i read a couple threads related to this topic but couldnt find a answer... my cousins 3vz just quit at 280xxx. his rig is very clean and very worthy of keeping. now my question is do i rebuild that 3.0 or what? in a perfect world i would just do the HG and bolt it back up, im just not sure what condition the bottom end is in sence he ran it for so long on a blown head gasket.. i found a company local to me that sells rebuild kits for dam near 300 bucks. the truck has lots of new parts that would help on cost like water pump, thermostat, little stuff that would add up to save on cost of rebuild. the truck has jack for compression and does not run... i am trying to keep the build under 700 bucks... any input? motor swap? rebuild? top end? not aposed to a 22re swap(but its a auto)... any input is much appreciated!!! thanks for helping out a newbie to the forum!

 

Ahh.. You know what, i won't admit this to my friends and family, but the yotatech group will understand...

I did a rebuild and for a long time now I am chasing one problem after another. Although nonee of it is related to the 'rebuilt' engine portion, but all of the components, wiring, etc.

If I were to do it again, I would spend the money on swapping for the apparently better 3.4 engine. I don't think it will cost less than $700.

 

Get in touch with toyonlyswaps.com guys. They are in Creswell, Oregon, outside of Eugene. They would be the ones to talk to about doing the 3.4L swap or maybe even getting a used 3.0 from instead.

 

I would not rebuild the engine. If he allowed water in the engine for an extended period of time I would be very concerned about blockages and rust.
There are some small passeges throughout the engine and if these are completely blocked you're just going to blow another HG in a few weeks. My brother ran his coolant really low and eventually compromised the HG, when I flushed it out the green coolant came out burnt orange with huge chunks of rust coming out. Yuck. That was only using it 300 miles or so over a few days.

BTW... if you think the 3.0 is slow, then you're going to be disappointed if you put a 22RE in!

 

Any rebuild will cost more than you think it will, if all you're doing is looking at the engine sitting in the engine bay. As you start taking stuff apart, you'll find that you break old, tired parts, and you'll find parts that aren't nearly as good as you hoped.

So if you're thinking that you can save money by reusing a "new" $6 thermostat, or that $300 for a "rebuild kit" (just seals and gaskets) is a lot, you might want to readjust your expectations first. But if you compare the rebuild to, for instance, getting another truck, like lots of us you may still opt for rebuilding.

 

Well either way the 3.0 comes out this weekend. I guess I will use the time to clean the engine bay and get parts cleaned and layed out for either a rebuilt engine or another 3.0 I just have a feeling I will have more head aches with a swap... Aswell as a money issue with a swap. My cousin just uses it to go to work and school and occasionally wheels it.