2000 LTD Multi-Mode, Pristine Frame, Blown Head, No Motivation To Do It Myself. WTD?!

[wjamyers]

It seems to get the job done "right" by a pro you'd either get a new motor or do both sides, both heads pressure-tested, etc, and it would be many thousands ($4500+ for bare minimum), any way you cut it. The way it's been described to me is the only way it'd be worth the money is if you did the work yourself.

I'm considering just having our local pro do it bare minimum, open it, scrape it replace it, drive it, no warranty.

"are minimum would be around $4500. But I can’t say for sure until we take it apart because if one heads is cracked(like they’re known to do) it would definitely make it more expensive than that. .... if we reuse the old heads, I can’t warranty anything with them. I can warranty my labor from defects, but if something goes wrong with one of the old parts that we reuse, I cannot warranty that"

This is otherwise a very nice, and collectible 4Runner with a 3" OME Lift and matched ARB Bumper.

Does anyone have any advice for me?

 

[wjamyers]

"Let’s just say we were use the old heads and get them cut and checked out, if in two months afterwards, it drops a valve I can’t stand behind. ... it’s kind of a bad situation one way or the other the reman heads that I could warranty are more expensive than I would want to pay

We could tear it apart and still need to buy heads. There’s no guarantee until we tear it apart"

 

[T4R2014]

Get a JDM engine.

 

[wjamyers]

Get a JDM engine.

Do people here have a preferred vender?

So far, just a quick look JDMNewYork says they have 5 available for 2999.00:

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Toyota 4Runner 3.4L V6 Engine JDM 5
– JDM New York

 

[T4R2014]

Do people here have a preferred vender?

So far, just a quick look JDMNewYork says they have 5 available for 2999.00:

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Toyota 4Runner 3.4L V6 Engine JDM 5
– JDM New York

Call them up. I would stick to a place that is local to you so you can inspect before buying. These places can definitely sell junk too. A lot of these places are selling remanufactured 5VZs too, I'd definitely avoid.

 

[AZSportRunner]

Going through this right now and decided to do it myself, it definitely is a substantial job but not impossible to DIY. Timmy has a great series on it that has been very helpful for me. Regardless of whether you choose to do it yourself or not I would advocate for new heads if you plan to keep the truck long term and you confirm that the block is in good shape.

It is seemingly more common on the 99+ 5VZs to have a cracked head than a blown head gasket due to the use of MLS gaskets that are extremely durable. If you/your mechanic use a borescope to inspect the heads and cylinder walls and perform a leak down test you can potentially see if there are cracks in the head and determine if the block/cyl walls are in decent shape before committing to tearing it down or ordering heads.

I considered a JDM/used engine but after calling a few local places and being told I wouldn't be able to perform compression/leak down tests before purchase or not being given a straight answer as to mileage I decided I was better off just replacing heads on a block that I know is in good shape.

Cylinder Head Express is who I went with due to their prices being better than Yota1 Performance and them claiming to use an improved casting. They haven't arrived yet but when they do I'll provide an update.

 

[JohnMc]

JDM engines 'all' have low miles/excellent maintenance/scrapped early due to some obscure Japanese market regulations. Which is baloney, they use up cars over there as well, and often by the time it's stripped out of a car in Japan and loaded up in a shipping container with dozens of other engines and shipped here, they don't really know anything about it. it's not the magic fix it's touted as.

HG's aren't all that huge of a job. It's about double the work of a TB/WP job (which you should do as part of it, for sure, no point in putting a used TB back on it). If you need a head, 5VZ's aren't all that hard to find in PnP junkyards.

Pull the front of the engine off, then pull he intake and exhaust manifolds, then pop off both heads. Even though one side is likely blown, you're going to want to replace both. And take a good look at the cylinder bores ad see what sort of condition they're in. When my wife's '96 blew a HG at ~320K miles, the bores still looked *great*, almost all crosshatched still, just a small triangle of shiny smooth bore on the top of the throw side. Certainly looked good enough for another 300K miles. She put it back together with the last version of the HG (buy it for a 2002 4Runner), it's that complete MLS style that will probably last the life of the engine. Then back together with new TB, WP, belts, hoses.

