Hey guys i've been on the hunt for a good yota xcab for a month now and every single one a find on craigslist gets bought before I can get to it. Untill recently I saw a perfect one just down the street from me I've noticed it sitting there everyday so I went up and knocked on there door and they said they are willing to sell it. The fact that they aren't trying to get rid of it and I just happend to get a yes makes me feel like nothings wrong with the truck.

Now its a 1993 v6 3.0 manual i'm wondering how good these engines are as i'm new to toyotas? It has 246,000 miles but he said the engine has been replaced and some head gasket work etc.. I haven't test driven it and i'm going to see if he has the actual papers for the work. If he doesn't when I do go and test drive this baby what should I be looking/hearing for? Thanks for any help I am super stoked to get this truck/ semi obsessed.

 

Hey guys i've been on the hunt for a good yota xcab for a month now and every single one a find on craigslist gets bought before I can get to it. Untill recently I saw a perfect one just down the street from me I've noticed it sitting there everyday so I went up and knocked on there door and they said they are willing to sell it. The fact that they aren't trying to get rid of it and I just happend to get a yes makes me feel like nothings wrong with the truck.

Now its a 1993 v6 3.0 manual i'm wondering how good these engines are as i'm new to toyotas? It has 246,000 miles but he said the engine has been replaced and some head gasket work etc.. I haven't test driven it and i'm going to see if he has the actual papers for the work. If he doesn't when I do go and test drive this baby what should I be looking/hearing for? Thanks for any help I am super stoked to get this truck/ semi obsessed.

 

Some people love them, and others hate them. On the one hand, the truck has survived 19 years on the road. On the other hand, it's 19 years old.

On a pickup, I'd look for a 22re. On a 4 Runner, I'd look for a 3vze. The 3vze weak link is the head gaskets, and the 22re timing chain chews holes in the head.

Both engines feel horribly underpowered to anyone used to American full size v8 trucks.

I've got a v6 4Runner with 243k on everything but the engine. It was replaced by the PO after Jiffy Lube sent him on his way without the drain plug installed. It's solid and my DD. 16 to the gallon in town and highway. It is an old truck, though, and old trucks need work, parts and money.

 

I love 94 3.0 4runner, its given a normal amount of trouble for an engine as old as it is and it doesn't exactly have power to spare lol, but it always lights up and gets me there and back which is great for a vehicle that has more than 250k

 

I have a '92 pickup manual v6. Basically the same as you're looking at. I love my truck, and I think the 3VZE is a fine motor, although underpowered for a v6.

When you're looking at the vehicle, hopefully you can take your time and really do a thorough inspection.

-Check all under hood fluid levels (Engine oil, power steering, clutch fluid, brake fluid). Ask about the change intervals for those fluids.

-While the engine is cold, CHECK THE COOLANT! Inquire about coolant history. Coolant should be changed every two years. The coolant will become acidic over time, and this makes it a rust friendly environment inside the engine block & radiator. If your wondering, thats a bad thing. Some folks have had some major problems with rust on this motor, and they mostly seem associated with the "green" prestone coolant. Use toyota red from the dealer, that seems to work 100% of the time.

-Ask about recent Brake service, and check brake pads. If you dont feel like doing this, make this a tune up priority after you buy the truck. Front pads are most important, and cost is like $25 for some cheap pads and theyre easy to install.

-Ask about Brake bleeding intervals also. The fluid should be completely bled out and replaced every two years.

-Same for transmission gear oil, transfer case oil, and differential oils.

-Inquire about the last major tune up. This would mean replacing the distributor cap, rotor, and ignition wires and spark plugs, then idle adjustment and ignition timing. My truck ran funny at 3500-5000 rpms, and then I did a major tune up and now it runs tits.

-When you drive it, listen to the heartbeat. Does it start right up? Any coughs or sputters? Weird noises?


You should be writing down all of the above as you go through them with the owner. Then if theres anything amiss, you should go research the cost to bring it back to spec. That will be bargaining leverage for you in the price negotiation.

Quirky 3VZE things to know:

-These motors had a recall done by Toyota because the head gaskets were failing on a lot of vehicles. You should look up the VIN on the toyota website to check if the service was done. When the head gasket fails, you should either notice white smoke billowing out the exhaust, oil bubbles in your coolant, or coolant bubbles in your oil. Head gaskets are not cheap to replace.

