Where can I find a nice 5vz-fe and good mechanic

[Fresh727]

Ok...thanks fellas...with all of the great advice floating around here, I decided to keep my beloved 99 4runner SR-5 4x4 despite the blown HG. She is otherwise mint and has all the features I ever wanted in one of these awesome vehicles. I've got alot of great OEM replacements in her too...So I am going to commit to an engine swap. I am open to having one shipped but want something of a lower mileage engine...any ideas where to find one? Also, I'm in Riverside County in Southern California. Would like to find an experienced mechanic to do the swap at a fair price. Can I get this all done for under $2k??? I know many might chuckle but I'm just asking...I'm away on a work contract for next 3 months so I have no tools, no favors to pull and on my own with this one! lol Lend me your thoughts..I'll figure out how to post some pix of my gal and while she is a wounded soldier right now...I gotta keep her running! Thanks~

Here are a few pix of her..quite stock except for the wheels which turned out nice!

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/members/fresh727-albums-99+4runner+sr5+4x4.html

 

[Jedrattle]

Yota Masters in corona. 951 279 0220 Tell them Joe Dirt sent you.

 

[Fresh727]

Yota Masters in corona. 951 258 6242. Tell them Joe Dirt sent you.

Wow...awesome reviews: Yotamasters - Corona, CA | Yelp

That's not terribly far from me. maybe an hour tops...I think my rig will make it. Couldn't imagine a better place to have the work done either. I don't feel sketchy about it at all. I mean, how can you argue with a name like "Yotamasters!" Thanks a ton! I'll be keeping you posted. Only thing to work out now is: replace the gasket and seals or buy a JDM motor? Price will dictate. I left them a message for them. Thanks brother!

 

[Grenvilleter]

you probably would get away with just changing head gasket and then driving it regardless of possible scoring. Who knows... maybe could get another couple years or more out of it.
Before I completely committed to another engine, I'd rip the head off and have a look. It may not be perfect but for 500.00 or less, you could be good to go for a few more years.
Sounds like you are not pounding it hard.

 

[Jedrattle]

I screwed up and put my number. Lol I fixed my post. That's what I get for posting at work.

 

[Fresh727]

I screwed up and put my number. Lol I fixed my post. That's what I get for posting at work.

lol...good to hear your voice either way! I'll give them a ring at the RIGHT number! Funny thing...I just ran a third block test and it came out negative. I know those things aren't all together accurate but I was baffled by the results.

 

[pat24]

i have a motor with about 120k on it it not in bad shape if your interested i have no idea what it would cost to get it to you im in new Hampshire but if you cant find anything for a good price let me know the only thing it needs is a timing belt and you know all the stuff that goes with that t belt of coarse but im willing to let it go cheap i need it gone shot me a pm if interested wish you lived closer i would put it in for you i would hate to see a dead 3rd gen

 

[amalik]

Why is hg failure so bad that OP is considering a new engine? Can't the resulting damage just be repaired?

 

[kolelt]

Why is hg failure so bad that OP is considering a new engine? Can't the resulting damage just be repaired?

My hg blew on me to. I forced cranked the motor over. When it wouldnt start. I didn't know that there was clearly coolant in the cylinder. Did it like four times before realizing white smoke from my exhaust. Personally I was to affraid to rebuild my motor at 160k, the fact that I cranked it over while coolant was in cylinder, risk could be that the head was demaged maybe, maybe I slightly messed up the bottom just slightly and if I rebuilded it could have started knocking since it could have forced the bottom end bearing to mess up. I found a jdm motor with 60k for 1500$ , my friend put it in for free and got new front and rear oem seals! Plus motors on eBay for like 2000$ for 100k miles. So know I got fresh fresh motor. Whatever maybe the rebuild would of been cheaper but the new motor was worth more !!!

