sdsurfer

I purchased my third gen off craigslist. it has been great but water pump leaking and valve covers are leaking. almost 300k.

The steelership wants nearly 1k for repairs. eff that i can find and did a 3.4 v-6 from a surfer in ob for 1000 bucks with 90k miles.

is a motor swap difficult? i have a garage, some tools. one day to remove? one day to reinstall. back to work mon AM? is this possible with proper tools engine lift etc...

3rd gen limited 4x4 V-6

thanks in advance. I have brothers truck so I am doing this day by day.

Ron Helmuth

Is a motor swap difficult? Well I have not done one-so if you have someone around who has, then it will sure go a lot easier I would guess.

Be sure that your new motor is an exact match for your old one-for example I believe in 98 the intake changes slightly and I bet there are others out there who can think of other model year changes between the ranges of your original 96 motor and a 2002 motor.

Similarly be sure the tranny mount up is not going to be affected. Even with only 80K miles on the new one-it would likely be a wise idea to do the rear main seal and some other preventative maintenance.

Just my .02 -I am no mechanic and not pretending to be. Would love to help out and see how that goes.

Swimmerboy2112

iTrader: (2)

You will NEVER get it done that fast.

Even with a proper mechanic a weekend for a swap is just about unheard of.

You said you have "some tools" what do they consist of? A few craftsman wrenches simply won't cut it.

Sorry if i am coming off as a jerk but don't get yourself in over your head.

scuba

Dang. Mr pessimist over here.

I've never pulled an engine, but I'm confident that if I had another engine ready to go that I could swap them in a weekend. Hell, by the end of the first night I'd probably have the replacement engine in just waiting for wiring and vacuum hookups.


On another note, why swap a good engine if all thats needed is a timing belt/ water pump and valve cover gaskets?

Swimmerboy2112

iTrader: (2)

If you've never swapped an engine before than it's easy to believe that it can be done so easily. I'm not being a pessimist, just being honest.

TylerH

Ive swapped engines in less then 4 hours. But that was a honda. I think with help you could have it done that fast. But i would give it atleast a weekend. Considering from my knoledge nothing goes as planned with toyota's.

sdsurfer

Well why swap? Because i would like to drive my paid off truck for another few to five years. I used to think car payments were good but these days my pinkslip is better.

here is email from friend at dealership. There is other problems with truck, it misses when cold. not plugs or wires changed those about a year ago with factory ones.

good news is i get "employee pricing"

SDSURFER, I left you a message on Monday and Friday on your cell not sure if you got them – I hope your having a great time on your vacation. On your truck we have several things – the water pump is leaking, there was no coolant in radiator on arrival $474.00 / $713.00 the price includes timing belt, drive belts, water pump and seals. The valve cover gaskets are leaking real bad that is the smell $306.00 / $756.00. The cv boots are torn open $350.00 / $800.00. Left rear axle seal leaking $150.00 / $375.00 – the price that is first and the lowest is employee pricing the second customer pricing. Let me know

so. what would you all do. she also says she cant check compreesion unless water pump is fixed.


my thought was have them fix chassis stuff. eff the 300k engine. and put this 2004 tacoma v-6 in it. I just checked again it has 72k on it. I have some tools, I can borrow engine pick. and yeah maybe a weekend is pipe dreams but hey if it is four or five days. wt heck?

also what about tranny? have those been know to go 400 or 500k?

Buck87

I've pulled a half dozen engines and I think that swimmerboy is being realistic. Changing motors is a great learning experience, but it should be done with patience and love. I have never done it without a back-up vehicle unless it was an engine that I had r & rd before. What are you going to drive back and forth to the auto parts store?

sdsurfer

my girl has a new toyota. or i can cruise my razor down the sidewalk. lol JK

nah she is cool for a week or so.

are 3.4s the same? i mean, it feels pretty week when I drive is the 2004 tacoma motor a better engine? I hope to get fuel injection and intakes with it but unsure now.

after the tundra brake upgrade and acura seats, i want to keep my Runner!

I when thinking of getting anything else...

sebastianholmes

I swapped my 22re in 2 days. and they were after school days, not full days. given it was the second time so i knew what i was getting into. i say with 2 days sunup to sundown stopping for short breaks every few hours you could do it easily. youll want tons of sockets, like 2 in every size imaginable, a breaker bar, good ratchets, wrenches, and as many feet of extensions as you can possible get. then youll need a lift or hoist. and an extra set of hands is the BEST thing you can have, especially experienced ones. good luck on this.

TylerH

Unless your orignal engine is tired i wouldnt think about swapping. Maybe have a shop do the water pump then check comp. Its kinda a shot in the dark thou.

snobdds

I've swapped out a 22RE over the course of a Friday night, Saturday all day, and most of a Sunday before. They were full days with little to no breaks. Then once you have it running, you have to break it in properly and that takes time. To do it right, it takes time and there is always hang-ups. I would plan for a week to get everything done and working properly.

Buck87

The original motor has 300K mi.

sdsurfer

yeah the original motor has 292000 however I think the owner before me, had a tran vin autoshop rebuild the heads? but yeah same tranny and motor.

it does run rough at startups, gas guage doesnt work. (light does) rear hatch barely stays up etc.

and at close to 300k, do I have much life left anyways?

I can add water weekly, and if my motor dies I have AAA to call for a tow.

i ok'ed them to do axel seal. left side this time. CV boots and repack grease. I bought the powersteering pump off ebay 60 bux (old one was NOISY AS HECK!) they charged 3 hrs labor for that PSP swap.

So i will test my 4runner and drive her up to norther california in a couple weeks and I will keep you all posted. They are also going to detail truck, inside and out! will post pics when I pick her up.

840 bucks later with no engine work.

thanks all!

this is my 3rd 3rd gen 4runner and I love it!

Nelsonmd

It sounds like you are investing enough into it that you want to keep it and give it more life.

Not sure this is for you, but it sounds like a good candidate to find a salvage vehicle at auction, and replace the motor, tranny, and anything else. I suppose that carries it's own risk, but you should be able to get a lower mileage engine and tranny for as cheap as possible, and you will have all the other parts you would need, and can part out anything you don't. If I didn't live in an apartment, I would totally do that.

trx125

I would hope if I can rebuild and install one in a weekend, that he is realistic in swapping one out in a weekend. Drain coolant, remove radiator, unhook vacuum lines, remove wiring, unbolt the drive shaft, shift linkage, tranny and motor mounts and yank it out! Install in reverse order.

danimal92sport

The amount of time it takes depends on the skills of the mechanic, and the tools available. Given your description of your knowledge and your tools; it's going to take you a lot longer than 2 days. I'm not trying to insult you, I can just say this from experience. When I was in high school and my friend and I had "a few tools" and little knowledge, it took us something like 6 days to swap a 4 cylinder in a Chevy S-10! Once I gained some knowledge and worked at a shop with a full set of tools, 2 8-hour days would have been enough time.

-Dan

rockota

if a 3.4 can't be swapped in a full weekend, something is terribly wrong.

christophe

I dont see why you cant swap it out in a weekend if you plan ahead accordingly and have everything that you need. Make sure to keep good notes and label all bolts, sensors, etc. as you go. Your biggest obstacle will be getting the engine to line up with the transmission properly. Since you have never done something like this before though, i would make sure you have at least 4 days. Take your time.

sebastianholmes

on powerblock today 6 guys swapped a v8 and installed stand alone efi into (cant remember what it was) some car in 32 minutes. they pulled the front clip yanked the motor and dropped in the new one. thats 3 man hours. given theyre pro mechanics lol, but it can be done. its all in the prep.