sorry for being such a newbie, whats "recon/?"

 

I have only had mine for a little over a month now (90 3.0 auto 2WD) It seems to have plenty of power for being a truck, The auto trans in mine was just rebuilt before I got it so hopefully it will last a while. I have added an additional trans cooler to help it do just that. 153,000 miles on her now, I am not sure if it's ever had the HG recall done or not? It runs great though. I do agree that the fuel mileage could be better. I'm averaging about 17.5 - 20 mpg depending on the driving conditions. My previous vehicle had a 300 HP 32 valve 4 cam V-8 & got way better highway mileage but it couldn't haul anything in the bed either! Oh well? I owned a 1986 p/u with the 22R & it was a great truck but was lacking in power, The 3.0 has plenty of power for what it is but the fuel mileage is weak. Being that it's a Toyota, I hope it will go at least 200k. So far I am very happy with it.

This engine is not hard to work on at all compared to my Ford 4.6 liter 4 cam modular motor, Now that engine was packed into a Lincoln mark VIII which was originally designed to have a V-6. That was a tight fit!!!!

One last thing, My friend had a 94 T-100 with the 3.0, the plastic radiator tank cracked & he drove it until it seized up (no lie) Later that day after it had cooled it started right back up & only needed a new radiator. That was a tough engine right there. He also towed a 19 foot boat to the lake every weekend & only sold it because he upgraded to a 21 foot boat with a V-8 engine & a double axle trailer, the little 3.0 just couldn't do it anymore so he got an F150. He still speaks highly of that truck 4 years later.

 

well i've been through 2 and a headgasket in the last three years. first blew 2 cylinders due to lack of top end lube. then a headgasket on that replaced block with only 20k miles. and now the block that i replaced the headgasket on slung a rod!

 

hehehe i love my 3 slow it's 22re stomper and gets better gas mileage too

and proper running 3 slow is good and properly modded 3 slow is better

 

Well, there not bad motors.... ive had two now and there dead reliable...but the power is just crap for such a big motor. And i think its cooler to have a 22re...just makes the truck seem so much more "user" friendly

 

I've owned my 92 runner for two years now, and it's got 145,000 on the 3.0 and auto trans. I also just tuned it up and replaced a lot of fluids and filters and such and it's running beautifully now. I would agree that it feels really underpowered going up long steep hills around 60mph+, and I feel like I need a computer science degree just to work on it, but I've NEVER had it not start up (except once- dead battery from lights left on MY FAULT! lol). I've pulled small trailers (8-10ft ~1000lbs or so) without a problem, and once in 4lo, I haven't found a hill around here I can't climb. It's like my own little mountain goat! I would like to see how an I-6 diesel does though...

 

My 88 yota has been in my family since bought off the showroom floor.. and the 3.0 has been a great motor.. i have 210000 mile and i sunk truck got water in the motor and it has been knocking for 10000 miles i have no issue gettin up and goin.. and my gas milage is around 20.. with 4.10 gears and 31's all that is dont is electric fan and k&n intake.. and if you know what your doin there not hard to work on.. im 17 years old and i can take the 3.0 apart and put it back to gether with my eyes closed.. i absolutely love mine but it dont go good with a auto tranny.. thats why i swaped to the manual r151.

 

Take care of her and she will take care of you.

Make sure your cooling system is in tiptop shape. Overheat it once and you will have problems..

 

Them's words of wisdom; heed them~

 

What is your timing set at? Do you have any codes? It almost sounds like you're gonna have a code 52 stored in there... for knock sensor. 99% of the time it isn't the knock sensor itself that is bad, but rather a 6" harness that costs around $12.00 to buy. The poor things just turn crispy and break inside the insulation because of all the heat under the intake in there. The 3.0 with auto, when running right feels like it will almost get out of its own way. It won't quite, but it will feel like it at least wants to. However, with that code 52, it will pull your timing waaaaaaaaaaaay back and run in limp mode, and won't feel like it's anywhere even remotely close to getting out of its own way. Not to mention run PIG rich, (which could explain your 10 mpg) The part is cheap, and if you've never dug into one of these engines before, I'd plan on the better part of the day. I did mine in about 45 minutes start to finish, though it SHOULD have only taken me 30 seconds to replace it when I already had everything apart. Had to go back in, tear it all back apart to replace that damn harness. Kicking myself the whole way.

