hello all

some time ago i picked up a '94 toyota pickup, 3vze with an R150F but with a bad head gasket.

the truck has high mileage (250+) but the PO said engine had been recently rebuilt (seemed like an honest guy) and the body is in good shape for indiana. i was going to keep it as a work truck but things have changed and it's gotta go.

now, i don't know much about the 3vze and have never done a head gasket one one. do i put in the work and get it running again so it will sell for more or put it up for sale as is?

i had a bad experience rebuilding a 22RE a few years ago and i don't want to repeat that... basically, i replaced the head gasket but the motor had the dreaded timing chain wear so i wasted lots of time and cash. i guess what i am asking here is exactly how many gremlins am i looking at if i go for the head gasket replacement? advice on this would be much appreciated

 

I would do a 3.4L swap. I made the mistake of getting a 3.slo for my truck because ithought it was a decent engine. well it costs a lot of money and effort in parts to make it work and its just not worth it.

If its got to go, sell it like it is.

 

yeah, i know, it would be a different story if it was a keeper (but i already have another!).

i'm not afraid of the work and the head gasket kit is not too bad ($250) but i am concerned about running into other unknowns and then being stuck further up the proverbial creek...

thanks for the advice

 

you never know until you open it up I guess. Id say do the HG job.

 

Pretty simple in terms of head gasket replacement. I've done it several times now without any hickups. A lot a folks seem to have trouble when it comes to plugging everything back in and/or where it's supposed to be plugged in. Lots of vacuum hoses, fuel lines, coolant lines, and so forth that need messed with to get the heads off/on. And the removal/installation of the exhaust crossover can be troublesome(many methods to attack that issue...search). But other than that, if you're methodical about it, follow the procedures/specifications in the FSM, and take your time instead of rushing through it so as to minimize the chance of making mistakes, it's not that difficult at all really.

EDIT: Almost forgot, there's a chance you might struggle with the timing belt. As in getting the belt installed with the cam timing marks all lining up perfectly, not uncommon. And/or the engine not wanting to start after putting it back together because of installing the distributor 180° out, also not uncommon. I've never ran into these or any other problems. But I'm not exactly stupid or attention-defficient either, so I tend to not screw up as much when it comes to things requiring a good deal of common sense and careful attention to detail.

 

agreed mud hippy