When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
So, I am not new to the forum, and I am definitely not new to Toyota's. I had a previous username which I no longer use, and so I decided to start over with this one. I had started a build-up on this 4RNR back when I had first got it, but as the fates would have it, I ended up having to tear it apart and rebuild the engine. Which because of the military, ETSing from the military, moving, and starting a new job, and all the finances involved in between it took me a year and a half to get her running again. I am going to rehash what I already posted in my original thread, and then I am going to continue on. I had a mishap with my harddrive and so I lost alot of the engine rebuild pictures from all that time. But I have some of them in random places, so once I compile them I will throw up a big long picture post and talk about the rebuild. I will start from the beginning, and subsequent posts will have more and more updates on how far I have come with it thus far, and of course I will talk about the plans for the future.
First post from original build thread. Posted on 11/07/2014.
Hey everyone,
So it has been awhile since I have been around. And from what I can see alot has changed on the site in that time. From the site changing its layout to well known contributing members leaving and apparently being banned. (don't know what that is about, but it isn't really any of my business either.) But life goes on, I sold my 93' Toyota Pickup Extracab 4x4 V6 AT Frame Up Rebuild, just didn't have any way of taking it with me when I PCS'd to Fort Lewis, Wa in the beginning of 2013. So I have been without a truck since then. Very sad, and very frustrating. Especially because the whole reason I didn't have the availability of moving it, is because of my other project. My 1991 Toyota Supra Turbo. Which is still an unmoving project. Well my finances are finally in order, and life has turned around for me, and so I begin again. Only two days ago I picked up my newest addition to the family.
A 1992 SR5 4x4 V6 Auto 4Runner. This is my first 4Runner. I have, in the past, had several Pickups and a Tacoma. It is pretty much completely stock, which for me, as with most of us, is perfect. I would rather start fresh and build it my own way, than deal with whatever someone else did. I want to build her myself. So, I was able to pick her up from a friend at work for $2500, not a bad deal if you ask me. Considering that the body is in near perfect shape. The interior is very clean, and the engine actually runs...lmao. There is a couple dings in the rear bumper, but I could care less, since I already know I am gonna to get rid of the stock bumpers. There is only a small area on the drivers side that the paint is messed up on.
Here is some of the pics that were sent to me to show her:
That box is actually a complete head gasket and upper end gasket set with new head bolts. The person my buddy got it from said that the headgasket was blown and so bought the kit, but then sold it to my friend. Well he never did anything with it, so it just sat there in the back. I got it with the truck. When my friend picked her up it had a few things that needed fixing, he replaced the windshield. The driver side window/lock controls, and the passenger/rear window controls were also replaced. He also put in a brand new double din stereo with a 7" touchscreen dvd player. Other than that it is exactly how he got it. It currently has almost 208K. So surprisingly low miles for the year.
This is the night before I bought her, I went and saw her for the first time.
It was late and dark so not a whole lot I could show but yeah, there she was, and I was HOOKED! I could not have been more excited, I was so happy to finally be getting another Toy. And something new to me as well. I had been talking to him about getting a 4Runner since the whole family doesn't really fit into the pickup and that's when he decided to sell me his extra. He has a 3rd Gen 4Runner with quite a bit of money in it.
Here they are together on the day I actually picked her up, on 11/05/2014.
Basically he didn't have time to mess with this one, given his other 4Runner, and his two other projects. Once again, so excited. So we finalized the paperwork and I was on my way.
The registration is unfortunately expired so I drove straight home (it was getting dark anyway) I live only 25 minutes from him and it was completely dark by the time I got home.
Here is the second post, that is all I got out. Because after that I failed the emissions test and had to rebuild the engine.
Also from 11/7/2014.
Today I took her in to work, (BAD ME), thankfully I live on post and work only 2 miles from my house. But I brought her in for a little closer look.
I think this is like a vacuum cord or something...
It is a ground from the negative terminal to the engine...kinda...lmao
That will be going pretty quickly. Well, I got under her and checked everything out, and pretty much everything looks solid, normal exhaust rust, but not rusted through. Also...and this is very important!
There is absolutely no rust on the body...not that I could find anyway. Under the running boards, behind the bumpers, or in the kick panels, Nothing!
That is probably just as exciting as getting her. LMAO...
So it looked good, other than the massive amount of oil that seems to have leaked all down the bottom of it. I am fairly certain a seal is blown, however, there is no evidence of a blown headgasket. The oil looks fine, the coolant looks fine, there is no real "loss" of power. I feel like she hesitates and is maybe a little rough and lopes a bit. But no smoke from the engine. Actually the exhaust spits some white smoke when I start her up, but it seems like it is maybe just cold, or the valves seals need to be replaced. So yeah IDK. Maybe I will jut change out the gaskets anyway, just to be safe.