 

[kolelt]

I'm from nj, so Idk where u from. But jdm engine depot has 5vzfe motors with 30-60k. And I know my motor had that many miles because the timing belt sticker said it little under 60k miles.Home

 

[Fresh727]

I'm from nj, so Idk where u from. But jdm engine depot has 5vzfe motors with 30-60k. And I know my motor had that many miles because the timing belt sticker said it little under 60k miles.Home

That's a solution I've been looking into but after $1500 to $1750 for the engine..another $200 additional charge for shipping to CA and not having a friend to install...I'm looking at $750 so far to install the donor. $2500-2700 is a bit steep ....And that's if everything goes as planned. Don't those JDM need some electrical patches? I thought I read that somewhere...low mileage is attractive and I'm glad you are happy with yours. Sounds like you scored a nice set up for your rig and that she will be taking care of you for a long time to come!:driving:

Does $750 sound a bit steep to anyone else on a swap? I'm gonna keep looking. Got a call into some guys over a Yotamasters..hope to get some quotes.

 

[BrianSD_42]

You know $750 may sound steep, maybe you would think $500 is a better deal.

Frankly I'd rather spend the extra $250 and go with a shop that know what they are doing and knows Toyotas.

 

[scrap metal]

For a complete engine swap? Pull old motor out and new motor in? That's not steep at all. Does that include fluids as well?

You can take it to another mechanic and save a couple hundred, but there's a difference when you take it to a mechanic that is familiar with Toyotas and it's especially a plus when they've done it on a 4runner multiple times.

They'll know how to do it, and also know common problems to look for.

$750 is not steep for a place that knows the vehicle.

My dad was a Toyota mechanic for years. Just that experience alone he can guess and diagnose problems on Toyotas without ever seeing the car.

You can find a cheap mechanic, but in my experience, experience wins.

 

[scrap metal]

BTW, I used to charge $800 to swap motors on 2nd gen mr2 turbos, and people came to me because that was cheap... whole different platform, but same concept.

I assume yotamasters could do this with their eyes closed and one floor jack tied behind their back!

 

[kolelt]

5vzfe ain't easy to swap. Don't mean to scare you but it's one of motors that's pain in the neck to swap. New swap should include , new front and rear engine seals, OEM, new oil, new coolant. You can save your ac, just don't disconnect it. That's pretty much it. But check this, since mine is a JDM, EVERYTHING WAS DIFFERENT FROM USDM. By that I mean, water pump was little different, pullies were different, oil pan was completely different, oil filter location was different, fuel injectors were differen, even the exhaust manifold , the intake was little different. Could of been from a van Idk. But I had to swap few parts.

 

[KidVermicious]

Why is hg failure so bad that OP is considering a new engine? Can't the resulting damage just be repaired?

Yes, anything short of a destroyed block can be repaired. The OP is weighing the cost of a HG replacement (and risk of existing damage due to the overheating) vs the cost of an engine replacement (and risk of buying somebody else's crappy engine). It's not an easy call to make, but if he can source a warrantied engine for the right price, it might make sense for him to just have a new-ish long block swapped in.

 

[amalik]

Yes, anything short of a destroyed block can be repaired. The OP is weighing the cost of a HG replacement (and risk of existing damage due to the overheating) vs the cost of an engine replacement (and risk of buying somebody else's crappy engine). It's not an easy call to make, but if he can source a warrantied engine for the right price, it might make sense for him to just have a new-ish long block swapped in.

Kid,

You hit the issue on the head for me. I understand if an engine is warrantied and supposedly marketed as new (Is this the case with JDM? Or are they marketed as used?) -- it sounds like a good deal.

But if it's used, I simply couldn't trust it, no idea on the history.

As an original owner of my 3rd gen, I can say knowing the full history of your engine is almost worth repairing a HG + associated repairs to me compared to buying a new one, although a 'new' engine with a warranty is tempting if such thing exists.

 

[agloukhoff]

Kid,

You hit the issue on the head for me. I understand if an engine is warrantied and supposedly marketed as new (Is this the case with JDM? Or are they marketed as used?) -- it sounds like a good deal.

