Actually you and I are actually agreeing.

Yes the head design is killing the top end, but it's not because its a 2valve desin, it's because the valves are too small. Remember the LS1? Its a 2valve pushrod that turn 6200rpm, the LS2 is 6500rpm and is a 2valve pushrod, etc. The LZ1 (iirc) was a pushrod LT1 based small block 2valve that was destroked and would relaibly turn 8000rpm!

In oem form, yes the minimal amount of head flow on top end kills it, Im just sticking up for otehr 2valve endines out there...

 

It's not really that bad of an engine as far as reliability... some people have had them go for over a million miles... What I do know though....soon as I find a seller, im moving to a 1UZFE

 

All lies I tell ya....., Well being a little weak I will agree with... but 55mph please, Sammy said it best and my cruise is 78mph, Any higher and the gasgauge needle falls fast but 90+ is not hard.

Im pushing 300k, It had the factory recall about 20k before I got it with 68k I have never done HG.
Besides alot of worn and hardenning rubber parts under the hood and ISRMOD only, I can still tear up the road, As Slowsurf said about the hills to Bigbear, I was the one in the lead passing quite a few people and the 22re manual pickup a couple car lengths behind me.

The survey on here shows that the problem with most HG is it over heated from something else and the heads warp, Next its crappy HG used to fix it.

 

Why is the 3vze so bad to some? It's the absolute worst I have ever worked on. I'm sure they are wonderful if you never have any problems and don't have to work on it yourself. Let's see... The 2 blown head gaskets (3rd in progress), 3 hours spent retrieving the spark plug socket with a coat hanger that dropped between the starter and the block, the special tool required to remove the cam sprockets, the hours of disassembly/reassembly just to check the #5 fuel injector, the $@#$#! exhuast crossover, revoval procedure for balancer (did I mention the difficulty in accessing the !$%#$ starter?), the insane amount of disassembly required to replace the timing belt... I could go on.

Personally the power is just fine for me w/ 5 speed. I do think it's a flawed design as far as cooling at the #5/6 cylinders and the 3200 rpms @ 70mph has got to suck the life out of them. If I could find a 22-re engine and trans at a reasonable price I'd swap the 3vze out without a second thought.

 

hm

I've only had my 3vze for about a year give or take, but with all the bolt-ons, it gets absolute ÅÅÅÅ gas mileage and doesnt accelerate worth a damn, and its loud as all hell (which actually comes in handy, but thats a long and funny story, most of the time it's the type of loud which makes neighbors hate you). It's got k&n intake, long headers, no cat slowmaster 2 1/4" exhaust and a few other fun things. But in all, the bolt-ons amount to jack s**t compared to a stock truck with a manual tranny. The lesson i learned here is automatic sucks for just about everything except drinking coffee while driving. Also, the engine compartment is so crowded i can barely get spark plugs in and out, and it involves knucklebusting. I'm jealous of all the room the tundras have inside the compartment, and also having a v8 in there. power and room to work. if only a better, less obnoxious, less cumbersome engine was in my light truck...

it goes a little, but it's still pretty bad. somehow i managed to get a ticket last week for 77 in a 55. im assuming the cop didnt like all the mud covering my truck. He also decided to nail me for not having a little recon sticker: +$70

 

[flame suite ON]

comeon you guys you think the 3.0's engine bay is crowded? LOL Try working under the hood of ANY 6.0L powerstroke or late model 7.3L. You'd all be crying! Hell changing the OPS sensor on a 6.5LTD will take longer than pulling the plugs on a 3.0. And if you want TONS of fun try digging broken off glow plugs out of the heads of a 6.5...sheesh Ever have a look under a TransAm's or Camaro's hood using the LS1? I dont know how people change the plugs on those damn things....under the hood of those things is 200% tighter than the 3.0's.

