Known problems with 3.4l?

[JimmySox]

Has anyone seen or heard of many problems with the 3.4l engine? I know the 3.0l was notorious for head issues, was this carried over to the 3.4?

I am looking at my first 4runner being probably a 96-00 SR5, and I am wondering if there were any major changes in the engine setup and design or known problems to be aware of.

I know about the pink milkshake issue with the tranny, but wondering more of any engine trouble, and what changes there were to the engine in the 3rd gen. Thanks!

 

[the great him]

this motor has none that i know of, its one of toyotas best motors ever. this, the 3rz, and the 2jz__ motors are probably the best motors toyota has ever put out. of course this all depends on how well they have been maintained

 

[quicksilvr]

The 3.4L is pretty bulletproof. There are no major issues that affect it in general. Of course there are the exceptions, with headgasket failure and thrown rods being the two major things that have been known to happen....but very very rarely.

More common would probably be sludging....but any engine is susceptible to sludge if the oil is not changed regularly. Even sludged up, the 3.4 has shown that it can run for miles and miles.

Minor things like valve cover leaks, coil packs going bad, etc are what you'll be dealing with as the mileage gets higher. But those are considered normal maintenance.

 

[the great him]

The 3.4L is pretty bulletproof. There are no major issues that affect it in general. Of course there are the exceptions, with headgasket failure and thrown rods being the two major things that have been known to happen....but very very rarely.

More common would probably be sludging....but any engine is susceptible to sludge if the oil is not changed regularly. Even sludged up, the 3.4 has shown that it can run for miles and miles.

Minor things like valve cover leaks, coil packs going bad, etc are what you'll be dealing with as the mileage gets higher. But those are considered normal maintenance.

any motor can do that, nothing is beyond braking even when stock, but throwing rods in a 3.4 ive only head of once, and i think it was abused from day one

 

[JimmySox]

The 3.4L is pretty bulletproof. There are no major issues that affect it in general. Of course there are the exceptions, with headgasket failure and thrown rods being the two major things that have been known to happen....but very very rarely.

More common would probably be sludging....but any engine is susceptible to sludge if the oil is not changed regularly. Even sludged up, the 3.4 has shown that it can run for miles and miles.

Minor things like valve cover leaks, coil packs going bad, etc are what you'll be dealing with as the mileage gets higher. But those are considered normal maintenance.

Hey Quick,

Thanks for the info! Can't wait to get my hands on my first 4runner, but I need to be patient and find the right one! Have you seen or heard of many axle problems breaking etc. using these off road? I had been a fan of jeeps for a long time before loving these Toyotas, but they had so many issues with axles.

I owned a 4x2 Grand Cherokee for about 5 years and it was totaled. Now I am stuck with a soccer van until I can get my hands on my first yota :]

 

[JimmySox]

this motor has none that i know of, its one of toyotas best motors ever. this, the 3rz, and the 2jz__ motors are probably the best motors toyota has ever put out. of course this all depends on how well they have been maintained

Thanks for the input! I figured I would put it out there and ask. Still very very new to Toyota and learning everything I can :]

 

[quicksilvr]

any motor can do that, nothing is beyond braking even when stock, but throwing rods in a 3.4 ive only head of once, and i think it was abused from day one

Huh? Can you rephrase.....I'm not getting what you are trying to say.

As far as rods go, it's happened several times to people on the forums. And that is a small sample of people driving 4runners. It does happen. Just not very often.

Hey Quick,

Thanks for the info! Can't wait to get my hands on my first 4runner, but I need to be patient and find the right one! Have you seen or heard of many axle problems breaking etc. using these off road? I had been a fan of jeeps for a long time before loving these Toyotas, but they had so many issues with axles.

I owned a 4x2 Grand Cherokee for about 5 years and it was totaled. Now I am stuck with a soccer van until I can get my hands on my first yota :]

No, no axle problems. The rear axle is a great unit, just make sure it's not rusted badly. The front CV's are a good design as well....usually they only break if you are lifted and flexing them out while powering through a tough spot while offroading.

 

[Baja Runner]

I believe the 3.4l is one of the best Toyota engines made as well. They go forever as long as its been cared for. Even non cared-for 3.4l's go for a long time.

Funny you mention the axles... I am the only person I know of who's broken a rear axle... the axle shaft sheared right at the ABS ring. I have yet to seen another broken one, but im sure it's happend. That being said, you don't need to worry. Couple it with a factory diff locker, and they are SWEET!

