Proper care and maintenance goes a long way. My 3.0 Had 205k when I sold it and as far as I could tell, it had never been apart. Ran perfect, no issues. Not even any leaks. PrevIous owner was very meticulous. I still dislike the 3.0 and will never personally own one. I bought mine specifically for the 3.4 Swap and drove it for 6 months with the 3.0

 

I got this truck almost 3 years ago and have mainly driven it during the winter. I usually drive my car during the summer, so in those ~3 years~ I have 'only' put about 22,000 miles on the truck. It had around 123,000 on it when I purchased it. I have always kept the oil changed/etc since ownership and have never beat the truck (which is kinda hard to do anyways with the power it makes even when running normal). I have never gotten more than 17 mpg best and average right around 15 mpg
Everyone has their favorite and I realize all makes/models have their own issues but I can personally say this truck has never really impressed me other than the fact that it is 4WD and weighs little more than a mid size car.

I have never really been familiar with Toyota, but it has always ~seemed~ that people state how they run "forever" etc and I was curious as to what model they were talking about. IMO, the 3.0 doesn't fit that description. What about the 22RE pickups of this same generation? Are they more desirerable/reliable? (just curious)
I have read on this forum several times about head gaskets also being a problem on the 22R/RE (I actually owned a vintage Celica way back in the day that ended up sharing the head gasket demise).
Does the 3.4 fair any better? Does it actually get out of it's own way and allow you to drive by a gas station every once in a while? Are head gaskets/valve adjustment a constant requirement to get to what in today's world isn't out of the ordinary of 180,000-200,000 miles without having to tear the motor apart multiple times? I'm convinced that it is rare for a 3.0 to get over 80,000-120,000 without eating a set of head gaskets. Maybe it happens, but most share a different fate.

I'm not sure what I will do with this truck yet. I plan to simply hook an air hose up to the bad cylinders and look/listen for starters.

If I end up in the market for another winter beater, I wonder if the slightly newer Toyota trucks may impress me a little more than this one.

Thanks for the participation. I wish now it was ~just~ an injector or spark issue.

 

No engine will run forever without proper maintenance. Valve adjustment is required maintenance on every vehicle that doesn't use hydraulic lifters.
I'm sure a few die-hards will disagree, but I believe the 3vz is the worst engine Toyota has produced in the modern era. Its gutless, inefficient and prone to many different failures. I would have a sour taste in my mouth as well if my first Yota was one of those. The 22re is much better, but at a minimum of 18 years old, most will likely need at least some repairs. The 3.4 is the shiz, it does get a little better fuel economy than the 3.0(about the same as a 22re) and it has more power. It's also more reliable. It does have some issues(as do all engines), and it still needs valve adjustments, but overall, it's a much better design

 

I like hydraulic lifters and engines that use them

I believe I can rule out the head gasket for now anyways. I did a leak down test quickly in the driveway before it got darker out (I built my own leak down tester with stuff I had laying around and what I scronged from work).
I didn't see any bubbles in the radiator on any of the cylinders I checked (1, 3, & 5) and I don't think it is my intake valves since I didn't hear any air through the throttle body on any of those cylinders. I also don't believe it to be rings since no air noise was heard through the oil cap/dipstick. I could however here air listening to the tail pipe. It appears my issue is with one or more of the exhaust valves. I understand how to do the leak down test and realize that you have to have each cyl at TDC on the compression stroke (which I am sure I was at when checking cyl #1) but can't be sure I was there on the other 2 cyl I checked today. Cylinder #1 is showing about a 93% leak as did #3 & #5 but I doubt I had the piston/cam in the exact positions they needed to be on those 2 cylinders. I will try again to get each additional cyl at a true TDC and try again to see if either of those 2 cylinders come up with better results.

 

The 3vze may be the worst engine toyota ever made. but you know what, that says a lot about toyota, because the 3.0 for the most part is s dead reliable good running engine. how about the gm quad4 motor, or northstar, the new ford powerstrokes, or pretty much any chrysler motor. in comparison, the 3vze is ˟˟˟˟ing awesome.

 

Not uncommon for those exhaust valves to burn. Sometimes adjusting the valves will help. Won't fix it, but may get you by until you buy a Taco or 4runner with a 3.4!

Good Point!!! HAHA! Although I have to disagree about that last one. I have a dodge 5.7 and it has really surprised me!

 

Going to start researching exactly how much it will cost to either repair or replace passenger side head (or both while I'm at it= +$250 minimum).
I have always been dreading this engine mainly because of the head gaskets and wondering when/if they would fail. If I replaced both heads/gaskets and finally corrected the pass. side 'valve cover' seals, I believe I would have a little money invested but it would still be benificial if I didn't have to take on a vehicle payment right now.
Hopefully I'm not blown away by the total after a little calculation.....
If anyone reading this can offer a ball park figure for what they had invested (in a recent repair such as this) PLEASE feel free to chime in.
Curious as to what gaskets to seek or avoid as well.
TIA


EDIT: FWIW, I checked the timing belt/cam 1 & 2 orientation and they were right on the marks.

 

Call some reputable machine shops. Out here, several shops stock rebuilt heads for those. I would guess, if doing the work yourself, you could keep it under $1k for 2 rebuilt heads. That would also depend on what else you replace, like tbelt, water pump, etc..I only use factory gaskets. A good source for water pump and tbelt is rockauto.com, dirt cheap to buy the Aisin brand kit(Same supplier Toyota uses).

 

I came up with about $500 total with a complete Fel-Pro "perma-dry" gasket set. I doubt I will have this truck long enough to put another 25,000 miles on it so really I could probably get away with any of the cheaper gaskets but I have alot of faith in fel-pro. I don't have much faith in Toyota's factory head gaskets considering they seem to fail as it is (unless of course they made improvements to the gaskets that caused failures from the factory when built/new). I found reconditioned heads for $295 each/complete with cam/etc online and would probably just replace the passenger side one to get me by.
I'd hate to spend any amount of money before seeing what the pistons/cylinders looks like first. I used a scope to take a peek, but I still would like to veiw 1, 3, & 5 with my eyes once the head is removed and then decide if I want to order any parts. Hopefully my car will be back on the road by then and I can take the time to dismantle the toyota without fear of being stuck without a vehicle. I already have a new Gates timing belt I never installed because I didn't want to remove the lower belt cover/balancer/etc last summer when I thought the water pump had failed. Turned out the radiator was almost completely clogged from stop leak the previous owner must have been dumping in before replacing the head gaskets. I noticed the gaskets were new(er) when I had everything off the front of the motor checking the waterpump.
Hopefully it makes it another week just to get by before ~hopefully~ my car is repaired/back serving as my daily driver.

 

If you really want to cheap out, go buy some valve grinding compound, lap the exhaust valves, adjust the valve clearances and drive it like you stole it! Might last 6 months, might last a few years. And Toyota did change the gaskets over the years.