I miss the crap out of my 2000 5 spd 4runner. She was starting to get a little rust in a couple spots and I felt pressured to sell it while it was still worth a lot of money.
I thoroughly enjoyed this video - great job. Bought my '01 4Runner brand new with 2 miles on the clock. Currently at 518,500 miles - original engine & transmission. Getting ready to do the third timing belt job soon. Transmission flushed every 100k. Engine has never been apart - original injectors, starter, everything. Castrol 5w/30 GTX every 3,000 miles. Love the truck and am simply amazed by the engine.
Makes me hopeful for my 98. Got just over half of what you have and I hope I can make it to the half million club. Already done one oil change on her and fixing to do some chassis work on various parts wearing out (mostly bushings). Might do a compression test at some point but I think that should come out pretty good considering she doesn't feel anymore sluggish than any of the other 3rd gens I test drove before I found the one. No signs of any head gasket issues and pretty minor valve cover gasket leak that I think was already fixed and there's just residual stains. And mine is a 5 speed so I don't have to ever worry about the pink milkshake of death from the radiator mixing coolant and trans fluid (btw if you haven't replaced the radiator I bet that would be some pretty cheap insurance for it going a while longer).
@@Roboticdoughbull3k what's silly about doing proper maintenance intervals? and obviously he hasn't done it religiously or he'd be putting his 5th/6th belt on, not 3rd
This is absolutely amazing to watch. I’ve owned my 4Runner for 9.5 years and I thought I knew my 5VZ like the back of my hand. Well let me tell you, I learned some stuff. Very well put together and I’m saving this video. This is awesome!!!
Hey Joe ….. it sounds like you know your way around this engine I have from what I understand is a notorious problem with mis-fire on cylinder 2 / do you know a solution to this ?
I love your videos. I'm not even a mechanic; I'm a computer guy. I've always liked taking things apart and seeing how they work, though, and I've learned a ton from watching you. But your running commentary ("Piston McNuggets"), your laid-back, self-effacing manner, these are what make your videos special. You be you, man!
Same here. I’m a car guy and I work in the parts business but I’m not a mechanic and certainly don’t pretend like I am. These videos help me understand engines in a casual way when I’ve never worked on them
I "used to" be a computer guy. Ops Analyst (MVS Mainframe). Can you believe, they SACKED me for not partaking in the jibby jab?? Scary thing is I ONLY worked from home with zero contact in the first place, so whatever the rationale for requiring it certainly had nothing to do with "health".
Some part of all of us that enjoy building and working on things are mechanics just don't know as much as others but we learn as we go and to me that's what counts
My buddy has a 96 T100 with 1.2 million miles original engine never had anything more than valve cover gaskets or oil pan gasket done. Engine still has compression within spec aswell. Those engines are amazing.
The engines are very good along with the rest of the drivetrain. It's too bad that the chassis and body disintegrate into piles of rust flakes long before the engine wears out.
@@userer4579 Depends on where the vehicle lives/drives regularly. Anywhere without snow/salt/regular freezing temps, the frame does pretty well for itself
@@TheTapMusic I suppose if one lives in an arid climate the Toy chassis might be fine but so would anything else. Not trying to pick a fight with you just my personal experience with my trucks and others is that the Toys were far more rust prone than other vehicles subjected to the same conditions; 70s square body Chevys being the exception. Cheers.
I'm thinking something on the lines of: - One of the rod bolts unscrewed itself of. - the cap is now retained only by one bolt and the crankshaft started to hammer it more and more, bending the remaining bolt. - when the cap began to be loose enough the bearing detached from the crackshaft and began folding on itself as the crackshaft moved slightly in and out of the rod cap. Eventually catching the edge of the bearing on its way. The folded but brand new looking bearing, but chewed up crank seems to fit pretty well with what I think happened. Don't think water as anything to do with that. The engine needs to be rotating quite a long time to fold theses bearings. If the engine hydrolock first, the rod would most certainly bend or break first, and the engine will stop very fast. The other half of the rod, most of the time, will still be attached to the crankshaft.
Except you completely dismissed the evidence of the counterweight contacting the piston which strongly suggests the problem started with a hydrolock bending the rod making it shorter
@@ttank1994 I think the crankshaft finally escaped the rod and then the rod was pushed way past it by the combustion. Then the rotating crankshaft cut the rod in half. If the rod isn't connected the the crankshaft, the piston will always be stopped by the crankshaft and make theses marks.
My radiator failed somewhere along the journey back from Dallas, and I wasn't even aware the vehicle had overheated. Upon arriving in Houston, I turned the truck off, but the next day, it started making a weird noise. After taking it to the shop, I was informed that one of the pistons was shot. Despite this, I continued driving it like that for three months. Eventually, I got another block remanufactured, painted it, and installed it in my truck. At the same time, I also did suspension work and changed the oils in the transmission and both differentials. It's my daily driver, and I love this old thing.
