Thinking about Getting a runner and selling FJ60

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I would stay away from high mileage 3.0s if I were you. In general its not worth having 3.0s unless you want to do a 3.4 swap.

I got a 93 3.0 for my girlfriend but only because it had 100k and was owned by a toyota mechanic until 2004, and then an old man that put less than 10K on it. It is a gem, but typicaly 3.0s are troublesome engines. if you can find one that has been well taken care of and maintained and the price is right go for it. otherwise i would opt for the 22RE. 22REs are easier to work on and troubleshoot IMO. having worked on several 22REs as well as 3.0s i much prefer the 22re.

To put it simply, you are chosing between the greatest engine toyota ever made (22RE) VS the worst engine toyota ever made (3.0). stick with the 22re.

I think everything has been mentioned here in terms of what to look for. try and get a feel for how well it has been taken care of by examining the drivetrain and engine bay. since it seems like you are in an area where rust is an issue, i have heard that extreme rust damage can occur on the frames around the wheel wells and and on the inside edge of the frame so keep an eye out for spots that may have been redneck repaired on otherwise rust free trucks. other than that good luck, if you do get a 4runner with IFS there is a recall going on right now for the front steering relay rod which has the potential to shear under force. better take it in and make sure that has been done because i think Toyota will be ending it soon. the 3.0 head gasket recall ended recently so it could go at any time.

Let us know what you find!:beer:
 
nothin yet

looked at an 89 22re today. Talked him down to $1600 but it had some issues. Oil was dirty, rust on quarters and tail gate was worse than described in the ad, but the kicker was the 3 inch body lift, top plates were both broken, so the ass was swinging in the wind. regular maintenance wasn't kept up, the brakes were soft. i don't need another project truck. If anybody does, I'll pm you the #.

I am pretty much settled on findin a 22re stick, and nothin else. While I look, I'll fix the 60.
 
fortysixandtwo said:
I would stay away from high mileage 3.0s if I were you. In general its not worth having 3.0s unless you want to do a 3.4 swap.

I got a 93 3.0 for my girlfriend but only because it had 100k and was owned by a toyota mechanic until 2004, and then an old man that put less than 10K on it. It is a gem, but typicaly 3.0s are troublesome engines. if you can find one that has been well taken care of and maintained and the price is right go for it. otherwise i would opt for the 22RE. 22REs are easier to work on and troubleshoot IMO. having worked on several 22REs as well as 3.0s i much prefer the 22re.

To put it simply, you are chosing between the greatest engine toyota ever made (22RE) VS the worst engine toyota ever made (3.0). stick with the 22re.

I think everything has been mentioned here in terms of what to look for. try and get a feel for how well it has been taken care of by examining the drivetrain and engine bay. since it seems like you are in an area where rust is an issue, i have heard that extreme rust damage can occur on the frames around the wheel wells and and on the inside edge of the frame so keep an eye out for spots that may have been redneck repaired on otherwise rust free trucks. other than that good luck, if you do get a 4runner with IFS there is a recall going on right now for the front steering relay rod which has the potential to shear under force. better take it in and make sure that has been done because i think Toyota will be ending it soon. the 3.0 head gasket recall ended recently so it could go at any time.

Let us know what you find!:beer:
Click to expand...

Other than the points about looking for a well cared for vehicle, I disagree with all comments about the quality of the 22re and 3vze.
 
There is the 3.0 in the above post, but I keep hearing the same thing about the 3.0. If the 3.0, just needs regualar maintenance, and is more economical than my 60, then that the one in the ad above seems good.
 
I had a 3.0, and I'd have another before I owned many many other engines. Yes, it has headgasket issues, yes it's a pain to work on sometimes.... Mine still broke 200K with flying colors, and a burnt open valve to boot! :cheers:

"Worst engine Toyota ever built" That's open for debate, but what's not, is it's still better than a lot of what's out there.
 
Impatient, might be a word to describe me...

Well, after being screwed on one purchase, mislead, on another. I put a deposit down on one in North Carolina. 22re, no body rust, surface rust beginning on brake lines and mounts and such. Frame surface rust, already treated. A little rough around the edges it seems, but reliable. I have to fly to Texas unexpectedly, for family, and instead of a straight shot flight back to Philly, I'll fly into NC, check out the truck, and drive it home if it is what it seems to be. If not, I'll grab a plane home. I need a little adventure right about now anuway...I'll keep you posted. Thanks for the tips, and for getting past my unending need to write too much.
 
bkg said:
Other than the points about looking for a well cared for vehicle, I disagree with all comments about the quality of the 22re and 3vze.
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Just curious, are you saying they are comparable engines? or that the 3vze is a superior engine? if a 3.0 is well taken care of, like any engine, it will last a long time and serve you well. My dad has a 90 suburban with a 350 with over 300,000 origional miles. only thing besides minor maintainace that has been replaced was the rear ring and pinion that i blew out doing a burnout :P. otherwise nothing major has been replaced. most people dont believe us when we tell them, but its true. any engine can live a long life, just with the 3.0s ive dealt with (friend and family) there is a higher chance for 3.0s to have problems if they havnt been taken care of compared to 22res. I just find 22res more reliable in general. like i said, my girlfriends truck is awesome, runs fanfxxxingtastic, doesnt leak or burn a drop of oil. its a couple hundred miles past needing an oil change and the oil is still crystal clear.

