Ok guys I wasn't sure on this one so I need some advice. I have rebuilt 4 22re's but not I'm looking at a 1990 4runner with the 3.slow. And I don't know much about it yet. So the HG is blown for sure, white mixture in oil cap and water burning off exhaust manifold. My question is it has 190,xxx miles on it and it's. Been sitting for a month after the HG blew. Should I be planning on doin a whole rebuild if I buy it? I'm concerned water has been sitting in the cylinders and has rusted the rings and pistons. Is that reasonable?

I was able to start it up and it doesn't rattle it actually runs quite smooth! It idles a little high (1100rpm) my problem is I'll be in a college dorm soon with limited reasources. I'm also wanting to do a transmission swap in it, it's a auto and I want a 5sp is this all something I could do in a 8x12 storage unit? And what's an approximate cost?


Thanks guys!!!!!!!!

 

I know I sure would not want to rebuild a engine or do a transmission swap from auto to 5speed in a area that small.


So much easier to do the swap with a complete donor vehicle otherwise you will spend all your free time chasing after parts you forgot the last time.

 

Yeah I'm not excited about it but it's that or a parking lot on a hill what do you think about the rebuild? Is 190k a lot on the v6?

 

Ok so I've switched gears on the rebuild and I am looking at doing a 3.4 swap on it and I found a 99 4runner that had been rolled with 72k on it and its the 3.4 with the manual tranny. I was wondering if that tranny would work in the 1990 4runner? could I just pull the tranny and engine out of the 99 and put them both in the 90?

 

Check the 3.4 swap folder. You are gonna spend a lot of time researching there anyway.. might as well start now..

 

why put yourself through that much pain? 22re/5 speed 4 runners are out there for sale.

 

X2 That's the truth.

 

Pain? Depending on how much he buys it for he can have a swapped 4runner that he knows how to work on/trouble shoot for less than the cost of a running 22re 4runner. IMO

 

well, you need to get the blown motor 4runner......cost?
then buy the wrecked 3.4 4runner.....cost?
spend the hours reading and rereading prior swaps......time=money
buy the tools and parts to tackle this and do it correctly......cost?
THEN, maybe, if all goes well, sell of some of the parts you don't need to recoup some $
and do it all in a rented storage unit.


it can be done, I was just thinking out loud that you can buy a running/driving 22re 5 speed 4runner for under $3k and be on the road tomorrow....and the OP obviously knows the 22re in and out. No learning curve.

 

3.4 all the way...

but before you do that, has the 3.0 had the head gasket recall done from toyota?
run the vin #numbers.
if not let a dealership do HG, drive it till it blows and then do a 3.4 swap.

a friend of mine has a 3.0 in the shop right now because the recall had not been done and he got the heads up about checking the vin numbers.

 

Well part of the issue is it is going to be a daily driver to in the memphis and Nashville area so i need a little more power that the 22re can put out, as great of a motor as it is, power just isn't in its DNA! Obviously the 3.slow isn't much better but from what I read it doesn't sound terrible with a MT behind it.

Dropzone-already spent hours in it and tons of great info thanks!

Yota81- Yeah I am comfortable doing the swap but the garage space is my biggest concern The guy is asking 2500 for the 3.0 4runner and the 3.4 4runner is 700, pretty steep price on the 3.0 in my opinion and he won't budge so I guess I'm going to end up going a different route

Donomite- Thanks for the info I will look into that regardless of which way I go!

This would be so much easier if toyotas weren't so versatile! I have done anything to my dodge since i bought...except dump money into broken parts.

I just gotta get rid of this dodge and get into something fun again

 

To switch gears anyone ever heard of a transmission pump? I found another 4runner that is in the process of a MT swap and they said it needs a pump and slave cylinder, not really sure what they mean by a "pump"

Thanks for the help guys I'm new to these 2nd gen 4runners!!!!!