My neighbor has a 1997 4Runner with the 3.4 and even though it has been severely abused and neglected, it still refuses to die after 320K miles and 25 years. Completely original internals, even the timing belt is original. No problems other than some minor oil leaks. Really impressive if you ask me!
I turbocharged my 3.4 Tacoma 8 years ago (now with over 300k miles) and she still purs like a kitten. I change my oil every 4000 miles with Amsoil signature series. Doesn’t drink a drop of oil for that whole 4000 miles still to this day and sees 10 PSI of boost every time I drive it. The only Toyota engine that impresses me more than the 5vz is the 2jz.
My dad has a 1996 Toyota Tacoma with the same engine. It’s his daily driver and he’s the original owner. Just turned over 355,000 miles and still running like a top. Basic maintenance and no abuse.
I absolutely love the 5VZ. Just underpowered enough to not hurt itself, but not be unbearably gutless, and I swear they can ingest dirt and water by the pound and not care. Bought a really clean (albeit hydrolocked due to BAD overheating and sat for 2yrs) 97 4Runner Limited for a song, got it turning over after shooting the disgusting tar/coolant/carbon/fuel placenta out of the holes, chucked some plugs at it, and it ran on all six. Puking white smoke, but running. Decked the heads, cookie’d the deck, emery cloth the cams free of rust, gave it a quick hone (which did NOT fix the massive pits in at least 3 cylinders) and slapped it together with reused head bolts and a new belt/pump kit. It’s run perfect since March, and only burns through about a quart every few thousand miles, which I find unbelievable by the state of the bores. 90s Toyotas are the definition of “built different”, I swear.
I worked as a Toyota tech from 2002-2011 and worked on literally hundreds of these. In that time I only saw 2 blow up. One was right after a 90k mile service while it was idling and bleeding the coolant system. Just randomly let go. It's a pig of an engine but stupid reliable.
I've seen one with a supercharger blow a head gasket at like 270k. worked at a dealer for a few years. owners son had one with accessory supercharger. still was a dog.
@@dustyc324 even the SCd ones were pigs. Only way to make power was with URD upgrades. I installed a few, including the owners Tacoma with the 7th injector kit. Waste of money lol
Been enjoying my 00 4runner for quite some time and admiring how durable these 3.4L engines really are. Appreciate the positive feedback from an experienced mechanic on how good they really are. Thank you.
He's died (and retired) several times since this video came out. Enjoyed this one as always, only found your channel recently and working my way through them all. :)
Thanks for the tear down, I'm looking forward to the next one. You're the only person on TH-cam that's doing it on a regular basis, and we appreciate it. Since there's no sign of the piston kissing the head, you're probably right about hydraulic locking being the initial cause. Once the rod was bent, the piston hit the crank flyweight at BDC and the connecting rod cap got torn off.
Love how this dude is using Pittsburg tools to tear down an engine. Goes to prove you don't need all the fancy stuff to turn a wrench and have fun. I miss working on cars from time to time. Kudos to you sir!
Alot of people are just tik tok mechanics nowadays that flex their tools more than their work. Personally, id rather pay $30 for a craftsman or Pittsburgh ratchet and be able to break and buy a new one 4-5 times before i even approach it being the price of ONE snap-on wrench.
@@needmoreboost8208 The 5VZ and 1UZ production overlapped between 1995 and 2002. Therefore, late 90s early 2000s they were both produced. Hence "late 90s"
Loved my old 99 T4R. Wouldn't mind having another one, honestly. Mine was only a 2WD, but it still did some crazy offroady things that I absolutely did not think it would do. It's a V6 with the gas mileage of a V8 and the power of an I4.
Lol 💯 V8 fuel economy, zero power But gets you anywhere you wanna go AND back home safely. I can deal with the lack of power, I drive slow anyway and don't tow anything significant. But I wish I could get better fuel economy on long trips. 3rd gen=best gen
@William Hahn The 4300 vortec was a decently powerful engine (190 horse) and fuel economy was great (20-22 mpg was easy in an Astro van on the freeway). Solidly reliable too, they just a b**ch to service in the vans. Saw many of them in trade vans with 300k. My old 3.4 though would rarely crack 16 mpg (usually was 14.5-15 at best), although to your point, the 4.0 Jeep motor was both slower and thirstier (brother's Cherokee averaged 12 mpg). Still though, the 2.7 Tacoma I later drove wasn't much slower but was so much better on fuel so I still considered my old 3.4 to be kind of a useless dog. Didn't tow much more, didn't have much more power and drank almost twice the fuel.
Young man I am 63 years old I have a Toyota V6 engine just like the one you tore down it's started missing all of a sudden on my way home tonight but your video showed me exactly the interior of my engine for which I cannot thank you enough but I will put in a special request for a whole heap of karma heading your way in store for The pearly gates when you pass on lol hahaha I cannot thank you enough your video was one of the best most intricate well spoken instructions And I cannot thank you enough marvelous job your job as a mechanic will go on and on and I'm you really know what you're doing and you explained it better than I've ever seen before keep it up good job
Those were the wrong spark plugs for a 5VZE engine. Toyota recommends a double-grounded spark plug for these engines, either NGK or Denso. Not likely the cause of the failure, as Toyota states that you get better combustion during a cold-start with the double-grounded electrode vs single ground.
