just seems more of a reliable motor....even when rebuilt. For what I've spent buying the present rebuild and doing all the additional work I've done, I could have a 3.4 in it now.....and be getting better than 16mpg.

But, but, but!.... I'm not going to suggest a 3.4 swap to you. I suggest you buy a rebuilt/reman, sell it....get your $4k, and if you don't need a big motor with bigger power, get yourself a 5spd 22re 4x4. They're so much easier to work on and cost less to fix when they break.....if they break. I really like my '86. I've not averaged my present mpg's with my recent rebuild (done myself), but I'm anticipating atleast 20mpg....on average.

CoedNaked

3vze's track records are poor if you use a bunch of hacker parts and don't build it right. You could say the same thing for any rebuild, realy. If you have the right parts machined, and you use OEM parts and do it right, you can get your 3vze rebuild to go as long as a new engine in a lot of places. My uncle rebuilt his 3vze at 188,000 miles (he USES his truck in the bush A LOT). He now has 125,000 miles on the rebuild and it was done at a reputable Toyota dealership for about $5000.

No one who does the 3.4 swap will disclose the entire costs because they are a lot more than they are willing to admit (factor in shipping costs, price of specific tools, running to the store, how much money it costs them checking out junk yards, all the little anecdotal type of costs that go along with getting the parts, and doing the swap). Truthfully, no one does a 3.4 swap unless they really like their rig and want to keep it. And the truth is the 3.4 swap isn't THAT much better than a 3vze. Yes, it is more torquey, and it accelerates better, and breathes better, but my opinion is that it's not that enough of an improvement that I myself feel it is neccessary to explore a swap option. Some will disagree as they have, but generally speaking guys who have done the swap already are insanely biased towards the swap becuase they've already stepped over the line and no one wants to admit they were wrong or that it wasn't that big of an improvement. Most of the tech's at the dealershiop a family member of mine works at say the 3.4 is also a slug. Yes, I will get several responses telling me how wrong I apparently am. But then everytime I get those responses I go and confirm my origional feelngs by driving my brothers 96 4runner 5 speed with the 3.4 and it doesn't cause me to yearn for one that bad. Not bad enough to warrant the headache of a swap.

NOW, however, YOU are in a fairly unique situation because you are down to the frame, so your options are very open. So I don't blame guys for making an engine swap suggestion. Even if you stick another 3vze in there you still have A LOT of work ahead of you getting all the wiring and all the components back in place. So all the best there.

Cyberman

Thank you CoedNaked, and thook. Matthew has been very helpful since the day I stepped into this forum. For me, it's not about power. I've got a 2006 GTI as my DD, so I don't need it for speed. I'm not out for crawling rocks or wheeling it in the mud. Getting through the winter and hauling firewood may very well be the biggest job this truck will see. However, a 4x4 truck should look and act like a 4x4 truck. It should be able to do things that you don't expect on a daily basis.

Anyway, Im rambling. Apparently, I've been a puss the past couple of days, and should just dive into this swap. I was getting discouraged just thinking about what could be wrong with this motor with 141k on it, and the additional costs. I do have a lot to put back together as it is. I was trying to avoid tearing yet another engine apart, then put it back together.

I agree, there are a lot of talented people on here doing the swap and getting through. I know the pain they have felt during the swap, I've felt it too, having performed a conversion from automatic to manual. And Coed, you hit the nail on the head. The technical information on the swap is there, but "every rose has its thorn". I just don't here where anyone got pricked.

Time to read all the swap stories again...

Noltz

I'm running the original 3VE to this chassis, with 480,000km on the clock. That's just shy of 300,000 miles. It's no rocketship, but it'll get out of its own way even with 35's on stock axles.

If you don't need more HP, and are looking for the least expensive way out of your delima, I would say find a 3VE in reasonable shape that's JAPAN BUILT and slap it in. I have more confidence in a 150,000 mile JDM 3VE than a NA rebuilt 3.0 or 3.4. If it was gonna blow up, it would have already.