Gatorgrl's Grand Gen2 4Runner makeover

Hello all! I am starting this thread to keep a timeline of our big 1991 Toyota 4Runner make over. We just purchased her on Monday, April 28, 2019. She is in pristine condition! The engine has 204,000 showing on it and the transfer case is leaking from the top. There is no rust, anywhere! This is my 4th Toyota truck (96 T-100 V-6, 02 Sequoia V-8, 06 Rav 4 V6 ) and my husband was a Toyota mechanic back in the day. I have loved them all!

We just ordered a full set of engine gaskets from Toyota. The parts girl said that set was 1 or 2 showing in the entire database! Our plans are to pull the engine, trans and transfer case and go over each completely and freshen and seal as needed. I will post pics as the process progresses.
So for now, here is the engine:

 

Welcome.

 

Welcome from FL.

 

Thanks. We have noticed she is quite slow. Now I know she is a truck. I have had a T100 and it was anything but slow. Ran like a scalded cat. But this runner is markedly slow, which is why we are pulling the engine and going over everything.

 

As you wish!


Like I said, no rust...anywhere!

 

Damn that thing is clean

 

That's what we said when we saw it! Never smoked in and no pets. It's got 204,000 on it and it doesn't show. The drivers seat has 2 small rips in it so i have now covered them, to protect them. The original radio is a bit wonky and will be replaced at some point. The reverse lights also don't work. This was a military guys baby and it shows. We consider ourselves very lucky. Just need to freshen up the engine and hopefully get a bit more steam from it. The clutch also has a bit of chatter in it at low RPM's. Again, will be addressed when we get it in the shop.

 

Looks super clean! I had a '94 for a few years. They don't refer to that engine as the 3.slow for nothing. It's slow.

 

That's just it Matt. I have had a 95 T100 that was a V6 and that thing was fast! Now sure the T100 is lighter but still it was remarkably fast. This 3.0 is mighty strong, don't get me wrong, just very sluggish on the road, like it's being restricted. We will know more when we take the engine apart. If we can't get more speed from it, we may look at replacing it with a faster engine. Now i do not intend on racing it...far from it, I just want to get out of the way if need be on the highway.

 

Did your '95 T100 have the 3.4L? The 3.4L had 40HP more than the 3.0 and was overall a much better engine. I had an '01 T4R with the 3.4 at the same time my dad had a '95 T4R with the 3.0 and I could out run him all day long even with a lift and heavier tires.

Edit: Wikipedia thinks that the 1995 T100 had the 3.4L V6. Checking gaskets on the 3.0 is still a very good idea. I lost compression on my '94 on a couple of cylinders which is why I got rid of it. My dad had his 3.0 top end rebuilt after the head gasket went on his '95.

 

Matt I am sure it had the 3.4L. It was beastly! Might need to find a spare 3.4 and change it out. It's the strangest thing...in 4H or 4L, it is an animal in the sugar sand..plenty of power. But when it's in 2H on the highway...it's like you are driving around with the parking brake on and feels like it weighs a ton. I am guessing something is missing.

 

The 3.0 really is a dog on the highway. At least yours is a manual, mine was an automatic so it was even worse. I couldn't maintain highway speeds up grades. 3.4 swaps are not uncommon for the 2nd gens, there's quite a bit of information around on how to do it. If you're planning on pulling the engine anyway I'd just skip worrying about the 3.0 and drop in that 3.4 if you can find one.

 

That sounds like a the best course of action. Today was the second day I have commuted to work in it and I was actually NOT looking forward to it. I am a driver and this is killing me. I feel like the fat kid on the track. Only bit of power I can squeeze out of her is between 3500 and 4000 rpm, then she seems to wake up a bit. I just hate doing that to an engine with 207,000 on her.

 

Ok, decision time fellas. We are still pulling the 3.0L out and were planning on cleaning, replacing and tuning it up before putting it back in. But now thinking about just swapping it with a 3.4L and calling it a day. (would love an iforce V8, but I know that will never happen....soooooo.....)

Here's my questions:
What years of 3.4L's am I looking for to put in my 91? (looking at JDM)
Also, if we remove the 3.0L, should we even bother working on it?
Are they worth anything on a resale? Or just keep it as a (sloooooow) spare?

 

Ok, so she's in our shop today. Pulled the spark plugs and at least one cylinder was not firing and one of the wires had rubbed a short. Also found a vacuum hose detached. No wonder she was struggling on the open road. We have since replaced the plugs and wires as well as cleaned the distributor cap. We cranked her and she finally came ALIVE for once! She roared like a lion!

But wait, turned her off and tried to crank her again. No bueno. Power now not going to the coil. WTF?

Thinking the ignition switch finally shit the bed.

 

Ok, finally back home and we did get her to light back up. Going to do a compression check on her tomorrow and then clean the injectors.
Here's the plugs we pulled out. You can tell the #6 was not firing. Plug came out dirty, so head gasket should be safe...for now.
#6 is the 4th one from the left.

