Joelzy's 96 5SPD(daily) & 5VZ block-up rebuild

[Joelzy]

Joelzy's 5VZ rebuild

Welp, i probably would have been suspicious if everything went perfect while trying install the motor and trans. So today seems about right.

Got the flywheel and clutch on easy enough and put the ex manifolds on with gaskets then started to get ready to put the trans and motor together and realized i had no idea where the bolts were... come to think of it, i had never seen them in any of the stuff i had for the runner.
Sure enough i looked everywhere and they are nowhere to be found so i ordered a set from the dealer and of course i have to wait a while again.

Went back to pickNpull yesterday because last time i left the top end of their 97 was still intact. That was not the case yesterday, someone had ripped it apart to take the right head and destroyed almost everything in their path. Luckily all i needed was the fuel supply line and though it was tangled in a mess of crap that was thrown out of the way, it seems fine so i pulled it and the return for 6 bucks. The one on the runner was bent and when i tried to bend it back, the aluminum split.

also, sold the sludge motor(full disclosed) for 300 last night bringing the grand total for the rebuild back down to ~$1700. Not too shabby as long as i can get it running ray:

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[Joelzy]

Thats a long summbich all put together. Not sure im going to be able to shoehorn it in even with the transfer case off.
Long shot but has anyone done it?
Core support may not need to be replaced as i only need to pull it forward an inch before the hood lines up but it might get replaced just so i don't have to put the trans in from the bottom


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[tturbocar]

loving the thread and hello from the other side of the metroplex! which picknpull do you goto?

 

[Joelzy]

loving the thread and hello from the other side of the metroplex! which picknpull do you goto?

hey there, I've been slowly dismantling a '97 at the Ft. Worth location but there is little left thats usable at this point aside from the block. like i said, someone stripped it for a head and left it in shambles. They have another 3rd Gen but its already picked clean.
The Dallas South Central location has a '00 model that i might go take a look at for some odds and ends but i have no idea what condition its in currently. I think i have just about everything needed to run at this point.

 

[tturbocar]

hey there, I've been slowly dismantling a '97 at the Ft. Worth location but there is little left thats usable at this point aside from the block. like i said, someone stripped it for a head and left it in shambles. They have another 3rd Gen but its already picked clean.
The Dallas South Central location has a '00 model that i might go take a look at for some odds and ends but i have no idea what condition its in currently. I think i have just about everything needed to run at this point.

ill probably go look at the one in dallas. thankfully i dont need mechanical parts at this time but never know! im going to subscribe to this thread!

 

[Joelzy]

cool if you don't mind lmk what condition its in. I still need a tan leather driver's seat and some random bits. I might swing by there as my in-laws are that direction and we'll be at their house this weekend.

 

[Joelzy]

Joelzy's 5VZ rebuild

Welp, was gonna go for it but decided to take some measurements and make a scale paper model just to see where i stand.
This is based off my measurments of the bay and motor where each square is 5”

Even with the load leveler there is no way its going to work so i need to either take off the core support or mount the trans from underneath. Being that my support is slightly bent and a new one is 50 bucks we’ll probably be going that route and drilling out some tack welds.
I had a pretty bad finger smashin last time i tried to mount a motor from underneath without the proper equipment so i’m a little apprehensive about doing that again.

Probably rather straighten up the front end in the process for 50 bucks than buy a trans jack for 100 and never use it again


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[Joelzy]

Joelzy's 5VZ rebuild

Pretty surprised to have yet another rain delay on the day i was going to make all my progress but considering the temps we’ve been having otherwise, i wont complain.
Got my spot weld drill bit in and went to town yesterday with the intention of installing the motor/trans/TC today.

Bit worked well but was dull by the end of it. Cant complain for 11 bucks, it did its job.
Aside from the frame everything is a little floppy without the core support so i’ll be rewelding and maybe strengthening a little before im done. New one is ordered and on its way but first i need a dry chance to slide the drivetrain in.

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[Joelzy]

Welp, got the motor/trans/TC in as one. Would’ve gone a lot smoother if the 4r wasn’t parked on paverstones but i laid down some particle board for the hoist and it worked pretty well.

Only ended up with one issue to learn from.

The crossover pipe doesnt fit the passenger(right) manifold flange. At first i thought a stud was bent but its a good half inch off. Guessing that means the manifold is from the jdm motor which we previously discovered to have come from a tacoma or t100. The PO must have mixed them up at one point because i used what was on the sludge motor and i assume he had planned on using. I know i should’ve check it earlier but it looked right so i never questioned it.
Well, the correct manifold was on the sludge motor which i sold like an idiot but i thought i had everything i needed off of it. The money went to surgery for my dog so im not mad about that at all i just wish i had caught the manifold mixup before it happened. :dammit:
Trying to contact the buyer to swap me manifolds as he has a T100 and the manifold he has will not work for him either.

