3RZ swap

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I found out after it was too late that I could have had an entire Taco with a running 3RZ for $400 a couple of years ago. That would have been very hard to pass up. I don't even want to think about how much I have buried into my 22RE now, and it's not installed yet.
 
KLF said:
I found out after it was too late that I could have had an entire Taco with a running 3RZ for $400 a couple of years ago. That would have been very hard to pass up. I don't even want to think about how much I have buried into my 22RE now, and it's not installed yet.
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i know..having done it myself, it seems at first you can build it pretty cheap, as opposed to buying a rebuilt one....then all of the final parts add up that you dont think about....plugs, wires, belts, fan clutch, fluids. etc.....i know i have a few grand in mine before it would crank up and run


edit...and im on to 600 posts. a mere drop in the ocean for other ppl on here!!
 
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flash02 said:
What did you do the conversion on, a truck or 4Runner, how involved was it? Did you make your own mounts or buy ones for this type of conversion? Was this a 4wd or 2wd truck?
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I took a 85 Runner, gutted the whole thing from and head to toe and dropped in just about everything from a 95.5 4WD Taco. I took pretty much everything from the cab forward and even the Taco gas tank. I had to chop it down to get it behind the rear axle but it was doable. A-pillar dash bar, full dash with A/C, Heater and Blower units, steering colum, seats, sun visors, wiper motors, window motors, charcoal cansister, brake booster and master, even did the clutch master too. Full wiring harness and even the radiator overflow canister.

edit: made my own motor mounts.


bryan89 said:
4wheelunderground,
you are sayin the 3rz weighs the same as the 1uz, which is a v8 right?
im not too familiar with them...do they have an aluminum block or something?

what did/ do they come in?

but there is the space issue in the engine bay, how close to a "bolt up" is it compared to a 3rz or 5vze. and what about wiring...is it as complicated or more complicated than these options....??
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1UZ is full aluminum, 3rz and 5vz are iron blocks. There are some more parts to buy for the 1UZ making it more expensive on the tranyy side, the wiring i dont imagine is any harder. I forgot the name of the thread but there are some good swap theads here.
 
snobdds said:
The only down side to the 3RZ is the balance shaft problems, however I believe there is a lasting fix for those. Other than that, the 3RZ is a great motor. I think it could work in both the truck and 4 runner based trucks.

Now if I came across a great deal on a 5VZ would I hold out until I found a 3RZ...Nope. There both great engines.
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Balance shafts are a PITA on any big displacement 4cly engine, but a much to keep the vibrations down.
 
i thought about this a lot when choosing a motor to replace my 2F in my FJ40. there is/was nothing wrong at all with my 2F but i really wanted a lighter weight 40 with a more modern drivetrain. The 2F just didnt fit in that equation.

i searched for 2/3rz's and 3.4s. i found a lot of abused 3.4s and expensive 2/3rz's. I ended up buying a 1uz out of a 92 SC400 on a whim. i could have bought two 1uz's for the price of a 3rz. im sure the cost will be a wash when its finally sitting in my engine bay. i was still a little unsure, though, and kept looking for a 3rz.

Then i came across this video and it solidified my decision:

Lexus V8 4runner - YouTube

that did it. no 4 bangers ever going to sound like that.


One thing it is not is a compact motor. It is lighter than a small block, but wider than a big block.
 
Good choice, my favorite Toyota (Lexus) motor, behind the 22re of course. Any pics of the instal?
 
pappy said:
I hate you. You did not help my cause. You should not have posted that. Now I have no excuse. It can't get much more bolt in. I wired a 3FE into my FJ40, so this doesn't even scare me.

Now to find an engine.
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Hahaha.....then do it!
 
2ndGenToyotaFan said:
Has this degraded to dares? You guys are like kids.... hehe :cheers:
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:flipoff2:

I'm just glad I've never seen a 3RZ at the upull. 5VZ yes, but never a 4cyl. Like I said, it would be damn near impossible to walk away from.

I just checked the upull inventory. They have a 96 4Runner. Pretty sure it's going to have the V6, so I'm still safe. Might need to go check ... just in case.
 
pappy said:
:flipoff2:

I'm just glad I've never seen a 3RZ at the upull. 5VZ yes, but never a 4cyl. Like I said, it would be damn near impossible to walk away from.

I just checked the upull inventory. They have a 96 4Runner. Pretty sure it's going to have the V6, so I'm still safe. Might need to go check ... just in case.
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm right there next to ya, I haven't had the truck running for a year and I already want to do a swap, I should be happy with what I have, but......I'm NOT!
 
2ndGenToyotaFan said:
Has this degraded to dares? You guys are like kids.... hehe :cheers:
Click to expand...

Ahem, you sold the 'Caird, you got no clout here.
double-dog-dare.jpg


So, :lol: yeah, we've taken this to full on playground jungle gym or portable room rooftop status now? I'll even bring a couple locals/friends to this party.

(Links pending)

:popcorn:
 
Well this thread has come up at an interesting time. I am actually looking for a good 22RE short block to rebuild and with all this 3RZ talk, now I am wondering if this would be a better option.

For those who have this under their belt, or hoods, is it relatively straight forward and how many bananas would you rank it. This is my DD so downtime is a pretty big deal for me. A fresh 22RE would drop right in, so how far from "drop in" is the 3RZ? I am currently running a 5 speed if that is of any consequence. Other things like AC, heat, etc are also going to have to work.

Well after looking at the above thought, I think I may just keep looking for a 22RE short block to freshen up, what says the peanut gallery?
 
The banana scale is a bit biased for some of us here. What's a 3 for one guy's a 10 for another. :lol:

Depending on how you wanna go about it you're looking at around a good 5 days worth of time, troubleshooting, etc. overall. Somewhere around 32-36 hours was the total on a recent swap, but there were two of us wrenching for two days straight and the harness, block, etc were already setup to go in.

As for the trans, well, swap out the case for a RHD output or go with the R-151 adapter. For the rest of the tech, start here: The Official 3RZ Knowledge and Database Thread
 
1UZ fitment is a bolt in, like the 5VZ it requires a body lift.

if you just want it to run you are looking at 4 wires to hook up- everything else is just a matter of if you want all the other things like a tach, AC, cruise control etc.

transfer case- you can buy a gear driven adapter or use a T100 transfer case.

no one should be scared of wiring one of these, with the factory wiring diagrams it is simple. easy to read stuff
 
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