On that note...if anyone has any ideas about that...like a "You should check this" or "This is a good sign that the HG is blown" that would be great, I am only nervous and possibly paranoid because of the fact that a whole gasket set was purchased for it. And of course what happened with me and the supra makes me super nervous about this. But yeah, Thanks guys.
I will post more as it comes, and start discussing the future of my new baby. Also, I have to come up with a name still. I always name them.
The very next day I failed emissions. So I started testing stuff and found that 4 cylinders were leaking compression...badly. So I made the decision to rebuild the engine. It was a hell of a lot cheaper than doing a swap. The rebuild kit only cost $300 for the 3VZE, that includes new pistons, rings, and complete master gasket set. While not the ideal thing to do (keeping the 3VZE) for most people. I happen to know the old 3.slo to be a very reliable engine, if you fix Toyota's mistakes. First you have to fix the headgasket torque problem, but more importantly...you HAVE to fix the exhaust problem. The exhaust on the 3VZE is the real engine killer. It gives WAY too much back pressure and burns the valves. It doesn't allow the engine to exhale correctly and so it just stuffs it up and blows. No, it isn't a power house. Yes, it is a slow engine. But, it has tons of torque on hand and will reliably last you just like any other Toyota engine, if you take care of it. Probably the other important downfall to this setup is the Automatic Transmission. That A340H is known for it's ability to just sap your power...so that is definitely in the works for a swap out. 5-Speed for the win. Well, like I said, I will be posting up here soon with more and more updates on how the rebuild went, and whatever pictures I can find of it. And then move on to current stuff. Thanks for reading through guys.
Man! That's my favorite color of 4Runner. My 90' was the same color, and I have done the exact same thing you're doing. The head gasket is a PITD and the rebuilding of a 3.slo actually makes it a very nice engine. I had hypereutectic pistons in mine and that thing actually was daily torquey after the rebuild. I agree 100% once ou fix the mistakes it's a great engine.
Can't wait to see your progress.
Last edited by BlackStone; May 24, 2016 at 08:43 PM.
So I will talk a bit about the process I went through and then go back and update with pictures when I have the chance...I really just want to get past all that to the present so I can keep you guys up to date with my current stuff...
As I said, I bought the truck, and immediately failed emissions...
Well, here in Washington, only certain counties have to get emissions tests done, and I happen to live in Pierce County, where you do need it. So I immediately went to work to figure out what was causing it to fail emissions. I could have taken it to a certified shop, and as long as I have at least $150 in itemized receipts I could have gotten an exemption...or I could have just gone and signed a statement saying it was parked in a place where it has to be registered and so I have to have tags, and gotten it that way, but one is bypassing the problem and the other is technically illegal to drive afterwards...although still registered...I know plenty of people that have been doing this for years...once again...doesn't make it right, just doable...
However, I am a bit of a perfectionist...about some things...but this definitely fell into that category and so I wanted it done right....
So I found that four of the six cylinders were leaking compression...two of them REALLY badly...it was probably burning oil...but I hadn't driven it enough to know...either way...leaking piston rings = engine rebuild...so I decided to do it right...(well I really really wanted to do it right...)
I also decided to take the opportunity to teach my two younger brothers as much as I could about wrenching, and about basic "Man Stuff" when it comes to automobiles and tools...they did not get alot of that as kids or teenagers, but I was all over it...I started wrenching on my dad's truck when I was like 8...and always helping him out...my brothers did not however, so they know next to nothing about cars, trucks, or tools...
So began the kinda slow process of tearing out the engine, while I could have made the process take little to no time, I was also hurting for funds at the moment and so I was using the time to get money together as well. The military life is not always as financially glamorous as people on the outside think it is, especially if you started young and made lots of young adult financial mistakes. Like I did.
I pulled the motor and started tearing it down, now when I saw this was a lengthy process I mean that getting the motor out of the vehicle was spent over 5 weekends. And then tearing it down was another 4 or 5 weekends. I ordered parts as I went along and had them ready to go, and kept ordering as I found more stuff that was needed. Of course the big problem with doing a job over so much time like this was also keeping everything organized and in place and remembering everything...I took thousands of pictures but as I already stated...most of them are gone...
