new member-engine question

[Stumptown]

Hello to all,
I just bought a '95 4runner with the V6. It has 144K miles on it, didn't come with service records. I probably shouldn't have bought it (my mechanic told me not to because it didn't pass emissions test on first try) but I basically fell in love with it when I drove it.
I'm not too mechanically inclined, but I've read enough to understand the headgasket recall for the V6's. It runs kind of rough but the oil looks okay; I'm waiting for Toyota dealer to call me back to see if the VIN was eligible or has had gasket replaced.
Anyways, my question is about the motor: just saying the head gasket gives out, I would compare replacing the gasket to replacing the whole engine. The 22R-E sounds pretty reliable; is it still available? The V6 already seems underpowered...Are there other options than 22R-E? And about how much would a job like that cost?

 

[truck]

A 22R-E is tops in reliability. They were available in 1995..so there may be donors out there. (Reliability is the only major factor....the 4 cyl. has no power advantage.

I'd figure 1000-2000 for the powerplant, maybe 300-600 in wiring and add to that misc. labor fees. So, it would be a lateral move at best. Remember, these trucks hail from a period of time before "Fast Trucks" so don't expect to battle on the asphalt....we battle off the asphalt where it's the first to 1,250 Feet above sea level.

 

[fourwd1]

I wouldn't worry about an engine swap till you know what's up.
If the oil looks OK and there's no white smoke out the exhaust, and you're not losing coolant, it probably isn't the HG.
Plenty of things could make it run rough.

While you're at the dealer, there is a recall on the steering relay rod. Have that done.

 

[mith]

Personally, I wouldn't downgrade to a 22re if given the option. When I hear people discuss swapping out the 3.0L V6, it's usually for a newer 3.4L V6.

I think there's a lot of less expensive and less intrusive things you can do in the meantime to make it run better.

If you're really interested in a 22re, though, I've got one with 150k miles in good running condition. I might be willing to trade straight across for your V6, depending what sort of condition it's in.

 

[Stumptown]

Thanks for the responses.
I didn't get a quick answer from local dealers about looking up my VIN so I called Toyota at 800-331-4331 and got right through to a rep who was very helpful. He said the steering relay was done in 2006 and my engine wasn't eligible for HG recall.
Thanks again for the helpful answers here; if I need a new engine down the road, I'll look at the 3.4. For now maybe I'll just have my mechanic look at the spark plugs or something.
Cheers!

 

[Patzlaffs]

Engine swap

If you want more power, a Supra inline six, N/A or Turbo will work, Lots of people have done this swap. As far as the lack of power, they didn't call it the 3-slow V6 for nothin! LOTS of Toyota/Lexus engine options!