What's the deal with the 3L V6?

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powermad

powermad

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10 Year
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I see a lot of rigs with this engine that have blown gaskets on CL.
Everyone I know won't mess with them.
Are they that bad to work on or just prone to failure?
 
Both. Head gasket failure on cyl 6 is pretty much guaranteed. And they are a pain to work on because almost everything is vacuum actuated so there's a ton of small vacuum lines running everywhere. Basically, the 22RE trucks are the exact opposite. Super reliable, easy to work on, etc, etc, etc.
 
The 22r I am familiar with.
The 3L I have never messed with or looked into all that much.
Vacuum lines and such are a pain but so is anything on rigs these days.

I have been looking for a pickup and there are a bunch with blown gaskets that can be had pretty cheap that are basically otherwise in good shape.
Are there better gaskets, or is it a lost cause spending time and money repairing one?

If I was able to source a 22RE is it a direct swap, or would I need the entire powertrain to go with it.
What other engine would drop right in without to much hassle?
 
I would forget about the 3.slow. I believe swapping in a 22RE requires new engine mounts. The newer head gaskets for the 3.slow are better. There are folks out there that have swapped in a 3.4L V6, but it is not a direct swap due to the wiring. I seem to recall there is a company selling a conversion harness. Do a search.

I would get the 22re, and rebuild it with some performance modifications (balancing, cam, port, header/exhaust).
 
I agree. Just buy a 22RE truck from the start. You're going to end up spending way more trying to swap it. If you did happen to get a 3.0 truck basically for free and were set on keeping it, I would swap in the 3.4. Way better engine, more power, better mileage, no HG probs to worry about.
 
I have a 3.slo in my Runner and it was done when I bought it (bottom end knock). i bought one that supposedly had 5k on a rebuild and it needed head gaskets (which I didn't find out until I swapped it in the truck and had it running).... It was a fairly easy job (if you're mechanically inclined), the problem was though the the aluminum heads don't usually come out ok when a HG blows. I had to replace one head (which I luckily still had my junk motor sitting around so I stole one off of it and had it checked).... Ever since, the 3.slo hasn't done me any wrong. I religiously keep a close eye on my temp guage when wheeling at and still plan on putting a more reliable aftermarket coolant temp gauge in for piece of mind and also an electric fan if I can ever get one to fit (have a Taurus plan I have sitting around for it)... The 22RE is a GREAT motor, but if you're willing to put in a little time and a small amount of money, a 3.slo truck needing a HG can be had for pretty cheap. Just my $.02

--Ryan
 
I have to side with Ryan on this. I am by no means a staunch defender of the 3.0, but I think it has gotten a bit of a bad wrap. I think it was a rush job to compete with the other companies that were starting to release small v6s in the mid 80's and in my opinion the 3.4 is just an improved 3.0. I have built two of these motors and as Sam mentioned the vacuum lines on the manifold border on maddening, but if the heads are true and good HG's are used it will serve you well. Sidebar is there is little to no power to be "built" into one of these motors. The head design was pretty bad out of the box and OS valves and a port job will help, bit are not worth the investment IMO.

As far a doing the HG and timing belt, once you have the upper intake out of the way you are good. The #6 failure is primarily due to poorly designed cross-over connection of the exhaust. The PS bank dumps in right on #6 which causes problems with heat on that cylinder, valves, HG, etc. A set of headers or a minor exhaust rerouting can resolve most of those issues.

For me a 3.0 wouldn't be my first choice, but having fooled with them some they can be good little motors. Quieter than the clattery 22re, but much more finicky. If you are looking at one I would call Sam and price a set of gaskets and a timing belt setup and then you can have an idea of where you will be on the other end of it.

Again, I will stress this, don't chase power. Just tune it up good and realize it is what it is.

22re is a hard swap due to mounts, bell-housing/ transmissions, computers, etc. As others have said the 3.4 is the route for a swap, do some reading and you will see it has been done enough that it is about as close to a direct swap as it can be, but still not. Good luck
 
Last edited:
KLF said:
Not to derail, but these engines are very different. The 3VZ-E was never designed for OBD-II, which is why it stopped being produced in 1995. The 5VZ 3.4 is DOHC as well.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I realize that and perhaps my statement was a bit of an over simplification but the basic construction of the motors, and accompanying maintenance of them, is very similar. I know they are different motors, but aside from the DOHC, displacement and electronics, the hard parts of the motors could pass for twins. I have a 3.0 on my stand now that I am finishing, and I am doing the TB on my 98 currently and side by side they are eerily similar, so you will have to forgive me if I still argue that the the 3.4 is just an improved 3.0. I guess in a nutshell, I am just saying it doesn't appear that they went "back to the drawing boards" to come up with the 3.4 :hillbilly:

KLF, on a side bar, has it gotten warm enough for you get back to your restoration? I am anxious, and admittedly envious, to see it finished.
 
Thanks for asking. I'm in the last few weeks of the semester here, things are crazy hectic, but I'm starting to get excited about working on it again. I should put the battery on the charge timer so it will be charged up when I need it soon. When I get it back into the garage, I'll bump my restore thread back up.
 
I've had two of these. One was a 92 pickup that had the recall work done by Toyota. I loved that truck and if I hadn't pulled out in front of a car and effed it all up I would still be driving it. I also had a 95 4runner that I bought with a blown head gasket. I did all the work myself and it was a PITA but doable. To me the 3.0 has much more power than the 22re and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.
 
Cool, thanx for the input.
Been seeing rigs in the 5 - $600 range.

I'm still trying to talk a guy at work out of his 22re turbo 4runner. But that won't likely happen.
 
powermad said:
Cool, thanx for the input.
Been seeing rigs in the 5 - $600 range.

I'm still trying to talk a guy at work out of his 22re turbo 4runner. But that won't likely happen.
Click to expand...

At that price I would say as long as everything else is in good shape, you'd come out ahead, especially if you are able to do the gaskets yourself. The biggest concern is head warpage. If it was driven hot for very long I would take the heads to have them checked before you put it back together.

The turbo motors are cool, but from everything I have read they are very finicky. When they are right they are right, but tuning them can be a chore as can be keeping them tuned. They are pretty hard on the HG too if i remember correctly.
 
The 3L in my 1994 4Runner has been bulletproof for 200,000+ miles. I had the head gasket recall done in 1996 at 75k and have never looked back.
 
I'm not really defending the 3.0 but as a friend if mine pointed out to me a long time ago "show me one with low miles". As stated before if the HG is done correct I think they are a fine engine, just as stated don't expect a ton of power. Good luck.
 
FWIW, don't forget valve adjustments. Besides the head gasket issues, the 3.0 also tends to "suck" valves on #5 and #6. If you catch it in time, you can get by with an adjustment (not an easy task, as it requires careful measuring and replacement of shims). If you let the engine run too long with tight valves, they will burn and the heads will have to come off for the replacement.
 
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