5vzfe rebuild process/reccommendations

[zgensler31]

so unfortunately ive got a bit of a leaky head gasket(or cracked head) still hoping and praying for the head gasket as opposed to the cracked head. so as unfortunate as it is, ive got a rebuild in my future.

im planning on doing this myself, with the close assisstance and guidance of a friend who has done all maintenance on the 5vze in his tacoma and the....4.0 in his wifes 2nd gen taco. he's also got a good bit of experience as a mechanic.

my basic plan is to break down the top end, remove the heads and have them pressure checked, resurface/hot tanked(not really sure of the difference) and have the valve stem seals replaced. then rebuild from there.
while having it all apart i will hopefully be replacing the radiator, original at 126,000, spark plugs, wires and obviously all gaskets that will be needed to rebuild the top end.

my problems and questions are as follows.
does any one have any shop reccomendations? im in nw pa but not entirely opposed to shipping them to a 'toyota specialist' as long as the cost isnt insane.

while i have the head off and in a shop is there anything else that should be done?

where are some good places to get the gaskets? ive checked a few of the toyota online retailers, but for anyone that has recently done this where is the cheapest source? im on a very tight budget but dont want to skimp when it comes to my motor.

ive heard good and bad things about these supposed gasket fix coolant additive things. whats your opinion? good idea to help til i can rebuild or avoid toatlly fubarring up my cooling system?

sorry its such a long post. and i appreciate any help you can give. thanks guys.

and im sure ill have alot more questions and such as the time comes.

 

[agloukhoff]

I had the same issue - blown gasket/cracked head - whatever.

I would suggest replacing the entire engine. It will be easier and possibly cheaper in the long run.

I bought a JDM engine for $1350.

 

[RHeld24]

I think replacing the entire engine may be a bit drastic, no? If it is a cracked head, you could probably find one at a junk yard for fairly cheap and rebuild it. If it's a mildly warped head you could have it resurfaced (ground flat), and rebuilt. If it's a head gasket, then replace the head gasket and take care of all the preventative maintenance while you're in there.

 

[zgensler31]

I'm really hoping to keep the entire process under 1000. I'm really broke. So for now the plan is to rebuild. But of its a cracked or both cracked head I'll definitely be looking into it.

Where did you source the jdm motor at? Your near Philly right? Bought Tyrone from pitbull?

 

[brian2sun]

After going through a bad rebuild, I've come to the conclusion that it's just NOT cost effective to rebuild a 3.4 the correct way (with OEM parts). I skimped and did it with cheaper aftermarket parts and my motor only lasted about 1.5 years until I had head/valve problems again among other issues like a leaky rear main seal. That left me with the decision to rebuild it again the right way (for about $4K+ with labor - top and bottom), or just get a lower mileage donor motor to swap in.

I do think it's worth it to pull the heads and see what you're dealing with first though. If it's just a head gasket, then I say throw a new set on, resurface the heads and go with it. No need to rebuild the top end if it's just a bad gasket. However if the heads are cracked, severely warped, or have valve issues and need to be rebuilt, then it's going to be a very expensive job to do with OEM parts. And take it from me, DONT use aftermarket crap. You could either try to find a used head(s) and put that on or just get a whole new donor motor. Either of those will be cheaper than rebuilding with OEM parts. And granted, there is always a risk when you buy a used motor or parts, but the price is worth it IMO, especially if you can get a warranty with the donor motor or heads.

Definitely DO NOT use the coolant additive gasket sealer like Stop Leak or Thermagasket. They may work for a short time, but will undoubtedly restrict flow (or clog) your cooling system and water pump. I tried that crap on my truck before I rebuilt it, followed the directions to a tee, and it almost immediately blew my water pump (in like 10 minutes).

So if I were you, if it's not just a bad HG, I would just find a low mileage donor or a used head and go from there. I got a 3.4 with 127K and it's actually being swapped in as we speak. I paid <$500 for the motor, but $800-1200 is about average. If you can do the swap yourself, this would definitely be the cheapest option.

 

[brian2sun]

I should add.. if the engine ever overheated, just get a donor. Heat can cause damage to so many internal parts, that the top and bottom end should both be rebuilt if you want any sense of reliability for the future. And if that's the case, you're looking at thousands more to do a full rebuild than a donor would cost at that point.

 

[zgensler31]

Appreciate your input brian. Seeing as how you've done this process before. Not sure of you got cut off there at the end though?

Quick question though. Where did you source the motor. Local Craigslist? Ebay? Partout? Recycler company? So many options.

 

[zgensler31]

Fortunately it hasn't overheated yet. It hasn't gone through much coolant. But it definitely is. And its burning it. Smoke on the start up.

 

[brian2sun]

Yeah, T4R seemed to be crashing as I was posting so I edited my post and added a few more thoughts. Anyways, I found my motor here on T4R actually. The guy crashed his 4runner and parted it out in the classifieds. My buddy actually bought the complete motor (with a SC) and the tranny. He took the SC and sold me the rest for a good deal. I still have the tranny, but it's a 2wd so I'll be selling it, just haven't gotten around to it. The cool thing is, the motor came with all the accessories.. sensors, alternator, ps pump, starter, etc.. So I now have spares of almost everything under the hood.