Sorry but the 3.0 is NOT that hard to work on IMHO. I can pull all of my plugs in under 5 minutes. Ive done my own timing belt and pulled the cam gears and you dont need the special tool you just need some enginuity and some muslce. (Grade 5 bolts in a 36" long piece of box steel and then a breaker bar - same for the crank gear.) This thread is funny you want to do something thats a PITA try reshimming your own valves. Yes Ive done that too on my truck it is a job that takes FOREVER...

Im currently fixing a blown HG after 275,000 miles of it being driven like it was stolen - redlined EVERY day.

If you get crappy mileage, you could go back to OEM tire size or change out your gear set for those larger tires (and actually calculate milage given the HUGE difference in ground covered) and do a complete system tuneup including attacking the EGR system, and keep your foot OUT of the gas and your truck would thank you. With my 235s I still get 20 mpg doing 70 and that's probably close to 5% underscoring my mileage since OEM size was with 225s. And yes I have the A340H automatic. When I had 225s on there in a 4ply tire, 22-23mpg in my 4500lb 4runner was not uncommon.

and if you are having repeat HG issues somethign is wrong that you havent addressed. You did use new headbolts right?

Secondarily, and way OT, you got a ticket because you were speeding not because you had mud on your truck or that the cop didnt like you.... Ive recieved 5 tickets in 2 stops and I know damn well it was not because the cops didnt like me, it was because they were just doing their job. (That was over 4 years ago incidentally.)

Im not going to argue the power side of this since it is lacking power courtesy of the yamaha heads sitting atop the block. The heads are why bolt ons dont do much....and larger tires will only emphasize the lack of power, particularly if you dont have enough gear to roll the tire.



now lets hope I dont get for riling up a hornet's nest...lol

 

i like my 3.slows

id the A340H isnt worth much more than what you would get scrap for it but stilll... my truck when tuned right.... is great.

 

Bumpin Yota, I'm not going to flame you, but the 3.0 with auto does really suck in the mountains. Even with regearing they are going to suck. Maybe if the highest point in your state is 345ft. it wouldn't be that bad, but hit some mountains and watch the world pass you by. This is from experience with stock tires and with 33's. It has always gotten me where I needed to go and I definately appreciate it, but I do notice that most of the ones with the auto who like it are generally from flatter parts of the country.

 

I don't know if I love my 3.0, but it does pretty well for me. Pushed a SAS and 35's to Moab and back with decent speed. I actually averaged about 16 MPG as well. Even passed a few people on the hill climbs... but got passed a lot more on the longer ones. 5spd and 5.29 gears help a lot.

I think if you get a 3.0, you should probably just be prepared to get in there and replace the headgaskets, HG bolts, timing belt, adjust valves and such right away if you are unsure of previous maintanence. Add headers to slightly increase the HP and reduce the heat buildup which is a negative of the factory crossover.

Those items should result in a reliable powerplant with many miles to come.

And yes, I am planning on doing a 3.4 swap one day... but the 3.0 will have to do until then.

 

slosurfer you may indeed be correct... but my truck has served me very well down here and I like it a lot...engine and all.



btw - my previous post wasnt intended as a flame so if i offended anyone I apologize. I can be as stubborn as hell at times, but I'd still buy anyone on yotatech a beer no matter whats said on here...

 

Which is why the dyno 120whp...
1/3 of 120 is 90. If you wanna use the % scale to show drivetrain loss. 78-80% of 150 is 120. Which is where most descent, modern automatic transmissions fall. They're not 30% anymore.

You blew a piston before the headgasket on a 3vz-e? Then you were running ungodly lean, ungodly to much ignition timing, or let an ungodly amount of carbon buildup/too hot spark plugs in the combustion chamber. Any combination of the above.
Pistons don't magically "burn up" without an underlying reason. You blow a ringland off, or blow a hole through them via detonation.

 

Umm, you can burn a hole in a brand new piston in 1/4 of a mile. Happens all the time.

Best I can determine is some marginal gas at the last stop, truck's working it's poor little azz off pulling that uhaul parachute. It seems the middle two cylinders run a little leaner than the others (by comparing the look of the combustion chamber during teardown.) And the knock sensor had failed.
Lean & too much advance under sustained full load on a hot day.
= hole in #4 piston.
Had the injectors tested, they are fine, so that's not it and I can't find anything else that would cause it. Though it had plenty of other problems too which will be fixed. I suppose I should check the fuel pump too.

