Is the 3.0 diesel conversion any easier than the 3.4 gas conversion? I have looked at the 3.4 conversion and is looks like it will be fairly expensive, possibly close to the cost of the siesel conversion. Any thoughts?
No.
the 3.4 is the easiest conversion you're going to be able to do with a truck that originally had the 3.0 gas motor. Everything pretty much just bolts in place.
The 3.4 is a VERY common engine in the Us. When I was looking at doing the swap, I could get a low mileage block (<50k miles) with everything necessary from the donor rig for 800-900. Locally.
The ORS kit that had EVERYTHING except the body lift and exhaust was going to be about $2500 (IIRC they discount the kit if you ask them for all of the stuff necessary). Add another $250 for the body lit, and another $150 for the necessary exhaust pieces (from the cross pipe to the cat). Pretty reasonable for a motor swap, really. Adding all of that up, you're looking at about $3500 for parts.
To put things into perspective, my rebuild on my 3VZ-E was about $3200 worth of parts and labor from the machine shop (I did a few upgrades to the block, added in the forged rotating assembly froma 3VZ-FE, ARP fasteners, OEM oil and water pump, etc). Add in another $800 for a new OEM ECU, $500 for a new OEM engine wire, $125 for a new fuel injector (I had the set of injectors balanced by witch hunter while the motor was at the machine shop, add in another $85)... New clutch and pressure plate... Now I'm getting sick....
My difficulty with Toyota diesels in US rigs is parts availability. If you need a new starter or alternator for the 3.0 diesel, good luck, you're going to be waiting a bit while it's ordered. If you're in a bigger town, someone might have one in stock. If you're in a small town, you have to wait for the part. This can be problematic if you're in BFE and need the part today so you can get back home to work tomorrow.
This is just my 2 cents. Do the 3.4 swap and don't look back.