My 2004 Tacoma 5VZ had NGK on one bank and Denso on the other, STOCK. Yep they use double grounded. These engines have only three coils. They send a wasted spark to the cylinders at the end of the exhaust stroke.
Tbh I feel like 99% of Toyota engines won’t give much of a shit which plugs you put in the damn thing, as long as they’re the same heat range or one off
My 2000 4runner ran like crap on the wrong plugs. The twin electrode NGK or Denso plugs are the only plugs that should ever go in a 5VZ. Not what went wrong here, but just good practice with this engine.
Great video!!! This happened to my 2001 Tacoma at around 11 years old & 45,000 miles. Same con rod. Same location for the "inspection window." Never did find out what happened. Always changed oil/filter @ 5K miles. Never hot rodded it. Never towed anything other than a 14' john boat. No sludge in the pan or galleries. They gave me some of the parts as souvenirs. One of the cap bolts was missing, the other bent like a pretzel. Had a long block installed. That lasted another 8 years & 35K miles. Blew a head gasket (pass side, rear cylinder). Machine shop said that section of the head was .009" out. That, tap water, & the electrolysis between the iron block & aluminum head corroded the gasket. The head has been correctly machined & new gasket installed (& premix coolant). I love the truck. It's a 2001 and I currently have 86K miles. I've just been unlucky but I hope that turns around & get the reliability everyone brags about. Thank you again for the video.
You should do a tear down of its successor, the 4.0 V6 1GR-FE. I’ve got one in a 2013 Tacoma with 250k miles and it’s been overheated, submerged in a hurricane, run on a single quart of diesel oil after the crank seal started leaking, and just had the crap beat out of it for 9 long years and it still runs like an absolute top!
I second this request. I have an 08 4runner with a 1 GR. I'm at 275k and she's running like a top. I'd love to see a teardown to get a look at the guts. I don't anticipate any issues, but who does....
@@elonsus9747 I have a 15 with about 65k. Love it! My 4th Toyota. 95& 96 4runners and a 2014 and 2015 Tacoma. I also have a Isuzu Trooper thats a total nightmare Lol
I bought my 97 4Runner and soon realized something was wrong, no overheating but we finally diagnosed the head gasket. I went for fixing it rather than replacing it. So grateful is has worked out so far. I hope the owner of that engine was able to find out how bad it was before paying the mechanic to take apart the head.
Great engines! I've had a few become headaches for simple reasons that can either be attributed to technician mistakes (yes, sometimes my own) or lack of maintenance. Besides that, they're generally easy to fix, can take a beating, and truly some of the best of Toyota. On that note, the 2.0L and 2.4L from the 90's and 00's are also famous for running ridiculous miles, my own father's '05 Rav4 and my sister's '96 Rav4 are in the 300k range. Sadly, the '96 has a clutch issue and we haven't tackled it yet since she got a 2016 Mazda 3 as a daily. The '05 Rav4 is still rock solid, despite a few weird issues in the past. Anyway, I'm rambling. Love the video! Don't forget to cold a crack one while you relax!
Toyota has produced so many reliable engines since the 80's. Even the 3.0L which is one of the least desired Toyota engines is surprisingly reliable with the recalled headgasket. My family had a 4 cyl 88 Camry when I was a kid which we sold with 450k on it and it ran just fine. The 4.7 V8 can easily blow past 500k as can the 4.0L V6. All to do with treatment and maintenance really. People get mad about the poor fuel mileage of Toyota engines but that's just the trade off you make to have the most reliable engines.
Hondas can run 300k easy , too. the issue is people are lazy, and ignorant and don't maintain them... especially the ones with a timing belt, half of the people who have a Honda with a timing belt don't know they have a timing belt .. it breaks and motor blows... that's and some years of the V6 had weak tranny's... a 4 cyl Honda with a standard tranny and a timing chain will go 300k with no problem.. if maintained..I've seen the automatic Hondas go well over 200k when maintained though
@@foskco87 the old 3vze head gasket is a easy to to job used to pick the 2nd gen 4 runners up for cheap as chips and rebuild em just for fun flog em n then sell em off, prices on em gone crazy here $10-15k used to pick em up for under $700
I'm not sure if this has happened to anyone else. I bought an old (1971) Super Beetle. I recognized a certain "tapping" noise from the engine, as being a worn Small End / Wrist Pin Bushing. I decided to remove the engine, and the Cylinder Heads and barrels. I examined the Connecting Rods - and sure enough, I discovered lots of free play on one Wrist Pin Bushing. And (yet) the other three Bushings were fine. On closer examination, I discovered that one of the Connecting Rods (for Wrist Pin lubrication) had NEVER even been drilled / countersunk by the VW Factory! So, I replaced the Bushing and then drilled a matching-size hole for the Wrist Pin. I want to say, that the carmakers don't always get everything right! It's great to see an expert at work, and we learn what engines are most reliable, and also those cars (with poor engines) to avoid! Greetings from Australia.
