Ok, so I made a leap of faith and picked up a mint Arizona, Manual 94 4runner without a spec of rust and only 145000 miles. The seller mentioned that it just had a blown head gasket and I stupidly took his word. When I got underneath the car today and tried to turn the engine over by hand I found out it is seized. This isn't too big of a deal, as I only paid $800 and think I still got a decent deal. My question is, is it worth it to tear the engine down and see if it is salvageable or should I just swap it to the 3.4. I've never done a swap and am on a budget, but have a good set of tools and mechanical knowledge. If I were to do the swap, where is the best place to find an engine or donor vehicle in utah?

 

I would think that rebuilding a seized motor would be approaching swap territory anyway, right? If it were me I would probably fork the coin over for a rebuilt 3.4, but my plan would be to keep the truck for a long, long time.

 

It's in great shape with low miles. Buy a remanufactured engine and it will be almost like new.

I'd also change the transmission and differential fluids, as well as a good flushing of the radiator and heater cores while the engine is out. Flush the brake fluid as well.

 

Thanks for the input. I have decided to do the 3.4 swap and am currently tracking down an engine! Wish me luck! And yes, I do plan to keep this for a long time. Love these things!

 

[QUOTE=j The seller mentioned that it just had a blown head gasket and I stupidly took his word. When I got underneath the car today and tried to turn the engine over by hand I found out it is seized.
[/QUOTE]
Hi:
Don't overlook the possibility that the blown head gasket could have hydrolocked a couple of cylinders and that is the reason you can't bar the engine over.
Take out the spark plugs and try again. It may not be as bad as you think.
Art

 

Good luck, have fun!

 

Looks like you made your choice but if you needed more support for the 3.4, do it. You will have 0 regrets when it’s all said and done. If you have questions or need parts toyonlyswaps is a really good resource, especially when it comes to a wiring harness. I needed to keep mine smog legal so I went with their diy swap and it was well worth it if only to have someone build the wiring harness so everything works like factory.

swap itself is straightforward but I would recommend hitting maintenance items in the 3.4 while it’s out of the truck and on a stand easy to work on.

otherwise good luck!

 

Congratulations on your purchase. This is a very cool car. So I think it's better to change the engine. Especially if you have the skillful hands of a mechanic. You can also Toyota 4Runner Performance Upgrades has also influenced my own experience with engines. This is very useful information. I wish you success in improving your car.