While it's still early in your ownership, I'd highly recommend having someone check all of your valve clearances. Spec is only within a few thousandths of an inch, and it really needs to be there. If it is .001" too much or too little, I wouldn't worry about it too much. However, when I rebuilt the heads in mine, all of the (I think) exhaust valves were REAL close to spec, but all of the intake valves were waaaaaaay off. Or the other way around. What happens is you get too much valvelash in there, and the valve slams shut when the cam releases it. Over time, this will beat the valve seat clean out of the head, and you'll have 0 compression cause the valve won't seat anymore.

I wouldn't ever expect miracle gas mileage out of it... These engines just aren't known for it. I only get about 17-18mpg, which is pretty good considering it's an auto, 4wd, 173,000 miles, 4500 lb brick on wheels.

Also don't expect it to idle silky smooth... ever. They just don't do it. They all have a little rough, or lopey kind of idle, no matter what you do to them. It smooths out as soon as you touch the gas pedal, but at the spec 800rpm, they just don't idle pretty.

Good luck.

 

No code 52. It has 25 and 26 I think (o2 rich and lean) although I havent pulled them in a while. The bad thing is the nuts on the o2 are totaly gone and i cant afford to have a new bung put in.(or a new exhaust pipe cause there is a small leak/hole)

 

I've won a drag race against an SRT4 because he didn't have a rear LSD in my 3VZ-E.

 

He wasn't trying.

 

Better mileage.....that's a good one.

Probably didn't know he was being raced. I wouldn't bother racing a 20 second truck if I was in a 14 second car either.

I drove a friend's 93 4x4 3.0 5spd truck for a few hundred miles and IMO, there was no redeeming quality about the engine. It ran clean, but it still used lots of fuel and didn't give much power in return. In the 3VZE trademark fashion, it lost a head gasket earlier this year at 134k. Luckily that was the first time and it got fixed under the recall. The engine is generally "durable" from a wear standpoint if the gaskets hold, but doesn't have much else going for it. Just my opinion.

EDIT: I should add that the my closest comparisons are a '93 Explorer Sport 5spd 4x4 4.0L and a '98 Ranger XLT 3.0 4x4 5spd. The Explorer gets 18-20 mpg and has seen as high as 22+ on long highway trips. It also can actually get out of it's own way. Driving the Ranger felt almost exactly like driving the 3VZE except that it got slightly better economy. That's why it got sold years ago.

 

I used to think the 3.slow was an ok motor. I really didn't have anything bad to say about it.

Then I put a 3.4 in my truck and now I realize just how bad that thing was. I don't miss it at all.

 

The 3.4 may only have 30 more ponies but it sure feels and drives like it's over 50 more ponies. My friend was following my up I-70 just west of Denver in his '95 4Runner and there was no shot of him even staying close to me as I was pulling 75 most of the way up and he was struggling to maintain 60.

 

X2....V8 MPG with 4 cyl power.

 

what's "a little recon sticker"...?

 

In short, it's a safety inspections sticker for lifted/modified trucks. Means "reconstruction". I bet you could find enough info on it via google, if you need one or something.

 

I wish i got better mileage. I get 18 and thats when I take it easy. It'll go 90 on the highway when I bought it with 160k last year, but now that I've been reading about all these HG and cooling issues, I've been taking it easy. It will still go 90 but whats the point? I'd rather get off the trail ok then go fast on the highway. Like the guy said above, it moves me and girlfriend and our camping gear, not trying to win races.