Hope this helps. Explore the links in my signature if you wanna spend a few hours researching. Its easy to get lost...

 

Especially click the first link in my signature. You should do that immediately, haha. Make sure you have 2 hours free...

I was you about two years ago... I started with flushing my coolant. Then I did my brakes, did the major tune up, and now I am doing all my own maintenance.

Baby steps. All the info you're looking for is online. PM me if you are looking for more links, I have a massive collection stored. Most of its in the links in my sig though.

 

Awesome man thanks for this good info Ill be writing all of this down. I think im going to start at 2500$ price offer as that is the KBB and he didn't have a for sale sign on it, im stoked though.

 

That's what I was driving at. The fact that so many 22re and 3vze trucks are still on the road is a testament to the overall reliability.

I think the 3vze is a tough engine to work on - if you don't have the right tools. You need lots of extensions and wobblies to get to most things.

My starter went out a few weeks ago, and it looked like a complete nightmare to remove. It would have been, without 30 inches of extensions.

I've seen few of either type that don't leak a considerable amount of oil (usually pan and/or valve covers), but at the end of the day, neither of these engines has been produced in some 17 years.

You're buying an old truck, and it will have problems.

I am a little jealous if you can find anything for $2500. I live in the sunbelt and have a hard time finding anything used that's 4WD for less than about $5k.

 

I 've had my truck (see signature) since november 2000. I bought it with 92k miles in near perfect condition. I beat it like a redheaded stepchild for 130,000 miles. It blew a head gasket at that time, but only because I overheated it twice due to a bad water pump seal.

I did a complete engine rebuild myself, and it now has 270,000 miles on the clock. I've replaced a lot of parts, because frankly they just wear out over time. It runs like a top. Don't expect to get over 17 miles per gallon ( you might but I doubt it if it's a 4x4). Any vehicle with that many mile and that age will require upkeep & parts replacements.

I would be most concerned about the head gasket job.... who it was done by and was it done right.

 

I went from driving v8s for over 30 years to the 3.0 last month. I actually like it, it's quiet, I don't have an urge to be in the front or passing people - because I can't! - and it gets decent mileage. The more I drive it, the more I like it. And this site is like having a complete library - with pics & videos - at your disposal.

 

i have a 94 ext cab 3vze and i love it. i had driven two 22r's before my 3vze. the power difference is awesome. its reliable decent power and decent mpg's. i would buy it and do some maintenance

 

+1 for 3vz love.

 

Thanks for posting that link. It had a lot of good stuff in it

 

I bought my "93 3VZE 5 years ago at 289,000km. When I bought it the water pump was shot so I dove in to replace it. While it was apart I changed the timing belt and head gaskets. 5 years later at 360,000km it still runs like the day I put it back together, haven't done any work to the motor since. I never found it underpowered for what I was using it for, after all it is a small truck. One thing I really liked with it was the 23mpg I was getting when it had 235/75/15's on it. The only thing I don't like about the 3.0 is working on it, like said before everything is jammed in very tight and hard to get your hands in to work on it. Unfortunately I had to park the old truck because there is nothing left of the body, but I liked it so much I went out and bought another one.

 

Awesome guys yeah I love working on my vehicles and the beamer I used to own was probably no harder than something like this, the truck he is selling looks nice and like I said if i hadnt gone up and asked him he wouldn't of sold it. Ill tell you how the test drive goes and maybe upload some pics.

 

had my 92 for 7 years . been through 3 3.0 motors but i will keep on replacing them as long i own it . best investment i ever made. engines would probaly last longer but running deer dogs dont help much.

 

I have a '93 Xtra Cab Pickup 3VZE 5sp with 390,000+km on it. It was apparently rebuilt at 350,000km when I bought the truck. Aside from regular maintenance on a truck this age the engine has not given me any trouble, my biggest complaints are power and mileage but both of those could be due to tire size and gearing a bit too. I love my truck.

 

Some people like them but i dont. I would steer clear but thats just me. I dont think id take a 3.0 if you gave it to me

 

I love mine. Prefer it over the 22re. Most who hate them hate it because of the auto.

Just keep it maintained and it will last you a while

 

Reported. Dont need to make 2 threads on the EXACT same topic.