Don't know if you get any of these in or have a demand for them, but I would love to see the AMC derived 4.0L inline 6 found in most real Jeep products before 2008 as a tear down. Although, these things are known to kick a head gasket and still run...yeah, that happened to my '04 Grand Cherokee.
I’ve got two jeeps with these engines. An lj at 192k and a tj at 152k. I recently pulled the head on the lj to replace the camshaft since it had a wiped lobe. The cylinder walls looked brand new with all the cross hatching fully visible and uniform.
Really enjoyed watching you tear down this 3.4L My 2000 Tundra 3.4 L has over 500,000.00 miles on it. I've done 2 timing belts, and removed the plenum and replaced all of the gaskets. I keep the oil changed and do occasional needed maintenance on it when needed. Although, I do own a new 2020 Tacoma, (which only has 36,0000 miles) I really prefer driving my Tundra to work 80 miles round trip each day. It rides nicer, and I need to keep my Tundra running to keep the miles down on my Tacoma. I have an issue with my 3.4L and I can't figure out. It developed a rough idling 8 days ago. I was told, it may have water in the fuel. Since, I left a gas station 25 miles back. So, I decided to replace all 3 Coil packs (Genuine Denso) new wiring, new recommended plugs. Sprayed out the MASS Air Senor, and put Gas Treatment in Fuel. After 2 days, started it up and it ran Great! Drove it to the airport on Monday ran great. Park it at the Airport 4 days. Flew back on a Thursday, and started in cold snowy conditions, and drove back home in the weather 45 miles, and the truck ran great! Park truck in drive, for one day, and drove it work on Saturday. On my way to work (about 30 miles in), I could feel a little hesitation and reaching my exit, that same hesitation returned as the prior. Well, since I did drive 80 miles prior to putting gas in it. And it had about 1/4 of in the tank. Maybe, ?? , there is water in the gas after all. So, I placed a 10oz of alcohol, and stopped and place 5 gal of 93 octagon gas in it.. Today, I pulled all 6 plugs, checked, cleaned and reinstalled. The engine starts up great, but after the engine warmed, and the R's dropped. the hesitation returned. So, Now I'm thinking maybe I have a Deflective, (but new) Coil pack. Can you assist ? I would still love to hear your thoughts. Sincerely, Dave - Cincinnati, Oh.
I sold my 1995 T-100 4x4, 5 speed, with 459k. I hauled cars, towed a Bobcat 653 skid steer, and generally worked the life out of it. I miss that truck everyday. All I ever did to it was 3 timing belt/water pumps, coil packs, and a clutch at 340k.
Got a 96 2wd 3.4l 5spd right now. 200k just did another timing belt etc new control arms ball joints etc. Love the truck will drive it 4ever. Frame is solid too a rarity in the rust belt
@@captaintoyota3171 T-100’s are one of the most under-rated trucks of all time. People didn’t buy them because they “didn’t have a V-8” even though the 3.4 had around 30 more horsepower than the Chevy 350’s of the era...
The 3vze in my 91 4runner had it's headgaskets replaced twice. First time it blew at just over 60k, out of warranty, but before the recall was issued. Job was done by an indy, sent the blown gasket along with the repair bill to Toyota. Toyota sent me a "good will" check for $1300. Six months later they issued the recall so I had it done again at the dealer with the redesigned gasket. Great vehicle, great company.
My 2001 4runner currently has 326k miles on it and broken down for the very first time last week. Replaced the fuel pump and it's back on the road driving slowly but beautifully. It might just last forever.
My 03 Tacoma is about to turn 300k, im having a hard starting issue after i get fuel. Purge valve checks good, what were your symptoms leading to you replacing fuel pump? Check engine light is p40 something, small evap leak. Im going to look at charcoal canister next. Have not done fuel pressure test, replaced timing belt , water pump, thermostat 2 years ago. Truck runs great other then right after i fuel.
@@komarama I didn't notice any symptoms until my 4runner refused to start after getting fuel at the pump. I think pump overheated with the lack of fuel. My wife likes to run down the fuel until long after the fuel light comes on.
I wait for each new vid you put up. i have watched all your content, all the vids and even the comments, when I can. Keep them coming if you can. You are darn good at what you are doing. Thank you for the great entertainment and information.
75% of my subscriptions on here are car related, and this has become my new favorite channel. I'm always so happy to get a notification for a new video from I Do Cars.
Good video. Very informative. I'm a 4.0L Jeep fan. I know of two 4.0L engines that shattered #6 piston. I owned one of them. Mine failed at 296k miles. Both engines were from a Cherokee and both of them were the 1996-1998 version. I have a 1995 Jeep Cherokee 4.0L with 328k miles that is still going strong. Absolutely zero internal engine repairs on this 1995 engine. It still has the original valve cover gasket.