If it was me, I would opt for a 22re. just my opinion. My comment about the 3.0 being the worst engine made by toyota is just based on the fact they rushed it to production to compete with Nissans V6 at the time and the high number of people i know with troublesome 3vzes that eventually swapped to 22re or 3.4s to get rid of the 3vze
 
Worst engine ever? Wrenching on 22's and 3.0's is equally unpleasant to me. I see lots of 3.0's that are dogs but I see almost as many 22's that are just as burdensome. There seems to be a slippery slope in regards to motor PM. If you let any motor deteriorate it will have issues.

Thread jack off. :D
 
fortysixandtwo said:
Just curious, are you saying they are comparable engines? or that the 3vze is a superior engine?
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I'm saying that anyone who whines about the 3.0 being a POS doesn't know their head from a hole in the ground. No offense, but the engine is a nice engine.

I've replaced WAY more head gaskets on 22r/re's than I have on 3.0's. I've owned 6 3.0's and only done one (kind of an excuse to do head work anyway). I've done 4 head gasket repairs on the 4 banger. It's a common failure, but for whatever reason, no body complains about it. Must be because Toyota never offered a recall.. :)

If they are taken care of, they run great. They are extremely well balanced, rev forever, and are smoother than any 3.4 that I've owned (4 total). My 88 has more pulling power and revs better than the last 3.4 that I owned (96, headers, exhaust, intake) and gets just as good of mileage. Original HG's as well. My 89 runs like crap, but I attest that to it being a junkyard engine with poor history. Still works for wheeling, though.
 
Phila cruise said:
Thanks. I hate to admit it, but I got in over my head with the 60. I learned alot, and what not, but I don't have the time to give the truck what it needs.

I'm actually looking forward to having the 4 cyclinder, and the fuel injection. And hopefully, a few hundred miles of trouble free trips to the woods and the hardware store.
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Hear ya on that one. Too bad the mook sold it. But always, always a truck shows up locally so hang in there!
 
local enough I guess

at the airport now, waitiing for the flight to NC from Texas to check out this truck, then home to PA. I'll post about the trip and the truck when i make it home. Thanks for all the tips guys.

I'm stickin with the 4 cylunder cuz of the mileage. My bad has a brand new checy something SUV, and it only gets 20 mpgs, and has very little get up and go on the highway. It's amazing how ahead of everyone they were even decades ago.
 
You can't go wrong with a well-maintained low or no rust 1st gen. 4Runner. Might be the most fun you can have in a small truck.

My 87 with 22RE has 202K with nothing but routine maintenance. Gets 20 mpg with a fresh tuneup, usually 18-19 with 31x10.50s.

But, I also have a 60. I love them both for who they are. Different beasts altogether.

Hang on to that 60 if you can afford to.
 
Well. I got it

Took the 1987 4runner from Raliegh, NC, and back to Philadelphia on Monday. Roof had rust, but the whole thing was painted with epoxy paint, and the frame coated. Needs a couple things...valve cover gasket, maybe knuckle rebuild, tune-up, and all fluids changed, gonna flush the radiator, clean the injectors....also the e-brake doesn't work.

I think it needs a new exhaust manifold, a crack in this would cause high idle right?

Made the trip home with $60 in gas a had half a tank when I got home. went 60-70 the whole way with no problem. gotta love it.
4runner.webp
 
hell yeah!

Last night I changed the valve cover gasket, set the timing, adjusted the valves, gapped the plugs and put on new plug wires, cleaned the injectors and it runs so nice, quiet, smooth now. I love this truck.
 
Sweet!!! :D That's a nice lookin Runner man! :cheers:

If the e-brake cables aren't snapped.... then the arms at the rear drums are probably rusted up... I had the same problem, took it all apart and cleaned it and it's been good for 2+ years. If you are going to get a new exhaust manifold, you may as well look into a header.... why replace when you can upgrade ya know? :D
 
there's a header

The truck came with a Pacesetter header,just not installed. All the hardware and gaskets are there, but I heard other companies make a better one. Downey in particular, I hear are good. Should I just put in the pacesetter cuz I have it, or sell it to fund a better one?
 
I guess this is as good a time to ask as ever...Does the exhaust header make a substantial difference? What is the main 'measurable' change? better gas mileage, higher HP...?

Thread jack/end:D

Dave
 
Dave, a header is a step in the right direction.... The intake and whole exhaust is constrictive on the 22RE, so basically you can change everything, and once you're done, better power/torque and mileage... :D and Welcome to Mud!!! :flipoff2: Glad to have you. Oh, and you have 2 fj40's and a mini and you just found Mud? Have you been under a Japanese rock? Hehehe :D
 
Nice score! Looks like a great little 4runner. I would just throw that pacesetter header on there if I was you. Why not? It came with the rig. I have a downey header and I love it but I have never heard any negative things about pacesetters. put it on and see if you like the tone it gives your runner and if it seems to add any power. I know my downey gave my rig a deep sound and a little extra pep. let us know if you install it and how you like it:beer:
 
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