2001 T4R with blown engine, need advice.

dirtyvelo

dirtyvelo

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First time poster & regular follower with a little bit of a problem. So, my situation is that the engine on my 2001 4x4 3.4L T4R blew up this weekend while my pregnant wife (who is due any day) and mother and law were driving it home from a baby shower. She has never been a big fan of the Runner for some reason (I think it is because it's automatic) but now she REALLY doesn't care for it. Her point is that it has 252000 miles on it, we would only be throwing good money at a bad situation, and that we should scrap it and buy a TDI. My problem is that we are not rich, I need a SUV for work and my mechanic is offering to put a used engine (50k) in it for $2100 total. From what i've found searching the forums this is a good deal, but is it a smart move?

Any advise would be appreciated
 
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That sounds like a really good deal to me. Most mechanics charge 1000 and up just for labor so you are getting a low mile engine for 1100, thats an awesome deal. Also I had a 2002 4runner before I moved from california and the vehicle i got after that was a 2007 jetta tdi. The mileage was awesome but I really missed having 4wd and a lot of room. Also the 4runner was much more reliable and did not require a $70 oil change. If you do decide to scrap it please let me know cause I will gladly buy some parts off of it. Good luck man
 
That is a good deal IMO on engine and labor. I would have no problem doing that with my 4 Runner. However not sure we can really give you any advice since it is a decission for you and your wife to make. Now some of the points you can make is that it will have all the room for the stroller, car seat, groceries and we know it will run for many more years with the new engine and it wont give us a big car payment. Think of the money we will have to budget for diapers and everything else for or newborn.

If you do decide to sell it give it a few days on here before taking to scrap yard. Especially if it is a well equiped runner.
 
What's wrong with having an automatic? I thought ladies preferred automatics? It's probably the 250k+ miles that is her concern. You have to convince her that once the engine is swapped the chances of a break down are reduced substantially.
 
38 week old dragon

Thanks for the in put. It seems like a great deal to me as well, but it's hard for the hormonal wife to see pass the fact the 4runner failed on her. So I think I'll have my mechanic do a 30 point inspection to see if there are any obvious issues and try to convence the wife that we do not need a car payment at this stage in our family history.

So are there any 4Runner issues that I should have my guy look for while he has this thing taken apart.

Is there a way for me to confirm that the 'new' engine only has 50k on it? I trust my mechanic a good deal, but it would be nice to have some proof.

Thanks again.
JRice
 
She loves driving 5 speeds and hates the lack of power control you get with an auto. She grew up in Alaska and has always run manuel transmissions.

I with you on trying to prove that the used engine with buy us a certain amount of time / miles. Unfortunately that is a harm one to prove.
 
You say the engine blew but that could mean many things. Exactly what went wrong? Blown head gasket?
 
Buying a new 4Runner just isn't an option with a mortgage, wife's student loans, bills, and soon child care. I understand it isn't wise to nickel and dime an automobile, but this is a 2001 4runner. Anyway, the mechanic said that one of the pistons blew out the head and destroyed the corresponding spark plug and its threads on the way out.

I talked to my guy again this afternoon and he said he could have the engine by mid week and have it finished by monday of next week. He also said he would do an inspection prior to replacing and while replacing the engine. I'm somewhat torn at this point because I know it's a gamble that could blow up in my face. It's just the truck (up to Saturday at 2:00) ran like a champ and has never given me any issues and at the $2000 price tag it seems like the right choice.
 
I'd keep the Runner and steer clear of a VW. Personally I don't think a new VW has any smaller chance of breaking down than an old Toyota, but I dislike VWs, so maybe I have bias.
 
Feel like an engine with 50k is a fairly solid bet. Chances are, with frequent oil changes, the 50k motor will give you another 200k. I got conned into the small car gimmick and baught a Mazda 3 hatchback for the wife when our first son was born, then next thing I know we were trading it in for the Mazda CX-9. You will want the extra space, trust me. Especially if you intend to travel with the kid/s. Lucky for me my Runner was never part of the car debate. With 2 kids, a vehicle of the Runners size is not a LUXURY, it is a necessity.
 
dirtyvelo said:
the mechanic said that one of the pistons blew out the head and destroyed the corresponding spark plug and its threads on the way out.
Click to expand...

That doesn't sound right to me. It does sound like you're getting the run around though...

Maybe it blew out a spark plug but that does not mean your engine is blown.
 
I highly doubt it only has 50k. Think about how many 4runners are out there, and the typical mileage. They all seem over 100k. It is pretty common for engines to be advertised with low mileage. That engine could be in any vehicle 96-02 4runner, 95-98 T-100 on up to 2004 tacoma. Even that is 6 years old, and 50k would be way low even for a 2004.

dirtyvelo said:
Thanks for the in put. It seems like a great deal to me as well, but it's hard for the hormonal wife to see pass the fact the 4runner failed on her. So I think I'll have my mechanic do a 30 point inspection to see if there are any obvious issues and try to convence the wife that we do not need a car payment at this stage in our family history.

So are there any 4Runner issues that I should have my guy look for while he has this thing taken apart.

Is there a way for me to confirm that the 'new' engine only has 50k on it? I trust my mechanic a good deal, but it would be nice to have some proof.

Thanks again.
JRice
Click to expand...
 
If it was me, I would find a verifiable low mileage engine and transmission, and do them both at the same time. Why? It seems pretty common that the trans does not last much longer than the engine. Not much extra labor to do both at once. Keyword is verifiable mileage. Otherwise its just some random persons word. I think 145k and under would be a good route, under 100k even better.
 
kball said:
That doesn't sound right to me. It does sound like you're getting the run around though...

Maybe it blew out a spark plug but that does not mean your engine is blown.
Click to expand...
Yep. Exactly what I was thinking. I have heard of spark plugs blowing out before with this engine. Usually all that is need is for a plug to be reinstalled. If the threads are bad then maybe a helicoil.

You might want to get another opinion before you go plunking down $2k. Maybe do a compression test?
 
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