My Toyota 1996 Hilux Surf 3.4v6 5vzfe engine has done actually 255,000 Ks & still running strong & even the auto 4 speed Automatic transmission with transfer case runs really well to & have done cambelt water pump tensioner Ideller myself with a help of my son & I'm running NGK Iridium Spark in this engine & I had installed these NGK Iridium Spark plugs when the engine had done 119,000 Kilometers & had taken the Spark plugs out at about 125,000 ks just to inspect them & just wiped them with a clean rag then copper coat the NGK Iridium Spark plugs & screwed & just nipped the Spark plugs up & haven't been changed since then & they are still running in the 3.4v6 engine & doesn't miss a beat & it's a very strong motor & when I do oil change on this engine I get 6 liters out of this engine & put new 6liters back in the engine & it is my secret of getting all the old oil out of the 3.4V6 engine & whole 6 liters back in the engine up to the full mark & putting in 15W 40 oil in this engine & now in again I put in Moreys Stabilizer just a small amount & I live in New Zealand & it is an Excellent Quality Stabilizer for all engines it is amazing stuff Kind Regards Peter & the next cambelt water pump tensioner change will be at 300,000 Kilometers & it's not common thing for a 3.4v6 engine to break as these Toyota 3.4v6 5vzfe engines these are Excellent Quality Engines you keep these engines well serviced these engines are great & if you happen to buy one of these 3.4v6 engines & put one of these engines into a small rear wheel drive car this engine will perform well especially if you supercharge or turbo charger it will really move alright & theres nothing wrong with these engines they are great engines Sir
Bought a '92 3.0 litre V6 Toyota Fourunner a few years back from a guy who had drowned it in a creek crossing. Same issue, snapped rod in #6 cylinder, hole through block behind starter motor. I patched the hole with two hand made aluminum washers, an 8mm bolt & nut, and plenty of gasket silicone. Crank pin journal was fine. Got a piston and rod from another scrap engine, put it back in #6 hole. That engine ran another couple of years until I sold the vehicle, ran perfect in fact, could still be going, Toyota tuff!
Such a great engine. I had a 2000 4runner with the 5 speed manual and it was an absolute joy to drive. World of difference coming from the 3.0L. You can just feel when driving it that it is a solid, reliable engine. Just so smooth and responsive with lots of torque. Mine never gave me any problems. I have an 07 4runner now with the 4.0L and it is a great engine as well but I actually miss listening to the purr of the 3.4L idling.
Again another beautiful tear down... Definitely some weird carnage there... I'd be willing to bet that made some serious noise just before, or right as the rod exited the block... Please continue, I look forward to these weekly video's...
I had this engine in my old '98 T-100 that I owned for 17 years. Not too sexy but damned reliable. Sold it to my nephew a few years ago and last I heard, he was at a little over 320,000 miles. I did the timing belt and water pump three times on that truck while I had it. The last time I did it, it took a little over 4 hours. Those were decent engines to work on too. I kind of miss that truck but my '14 Taco is better. Agreed with another comment here, would love to see a tear down of a 1GRFE, 4.0. Great video!
That engine seemed to have died by an accident rather than neglect if your hypothesis is correct. If water is ingested, is the cylinder that intakes it random based on the rotation, or can you guess which cylinders have a high probability of destroying themselves first? If it's a fuel injector, I would think you could easily determine that assuming they left them in the engine.
I wonder about hydrolock theory myself: not common on a running engine, but usually a startup event that's part of a head gasket failure. Surely more piston damage [maybe lands or rings] could exist, and just possibly some valve damage
I stumbled onto your channel while looking for the right vacuum port on the lower intake for my boost gauge. Mine dynoed at 407 @5450, still running the stock fuel pump and 440 cc injectors with 13.5 psi. I really like your forensic approach to an engine tear down, your logic and explanations are top notch. I’m a new sub now, thanks!
Great video and now I feel great about my 3.4 5vz. My 03 Tacoma has 436,000 and still going great. Recently I'm hearing some more ticking and tapping that I'm not used to hearing. But still kicking. I plan on replacing it when it does go.
@@demetrius8594 I've had it since it had 87,000 on it and I don't believe they ever have. The head gasket leaks some but no other leaks. I'm not sure it would be worth doing that now. I'm kinda waiting to see how long this thing will last and then I'll put a new engine in it. Your thoughts? Thanks!
Yes, these 5VZ 3.4L V6 engines are awesome. In 1995 I purchased a T100 SR5 with this engine. 27 years later I still own it! It only has 160k miles and honestly it runs like the day I bought it 'used' with 4k miles. I have driven it all over there US and it has never failed me. The 4 speed automatic trans has also been bullet proof. I have ALWAYS maintained it every 4000 miles. Water pump, timing belt, valve cover gaskets, cam seals and a few other incidentals were replaced over the years. Incredibly reliable vehicle! I believe this vehicle will last me the rest of my life. Like your old 4Runner, this thing is bullet proof . Thank you for this tear down. I have always wondered what this engine looks like from the inside. I don't need any parts. I will check with you if I ever do; but don't hold your breath.