Which comes to the bigger problem. I started this rebuild project in November of 2014. I didn't get it running again until May of 2016. On top of all that time...I left the Military, got a new job, moved, and went through two other daily drivers, and started school full-time, all of this while supporting my wife and two children. As you can imagine, just the move itself is enough to practically ruin a project that you are in the middle of. Beyond all of that, I am a procrastinator elite.
Finally I got the bug to just get it done and stop wasting time and "Just Do It!" So I did. I spent every moment that I had free working on it. Tearing apart my garage to find all of the parts...which was much harder than normal because I have a 91 Supra project car that has been sitting for three plus years, and two engines and two trannys for that project and all of the associated parts to go along with that...On top of all of the parts that I have collected from other projects and jobs and such... I am also a hoarder elite.
This makes for terrible combinations when trying to fix projects.
Well, after many many trips to Autozone, Napa, ACE hardware, Walmart, my work, and a few other places and many many dollars in replaced parts and hardware...and even more hours of actual work, I got her done.
This is where the bad news comes in...I had decided up front that I was going to do everything right. However...and I am sure plenty of you know the feeling...with a serious lack of funding, time, and motivation...I cut SO MANY corners. To name a few:
• I did zero head work...to include even doing a valve adjustment (I have since remedied this)
• I took risks on certain parts of the process, like measuring the gaps, the play, and the surfaces. (This may come back to bite me in the ass, in fact I kind of expect it to.)
• I decided to use a universal exhaust kit, autozone muffler, and the section of pipe that holds the O2 and build a "custom" exhaust.
• I cleaned the motor and components, but I didn't get them steam cleaned, or tank dipped, or anything of that sort...basically I did everything at home. I didn't take anything to a shop or get any work done by anyone else.
All of these poor decisions during a rebuild process are for the same reason and all had the same thought process behind it...so it makes up for it a little bit. I didn't have the money to do everything correctly...I couldn't afford to take the heads in for a proper job. I couldn't afford the tools to do the valves correctly or once again get the valves done properly. Also, what it really came down to, is that I got the entire rebuild kit: Pistons, rings, bearings, master gasket kit, water pump, oil pump, timing belt kit, plus everything else for the rebuild for under $350. It was a hell of a deal. So with that and the little bit I spent on the other stuff, like distro cap, rotor, plugs, (wires were fairly new) and so on...I just put it together and hoped for the best. What it really came down to was that if something was out of tolerance, I couldn't afford to get it fixed. I couldn't afford to take any of it to a machine shop.
Now, as I said in another post: I am an ASE certified Master Tech, and have almost a decade as a mechanic, and I COMPLETELY understand how bad this is, and how it WILL come back to bite me...I had very little choice at the time. No money means no money...and I wanted a running truck...
So to make up for this poor circumstances I am doing what any of us would do anyway, I am working on gathering the necessary components for an engine swap.
I am no longer in the financial position I was once in, and my life is in a much better place, and so I would like to go from here on out and do everything correctly...I can't even express how badly I am annoyed by what I did...and I know I am gonna get a ton of Flak for it...I expect it, but like I said, No money means no money...
On a better note, as part of the rebuild I got rid of as much crap as I could...for one I got rid of the PAIR and EGR systems...what a complete waste of space. I also got rid of the stupid crossover exhaust that comes standard, what I ended up doing for now, (which I am looking at changing as soon as I find a better solution, or at least fixing what I have) I blocked off the original downpipe port on the drivers side and took the flanges from the crossover pipe and welding on elbows...I then used a universal 2.5 inch exhaust kit and built an exhaust that both come down from the drivers side, into a collector and the through the short piece of pipe that has the O2 and then a CAT straight to a FlowMaster exhaust...it sounds kinda crappy, but breathes much better than stock...also welded up all the ports on the exhaust for PAIR and EGR...Also changed the air filter out for a tube and cone filter...(not final product) As well as I completely got rid of the AC system. The compressor was toast and the condenser leaked and once again, no money, plus I didn't care for the A/C anyway, so I tore all of that out, even gutted the box in the cab...I would like to replace that box with the proper non-A/C tube under the dash, but it is $100 from the dealer...screw that...I will just wait until I find one in the yards, or I can trade someone who wants to swap in A/C...I will be selling the A/C components that are still good, because...they are still good...lmao
I will rehash some of this stuff with there own write up post with all the associated pictures I can gather for them, or retake for some of it...future posts will also have more stuff, and talk more about plans, and how I hope to achieve some of them.
Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this LONG post, and as I said I will be updating with whatever pictures I can get my hands on...but now I can start updating on the current stuff...YAY!
May 23, 2016 | 03:45 PM