Stay tuned


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[Joelzy]

had to pull phone records to contact the sludge motor buyer as i'd already deleted the texts and call log from my phone. Got ahold of him and being that he'll be in town this weekend i'm going to swap him manifolds and get this build back on track. Hoping to button up the old exhaust for now and put the intake all together for the first time since i've owned the 4R.

Also, that sludge motor is in his truck and running.... crazy

 

[TheFormer]

great write up

just read the whole thread for the pass hour going back and forth. im a jeep guy going the toyota route. I actually acquired a free 4runner with a blown motor from a kid in san jose ca. he just wanted it off his driveway for sitting since December of 2016. Im now looking to just drop a JDM motor myself. just reading your thread and weighing out my options. im watching your thread to see how much your into the whole build. i read on here that a jdm motor would be a better choice because its an untouched Toyota motor and that rebuild motors are not as reliable. but i don't understand that theory because i feel like stout built OEM parts used in the rebuild process would be just as good if not better than factory. I don't know. I do want to know why you went to rebuilding route instead of the JDM route. I like to pick peoples brain and man you are deep into this build. you inspire me. I worked on TJ and 4 XJ's from installing lockers and re gearing:alien. but putting in a motor is something i have never done. even when the whole Honda civic swap was going on in high school..lol...Honestly I am a bit overwhelmed as im the only guy who made the jump from jeep to Toyota among my group and feel like an outcast but im looking to make friends locally who are Toyota guys. do you feel overwhelmed at times dealing with this project?

 

[Joelzy]

just read the whole thread for the pass hour going back and forth. im a jeep guy going the toyota route. I actually acquired a free 4runner with a blown motor from a kid in san jose ca. he just wanted it off his driveway for sitting since December of 2016. Im now looking to just drop a JDM motor myself. just reading your thread and weighing out my options. im watching your thread to see how much your into the whole build. i read on here that a jdm motor would be a better choice because its an untouched Toyota motor and that rebuild motors are not as reliable. but i don't understand that theory because i feel like stout built OEM parts used in the rebuild process would be just as good if not better than factory. I don't know. I do want to know why you went to rebuilding route instead of the JDM route. I like to pick peoples brain and man you are deep into this build. you inspire me. I worked on TJ and 4 XJ's from installing lockers and re gearing:alien. but putting in a motor is something i have never done. even when the whole Honda civic swap was going on in high school..lol...Honestly I am a bit overwhelmed as im the only guy who made the jump from jeep to Toyota among my group and feel like an outcast but im looking to make friends locally who are Toyota guys. do you feel overwhelmed at times dealing with this project?

So, I'll start by saying thanks for looking and commenting, my whole hope with this thread(once it turned into a motor build) is to document the rebuild in a way that makes it seem doable from a guy who wasn't planning on doing it in the first place. I make mistakes, I have to double back on work and be patient when things go awry but all in all i'm learning more than i ever thought about this vehicle and if i want to be wheeling in the middle of nowhere, i want to trust that this motor will get me home. Also, I've never rebuilt a motor from the block up and i have always wanted to.

I paid a grand(delivered) for the 4R with the JDM swap installed thinking i was getting a steal until i saw the sludge. Part of me wanted to chance it and run some cleaners in the oil to try breaking down the sludge and just run it till it died, but another part wanted to do it right and start fresh, build it to run like it was supposed to and get a fresh start on a 2-300k or more motor. That sludge motor is in a T100 already running but who knows for how long? guy bought it off me for 300 bucks(fully disclosed) so he probably doesn't care but i'm building mine to last and of course that means OEM parts that add up real fast. Didn't help that i rebuilt the motor at my friend's shop who is anti-mod/aftermarket/anything but OEM and he was constantly driving home the need for OE parts. Luckily selling my other project car has covered the motor build and some. Most of the time an unreliable rebuild would be due to subpar parts going into it and considering i have made sure to keep everything OE i am hopeful that this thing lasts. It hurts at times when you see aftermarket parts for 20 bucks but OE is 100 but i've been just closing my eyes and paying for it. If it ends up being 3500(including initial purchase) into a 4R with a fresh start i'll be pretty happy about it and i'll probably park my daily for a while. I'm at about 2K in the rebuild right now but i'm just expecting more.

There were a few times i questioned if i should be messing with all this and it seemed worse than it ended up being but once down to the long block things get real simple. Any time electronics are not involved is good for me so following the manual made it pretty simple and straight forward. Honestly i'm more worried about figuring out all the vacuum lines being that it was never fully assembled while in my possession. Also, i will say, after tackling the whole motor build, head gaskets seem like a cakewalk.

Can't say yet but i imagine the feeling of firing it up for the first time will be awesome and make it all worthwhile... if not i'll let you know

 

[96RedRunner]

[MENTION=221666]Joelzy[/MENTION] Any time electronics are not involved is good for me.

Electrical side of things should be next on your list then. It's just as rewarding as the mechanical side more so really cause you can't see electrons flow. Once you get the visualization process down pat you'll say damn that's not hard.