@@captaintoyota3171 Yea, a few bucks on Rock Auto for rear cam seals with valve cover gaskets. During the pandemic slow down I converted the truck to LED lighting just for something to do. HUGE improvement and totally inexpensive DIY project. ALL interior lights and exterior lights switched out to LED! Changed the blinker relay and all good to go. Awesome upgrade....
what a great video. really hit home for me because my 5vz from a 2000 runner blew apart exactly the same way when over revving in park. Also got a window in the block on the same cylinder even. Could have even been my motor!
I'm a pretty die hard Toyota guy. The 3.0 was an underpowered gas hog. The 3.4 however will probably outlive Keith Richards, a 22Re and a few cockroaches at once.
I had a 1985 22R. I think it was the best motor ever. It had over 400,000 on it and still running when it went to the junkyard. The frame finally broke in half.
@@andrewsmart2949 I have a 3vz with 270k miles. No issues, 17-18 mpg running 33" BFG AT. No valve cover leak, never done a water pump. Just don't get them hot and they will run forever. Although sure, an extra 30 hp would be great, but not motor-swap great. Wish the Thorley headers were still around / actually CARB-compliant.
I own a smog shop and regularly see 20r, 22r, 22re and all of them except for a few mint ones I’ve seen below 100k miles but most of them are around 250k-400k miles. Super reliable 4 banger 🤙
My 3.4L has 246k miles on it. Only big issue I've had is a blown head gasket. It weirdly happened after I replaced a valve cover gasket which was leaking. Not sure how they could be related but after sitting for a week (over torqued and cracked on of the valve covers then waited for one off ebay) it was burning coolant - could smell it in the exhaust. I replaced both gaskets while I had it torn down with OEM Toyota gaskets - along with timing belt, tensioners, water pump, and other misc items. It has been about 10k miles now and is purring like a kitten. It is an awesome engine!
It's absolutely amazing how popular these engines are to have little to no aftermarket performance parts. LCE is the only one that I know of and even then it's limited.
have the same engine in my 2001 4runner and it's not too bad. 185hp but 220 torque which is an important number too. It keeps up, it's not fast but it's much better than the 4 banger they sold with 140 HP
Really love to watch videos like this; and with no musak, and no time wasted, you make it even more enjoyable that hole at 31:20 i have fixed a few blocks, in race cars,back in the day,with a .75mm or so, piece of copper sheet and around 10 to 12 small M4 bolts around the perimeter,all tapped M4 into the cast iron block of course... a good silicone base sealant is used after a perfect degrease! a paper template is made first when the hole area is not flat,then transfered to the copper sheet,which is then hammered into shape over the hole area when the hole goes through an oil rail,the block is scrap properly done it lasts for ever
Steve Morris builds high power racing engines. On his channel under the title Worst Blow Up Ever, he shows his own engine with all connecting rods separated from the crankshaft. Now that's a blow up!
1998 Tacoma 4X4 owner. 200,000+ miles on the 5VZ. Not one problem, ever, that wasn't my own fault. They're slow, gutless and not great on gas, but when you turn the key it starts and runs well. Every time. Bomb proof compared to almost everything. IMO.
I put a TRD supercharger on one, probably in 99. It was new, and he financed it. On my test drive, I realized it was still slower than the not fast 4.7 V8. He was back in for knocking a few months later. This was in Denver. He was still using 85 (it’s Denver) and not the needed 91 octane. So yes, owners can ruin it....Continued the next morning, the thermostat was installed wrong. In general, Toyota fuel injector drivers didn't fail. Toyota used fused power, and switched ground in the PCM because it is much more reliable. It's why they are not a common item sold, like say a POS from FCA.
yeah the trd supercharged hiluxes were unguided dangerous missiles LOL that killed many people in australia due to their extremely poor on the limit handling due to primitive leaf spring rear end,i have seen aftermarket supercharger installs and the compression ratio and N/A ecu settings do not suit,the tech who ran it on the dyno had to set timing to 0 deg under acceleration LOL to stop severe detonation,the first run had everyone running to the dyno cell cos it sounded like it was going to throw rods LOL,we had numerous incedents with the buick supercharged V6 in the holden commodores cos the drivers manual said you could use 91 octane(australia rating) in them in an emergency which many fools took to meand you could run low octane fuel 24/7,and further fools who took therostats out etc thinking it was going to cure the overheating the detonation caused LOL,the chrysler 300c australian version had a warning light that came on when you fuelled it with low octane fuel warning the driver of the reduced performnce,we have a 98 octane fuel available in australia,i personally use BP ultimate 98 in all my cars,and i use it as a base for my race fuel as BP guarantees it contains no toulene(methyl benzene),so i can reliably mix in up to 30% toulene to make a 110 octane race fuel,as well as a high octane E85 fuel,people just dont understand you cant just slap a turbo or supercharger on a modern N/A engine without major internal and ECU mods
@@andrewsmart2949 given the low specific power output of the 3.4, it wouldn't surprise me if it was knock prone. 9.6:1 CR is not very high compression and is probably knock limited by outdated chamber design. The Ford 3.5L ecoboosts are 10.5:1, but also run down to a staggering 10⁰ ATDC of ignition retard in some areas I've seen to get it to run on low octane fuel.
