My experience with a '92 3.0uch (1 Viewer)

[Pacer]

Friend of mine mentioned his father in-law had a nice little Teeota pickup he used to use for fishing on the beech. The owner had passed two years earlier and the truck had been sitting.
Friend said his FIL had done the timing belt and wheel bearings... He drove it everywhere...
I ask:
Mileage? 200k'ish
4x4? Check
ExtraCab? Check
5speed? Check
Rust? Check, little bit.

My friends shop is next to mine, a few days later he has it AAAed up to his shop and I walk over and kick some tires.
It's got a rusted brake line, so not very drivable, but not a bad truck I think... Frame is solid. Starts right up and has a good clutch, its not pretty to look at, its NOT clean, but, we strike a deal and I park it over by my shop...

 

[Crusha]

Sell to Greg? Check

 

[caz]

You'll be needing one of these!

 

[Pacer]

Sell to Greg? Check

Yeah, cuz you need more headache!

 

[Pacer]

You'll be needing one of these!
View attachment 1158294

Indeed, or a 1.9tdi, but I'm getting ahead of my self...

 

[fireball]

But not a bad truck I think…

Famous last words!

 

[Pacer]

I poke at this thing here and there over the summer, it needs an idler arm, I service the front wheel bearings.... because, they have not been (foreshadowing).
I put a cheap Amazon.com muffler/tailpipe on it. Seal up the O² sensor gasket, and CLEAN it out, mostly fishing gear, hooks, line, trash and sand. Oh, and I take the cap off the bed.

 

[Pacer]

Here he is through my shop window.

 

[Pacer]

Fill the tank.
Register and insure it.
State inspect it.
Check the air pressure (down from 50psi to 32)
And drive it home.
Cool.
I put it to work.
No I don't change the oil yet.

 

[Pacer]

Timing belt let go two days later, in the middle of hurricane Juaqine, in the middle of South Phila with a bike on the attached trailer.
Great!

This is tow truck number one.
Non interfearnce motor, no big problem.
Park it for a few.

 

[Pacer]

Wish i had the picture, T belt looked like it had 500k on it, cracked and shredded. It took out the lower t-belt cover which must hapen frequently, because they are like hens teeth to find. Something like $60 new oem.
Shop for a t-belt kit with an Aisin water pump, front crankshaft oil seal, bearings, ect.
I start dissasebly and CLEANING!
Trying to keep things cheap :-(
Never works out...

All goes okay, I learn some stuff, and let it sit apart for a few weeks while I travel and actually work on customer bikes.

Gather parts and get him back together.
Running strong, notesably stronger in fact.

 

[shmukster]

Aaron- I have had several Toys with the 3.0 engine. if you get a good one whose head gaskets seal well it's a good engine. If yours has 200K on it I'd think the gaskets are fine. Timing belt may have been the original! Gary

 

[Pacer]

Aaron- I have had several Toys with the 3.0 engine. if you get a good one whose head gaskets seal well it's a good engine. If yours has 200K on it I'd think the gaskets are fine. Timing belt may have been the original! Gary

Right, my thoughts exactly, or, they had been done at some point...
It's running well at this point but I notice three of the six spark plugs are actually moving (wiggling) while the motor is running. Order up six NGKs and proceed to tune up...
I tear two of the spark plug boots coming out, so, order up a set of wires, getting more $$pensive!
Runs great now, gets out of its own way and everything.
So I start driving this thing, clear some more space in my shop and pull my cruiser in to take care of some needed maintenance. Some of you know, I blew my right front birf up in VT, need to build a proper exhaust... The list is long!

Saturday morning my step son has a socker game, we jump in the black pickup and head up 476...
Get to the field and POOF, LOTS OF WHITE SMOKE, LOTS AND LOTS!
Well, ouch, there goes the head gasket!
Gawd Damn this thing keeps kicking me in the balls!
....

 

[Pacer]

Tow truck number two!

 

[caz]

Oh man, that stinks!

 

[Pacer]

That's it, I'm not getting into it i think!
I park it.
I do some research, graphite or MLS gaskets, block sealer, short blocks on ebay, I don't have time for this $hit.

Believe it or not, I've had luck with KW block sealant in the past, would work for about a year, each application in a friends old BMW 525i.
So I get some block sealer, follow the directions, flush all the coolant out of the motor, fill with water and add sealant...
Start the engine and, BANG, HIDROLOCKED!

Now it's an efing boat anchor, 3.slow with a bad conrod bearing, bad HG and a good timing belt.

I'm done!

This is where it sits now, real time, ef'it.

Anyway I slice it I've got another $2k before this somewhat rusty truck runs again...

What would you do at this point?

Scrap it?
1.9tdi?
I'I need a 4cyl trans, a motor, and a bunch of adapter stuffs.
3.4 swap?
3.0 short block?

 

[caz]

I would scrap it.

I have done (2) 3.4 swaps and would not mess with it again unless the truck itself was a "keeper".

Just getting the 3.0 out of the engine bay is not worth the hassle!!

 

[Pacer]

I would scrap it.

I have done (2) 3.4 swaps and would not mess with it again unless the truck itself was a "keeper".

Just getting the 3.0 out of the engine bay is not worth the hassle!!

Roger that, thanks Andy.
Any other input all?

 

[shmukster]

Scrap it

 

[Crusha]

Sell it as it sits...should be worth more as a parts truck than scrap value...I hope!