Help me pick my motor swap

dorton

dorton

New member
I'm about 75% sure I'm going to go away from the 22RE in my 4runner. My problem is, I'm not sure what I want to replace it with.

So far, I've considered the 3RZ,2TR,5VZ,1UZ, and even a few
diesels. Mine is not a hardcore rock rig, but is used for long range camping/exploration/mediumcore wheeling(not into bashing the body panels into rocks). I have built it with the intentions of spending my vacations a few thousand miles from home with my wife,daughter, and dog.

What would you do?

PS. I've even though about doing my own turbo setup, along with stand alone fuel injection fixing the things Toyota didn't the first time.(Have done this before on performance appications, can do it on this too.)
 
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I hear the 3RZ is an easier swap than the 5VZ. I know a lot of guys like the 3.0 inline 6 out of the Supras. It bolts up to the W56 trans but the motor mount locations are slightly off. Supposedly somebody was producing mounts for this... IDK. I like the torque of the inline 6, it would be great for hauling all ur gear on the hwy. They are EXPENSIVE though. Check out offroadsolutions.com They make a bunch of conversion items. Good luck!
 
3rz - 150ish hp. Bolts right up to your W56 transmission, leaves plenty of room in the engine bay. On the other hand you can milk 150 hp out of the 22re, so unless you can get a donor engine for under $1000 it might be easier to just mod what you've got. If modding my 22RE doesn't get me where I want to be, I'll put in a 3rz and supercharge it.

5vze - 190ish hp. Requires installing a later transmission/tcase (so you lose gearing options) or an adapter to your W56, which might not like that much power. If you do use the later trans and case, you'll have to SAS with a driver drop axle, because your existing front diff is passenger drop. All those things drive up the cost, which is why I ruled it out. I haven't looked into whether an adapter for the R151 exists, but if it did and I had the budget to put a 5VZE in front of an R151, I would. It's a great motor.

7mge - also 190ish hp. Bolts up to your W56, but you might need to modify the core support to clear it, it's a long long block. I've read of this motor having oiling issues at low RPM, and that's no bueno for a truck that sees lots of dirt. I ruled it out as well.

The 1UZ I consider a boutique swap - it's been done, and more guys are doing it, but that particular swap hasn't been roadmapped yet so a dummy like me could do it, so if I were going to do that I'd look around for a reputable shop that had done one before.

I've had my current 22RE on a couple road trips of several hundred miles, and it does all right. I'm on 33s with 5.29 gears, and with the Thorley header and 261 cam, I can cruise at 75-80 and still get 23 mpg. It doesn't climb like a 200hp truck, but that's because it isn't. Once I get the engnbldr head and a better intake under there, I'll regear to 4.88 and that should put me exactly where I want to be. YMMV.
 
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I would stay away from the 7M swap. The other three are a matter of difficulty. Kid gave you the quick breakdown. If you don't mind losing gear-driven t-case, I'd go with the 5VZ-FE. Good power, even if the tires get big.

My buddy actually took his 3.4 out of his '99 4runner to put a 1uz in haha
 
Most of the swaps I see in AZ are from the 3VZE to the 3.4. One thing my friend Dylan said is that the 3.4 is an interference engine WHICH MEANS that if the timing belt goes while running, the valves/pistons are likely toast. The 3VZE is a non-interference engine, but a gutless wonder.

My other buddy, Brandon, says that the 22R and 22RE engines are quite robust, and he would think they could be built up to 150 HP without too much difficulty.

FWIW department - Wikipedia says that a 20R head on a 22R motor is a straight swap, creating higher compression and better breathing, allowing for higher revs (and more power, one would think).
 
Badwolf said:
FWIW department - Wikipedia says that a 20R head on a 22R motor is a straight swap, creating higher compression and better breathing, allowing for higher revs (and more power, one would think).
Click to expand...

That only works on a 84 or earlier block. The 22r blocks changed in 85 to match the 22re blocks.
 
If you are looking to boost the new powerplant, I say 2TR (if you can find a reasonable one) or the 3RZ. I would also avoid the 7M, you just cant beat the newer electronics & OBD2.
 
KidV, close your ears and shut your eyes.

Are you looking to stay Toyota? You might consider a Chevy Vortec 4.3 V6. "IF" my 3.0 ever dies, that is the direction I plan on going.
 
Badwolf said:
Most of the swaps I see in AZ are from the 3VZE to the 3.4. One thing my friend Dylan said is that the 3.4 is an interference engine WHICH MEANS that if the timing belt goes while running, the valves/pistons are likely toast. The 3VZE is a non-interference engine, but a gutless wonder.

My other buddy, Brandon, says that the 22R and 22RE engines are quite robust, and he would think they could be built up to 150 HP without too much difficulty.

FWIW department - Wikipedia says that a 20R head on a 22R motor is a straight swap, creating higher compression and better breathing, allowing for higher revs (and more power, one would think).
Click to expand...

your buddy Dylan is wrong about the 3.4 it is a non interferance motor. no damage or the belts brakes when running.
 
i disagree with the 7m swap i currently doing it in my truck all though i have not installed it. its been a breeze to figure out the install it all bolts up with out any modifications to frame it bolts to the 4x4 tranny you already have with the 22re get some 5m motor mounts and it bolts to original factory mounts there vary easy to come by i bought a running car for 600 pulled engine sold what i didnt need for 550$
 
As far budget, building a strong 22RE isn't exactly cheap. Last one I did I had around 2k in just parts. I'm planning on spending somewhere around 3k on the swap.

I like the 4.3, but not a Chevrolet fan. Just because I'm not a Chevrolet fan doesn't mean I would completely rule it out.

The 7M is one I'd probably pass on. Now,all the parts are around 20 years old, and stuff starts breaking down eventually. Wiring harness, clips, and connectors are getting brittle by this point.

I like the idea of OBD II. It makes trouble shooting so much easier.
 
ypy2y2av.jpg
Last year, before I repurchased my 4runner I had decided I was going to fix this into a long range camping /expedition style rig. I started working on it, and driving it for a couple months and remembered I wasn't s Chevy guy. It's been parked again for a year now.

The Malibu.... don't cuss me like that.:D
 
dorton said:
ypy2y2av.jpg
Last year, before I repurchased my 4runner I had decided I was going to fix this into a long range camping /expedition style rig. I started working on it, and driving it for a couple months and remembered I wasn't s Chevy guy. It's been parked again for a year now.
Click to expand...

If I were ever going to drive a Chevy, it'd be that one - very pretty. K5s and early Broncos give me a chubby.

I don't really hate Chevies. I just like flicking crap at [MENTION=78031]BucknutBob[/MENTION]. :D
 
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