 

[the great him]

if you run 33s or larger and wheel it, plan on braking CVs, they are not hard and by far the weakest link in the drivetrain. but with that being said they are not inferior and or cheep(quality wise) parts, they do fine for what they are, if you are gonna seriously off road this rig youd better either plan on doing an sas or bringing spares with you, OE toyota units are the best, auto parts stores like auto zone and the likes sell cheep china made products that will not take the abuse that OE units will.

to quicksilvr, i was just trying to state that headgaskets and other "issues" that have come up in these trucks(even thrown rods) can happen to any motor no matter what, from a bone stock to a professionally built motor that cost over $40k. but stuff of that nature tends to be as a result of abuse and misuse of the motor

 

[MTDewX8]

Mine needs fuel from time to time. only problem I have had with mine.



but like all said before. take care of it and it will probably surprise you

 

[jacob7071]

the only problem I know if is that you don't hear of very many that make it past 500,000 miles.

 

[pengwin]

this motor has none that i know of, its one of toyotas best motors ever. this, the 3rz, and the 2jz__ motors are probably the best motors toyota has ever put out. of course this all depends on how well they have been maintained

better than the 20r/22r/22re?!?!?!?

 

[the great him]

better than the 20r/22r/22re?!?!?!?

oh yeah, dont get me wrong, the 22re is a great motor, but no where near the work horse or as dependable as the 5vze. i have had several 22re and still have two 85 trucks that have them in them, one is a stroker motor from LCE and the other is just one that my father inlaw put together(hes a senior head tech at a toyota dealer) and they both are great and strong engines that are very dependable but, they have inherent problems, they like to blow head gaskets too, just not as much as the 3vze. i think the reason you dont hear many people complain about the 22re and head gasket failures is they are so damn cheep(cost wise) and easy to fix, the average person who is mechanically inclined and has the tools can rebuild one in a weekend in his garage for less than $800-1000(including getting the head resurfaced). dont get me wrong i still love the 22re, but yes i think they are not up to par with the 5vze

 

[Baja Runner]

Yep, far superior to a 22re... (I can't believe I just said that....)

 

[UARandy3]

The 3.4L is pretty bulletproof. There are no major issues that affect it in general. Of course there are the exceptions, with headgasket failure and thrown rods being the two major things that have been known to happen....but very very rarely.

More common would probably be sludging....but any engine is susceptible to sludge if the oil is not changed regularly. Even sludged up, the 3.4 has shown that it can run for miles and miles.

Minor things like valve cover leaks, coil packs going bad, etc are what you'll be dealing with as the mileage gets higher. But those are considered normal maintenance.

Yeah mine and several others on the forum (mostly 2000 year models) experienced thrown rods. Mine was meticulously maintained by the dealer, on time, every time and had the catastrophic failure happen at 120k miles. These occurrences are pretty rare though from what I've found, but it does happen (multiple people on this forum alone). The dealer covered the large majority of the cost (originally quoted ~$8k :wow2: but ended up still paying ~$2k). Other than that, no real problems other than normal maintenance.

 

[sean2202]

Let's revive this thread a few years later and another 100k miles. Any new longterm trouble with 3.4 besides routine maint items? I know there was at one time a head gasket recall on early third gens. Any other year engines suffer rod failure or only 2000 model year? Highest mileage I've seen is 377,000. Any insight on carbon buildup on heads or valves needing adjustment.

 

[AntleredRuin]

I would say that you should Seafoam every so often to help with carbon buildup. Do it slowly so you don't flood it; this should keep you from needing to replace spark plugs and 02 sensor afterwards as well.

 

[WATony]

I would say that you should Seafoam every so often to help with carbon buildup. Do it slowly so you don't flood it; this should keep you from needing to replace spark plugs and 02 sensor afterwards as well.

you sucking it in through a vacuum line or putting it in the fuel? For O2/spark plug maintenance.

 

[amalik]

you sucking it in through a vacuum line or putting it in the fuel? For O2/spark plug maintenance.

Through the PCV vacuum line. There are threads on it, search for 'em.

 

[amalik]

Let's revive this thread a few years later and another 100k miles. Any new longterm trouble with 3.4 besides routine maint items? I know there was at one time a head gasket recall on early third gens. Any other year engines suffer rod failure or only 2000 model year? Highest mileage I've seen is 377,000. Any insight on carbon buildup on heads or valves needing adjustment.

The highest mileage i've seen for 5VZ-FE is on a 97 Tacoma (Member on TacomaWorld) -- 489,000 miles before head gasket failure.

I am FULLY unaware of a head gasket recall on any third gen. It's also not in the Buyers Guide, and [MENTION=57546]4-Ripcord[/MENTION] didn't miss anything in that guide that I can think of.

Are you maybe talking about the 3.0 on the 2nd gen?