3.slow build thread!

I bought a 1994 4Runner a few days ago. Link to my intro thread with pics --> https://www.4runners.com/threads/newbie-from-az.15084/ It was in a non-running state. I got it towed home and quickly diagnosed that it has a cracked driver side head, tell sign is coolant in the combustion chamber, and the engine shooting out water out of spark plug hole when trying to crank the engine and spark plug is out...

The direction would be to fix it to OEM specs, no modifications, get everything working clean her up and use her as my daily driver. I have two other vehicles which are manual, would be nice to have an auto transmission for daily.

My plan would be to remove the heads and see if the passenger side head is ok. Hopefully, I only need the driver side head.

I will be replacing;

- driver side head or both heads
- Headgaskets (should I go with MLS head gasket?
- timing belt
- water pump

Any particular brands for the water pump and timing belt? I was thinking of going with OEM Aisin...

While I am there I will wrap the cross over exhaust pipe in exhaust wrap, to help with heat behind the heads.

Is there anything else I should address while I have the motor apart?

Let me know your thoughts! I will update the thread with pictures as I make progress.

 

I would do some of the ele sensors like O2’s, cap/rotor, plugs/wires/coils? This is going to be a fun build!!!

 

Working on my 4Runner I discovered that some of the interior features/lights don't work...

Items not working;
- middle and back dome lights
- passenger side windows won't roll down with the master switch but will roll down with individual switches on the door.
- passenger side rear speaker and tweeter don't work

I have pulled the dash and back interior panels to see if anything is unplugged and everything looks fine... All fuses checked and good as well...

What could this be??

 

Dirty contacts on the switches that have an oxide layer due to a lack of use. The window motors do draw some current and the switches have to deal with this, thus arching will degrade the contacts. Or perhaps spilt soda in the DS console is the culprit, mine had very old soda residue all over it when I took it apart in trying to solve the same problem.
As for the engine if you MLS you will need to lap the deck and heads and that means you pull the engine and rebuild it. #1 and #6 are the HG problem cylinders and share the same geometry. Both have the shortest distance from a blind water gallery to the steel compression ring in the HG. If it was #1 it is very possible the EGR got a boat load of coolant into the intake. Wrist pin seizure in the piston/s if its been overheated will be very likely as these are semi floating and are press fit into the rod. The wrist pin rotates in the pistons bored out and sized through hole. The cast pistons are what they are three of mine were seized!
As for parts Toyota-OEM but can be expensive, Denso for O2 and plug wires, AISIN for bearings and accessory components on the engine and Gates for belts and hoses. There is a lot of crappy cheap Chinese made aftermarket parts out there. I hate to admit this but am running an O'Reilly Distributor and Cap which was $190. It is made in Taiwan. After I had rebuilt my engine I sprung for one of these and after a month the cap developed a crack and spark was jumping everywhere so I returned it and put back in the 28 year old Toyota OEM. But it finally died a few months ago and I have since replaced it with another O'Reilly unit. So far so good and it has a lifetime guarantee on the unit so there is some comfort in that but it is just not the same thing as Toyota reliability!...

 

Thanks for all the info!! I will take the master switch apart and check for corrosion... I made some progress and took the heads off. What I found is not so pretty... The passenger exhaust header had water in it and it poured out when I loosened the cross over pipe bolt. What is the larger section in the cross pipe? Flex pipe or catalytic converter? The passenger side head is cracked between valves on all cylinders. The driver's side head may be salvageable. Cylinder walls have rust on them and the engine won't turn with 1/2" ratchet... The block needs to come out and go to the machine shop along with the driver's side head. Looking to get a new passenger side head. I will be pulling the short block as soon as I can buy an engine hoist.

I am looking at the LCE Engineering MLS head gasket & stud kit. https://www.lceperformance.com/MLS-Head-Gasket-Stud-Kit-3VZ-p/1024050.htm I want this engine to be bulletproof when I am done with it! Aisin for the water pump and timing belt kit. Hoping the rotating assembly is ok...

 

Wow, looks like you have your work cut out for you. Nasty looking.

 

Wow, great pictures. But really ugly! It looks like it has sat for some time. I hope the block will clean up with one over bore? Aside for the cracked head the HG looks to be ruptured where those external water galleries harbor the compression ring in the HG at #1 and #6 (last picture lower right gallery, comp ring looks to have split like mine had done). These are the first pictures I have seen of the head cracking between the cylinders.

Take a good look at the TB as it may have coolant in it from the EGR and that will bugger the throttle plate and bore in the TB if it got wet and sat.

Thanks for sharing in your saga!

 

Thanks for the tip, I will definitely look at the TB. Don't want any issues, when I put her back together!

I have done several head gaskets and I have never seen it ruptured like that. Really concerned about the engine block. As soon as I can get an engine hoist I am pulling it and taking it to a machine shop so I can get an idea on how much would it take it to have it cleaned and machined. I have looked and I can get Pistons and main bearings from LCE Engineering in 0.020, 0.030, and 0.040 over.

I took a closer look at the head gaskets and they are Fel-Pro. This means that someone has replaced head gaskets on this motor already. I don't want to point any fingers, but many of the bolts were loose and some missing when I was taking everything apart. There is a possibility that whoever did the head gaskets didn't do the job correctly and that contributed to them failing.

It will come down to either rebuilding this motor or buying another motor. I can get them locally from a junkyard for around $1200 or eBay for $1700. That would be for the whole engine ready to drop in.

The dilemma is, even if I buy a junkyard engine, I would still like to do MLS head gaskets, head studs, timing belt, and water pump since the engine is out and history is unknown. The goal is reliability. Once I build it, I don't want to touch it except for oil changes.

Doing all that adds another $1k to the cost of an engine at least. The way I am looking at it would be best if the current engine can be rebuilt.

 

Well, once your done you’ve got a good looking 4Runner that’ll last you a lifetime and bring good times and memories ! The previous owner wasn’t kidding when he said overheated was he.....that’s about the worst I’ve ever seen myself.

 

So true! The body has no dents, the only dent is on the front bumper... No regrets, I love the look of the 2nd Gen out of all generation 4runners! With some TLC, she will run like new!

 

Your pictures had me looking around at what upgrades could done to squeeze a little more performance from the 3VZE. I think I found the cat’s meow but holy crap it’s some serious coin, D.O.A engines has a $9100 replacement with a whopping 205 horsepower. Holy crap that’s a lot.

I look forward to and hope you share your progress as you go. Good Luck with everything man

 

The 3vze is a really bad engine to modify and if you try to modify it, it will cost a lot. So many downfalls... SOHC, low compression, restrictive intake manifold with so much emission crap, EGR, etc...

I have my Audi to go fast in! Upgraded turbo, injectors, tune, at 20psi of boost she's pushing around 250 to the wheels.

 

Holy shit I have seen cleaner engines in the junkyard that have been left out in the elements to rot. And I thought we were crazy.