Thank you so much for all your videos! Looks like fun work. Just got a 98 4runner, first car to do some real work on and this helped me get a better look at my engine. Wishing you and your loved ones well,
Hey brother u just bought a 98 limited model with this motor. I'm in Pittsburgh. 260,000 miles. Sat in the woods behind someone's house for 2 years. Hasn't been inspected since19. Started right up. I'm in the process of getting it legal. What's the stats on yours if u don't mind me asking. Hope this comment finds you well. May God continue to bless you. Clark
@@clark2491Hey, wishing you well! That’s awesome yours started up for you! Mine supposedly has 150k. It came from a Toyota Hiace in Japan. It was neglected, so a little clatter, but it’s been running smooth!
267k on my 97 Tacoma and still going strong. Did head gaskets on my 90 3.0 and sold it to my daughter who gave it to her in-laws. Over 300k when they sold it.
My buddy has one of these with what looked like bearing material or perfectly spiraled lathe savings in the heads along with an inch of sludge that was literally covering the cams, the sump was filled with damn near jello, oil pump was not building pressure "Obviously" the 3rd gen 4runner he bought with this engine had 280-300k miles when he got it for about 2500. Mind you the truck was still running and driving seemingly fine even with an oil pressure light. He continued to drive it for a week or so, lifting the truck with that engine in that condition before taking the pan down and the valvecovers off, cleaning it out as good as you can in a driveway as a 17-year-old in high school 5 years ago, replacing the oil pump and then sending it for the next over 100k miles , being nearly at 400k miles as it sits right now and even with those issues, you would never be able to tell anything was ever wrong with it just driving it. Its only just now starting to have issues with the oil pressure again, which is mitigated with higher weight oil, which for a truck that looks like it had a damn near lifetime of no oil changes, I think is impressive.
Time to cam the crack caps loose. I'm dying over here. Thanks for the thorough job on teardown. I used this video to rebuild my 3.4 after having it apart for a year. Thanks for helping keep everyone supplied with the greatest yota motor, keep up the great work.
Absolutely one of the best engines ever made. I wish toyota still had the quality they did with the 1st gen tacomas. Why I keep my 04. 220k miles dosen't use a drop of oil, original motor and trans.
Why are you USAmericans so proud of that ridiculous low milage? Lots of Scandinavian cars daily (ab)used by craftsmen, run more than half a million km without issues ..
I'll speculate that after the rod was bent, the crank tried to pull it back straight again going across BDC with the piston crashing into the counterweight. Since this engine uses cap screws and nuts as opposed to bolts to hold the rods together, I bet this broke the caps off the cap screws leading to the rod coming apart further.
Every 5VZ-FE built before 10 of 96, only a couple of months worth, got headgaskets under warranty because they would piss coolant out the left front or right rear. Other than that hicup, these motors lasted forever and was a huge improvement over their pedecessor. I owned one in a 99 4 Runner and pulled a car trailer with it.
I second that. Lots of high mileage engines out there, especially in the later years when they correcting the early head gasket problems. I’ve heard of a couple near a half million miles and still going.
I have a 2006 Toyota Harrier with this engine and its a Hybrid as well. Its got 279Kms on it and it still runs so sweet! Its good on gas as well. I can't offer you MY engine, but would like to see one pulled down 🙂
'96 Tacoma 4x4. 3.4. 5speed. 325,000 miles and counting. I've never been inside the engine, and don't think previous owner had. I had the timing belt and water pump replaced (preventative) when I bought it with under 200k... probably time to do them again, and I might be capable at this point. The mystery liquid that destroyed that rod might be related to the mystery foil/seal you found in the crankcase from some kind of additive someone in good faith poured into the engine. That's a strange place to find something like that. We'll never know. ...ANYWAY, thanks for your video.
I always enjoy your videos but this was especially interesting because I have the 5VZ-FE in my Prado it currently has 370,000 km (~230,000 miles) on it and still running well with compression at 11 bar out of an acceptable range of 10 to 12 bar
Currently replacing heads on a 98. Previous owner didn't do oil changes and all the crud at the bottom clogged the oil pickup. No oil to the right cam caused it to seize. Must've been like that for a WHILE until we just bought it and after a brief run on the highway, it died. Still a testament to its reliability.
