Need a motor, what to do

[WillK]

Check your valve cover gaskets. It's pretty common in Gen 3's (not all, but a fair number leak).

Here's what I would do...

Check for leaks under the vehicle. It's going to be either water, oil, transmission, gas brake or power steering.
Check all fluid levels- oil, transmission, water, power steering and brake fluid.
If fluids are okay, then check the exhaust for blue or black smoke.
If it's blue, it's oil. If it's coming out the exhaust, you should be able to smell it.
It's it black, it'll be gas-again you should be able to tell by smell.

As for gas mileage decrease, that could be many things but most of those are maintenance things and wouldn't/shouldn't require a new motor.
Spark plugs, wires, pcv, clean throttle body, new fuel filter, air filter, change the oil and filter, check your tire pressure-Really all basic maintenance stuff.

 

[85toyrunner]

Check your valve cover gaskets. It's pretty common in Gen 3's (not all, but a fair number leak).

Here's what I would do...

Check for leaks under the vehicle. It's going to be either water, oil, transmission, gas brake or power steering.
Check all fluid levels- oil, transmission, water, power steering and brake fluid.
If fluids are okay, then check the exhaust for blue or black smoke.
If it's blue, it's oil. If it's coming out the exhaust, you should be able to smell it.
It's it black, it'll be gas-again you should be able to tell by smell.

As for gas mileage decrease, that could be many things but most of those are maintenance things and wouldn't/shouldn't require a new motor.
Spark plugs, wires, pcv, clean throttle body, new fuel filter, air filter, change the oil and filter, check your tire pressure-Really all basic maintenance stuff.

Agreed 110%!!

 

[BrianSD_42]

I drive 50 miles on the highway at 70mph everyday. That's not city driving. 15mpg is not ok in my book. Especially since I used to get 21mpg.

1. 15 - 17 MPG is the official gas mileage rating for this vehicle. The government adjusted the numbers a few years after your vehicle was made because car manufacturers were not telling the truth.

2. No one And I mean no one .. I've ever heard of replaced their 4Runner V6 for getting 15 mpg.

3. Have you done maintenance? When were the plugs last changed? Are they Toyota?

What is the compression in each CYL? Did you get that tested?

What type of CEL does it have? Does it have any?

Not to sound to sarcastic but this vehicle has a computer. I'm not sure you are aware of that. Trust me if you REALLY needed a new engine the computer would let you know.

 

[nissanh]

You said you drove with the broken intake hose..... and you know the consequences with that.

Now, do this.... When the engine is running (Idle), pull the dip stick completely out and see any VISIBLE smoke from the dipstick tube.... and secondly....(stay away from the dipstick tube) and give some gas (about 1000-1500 rpm). Now do you see any smoke or oil droplets coming from the tube?

If your answer to these is NO, I say the piston rings are OK.

My neighbor bought a 02 tacoma with 79K miles. After inspection I saw some idiot installed a K&N air filter backwards. There are openings between the intake and the air filter so even a dice would suck in. I installed one of my extra OEM filter. His tacoma is still doing 21 MPG at 70-75 MPH and my truck with almost 200 K is doing 17 MPG.

Do other easily fixable things and see the mileage.

Like BrianSD said.... these are doing 17-19 MPG on highway.

 

[coues7]

1. 15 - 17 MPG is the official gas mileage rating for this vehicle. The government adjusted the numbers a few years after your vehicle was made because car manufacturers were not telling the truth.

2. No one And I mean no one .. I've ever heard of replaced their 4Runner V6 for getting 15 mpg.

3. Have you done maintenance? When were the plugs last changed? Are they Toyota?

What is the compression in each CYL? Did you get that tested?

What type of CEL does it have? Does it have any?

Not to sound to sarcastic but this vehicle has a computer. I'm not sure you are aware of that. Trust me if you REALLY needed a new engine the computer would let you know.

What is CEL?

 

[BrianSD_42]

check engine light. It's ORANGE.
* Solid means a code was thrown recently - often not a big deal but can be serious
* Flashing means pretty serious/concerning - Might be a good idea to stop driving or get to a mechanic fast

In other words .. is it throwing any codes? You can get codes read for free at PepBoys


As I mentioned ....

Trust me if you REALLY needed a new engine the computer would let you know.

 

[jmildoc]

JUST BUY A NEW ENGINE! I WILL BUY YOUR OLD ENGINE, $200 SHIPPED, SOUND GOOD?

THANKS,


Dude find a buddy that knows a little something about cars and do some maintenance on that engine, it is not dead.

 

[Bt08231]

Dude these things are tanks...the 99 i just picked up with 155k "needed a new transmission".....it turned out to be the wrong spark plugs and horrible, old aftermarket plug wires. After fixing that and installing a new air fuel sensor, bank 1 sensor 1, the truck went from 12 mpg up to 17 in 1 tank! And i would image it will get even better after a few more tanks....

check the easy things first before dropping a ton of money, or sell it to one us lol whatever is easier...

