Greetings all,

I have acquired a 1988 4Runner in rather good condition, but with the V6 engine has a blown head gasket. Thus, I am contemplating what to do.

I have learnt that Toyota has a repair policy on this type of failure, but I cannot find any information, whether it is still active. The Internet, being what it is, has contradictory information, and when I tried to search Toyota's web site with the keywords like "Special Policy adjustment" and "Special Service Campaign" I received hundreds of items, and narrowing the search with further keywords did not yield anything. Where could I find more official information?

Should this option be unavailable, or maybe even if it is, my main concern is reliability. My intended use is exploring, with apology to Robert Frost, "the roads less travelled by", i.e., fire roads, dirt roads, old mining sites, etc., thus, not any rock crawling, nothing like Black Bear Pass, etc. Consequently, I would prefer to minimize the chance of getting stuck.

From my research so far, the complains against the V6 are: slow, poor mileage, old technology; however, the reliability appears to be mixed, some people not having any issues, other not having issues after the head gasket repair, yet others reporting repeated head gasket issues, and have not been able to find any hard/statistical data. Are any available?

Should none be available, what would be the general consensus - keeping in mind that reliability is the key word - repair the V6 or swap it for another engine? If the latter, what would be the most reliable replacement engine? I do have both the technical and monetary means to do so.

Kindest regards,

M

 

Welcome to Yota Tech.

It is mechanical who can really say.

Like asking if you will hit the Power Ball number if you don`t buy any tickets

You don`t state your mileage . or Condition other then rather good which can be a very big range since the head gasket or gaskets are blown

Pretty hard to take a road test

Remember you can also have quite a few other failures unrelated to the engine.

Being this is a 88 I can only hope this is a project to get you out of the house and your planning at least $10,000.00 in the budget to start

That you live in the Southwest of the USA and so did the 4Runner

If it was me I would look for a much newer 4Runner in the 2000 to 2005 range

 

If I were you I would look into a 3.4 swap. Any way you look at it you are going to have to spend some money. How much you spend depends on the result you want and your ability to do the work. Good luck!

 

3.4 swap is what I would do. If keeping the rig.

But I do the work myself so it wouldn't be stupid money. Buy a lower miles totaled tacoma or 4runner complete and start the swap. Then part the donor rig out to try and recoup your money. And double bonus points if your donor rig has the factory E-locker rear end. Swap that over while your at it and you have a great exploration rig for the road leas traveled.

Edit: When the motor that came in my current runner gave out I only kept a 22re motor because I did not want to pay someone to weld in new motor mount for me. I honestly would do a Tacoma 4 banger swap instead of a rebuilt 22re if I had to do it again.

 

Almost everyone here will say swap the 3VZ-E for the 5VZ-E, and I cannot blame them.

Both engines can be really reliable engines when taken care of. The 3VZ-E is not the toilet that the internet makes it out to be and I see many trucks with the 3VZ-E on the road.

Yes, the 3VZ-E had head gasket issues but the other engine option in your 1988 4Runner, the 22R-E, was not exempt from head gasket issues either.

The 5VZ-E is basically an updated 3VZ-E and had better fuel economy and power.

I am the minority that likes the 3VZ-E.

In your situation, it would really depend on the condition of the engine. If it needs a lot of work, such as a full rebuild, a 5VZ-E swap would be my choice.

If the engine only needs head gaskets and a timing belt service, I would consider keeping the 3VZ-E.

Being that this 4Runner is 30ish years old, reliability is pretty much dependent on how well the 4Runner was taken care of in the past and how diligent you are in keeping up on maintenance and repair.

 

 

i know two guys with 88's that have swapped 3.4's...its a whole new vehicle..power, decent mileage etc

the 88's were the 1st year of the 3VZE, there are some oddball one year only 'features' (more like detriments) that some mechanics are not aware of and lead to problems with trouble shooting.

another vote for 3.4 conversion..if you do it yourself try to get the whole donor truck..saves a lot of hassle rounding up parts.
And if it's an auto, ditch the A340 for a R150 5 speed

the 3RZ 4WD taco engine is also a good swap, but you would need to find a new bell housing for your transmission..the 3.4 is about as close to plug and play as you can get.

 

Greetings gentlemen,

thank you for your replies. Regarding old87yota's remark that it is a 30 year old truck, I am aware of that. I am not too worried about that; over last few years I have assisted my landlord to completely rebuild a drive-train (suspension, transmission, steering) on his 1954 CJ-3A; I have learnt a lot, and I intend to do the same on the Toyota. I am quite mechanically inclined, I can follow a manual, and with my landlord's and my mechanic friend's help, I have no doubt I can do that.

Now, the engine, and to a lesser degree, the electric wiring is a different issue, but for a different reasons. Regarding the latter, I can do the diagnosis, but I cannot fathom what to do if I discover that, e.g., a wire going from a switch at the dash to rear light is broken somewhere in the wiring harness. Now, with the engine, when it quits, I do not even know where to start diagnosing, apart from the obvious - check battery, fuel pump, spark plugs. Thus, I always pick up a phone and call my mechanic friend. ;-(

Hence my agonizing regarding the engine. Also, if we swap the engine, as I am inclined to do based no your answers, and my mechanic friend gets run over by a truck, will a regular shop work on the modified vehicle? Anyway, I will start reading on the swap; however, given the sheer amount of different resources, is there one that is comprehensive and you would recommend to start with?

BTW, the truck is manual, with r150 transmission, and I live in no-smog county in Southern California, but I understand that I still have to go through a referee.

Again, thank you for the help.

Kindest regards,

M

 

Just Curious What do your Land Lord and Mechanic Friend think of this Project ??

 

Hi wyoming9,

my landlord has been encouraging me to get the 4Runner, of his fleet; he is an older cars fan, the youngest car is, I believe, 1975. My mechanic friend leaves the decision to me, though, I suspect he is more inclined to do the swap due the engine being newer technology.

Kindest regards,

M