howdy. i just made this account because i want to weigh out the good and bad for this model of 4 runner. the one i'm looking at is from virginia, and there is not visible rust on the body and very little on the frame! i thought, wow, in minnesota you cant find anything without rust! it also only has 147k miles on it. overall it is in very good cosmetic condition and its original owner had it from 94 til 2017/18. the man i would be buying it from told me that the original owner did all maintenence himself (apparently an airplane mechanic), and made receipts of it all, but as all of them are old, they are fading. unfortunately, and for whatever reason, the timing belt has not been done. that has me rather concerned, and would run me about $700. i honestly wanna buy it anyway but my dad who loves his yotas told me these engines suck, but all ive seen are good things so far! the reviews are decent and other than it not picking up speed very fast and not being great on hills i cant see what isnt to love. anyone have any major opinions on these trucks and the 3L engine? anything would be appreciated thank u

 

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...-motor-254023/

 

They all blow a head gasket at some point so you always have to be prepared for that.

 

do u think so even if it were to have been included in the recall? i want to buy it, but the fact i have to dump probably $800 or more into it is gonna ruin me but this dude really doesn't want to go much lower on his asking price of 3300 (talked him down from 3600). i think where i live all cars and trucks end up being hella overpriced anyway

 

Doing a search on this site will reveal a lot of mixed reviews on the 3.0. I had a 4runner with one for 12 years/100,000 miles. It blew a head gasket around 200,000 miles and had a loose ground wire/starting problem that took a while to diagnose.. Otherwise it was pretty reliable. I sold it with almost 290,000 miles on the odometer and it still ran and drove good. I think a lot of the animosity toward this engine is because it is kind of a pain to work on compared the the 22re and it doesn't offer great power or gas mileage. The 3.0 was the engine that initially sold me on Toyota's but I don't plan on buying another one either...

 

fair enough. it seems like they're reliable as long as you take good care of them, as i had spent around 2 hours reading threads on this website. i'm just really torn up and don't know how to decide when it seems like everyone i've asked in person has basically told me it wouldn't be a good idea. maybe i'm just too hopeful, but this 4runner seems to be in very good condition other than the belt not being done, among other little repairs he didn't get around to doing.

 

The recall just fixed it for free once. It's not the head gasket itself it's a poor design. If you delete the crossover pipe by running headers you might not have a head gasket failure or at least you might extend it out longer. Put it this way, my 4Runner is a 95 and wasn't part of the head gasket recall. Mine blew two years ago at 175,000mi

 

damn. it blew two years ago for the very first time?

 

First time in the ten years I owned it. The mechanic said that the gaskets that were in it weren't stock.

 

I my opinion, if the engine is sound and you plan on taking care of the 4Runner, I say just go for it.

While the 3VZ-E is known for head gasket issues, I believe the problems with the 3VZ-E are way over-hyped. The 3VZ-E engine is still a great engine, and many are still running around my area. You may come across that many people are quick to point out that the 5VZ-FE is a better engine of the two. I certainly hope so. The 5VZ-FE is a newer engine with newer technology, so it should be better. That does not mean the 3VZ-E is bad. If you do a quick search of the 3VZ-E, you will find posts with something to the effect of: "The 3.slow is the worst engine ever. It blows head gaskets every other year, gets 2 gallons to the mile, and has less power than my Craftsman push mower." All of which is a total exaggeration....

The 3VZ-E is harder to work on than the 4-cylinder 22R-E, but that is to be expected just due to the V-shape engine design, but is still much easier to work on than almost all new cars.

 

interesting!!! thats kind of what i thought anyway, i wanted to hear it from people who know more than me. the only ˟˟˟˟ty thing is that this guy is asking for over 3k and i still would have to do the timing belt and get all new tires!!! all my coworkers at my shop told me that he should be selling it for around 2k or less, but im a female who also doesn't know how to barter real good lol. should i just buy it ?

 

Prices for these are pretty regional. What may be a $2,000 truck in one area may be a $3,000 - $4,000 truck in another.

Look on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, LetGo, etc. to see what a similar condition 4Runner might go for in your area.

Like any used car, it is best to have someone familiar with cars (DIY mechanic to pro mechanic) look it over to make sure there won't be any major surprises for you after you buy a vehicle. You mentioned you work at a shop (you didn't mention what kind), so that person may be you and/or your coworkers.

Since I cannot see that 4Runner with my own eyes, I cannot say if you should buy it or not (for the price). Your description sounds like it might be worth it.

 

oh okay, it seems like a lot of toyotas around here are at the higher end of the scale. i work at a body shop, and all the guys here buy total losses and fix them up or go to a bigger city to buy one so they save money. i called up the mechanic that the guy brought it to, and they said it looked like an excellent vehicle. idk if i should go off by what they said, but i have had a car inspected with the same mechanic and they were very upfront with my current car and told me what was wrong. gave me a decent price. not sure if i should try find a mechanic to take with me to see it

 

As you probably already found out, your dad was right, the 3vze engine sucks. The thermostat is in the water pump which is behind the timing belt. Who in their right mind puts a ten dollar part behind a timing belt? Just my opinion.

 

The 3vz thermostat is easily accessed without disturbing the water pump, timing belt, or its covers.