 

[zgensler31]

Awesome I'll definitely be scouring the classifieds for part outs. Thanks for the input.

 

[agloukhoff]

I'm really hoping to keep the entire process under 1000. I'm really broke. So for now the plan is to rebuild. But of its a cracked or both cracked head I'll definitely be looking into it.

Where did you source the jdm motor at? Your near Philly right? Bought Tyrone from pitbull?

My costs for an engine swap not including any tools:
Motor : 1350
Timing Belt Kit: 250
Clutch Kit: 325
Gaskets (exhaust, valve, oil pan): 150
Fluids: 100

Yeah it hurt the wallet pretty good. I also had to get a used oil cooler on eBay because someone DID fill up the system with stopleak. The cooler that I pulled off was clogged. So do NOT put in any stop leak, it WILL clog the oil cooler.

I bought the engine from JDM Engine Depot. They're right around Newark Airport in NJ. They had a bunch of 5VZs, most in pretty good shape. Wherever you get your engine, you want to look under the oil cap and inside the VC. One of the engines they had looked really nasty inside, rust/sludge. Keep in mind, a JDM engine will probably be from a minivan and will need at least 4 hours more work than a genuine 4Runner engine as you will need to move a ton of mounting brackets over, put on the oil cooler, move the oil filter, different oilpan and pickup - all easy but still extra work.

Based on other threads where people had head gasket issues, many cases turned out to be cracked heads which turned into expensive and time consuming repairs due to waiting for new heads etc. I think in some cases people paid over 2500 total for the job due to needing 2 new heads.

In the end, I just didn't want to waste time and money just to figure out that my heads really are cracked. The other thing is that the head gasket job seemed harder, at least to me. All in all swapping an engine is actually pretty easy. Yes there are plenty of hard to reach bolts and lots of important torque specs, but it's pretty straight forward.

 

[zgensler31]

That's what I feared with the stop leak stuff. That was the gunk stuff from Tyrone right? And its definitely not going anywhere near my motor now. And I was thinking the same as you as far as difficulty. But just shear cost wise I'm hoping for bad gasket.

And to clarify. If the heads pressure check OK they wouldn't need any other work? Resurface hot tank valve seals etc wouldn't be necessary?

 

[brian2sun]

I would still resurface the heads if it turns out to be just a HG. Good insurance. I would also check the block closely and resurface it too if needed. Often the block does not need to be resurfaced though. That usually depends on if it overheated, and in that case I wouldn't even mess with that motor anymore like I said earlier due to other heat related issues that could affect reliability in the future.

 

[zgensler31]

OK. If its just the gaskets would you do anything else with the heads? Valve seals? Anything?

 

[brian2sun]

I personally wouldn't do anything else with the heads due to the cost and the fact there's probably nothing wrong with them. I have to remind myself sometimes, the truck is made up of all used parts now, so you could go on forever preemptively fixing things that may fail in the future someday, but you gotta draw the line somewhere. That is unless you suspect something is wrong with the heads internally (like unusual ticking noises or something).

 

[PitbullRescuer]

I have mixed feelings onnwhat to suggest. But based on your current situation and need to keep the costs low, pull the heads and check to see if it's just a gasket or if the heads are cracked. If they're good, resurface the heads, do the gaskets, and I'd suggest a valve adjustment. If they're cracked, just look for an affordable used engine.

Sorry to hear man, you haven't had good luck with these things huh? Hopefully this is the end of your bad luck streak.

 

[zgensler31]

Yeah. I love my runner. And I loved the old one. Still wish that hoe hadn't it smashed it up. Actually just got news today that the insurnace company is suing her for full payment....
But the last one ran amazingly no problems at all. Gets smashed so I find what I thought was a better one. Lower miles. Better options. 4wd. Owned by a Toyota guy....nope starts blowing smoke.
But hey gotta learn somewhere. Im young. I'll work my tail off and pay to fix this one and hopefully keep it for quite a few years.

OK. So plan going forward is to search for a quality replacement. Save dough. Once those both fall into reasonable line with each other pull the heads and pressure check for cracks and warpage. Then go from There. Sound pretty solid?

 

[BrianSD_42]

I had this same issue and now I have two complete JE heads. They are aftermarket from Japan and cost $800 per side.

I can't easily post a link from my phone but if go to my build thread (link in SIG) then you will find out about my whole ordeal ..

 

[zgensler31]

Alright so I got another question for you guys.

I've heard that Toyota changed the head gasket material after 97 I want to say. Can anyone confirm this?

And should I look for one after that change to avoid this same headache down the road?

 

[zgensler31]

Alright so.....I found a deal. I believe, local part out on Craigslist. Guy parting out a 96 Tacoma with 171,000. It was wrecked, he is the third owner and knows the other two personally he said. Also said it has been maintained and is still installed and able to start up and run

And he only wants 300 bucks for the motor.

So I'm thinking i could pick it up and then inspect the heads. If there bad swap in the high mileage and roll with it?
Does that seem smart?

Also. Didn't ask about the tb/wp. But the one on mine is only 20,000 miles old. Could it be swapped over in event of the motor swap?