Only caveat to that is if you severely overheated the engine as a result of the HG leak. It will/can suck down coolant and blow it out the exhaust, and if you keep driving it with the temp gauge pegged (and... as the coolant level drops, the gauge can sometimes return to a vaguely normal reading when the sensor isn't immersed in coolant anymore), that can do real damage to the heads, and eventually to the bottom end as well (pistons expand from heat, skirts grind them selves against the bores, etc).

 

[JWaldz]

Kind of went through the same thing. My engine went (blown HG @ cylinder #3) and was debating what to do for a while. Just had too much blood, sweat, tears, and money invested in it to let it go.

Sat for a long while, as I made my decision to just put a new engine in it myself.
Saved up money for parts and the engine.

First engine I bought from a local engine place. Looked pretty good on the outside, but as I started stripping it down it was evident it had been used as a boat anchor for a while. Everything was rusty. Long ordeal, but got it returned.
Found another engine at a local Toyota only parts yard. Got it out of a Tacoma with the vin. Everything looked good and it had just over 100k on it.
Stripped it down on the engine stand to do all the regular maintenance (water pump, timing belt, seals, new hoses, vcg's, etc etc..) and cleaned it up. It was in immaculate condition.

Had a friend help with some heavy lifting and various things as we proceeded to remove the old and drop in the "new".

Cleaned up the engine bay quite a bit, new motor mounts, and did some other random things while they were easier with all the extra room haha.

I saved thousands of dollars doing it myself and highly suggest this route.
You not only save a lot of money, but you familiarize yourself with that part of your vehicle, and it gives you a whole new appreciation for it.

I understand that not everyone has the mechanical means to do this job.. but with patience, time, and research, it really isn't that hard of a job.
It literally can be done with basic tools and there are tons of resources/documentation out there.

Good luck.

 

[T4R2014]

JDM engine definitely isn't a magic fix, and they definitely sell plenty of duds. However, after looking at used 5VZs at local northeast junkyards I can understand why they are going the way of the dodo bird around here. These dudes legitimately want to sell 250k junk for close to $2000. If you find something under 150k, they want $3000+. Now go see what you get for $2500 at a JDM place, much cleaner and less corroded on average. Lot of telltale signs of originality like factory stickers and manufacturing logos on hoses still clearly visible. Do we know the mileage for certain? No. But compared to what local yards want for their junk, total steal if you check your engine before buying. If a JDM dealer gets frustrated about you looking over things, walk. Plenty out there.

 

[phattyduck]

JDM engines 'all' have low miles/excellent maintenance/scrapped early due to some obscure Japanese market regulations. Which is baloney, they use up cars over there as well, and often by the time it's stripped out of a car in Japan and loaded up in a shipping container with dozens of other engines and shipped here, they don't really know anything about it. it's not the magic fix it's touted as.

The ones that are truly scrapped at the "50k" mile mark are often the least taken care of engines... You have to do your due diligence on any engine you buy, whether JDM or USDM.

That said, I have personally had very good luck with the two JDM engines I have purchased.

This 3s-ge BEAMS engine was about 20 years old when I purchased it:

My 3s-gte was younger when purchased, but it similar shape...

-Charlie

 

[wjamyers]

The ones that are truly scrapped at the "50k" mile mark are often the least taken care of engines... You have to do your due diligence on any engine you buy, whether JDM or USDM.

That said, I have personally had very good luck with the two JDM engines I have purchased.

This 3s-ge BEAMS engine was about 20 years old when I purchased it:

My 3s-gte was younger when purchased, but it similar shape...

-Charlie

Can you tell me where you purchased your JDMs from? This is such a nightmare, now my 1999 just got rejected for frame rust.

 

[phattyduck]

Can you tell me where you purchased your JDMs from? This is such a nightmare, now my 1999 just got rejected for frame rust.

Those are long in the past - I wouldn't trust that they are really the same people anymore. Things change all the time with JDM imports.

-Charlie

 

[Romeo1]

What state are you in?