 

[coues7]

The truck is not and never has thrown a code. Where can I get a fsm? I can do all this work I just don't know where to start. How would I know that the afs needs replacement? What plugs and wires should I get? I replaced the plugs and where when it had 127k on it. Who does the best transmission flushes? I would think the dealer should do that. I search for a valve cover gasket replacement thread and do that. What about adjusting the valves?

 

[coues7]

Not to start a whole new thread, but ultra gauge or scan gauge ii?

 

[Supermoney]

Junkyard told me $800 for a motor out of a 4Runner with 113k on it...rear end collision, 100% fine.

That price is insane.

 

[TakeitApart]

Grab a sub 100k miler out of a junker. The t-100's and taco's both fit. Make sure you transfer all parts that are unique to each model. The sub oil pan due to dipstick location, the oil pan and pickup tube, the oil pressure sending unit and some of the bracketry. Do the head gaskets on the newer motor and check the valve clearances. Put it in and drive for another 200k!

My buddies '96 finally dropped a head gasket bad enough that there was erosion of the head and block. We swapped a t-100 engine with 89k on it and did the head gaskets. We had the heads milled ever-so-slightly to ensure that the mating surface was true. All in all it cost less than 1k to do the swap. I charged him 400 in labor.

 

[coues7]

Grab a sub 100k miler out of a junker. The t-100's and taco's both fit. Make sure you transfer all parts that are unique to each model. The sub oil pan due to dipstick location, the oil pan and pickup tube, the oil pressure sending unit and some of the bracketry. Do the head gaskets on the newer motor and check the valve clearances. Put it in and drive for another 200k!

My buddies '96 finally dropped a head gasket bad enough that there was erosion of the head and block. We swapped a t-100 engine with 89k on it and did the head gaskets. We had the heads milled ever-so-slightly to ensure that the mating surface was true. All in all it cost less than 1k to do the swap. I charged him 400 in labor.

How did we go from don't replace the motor to replace the motor in 3 posts?

 

[TakeitApart]

How did we go from don't replace the motor to replace the motor in 3 posts?

The page break got me.

 

[BrianSD_42]

Either gauge is fine..

So is there a check engine code?

 

[coues7]

Either gauge is fine..

So is there a check engine code?

no engine codes are thrown

 

[BrianSD_42]

Do you know what a dyno test is?

You can do one for like $100 (maybe a small bit more)

It will tell you exactly how many HP at the wheels your 4runner is putting out. That would be another indicator of whether your 4runner is performing well.

As I mentioned before 15-17 mpg city/hwy is the official US MPG rating for a V6 4Runner.

There are things you can do preventively. One would be do its suggested 30k maintenance and replace the spark plugs with Toyota OEM plugs. Do not use Boshe or another brand. Use only the Toyota plug.

If you have the original fuel filter and plug wires replace those as well.

Doing a compression test ($100 at a local mechanic) will tell you the compression in each CYL. Write those numbers down and post them here.

I don't recall how many miles you have ...

I have 224k miles on my original V6. I did replace the heads at 199k but until then it never even threw a CEL.

 

[BrianSD_42]

Another suggestion ... Do you have any friends/neighbors who know about cars?

Its time to be humble and ask someone you know for help.

I'm starting to think you may be a girl. Its fine but that would explain a lot. Many guys at least know another guy they can ask but women who post here are often to embarrassed to ask a coworker or family member for help.

 

[coues7]

Another suggestion ... Do you have any friends/neighbors who know about cars?

Its time to be humble and ask someone you know for help.

I'm starting to think you may be a girl. Its fine but that would explain a lot. Many guys at least know another guy they can ask but women who post here are often to embarrassed to ask a coworker or family member for help.

I'm not afraid to tackle any of this stuff. If you read previous posts in this threat I put plugs and wires at around $120k. I have not done the schedule maintenance as I should have been doing. The major concern is the oil leak and fuel economy. I have a friend that I can get to help me check compression. He has the stuff. I just don't know where to start or what to look for. I mean it's only an engine but I'm not familiar with it. Where can I get a Fsm?

 

[BrianSD_42]

Its a bit of reading and research but I highly recommend you check out these three lights.


1. This is the home of the threads that have been flagged for importance
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...ormational-threads-must-read-new-members.html

2. There are links on the first page and last several pages. The FSM is here.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/69744-3rd-gen-faq-tutorials-documentation-reference.html

3. There is a better way to search. Try T4R this!
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/off-t...far-more-accurately-than-standard-method.html


Good Luck! If after reading and researching you have a more specific question I would suggest starting a new thread with a new title. If you have pictures of the oil leak that would be optimal. Post those in that thread. I'm inclined to think it is your valve cover gaskets but without pictures ... ?

BTW if it is your valve cover gaskets then it not something that would likely cause a loss of HP or really affect your mileage.