Buying 91 4x4 V6, have some questions.

[MrElectric03]

Hey guys, I'm new here. I've never owned a 4runner before but always wanted one. I came up on a deal for an 84 Cherokee that ended up needing too much work to justify so I'm selling that and picking up a 1991 3.0 V6 4runner 5 speed tomorrow morning. Really not planning on serious wheeling with it but mostly just a reliable rig to take out when I go shooting.

It's not perfect, if it were I couldn't afford it. It has a blown head gasket, I can tell that's a fairly common issue with them. The story I got was that the previous owner replaced the timing belt, water pump, and radiator and did something wrong on the timing belt which caused it to overheat. Then they sold it to the guy I bought it from and he hasn't had time to work on it the last few months so he didn't do anything other than clean it up and put a new CD player in.

The first thing I noticed when I looked at it today is that there is no fan shroud. Obviously it's not going to cool properly without the air focused on the radiator. Since I'm going to be replacing the head gaskets anyway I'm planning on checking the timing belt to be sure but I think it overheated because of the lack of fan shroud. The owner said that the PO replaced the radiator with a larger one, but it looks to bolt right in. He said its taller and thicker.

So does this ring any bells as far as which radiator this could be or is he just full of it. If anyone knows a a larger bolt in radiator for these and could point me in the right direction of which fan shroud I need to be looking for I'd sure appreciate it.

As long as the timing is set up right I'll be leaving it alone, and as the water pump is brand new I'll leave it alone as well. I'm getting a head gasket set with bolts and all of the necessary gaskets and will obviously be changing the oil as well. Is there anything else I should check out?

I appreciate the help guys, I'm a qualified mechanic but like I said this is my first 4runner.

 

[MrElectric03]

Alright so 89 views and no replies, hopefully it's just that :worthless

So here are a few. Tore the intake off last night and today pulled the heads. The cam lobes will need some polishing and the deck cleaned up. I'm looking for decent machine shops around me to inspect the heads.

I gotta say with this being the first toyota I've really worked on, I'm pretty impressed with the way they have built some of this stuff. For example the coolant tube that runs under the intake, they notched the plate in the back to make it easier to take the nut off and remove the tube. Coming from some of the stuff I've worked on that just impresses me.

I ended up finding a fan shroud at pick a part and it seems to bolt right up to my radiator but can't check how it fits the fan yet due to the motor being apart.








One question i have...is the round part of this crossover pipe a flex coupler or is it a catalytic convertor?

 

[Rougarou]

If your not getting new heads and it has over 260k I'd have the the valves re shimmed. The crossover pipe is a good question but I bet it's just an expansion area. Most people don't like the 3vz. It's called the 3 slow or 3 blow. Almost everyone I know do a 5vz swap. Fuel milage and honest hp.

 

[itgogitrev]

Looks like a fairly clean 2nd gen, good find! As Rougarou said, have the valves re-shimmed... but I'd do it if it's past 200K. With the the condition it's in, I would guess it's around 140-150k?

As for the part in the crossover pipe, it's most likely just part of the design to possible act as a noise reducer/canceller or to regulate flow for a more desirable powerband. There are a few threads that show how to get rid of the crossover, which is a major contributor to a lot of blown HGs.

Out of curiosity, what kind/size tires are on there and do they rub at all?

 

[MrElectric03]

Thanks for the replies guys, I was really hoping that's not a cat, would be a real PITA to have to change. It actually has 160k miles on it.

I looked into the 3.4 swap, it seems pretty straight forward but I can't find decent deals on any in my area. They are all $1200+.

The tires are Faulken Wildpeak 32x11.5x15 all terrains. The look great on there and it doesn't look like they have been rubbing. Since I haven't had it running I can't say for sure.

 

[itgogitrev]

Either way, truck looks good! Since the engine is already apart, it wouldn't be a bad idea to give the conrod bearings a look. They're easily accessible by popping off the oil pan.

Not sure if you're looking to ditch the crossover pipe, but if you're going to the trouble to have the heads checked, removing the crossover pipe is cheap insurance to extend the HGs life, especially around cylinder 6.

Good luck!

 

[Hyde802]

Most hate the 3.0 because of the auto tranny behind it, so you having a 5speed, makes yours that much better. Keep it tuned up, and youll have many happy miles in front of you.

The 3.0 is a good motor with great low end torque. Keep the cooling system up to spec and youll be good for a long time.

Oh sure, just pop off the oil pan... dont worry about the 4 hours worth of work to drop the front diff. Haha.

I agree with shimming the valves.

While youre in that deep, not a bad idea to replace the knock sensor AND pigtail wiring for it.

When you put it back together, put the timing at 13-15 advanced instead of the stock 10, gives it a little extra power.

Good luck! Nice looking runner!

 

[2ndGen4runner4x4]

Welcome to the world of 2nd gen ownership! I see that you are mechanically inclined... that's a good thing!
FWIW my 1995's crossover pipe doesn't have that expansion chamber.
x2 on the knock sensor pigtail... change it while you have it apart.

 

[Zorlac]

Most hate the 3.0 because of the auto tranny behind it, so you having a 5speed, makes yours that much better. Keep it tuned up, and youll have many happy miles in front of you.

The 3.0 is a good motor with great low end torque. Keep the cooling system up to spec and youll be good for a long time.

Oh sure, just pop off the oil pan... dont worry about the 4 hours worth of work to drop the front diff. Haha.

I agree with shimming the valves.

While youre in that deep, not a bad idea to replace the knock sensor AND pigtail wiring for it.

When you put it back together, put the timing at 13-15 advanced instead of the stock 10, gives it a little extra power.

Good luck! Nice looking runner!

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Very nice 2gen!

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Hi!, I have the same specs (3vz-e 5spd MT) in a 4R 1gen, I rebuilt the entire engine so If I put the timing as you indicates, the engine will produce more temperature or not?
Sounds great anyway
My next step will be put a 4.56 instead of 4.10 (R&P) what do you think? (with 265/70 r16 tires)

keep in advice opcorn:

 

[cdthiker]

Always love seeing another second gen on here.... just remember only a toyota owner will complain that their rig is unrelibial because it finally blew up at 250k vs the 350 k of the 3.4.... you know how to wrench that means you can keep the runner running for as long as you are willing to spend money

from one 3. slo owner to anohter... welcome and keep the pictures coming

 

[MrElectric03]

I appreciate all of the input guys. I'm still thinking about ditching the crossover pipe, I have a welder and could fab the pipe fairly easy, I'm just not sure if I want to toss the 3.0 together and run it until I find a 3.4 or try to keep the 3.0 together. Right now I'm thinking just throwing it together as cheap as possible but still reliable because I still don't know if it needs anything else, I could pour money into the engine to find the trans is shot.

Hell I may make the down tube and delete the crossover just so I don't have to put it back in, what a pain.

 

[92-SR5]

If I had a 3vz, I would delete the crossover. That seems to be one of the issues of the HG getting cooked.

 

[MrElectric03]

So I checked my heads out today and in a couple spots they have about .001" warpage. At this point I'm just going to clean everything up and reassemble the engine. I'm going to get rid of the crossover as well. That way I'll have it running for now and I'll keep my eye out for a 3.4 I need of a rebuild or decent deal on a good one and do the swap when I'm ready or forced to do it.

The swap will take some saving up for and I want to do it clean and right, build my own exhaust and a few other parts, maybe even rebuild the engine just to know its good to go a few hundred thousand miles.