 

Ok, back in the shop and did a compression test on her. Cylinder #3 is dead. Not what we wanted to see. Time to tear it apart and research a replacement.

 

OK, opinion time:
1. fix what we have (3.0)
or
2. Swap for a 3.4?

Thoughts?

 

I would swap it out....

 

If you're going to need to rebuild that 3.0 I'd just do the swap to the 3.4.

 

Super clean indeed, a rare manual transmission for the 3.0 as well.

 

Well, we pulled the engine yesterday and glad we did. Found a few things out of line that need to be addressed. Caught the head gasket that was beginning to fail, found a hidden water line behind the manifold that was also beginning to fail, we never would have found otherwise. Going to replace the starter and a/c compressor now simply because we can get to them with the engine out of the way. (Preventative maintenance) The timing was also just a bit off. It's a wonder she even ran at all.

 

Question: Since we are replacing the heads instead of having them remanded, what do you guys recommend as an acceptable replacement for the factory heads?
any companies you guys like?
any not worth a shit?

 

Well, we took the plunge and ordered a bunch of parts for our new project. Dropped the heads off at the machine shop to be re-done. Will drop the injectors off to be cleaned as well tomorrow. Had to order a new knock sensor and pigtail...OUCH...since ours broke. All parts that we ordered from Toyota should be here tomorrow. Still need to clean the bottom of the chassis since it is covered with oil mungus. Will pressure wash it over the weekend. Not sure how long they will have the heads in the shop so i have no clue when it will all go back together.

 

Looks like your having fun!

 

You know it! I am having a ball! We spent the morning yesterday (Yes, Mothers Day) at the local pick n pull. Luckily, there were not 1 but 5 4Runners to pick from. I needed some interior panel screws as well as 2 seat rail cover plates. We also needed a replacement rear wiper arm and assembly and as luck would have it, we found 1 Gen 2 that had what we needed and the interior was the same color as ours. SCORE! We collected a bunch of Toyota hardware and a bunch of misc Toyota and Bosch relays as well as another fuel pump relay, cause you never know. I was sickened though cause every one of the 4Runner had running boards on them and every one of them had them bend up and ruined. We will be going back with stronger tools to get a few more parts.

 

Here's what I found on my Toyota scavenger hunt Sunday.
Replacement rear wiper assembly,since ours is missing, replacement seat frame covers, again, we have some missing, cooling fan, light cover, a bunch of interior and engine hardware, tail light assembly, just because and a hand full of relays.

Toyota and Bosch relays as well as 2 more fuel pump relays...again, just because.

 

Went back to my favorite junkyard today and scored yet again! This time we took a mightier tool. I needed more tow hooks for both the Runner and my Camaro.

Now I have plenty of options!

 

It appears our block has some erosion happening in the #1 and #6 cylinders...ugh....so we had to disassemble it to go and get the block decked.
Hopefully this doesn't affect our engine timing too much. He really didn't want to touch the block, but the erosion was too much to risk and it would leak over time so it needed to be addressed. I just hope it comes back soon so I can begin the re-build process of my beloved 4Runner. the machine shop said just about all of my valves were leaking so it's a good thing we had the heads done.

 

Ok, so now get MLS head gaskets and ARP head studs. Mine had Feld-Pro's in it and #1 let go at 233K after owning it for a month this last summer. EGR then put water in all of the rest of the cylinders. Hand lap the block with the head alignment sleeves removed so you can lap the entire surface from end to end with a large figure 8 motion using the tool rest from a drill press with 320 then 400 then 600 grit emery paper glued to the tool rest. Use with WD-40 to stop it clogging up when you do the heads. Ra-25 or better for the required finish on both the block and heads. When you lap the block you can watch the dip between the cylinders come back up to the same surface as the rest of the deck. You will be surprised how this hand lapping can reveal how uneven a fly cut deck can be! Hopefully the as-machined block does not have deep tool marks from the fly cutter and the feed and speed was slow enough that the finish is pristine. LC Engineering has MLS head gaskets with ARP head studs as a kit. If you replace the O2 sensor make sure you replace it with an OEM Denso brand part. NTK's do not work I cannot vouch others. Four hole injectors along with a DT header and 2-1/2" Flow-Master CAT to an OEM Bosal Cat-back has very much helped this engine enjoy excellent performance above 3K RPM with very spirited acceleration in the upper RPM range. Make sure the fuel rail pressure fluctuates between 33-37 psi. I had a clogged steel vacuum line that was keeping the fuel pressure at 40-45 psi as the regulator was not getting any vacuum signal from the BSV valve and this was overwhelming the injectors and darn near ruined the Flow-Master CAT not to mention the NTK O2 not doing a dam thing to correct the mixture. Tell tail sign is poor performance, awe full MPG and a smelly discoloring CAT when it is warmed up and the ECM goes from open to closed loop operation.