But if it's used, I simply couldn't trust it, no idea on the history.

As an original owner of my 3rd gen, I can say knowing the full history of your engine is almost worth repairing a HG + associated repairs to me compared to buying a new one, although a 'new' engine with a warranty is tempting if such thing exists.

JDM engines are used. Generally with no warranties at all. At best they'll offer you a swap - but you're still paying for labor.

The engines have no known history. I have a JDM engine - but would never buy one that I didn't pick out myself.

The whole "knowing engine history" thing is kinda BS. What history is there that you cannot tell in 15 minutes with an engine? Compression test and a peek into the valve covers will tell you pretty much all you need to know. You are replacing the WP, TB and pretty much all the seals etc anyway.

I'll take a clean JDM engine that probably has at most 60k over fixing an older engine.

As I've said before, it's also more labor to go JDM route - so I wouldn't recommend it in this case.

 

[kolelt]

JDM engines are used. Generally with no warranties at all. At best they'll offer you a swap - but you're still paying for labor.

The engines have no known history. I have a JDM engine - but would never buy one that I didn't pick out myself.

The whole "knowing engine history" thing is kinda BS. What history is there that you cannot tell in 15 minutes with an engine? Compression test and a peek into the valve covers will tell you pretty much all you need to know. You are replacing the WP, TB and pretty much all the seals etc anyway.

I'll take a clean JDM engine that probably has at most 60k over fixing an older engine.

As I've said before, it's also more labor to go JDM route - so I wouldn't recommend it in this case.

I picked mine out right from the warehouse. They had like 10 5vzfe, and whatever else u wanted from 1jz to 2jz. Mine came with paper work and 6 month warranty. They say in Japan they take motors out when it reaches 60k.

 

[agloukhoff]

I picked mine out right from the warehouse. They had like 10 5vzfe, and whatever else u wanted from 1jz to 2jz. Mine came with paper work and 6 month warranty. They say in Japan they take motors out when it reaches 60k.

Kolet, I picked mine up from the exact same place. They had some that looked great and a pair that looked awful. The "warranty" they give is pretty laughable and you can find plenty of people who had a really bad experience with them - just look for reviews.

This is what you need to do to use the "warranty":

Defective Engine Claim Procedure
In the unlikely event of a Head/Block/Transmission being defective, we will require the following to be emailed/faxed only to us:
JDM Engine Depot will require a detailed written description (work order) along with pictures of the described defective part from a Certified Mechanic ONLY.
A copy of the Mechanic's certification along with his/her contact information must be provided. JDM Engine Depot will contact the Certified Mechanic to ensure that the documents are legitimate. The Certified Mechanic may not be the individual who bought the engine from JDM Engine Depot. You may fax the required paperwork to 1-201-955-9557 ATTN: Claims or email to [email protected]
Once required paperwork is faxed/emailed, we will make a decision on whether we will provide a refund for the damaged part(s) only or request for the engine/transmission to be returned for a replacement. Shipping charges nor labor are covered under warranty. You must return the defective engine/transmission complete with no parts missing. If parts are missing, those parts will be removed from the replacement engine/transmission prior to being shipped.

The paperwork you got is no different from mine. You take whichever model you want, they charge you for it. They have no idea of the year or miles of history of any of their engines.

Oh and NOBODY in japan takes the engines out at 60k. It's absurd. I've lived there and have seen plenty of well worn cars. The reason JDM engines are desirable is that driving in Japan is prohibitively expensive between tolls( which are generally $.40/mile) and gas it's far cheaper to take public transport. (A 3 hour drive gave us $50 in tolls not including gas or parking.)

The reason people get rid of cars with low miles is due to harsh safety inspection(shaken) and taxes - basically it costs anywhere from $800 to $3k to pass a japanese inspection.

I highly recommend JDM engines - but it's not exactly all butterflies and sunshine.