Hi all, I have an ‘87 4Runner with over 350k on the body/engine/trans that I’m looking to do some upgrades to. It had a rebuild done around 35k miles before I bought it. In that build a RV head/cam was put in along with a V6 radiator. The engine ran happily for awhile, but in July it partially popped the headgasket, luckily it was caught in the driveway before further damage was done. It has a new headgasket, cold start injector, and I bought a new vacuum control valve since mine broke.



I am planning to move from Vermont to Utah, and I want to take this with me (the original plan was to sell it and get a 2nd gen Tacoma). Should I keep it the way it is and freshen it up to make the journey, or should I put in a 5VZFE with a R150 trans? I am looking to do this swap to make the truck more reliable. Parts for the 22re are starting to get scarce. Also the 22re hates any kind of incline, and where I’m headed there’s tons of steep hills.



For the 5VZFE, I am looking at a ‘88 4runner 3.0 with a R150 . I would get an engine/ECU/wiring harness/conversion wiring harness. Would the crossmember off the ‘88 mount onto my ‘87 22re? Also I would need to cut off my engine mounts and weld in new ones further back for the 5VZFE. I have a friend who welds for a living, but we’re not sure if the welder we have at a friend’s garage is strong enough. There’s a lot of ifs to this swap, so I want to get all the information I can before heading into the fire.



To keep the 22re, I would want to do a build or just buy a new 22re. My wiring is kind of a mess due to newer head lights, and the manual cold start/button start. I would probably end up getting a whole new harness. What is a build that is good on steep inclines and is reliable?

 

The 5VZE is a beautiful engine. Everything the 3VZE shoulda and coulda been, but wasn't.
You need Aztoyman. He;s done the 5vze swap iirc.

 

Here I am Jim, The 5VZFE is a good one to swap in. I HIGHLY recommend getting a running donor if you can. Get all the parts you need from one vehicle and avoid trying to piece together the swap from multiple sources. It will save you headaches and money too. Part out what you don't need and pay for a lot of your swap. I had a very detailed swap thread but the pics are all gone now. I should have most of them on my desktop I think.

My 22RE cross member didn't line up. I had to get the V6 version. I used a Trail Gear dual case crossmember. I had also done a SAS so I can't offer help with IFS questions. Pretty sure I used a T100 rear sump oil pan and pickup. Had to drill the block for the dipstick tube. The boss is there, just not drilled.

I used the 3.4 engine mounts and fabricated my own engine perches. If you lower the engine a bit, you don't need a body lift and don't need to cut your hood. Play with engine position before you weld the perches in. It affects drive line angles as well so pay attention. I'd rather cut the hood than body lift. Some people like the extra room of the body lift though. Your decision. If you mount the engine level both the front and rear output flanges will be 90 degrees to horizontal. If the rear is lower, it helps drive line angle in the rear and hurts it in the front so be aware of this. TRY to put your shifter where you want it, AND you have exhaust clearance at the firewall AND you have fan clearance at the radiator. It's all a compromise in the end.

I used the 3.4 A/C compressor and the A/C amplifier from the 3.4 donor. The rest of the A/C system was my original 88 parts. I had an A/C shop make adapter hoses that used the 88 fittings on one end and the 3.4 compressor fittings on the other end. You have to put charge ports in the hoses since the 3.4 doesn't have them on the compressor like the 22RE compressor does.

I kept my 88 22RE radiator and made my own shroud. I used the 3.4 fan clutch with the 3.0 fan. NOT the fan with the outer ring. The blade type only. I'd have to look at my old swap thread for the hoses. You have to use the 3.0 water outlet. My swap thread lists the heater hoses as well.

You have to run the R150F from a 3.0 truck. It has a shorter input shaft and the slave on the opposite side (then the 3.4 R150F) like the 22RE. I used the 3.4 clutch. I think you can use the 3.0 as well? You will need an adapter to run your RF1A gear drive T-case. I used a R151F trans with the 3.0 R150F bell housing so I didn't need a T-case adapter.

I cut the exhaust crossover and swapped it to the drive side by welding it back together that way. I reused the down pipe and cat. I did have to cut and rotate it a little. I just bought a universal mandrel bend exhaust kit and a straight section of 1 1/2" exhaust tube and some couplers and made my own exhaust. It's cheap if you can do it yourself. I used a universal offset inlet and outlet turbo muffler.

I modified the harness from my donor (99 4Runner manual trans) and my original 88 harness. I made my own power steering hoses. I bought AN adapter fittings and used field serviceable hose ends.

You can use a LOT of stuff off a donor that will save you time and money. I used the stock air box (slight mods) and had to mount the battery on the opposite fender.

**Check out the 3.4 swap section and read the stickies.** Then ask me anything else you can't figure out.

Put some DEI heat shield in the bell housing area of the firewall and under the driver side floor above the exhaust WHILE the engine is out.

There is a stud and a clip or something on your firewall you need to remove to clear the exhaust. Passenger side kind of near the line for the slave cylinder.

Good luck with your truck.

Scott in AZ.

 

The 3.4 is a great engine and would be a huge upgrade. I would do that over spending more money on a 22re. Ooorrr a 3rz swap could be good it you wanted to keep it 4cyl

Where in VT are you located? Youre welcome to come look at my swap if you want, Im in Northfield. My swap is a little sloppier than you would probably want, but could be a good reference if youre thinking about it. There is also a shop in Barre that can do 3.4 swaps in their sleep. LOOOONG lead times to get in there and they are pricy, but they are very knowledgeable, Margison Metal Works is the name of the shop.

 

be sure and check out the smog requirements in utah, before doing this.

if your vehicle is rusty, i'd say sell it and do a smog-legal swap on a southwestern vehicle, that's in better shape.

 

Can this swap be done with an independent front suspension or is it a solid axle only? I’m not looking to switch to a solid axle.

 

I would think you could swap it in an IFS truck. Maybe needs a certain oil pan?? Check out all the stickies in the 3.4 swap section. I love the 3.4 in my truck.