 

[TheFormer]

thanks for being honest. most people would not even disclose what they put into a build. It's about right what i thought it would cost. I can understand dearly about frustrations you may have. I remember doing a transfer case rebuild (NP231) and reagearing my Chrysler 8.25 rear end on my jeep. I went through bouts of depression and uncertainty. My wife even thought i was going crazy because i was talking to myself. as i type this i am texting aguy locally who sells rebuilt long blocks for the 5vzfe. did your 4runner come with the elocker?

 

[gamefreakgc]

Pretty surprised to have yet another rain delay on the day i was going to make all my progress but considering the temps we’ve been having otherwise, i wont complain.
Got my spot weld drill bit in and went to town yesterday with the intention of installing the motor/trans/TC today.

Bit worked well but was dull by the end of it. Cant complain for 11 bucks, it did its job.
Aside from the frame everything is a little floppy without the core support so i’ll be rewelding and maybe strengthening a little before im done. New one is ordered and on its way but first i need a dry chance to slide the drivetrain in.

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How much was the new core support? I never did figure out how people pull the engine and transmission together but what you did makes perfect sense. I tried on a 2WD 4Runner (smaller transmission) and it didn't work, I ended up just cutting the core support in half since I only wanted the engine out, nothing was going back in.

 

[Joelzy]

Electrical side of things should be next on your list then. It's just as rewarding as the mechanical side more so really cause you can't see electrons flow. Once you get the visualization process down pat you'll say damn that's not hard.

that is definitely next, I'm getting better but still get very frustrated not knowing how all the components work. fuses and relays are one thing but any further and I'm lost.

thanks for being honest. most people would not even disclose what they put into a build.. ..did your 4runner come with the elocker?

Of course, If it helps or motivates someone else i'm about it. I should add that price includes a second-hand engine hoist and splitting the cost of a really nice engine stand that i'll never use again haha.
Its had some frustrating times but nothing compared to swapping the subaru motor into the vw bug that i sold recently. that car humbled me and broke a couple fingers as well as my spirit. Its only saving grace was selling it for twice what i had in it.
Yes on the e-locker, i was shocked to find it with the locker and a 5 speed, pretty much my ideal setup just had to reassemble(or so i thought).

How much was the new core support? I never did figure out how people pull the engine and transmission together but what you did makes perfect sense. I tried on a 2WD 4Runner (smaller transmission) and it didn't work, I ended up just cutting the core support in half since I only wanted the engine out, nothing was going back in.

Core support was only 50 bucks in various places online. I was a little surprised by that and happy about it being that i wanted to replace it and have a good reason to not attempt installing the trans separately. :banana:

 

[Joelzy]

The guy who bought the sludge motor was supposed to call me when in town this weekend but it never happened, shocker.

Hate waiting around on someone else so i got up early and made a run to another PickNPull that had a newly wrecked 99. Once again they came through, someone removed the head but left the manifold and sure enough it was just what i needed.

Bolted it up and got the motor back in with the entire exhaust hooked up. That was all i had time for today but now i can start installing the intake and hooking stuff up.

 

[Joelzy]

Joelzy's 5VZ rebuild

:moping:Finally back to making progress on this thing!

Got the harness run, fuel supply and return plumbed and then added the first level of the intake, plugged in what i could and added the second.

Things are falling into place pretty well but i dont know where a few vac lines go. Gonna do some research but if someone knows off the top of their head that’d be fantastic.

Ones comes from under the top intake the the other comes out of the side.
Also, the brake booster source? No clue

Surely it can’t be as simple as that vac line on the side of the intake facing the booster.

Today’s “dont do this” has to do with replacing the knock sensor harness.
I originally ran the harness in what looked like the direction it was meant to go and it turned out way wrong.

so today i had to pull the T cover back off and believe it or not, unbolt the back plate and driver side cam gear to give myself clearance to get the plug through.

If i had torn this motor down i’d be in a lot better shape but i dont have a clue where most stuff is supposed to go being my first 5vz and if not being connected when i got it.


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[4Reak Show]

Brake booster is the larger fitting on that side. The one on the top of the intake is for EVAP canister I believe. The front one on the upper plenum is either a 4wd vacuum feed line or it tees off for power steering vacuum switch depending on your style. The one from underneath goes to the intake silencer or on the tube between the filter and throttle body.

Hope that helps.

Also don't forget the fuel pressure regulator vacuum line on the back side as well as the valve cover breather hose on the driver side as well.

 

[Joelzy]

Brake booster is the larger fitting on that side. The one on the top of the intake is for EVAP canister I believe. The front one on the upper plenum is either a 4wd vacuum feed line or it tees off for power steering vacuum switch depending on your style. The one from underneath goes to the intake silencer or on the tube between the filter and throttle body.

Hope that helps.

Also don't forget the fuel pressure regulator vacuum line on the back side as well as the valve cover breather hose on the driver side as well.

Thank you so much!!! does this look right?

Also, found it kind of odd that the 4R has heater lines running to what i can only guess is a second heater core for the back seat. wasn't expecting that but followed the lines and sure enough