No, the HG did not fail...this time.

 

Hello new to the sight but read all the time just let me clear things up a bit my first truck was a 91 V6 short box s spd and I love it drove it for 6 years and sold it with 150,000 miles no problems what so ever I then bought a tundra but it just didn't do anything for me and it was expensive so after 3 years I sold it I then bought a 88 22re I prefer the older stuff and it was a great pickup driving around town was very loud and raspy ran great and had 189,000 miles but was worthless on the highway I had to ring the ever living sh--t out of the thing to keep it at 65 up a hill and I had 30 inch wheels. I sold that because I longed for my old 3.0 v6 well I came across 93 short box 5 spd and snatched it up after driving my 22re for around 2 years all i can say is the 3.0 is a way smoother engine and much quieter I have 32 BFGs and it does just fine I can do 75 up the same hill I took my 88 up but not having to shift with 32 inch tires, even a shift down I could barely hold 65 on the 88. And Im also sick of all this talk about the 3.0 slow don't buy an auto trans. If you bought this motor with a auto trans I don't feel sorry for you at all you must have drove it before you bought it right I have driven a 3.0 4 runner in the auto and it is absolutely the worst experience of my live it was NASTY NASTY slow!!!!! I felt that I run across a intersection before I could get there with that dam thing. And on the same note we bought mamma a 2000 4runner back in 2000 and we drove both the auto and the manual they were both brand new 20 miles a piece and the auto in the 3.4 SLOW is horribly gutless as well compared to the manual. that was the main reason my wife didn't want it the 5 speed just had so much more power than the auto. Toyota only recently got it right with the 4.0 were I have driven the the fj cruiser in both and both felt really good. My point is the 3.0 is not a bad motor in the right combination short box 5 spd it works good, anything else extended cab pickup 5 spd (pushin it), 4 runner with a 5 spd(again pushin it), anything with the auto trans with the 3.0, pickup or 4runner is worthless.

 

^wow first post and it was a good one^ ... Welcome to YotaTech

 

I purposly sourced out a 5spd 4runner with the 3slow for this very reason. God torquey motor, gas milage sucks, power isn't really there

 

They are decent little motors, I just got mine like 3 months ago and had a 22RE for a year before it. The little 4cylinder had a lot of power for being a 2.4litre and the 3.0 obviously has more, not much but enough, and a big difference in torque. If people want big horsepower numbers out of them, then why are you owning a Toyota? Toyota hasnt ever really had a high horsepower application ever besides the supra. Grant it, the new V8s are higher up there but anything before that really wasnt made to have 500RHWP. Ive modded mine and lot and am very dissapointed, as mentioned before they dont do well to mods, I have exhaust done and intake and messed with some other stuff and it still has NO BALLS. Ive always known toyota to be reliable, thats why I own them, I dont need a 100mph vehicle when the speed limits 75, my truck does 75, it doesnt get the best gas mileage but its a SUV so what do you expect. They are reliable motors, they make enough horsepower to move themselves, thats what they were designed for.

 

Well Said.

 

11111111

 

Ive just bought a 88 dlx ext cab 3.0 auto w/ 4" lift and 33" x 12.5's. Gas milage is beyond poor (like less than 10 mpg) and it wont even keep up with itself on the interstate. 75 mph and it slows itself down simply cause the motor dont produce enuff power to keep speed. I had a 91 pickup 22re 5spd and before it jumped time and quit, it would blow the doors off my 3.0. I also feel like I could run across the intersection before my 3.0 truck gets there. Im scared to go off in a field thinking the mud has more resistance than I have torque. Any suggestions on a diagnosis w/o a complete rebuild would be greatly appreciated. BTW I already did spark plugs, ignition coil, dist cap and rotor button. Oil filter, tranny filter.

 

recon/?