Howdy folks...new guy here. Where to start....
I inherited my dad's 1992 4R SR5, 3.0 V6, Auto trans, 31" tires. Had about 83k on it when I got it in 1997. Apparently he was a week away from trading it in for another, because of the head gasket warranty thing.
Local service manager for Toyota was a friend of his, made sure the gasket was taken care of and, I think, went through the engine to make sure all else was OK. It's been a good truck and had been getting about 15mpg around town.
Fast forward to today. All maintenance and work has been done by Larry Miller Toyota in Peoria, AZ. (Including the bazillion brake jobs since this thing eats rotors like a <fill in the blank> eats <fill in the blank>.). I did the auto-shop thing in high school and liked it, but now I lack the patience to do anything on the vehicle without getting frustrated and putting a sledge through the window or fender...did that once mannnnny years ago with a car in high school...I've learned my limitations.
Anyway, Truck has about 195k on it. Body is in excellent shape, have new Bridgestones and shocks on it (about 3k ago). Driver's seat needs a repair on the leather, but otherwise in excellent shape.
And now you hear the "But...." coming.
Truck now only gets about 13mpg around town, and MAYBE 16 on highway driving. In addition, the "check engine" light is constantly on. Truck hesitates a bit at lower speeds and really runs rough at idle.
LM Toyota said one of the cylinders is losing compression, which is causing the rough idle and, perhaps, the Check Engine light. However, recently, when I had to change batteries, the check engine light went off when I installed the new one.
Truck ran pretty smoothly for several hundred miles, then the light came back on and it ran rough again.
This would SEEM that it's something electronic, since the problem appeared to disappear when the CE light was off, but returned when it came back on. Any ideas?
See, I am at a decision point. I love Truck, and not just for sentimental reasons. Wish it was a little bigger in the cargo area, but that's OK.
However, if the engine really IS losing compression, that sounds (and from talking with friends, will be) expensive. The though of rebuilding the 3.0 only to have a couple new hamsters under the hood isn't very appealing.
So, I've been wondering if it'd be possible to install a bigger V-6 in it without
a) spending as much as a new vehicle
b) having to do alterations beyond new engine mounts
c) having to change the transmission out?
If putting a new engine in it is possible, how much is that likely to run for the complete motor? Install costs? Know anyone in the Phoenix area that can do this?
I've done some searching and reading before posting this, and have some of the info on the "where" to get an engine. It's just the "I've got a motor and now what?" question I don't have the answer to....
It's to the point where i need to make a decision to repair and keep it, or sell it, since I won't get my repair costs back if I sell.
Thanks for your time and hope to hear from y'all soon.
I inherited my dad's 1992 4R SR5, 3.0 V6, Auto trans, 31" tires. Had about 83k on it when I got it in 1997. Apparently he was a week away from trading it in for another, because of the head gasket warranty thing.
Local service manager for Toyota was a friend of his, made sure the gasket was taken care of and, I think, went through the engine to make sure all else was OK. It's been a good truck and had been getting about 15mpg around town.
Fast forward to today. All maintenance and work has been done by Larry Miller Toyota in Peoria, AZ. (Including the bazillion brake jobs since this thing eats rotors like a <fill in the blank> eats <fill in the blank>.). I did the auto-shop thing in high school and liked it, but now I lack the patience to do anything on the vehicle without getting frustrated and putting a sledge through the window or fender...did that once mannnnny years ago with a car in high school...I've learned my limitations.
Anyway, Truck has about 195k on it. Body is in excellent shape, have new Bridgestones and shocks on it (about 3k ago). Driver's seat needs a repair on the leather, but otherwise in excellent shape.
And now you hear the "But...." coming.
Truck now only gets about 13mpg around town, and MAYBE 16 on highway driving. In addition, the "check engine" light is constantly on. Truck hesitates a bit at lower speeds and really runs rough at idle.
LM Toyota said one of the cylinders is losing compression, which is causing the rough idle and, perhaps, the Check Engine light. However, recently, when I had to change batteries, the check engine light went off when I installed the new one.
Truck ran pretty smoothly for several hundred miles, then the light came back on and it ran rough again.
This would SEEM that it's something electronic, since the problem appeared to disappear when the CE light was off, but returned when it came back on. Any ideas?
See, I am at a decision point. I love Truck, and not just for sentimental reasons. Wish it was a little bigger in the cargo area, but that's OK.
However, if the engine really IS losing compression, that sounds (and from talking with friends, will be) expensive. The though of rebuilding the 3.0 only to have a couple new hamsters under the hood isn't very appealing.
So, I've been wondering if it'd be possible to install a bigger V-6 in it without
a) spending as much as a new vehicle
b) having to do alterations beyond new engine mounts
c) having to change the transmission out?
If putting a new engine in it is possible, how much is that likely to run for the complete motor? Install costs? Know anyone in the Phoenix area that can do this?
I've done some searching and reading before posting this, and have some of the info on the "where" to get an engine. It's just the "I've got a motor and now what?" question I don't have the answer to....
It's to the point where i need to make a decision to repair and keep it, or sell it, since I won't get my repair costs back if I sell.
Thanks for your time and hope to hear from y'all soon.
