are my fears legitimate or unfounded?

my 93 3.0 has about 135k on it and has never had a full rebuild. the recall HG replacement was done about 50k ago and it recently blew. after spending hours reading threads on this board I am 99% convinced to replace the HG myself but I'm worried that if I tighten up the top end that the lower end on this motor is likely to give way (ie blown rings). i see no evidence of bad rings right now but you never know, right?

I guess I'll know more if I tear the motor apart and see that it needs valve work but assuming that it does, does our beloved 3.0 bottom half tend to hang in there when the top half is redone?

 

135K and you're experiencing these problems. I'm shocked.

Its doable. Just put together a good plan and use TTY bolts.

 

i'm fully aware that anything can break at any time, i'd just like to know if the 3.0 is susceptible to bottom end issues that would follow a redone top end.

knowmsayin?

 

The 3.0 has a very stout bottom end. Unless yours was run low on oil for a long time you should be fine. I replaced the head gaskets and all the seals in the top end on my 95 3.0 at 156k miles and now I'm at 161k and no problems. My car never ran hot and no machining was necessary. My rings were a little worn but should be good to at least 200k or more. If you were planning to put a brand new head on it it may cause compression problems with the bottom end but it's not likely with only 130k miles like you have.

 

good to hear, thanks. my rear main seal is a little drippy so hopefully worst case is that seal leaks more and i have to change out the drip pan a little more frequently.

 

I had a similar issue with a v8 Dodge engine. After the heads were done it started using oil due to the compression difference. Not sure how this compares to the Toyota, just my 2 cents.

T

 

my 3.slow has 216k miles on it. From what I've seen, this bottom end is toyota norm. Good for many, many miles. Its the top end they fluffed on. Like pruney81 said, as long as it had oil their shouldn't be a prob with just changing the HG.

my .02