Hey all, just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Chuck McQuien, I live just outside of Austin. I have a small Macintosh business here, but do Mac repair work from all over the world.
I currenty have a creampuff 1990 2 door V6 4runner (117k), and also a 110k mile 1975 Mercedes 240d (gonna be for sale real soon).
Anyway, I have had the 4runner for about a year. It's been a great truck and I get a ton of positive comments. I haven't had to do much to it until recently.
About a month ago I started hearing a really strange clackety noise coming out of the topside of the engine and it started missing. Sooo, tore it down (comp. test first) and what do I find? A damn bolt wedged into the #1 exhaust valve (holding it open) and 3 pistons and the heads banged to hell. Aye, aye, aye !! Perfectly good engine, damn. I guess that bolt was inside the manifold for some time bouncing from cylinder to cylinder..
So, I googled till I found ya'll. After a ton of reading and research, I am about to toss in a 3.4 V6. As it stands right now I am on the lookout for a low mileage used one. (BTW, ORS now say's the 3.4 will bolt right up to my auto tranny, also cheaper kit..) Great news for me, saves a ton of work and money.
I did find a Supercharged 3.4 in Ft. Worth, but I am kinda leery of buying a used "blown" engine, so I dunno...
Any advice would be much appreciated, and I'm sure I will have a bunch of questions. This forum/site has helped a whole lot already.
So, hope ya'll don't mind another Texan in your lives, we're not all morons ya know ?

Chuck

 

Welcome!

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaha!

 

Hey Osamayomama,

It's : YEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAW !!!

 

Good luck on the swap and welcome to Yotatech!! You should pick up the supercharged 3.4, then just tear it down and do a rebuild

 

Pardon my French

 

Oh, that explains everything... Your French Canadian....



Chuck

 

 

A 2 door 2nd gen huh?? Don't see many of those around

 

[QUOTE=OSU4Runner; You should pick up the supercharged 3.4, then just tear it down and do a rebuild[/QUOTE]

Well, being self employed, I'm trying to do it on the cheap. (somewhat)
I was hoping to get one with low enough mileage so that I could get away with just a timing belt and water pump change. At least for a year or so...

Yeah, the 2 doors are kinda rare. I used to work (sales) for Toyota back then.
All import 2 door SUV's had like a $3500 tariff on them in the late 80's early nineties.

Truthfully, if it wasn't a 2 door, I'd throw 3 new pistons in, sell it and buy a 3rd gen.



Chuck

 

lonestarmac, welcome to Y\T, but being a native texan, and as much as i love texas, colorado is God's country. i think he started with texas, and made vast improvements when he made colorado.

 

Welcome Chuck, yeah I'd stay away from a used supercharged engine too (unless it had the URD fuel mods or 7th injector on it from day one). Too many people out there that just slap on the blower and let it run lean at WOT.

 

Colorado is pretty, but it's too damn cold to be God's country.
And ya can't even drink the water there...
(He does like to vacation and snowboard there, though..(1 week at a time max)
Besides the best parts of it used to be in Texas 'till Washington took it away...
(tongue planted firmly in cheek)
And really, God just hangs out in the Hill Country, I hear he won't even go near Houston...
My lil' Sister lives in Boulder, we have this "discussion" all too often.
She tells me I am a liberal, redneck, bigot, Texan, the world's worst nightmare...lol


Chuck

 

cant drink the water? Been drinking it almost my whole life. Straight outta the ground.

As for the motor, I agree with you. A blown motor was likely beat on. I'd be romping the gas constantly if I had a supercharger, and not being real friendly with it. I would get a low mileage motor, just like you said, and do routine maint. on it, and pop it in. Superchargers also require extra stuff to run right, which the PO may or may not have had. If they didn't have it, you'd be looking at a bunch more coin to get it to work right.

 

[QUOTE=AxleIke;50651754]cant drink the water? Been drinking it almost my whole life. Straight outta the ground.

Well, every time I'm up there I get warned not to drink the water.
Surface water, not well water, they say it's all contaminated from mining...
Really, Colorado is very nice. I just have an aversion to the cold...

Chuck

 

Yeah, but thats not really specific to colorado. You aren't supposed to drink stream water anywhere, due to giardia, which is present in just about every water supply around the country. Its one of the reasons why cities use chlorine.

Sounds like you've been drinking stream water all your life. either you're immune, which happens, or you're extremely lucky.

Mining issues aren't really that big of a deal. Unless you are right under a mine, as in, literally standing on it or a few hundred yards from it, you're fine. Giardia is the only reason I don't drink from streams around here.

 

Yeah, I drink the water here, most all the streams and rivers here in the hill country are bubbling up from vast aquifers underground. Basically, most of the Texas substrate is made up of sponge-like limestone, you could not build a better filtration system.I feel pretty safe drinking it.
I don't have city water where I live, I use a rainwater collection system.
The aquifer tastes a whole lot better...


Chuck

 

Welcome to YT Chuck !

 

welcome, welcome

 

we have the artisian (sp) wells in my neck of the woods, great tasting water, until the politicians get involved. now everything has to be filtered, chlorinated... you know, all that stuff thats supposed to 'protect' us.

ugh, why cant they let us kids be kids! swipe a carrot from the neighbours garden, wipe the dirt off and chow down!

lee

 

Yea I never hear about him being here in houston where the crime rate rises evey month but thats why I go to my grand parents house in palstine,tx about 30miles from tyler.