Gentlemen,I have a 4/95 prod date 4runner w/3.0 V6. It's loaded with all the factory options. I bought it for my son 3-4 years ago for $4,500.00. It had a rebuild crate motor with less that 2,000 miles on it. Well it had a valve cover leak and some other leaks and my son never checked the oil in it and it needs new crank (don't think it can be turned-it had 25 th's over brgs in it, along with the usual crank and rod brgs. Top end looked and sounded fine. I have no desire to rebuild the bottom half. The motor prob has 12,000 miles on it now, maybe. Is the truck worth rebuilding the engine to sell it or should I sell it as is. If I could get $1,000.00 for it as it sits in my driveway, I would be happy. It's been there for a year and a half now. Will I really get that great of a return on my money if I rebuild it. I just want to give it a happy home. What's the truck worth as is with a bad motor. Any suggestions.

 

DKSDonnie -

In my personal opinion, you're in a bad spot. I don't think it ever makes sense to rebuild a motor in order to sell it. If your 4runner was worth $4.5K 4 years ago with a 2,000 mile motor, what would it be worth today with NO problems? $1.5k? $2k? It's almost sure to cost you more than that to rebuild the engine, particularly if you pay someone else to do it.

Rebuilding a vehicle you plan to keep (because you love it) is a different story. You do the work yourself because you like doing it. You'll put up with a little negative return-on-investment because you'll have the truck just the way you like it in the end.

How about selling it as is? I would never spend $1,000, or even $400, on a 17-yr old truck with a bad crank. No matter how many options it had. You THINK it only needs a new crank, but it leaked like a sieve before that. And the crank was wrecked by complete oil starvation. Your purchaser might get lucky, but she could find the block, too, is trashed. She could put in a crate motor, but its just as hard for her to justify it as it would be for you. More importantly, if your son ran the motor out of oil, what will your purchaser think he did to the transmission? And the front end? (You get the picture.)

This is only my opinion. Others on this list will reassure you that it is easy to rebuild, or that you'll love it with a 3.4 swap. And for them it is absolutely true. But if you just want to get rid of it, I'm afraid the numbers don't work in your favor.

Sorry.

 

I was pretty much thinking the same thing. Damned if I do and damned if I don't. I told my son that a couple quarts of oil was alot cheaper than a rebuilt motor. I have a friend that's a body shop manager here in Maryland and checked around for a used motor. Two diff business's, 1 in Md. and 1 in Virginia wanted 2k and 2.1K respectively for a used motor both with over 100k in miles. I asked him if they were on crack! I'm 46 yrs old and the days of rebuilding engines for me is over. I did that crap for years when I was racing cars when I was young. I'm done. I'm a MOPAR Lover! If I decide to pull this motor you will hear me cussing all the way to San Fran! Thanks for the help!