It's funny to me that the 3VZ are considered unreliable and full of problems, considering my family has a 1991 Winnebago Warrior (based on the cab of a 1991 Pick-Up) with the 3VZ, and that despite spending every winter outside (Canadian winter with lots of snow) it still starts as if it had run the day prior when we put the battery in in early Spring
"Could it be; application use, exceptional maintenance on your part, or plain luck? 🤔 No, I will try to convince this limited youtube audience that the 3VZ is reliable based on my 1 example"
@@MrWhatsHisFace87 Nah, in that case it's most likely luck, but honestly I had never heard before that the 3VZs were considered not really reliable, which is what I find funny
My 1989 Truck had a 3VZ. It blew a head gasket at about 70k miles. It was well maintained and never overheated. I sold it and four months later I got a letter from Toyota. Toyota said it would pay for replacing the head gasket, out of warranty. Even if it hadn't been repaired by Toyota. The throttle position sensor failed under warranty too.
i bought a 4runner with one of these years ago when i was just out of high school. previous owners wife had run it low on oil, and it was suffering. but i didnt have alot of cash to fix it. so i just drove it, for about a year and a half. only firing 5 cylinders, for about a year and then it dropped another and was running on 4 by the time i swapped in a jdm unit.... that thing ran... was obviously way down on power, and would go through oil(mostly spitting out the PCV into the intake) but not once did it ever stall, die, or not start. it did shake like an 80s diesel truck at idle though which was annoying. that motor cemented it as the greatest most reliable motor ever in my mind. insane what that thing took.
I also own a 3rd gen 4runner and found this fascinating. Bought mine new and still driving it. (at least till the frame finishes rusting out) These cars are known to have the strawberry milkshake, so I wonder if this is what happened to this engine. Motivated me to go ahead and swap out my radiator this year.
I really want to see you tear down a 4.0 from jeep. It’s a notoriously reliable engine. I myself have 513k miles on my 98 and the only thing i’ve done to it is gaskets and water pump and thermostat twice in it’s entire life.
I don't like that coolant goes through the intake manifold. On many engines, when the intake gasket failed, coolant entered the oil. It was the death of many GM V6 engines because they had the worst intake manifold gaskets.
that's why you pay attention when it starts running differently..... and fix it quick. I had a 91 grand marquis when I lived in FL in 04. the plenum gasket started to leak, I put a gasket on, changed the oil and it was fine
Died 57 times, also quit TH-cam 500. I always try to guess what the click Baity title actually has in it. Awesome breakdown you guys make this look so easy Great video
Really liked that engine. Had an '01 4Runner, trd supercharged and a smaller(more psi/boost) pulley on it, along with larger fuel injectors and a inline ecu to control them, trd headers and exhaust....that truck absolutely kicked ass. Especially up in the CO mountains, would even put many sports cars to shame when it came to acceleration. But some jackass decided to rear-end me doing 80mph+, bent the damn frame. Yes, it will be missed
I had an '02 in the 'imperial jade mica' (green) that I found in 2013 with 62K miles. Paid $8250 cash from a Honda dealer(!) of all places. It was MINT and I treated it as such all the way to 82K..... when some tool in a '79 Cadillac w/ no insurance rear-ended me so hard that it flipped me over. He and his friends 'saved' me by kicking in they windshield so I could exit in the most unceremonious way imaginable. I was injured, livid and absolutely heartbroken all at the same time. Always have uninsured coverage, thankfully I did.
I blew mine in 2012 lol. I've had mine since it was new. Ordered a new motor from jdm and back at it again. I just redid every last thing on the inside of the truck. Scored brand brand new looking seats from an LKQ even 👌 score score score. I even went as far as stipping every last thing out of the truck. Cleaned every last plastic piece or replaced with ones I've been collecting from LKQ and ebay for 2 years. Sounds deadnered the entire truck including the roof, and door panels. Raptor lined my old Manick bull bar, Confer roof rack, Smitty nerf bars, tail light covers, swapped the KC Highlights for make it daytime LED ones, new rims and tires, replaced all sensors, suspension, brakes a-z front and back. Lol I guess what I'm getting at is I've had my 2000 3rd gen since new..23 years. I love my tank and I drive it every single day. It still offroads like a beast. It looks like a new truck again and I get complements all the time. Love my yota! Great video man!!
My 2003 Tacoma (with 76k miles at the time) left the dealership after an inspection & oil change and locked up in about a block and a half. The dealership FORGOT to put in oil after the old oil was drained! They balked and cried but finally put in a new factory long block!
I’m over 500k on my 5VZ. I think it’s just about time for a nice tune up.😂 Been using Iridum plugs for 300,000 so I don’t have to change the old tech plugs everyone claims it just can’t run without.
375,000 miles and my 2002's Tacoma 5VZ just developed Bad "Rod knock". Also seen other videos of peoples 4runners/ Tacomas with bad rod knock. Wonder if the rods on these motors are the weak link?!?! Shame as i had just done a full valve adjustment/ VC gaskets and full timing belt/ water pump service. To boot a compression ck Before the valve adj. showed 215-225psi on all cylinders (OEM head gaskets). Top end looked very similar to this one, light to medium wear for the millage. Parked the truck and am shopping for either a JDM or good used complete engine to throw in it. "Machine shops" want $6k to rebuild mine (Bay area, CA). By the way you didn't lock the cam central gears together with a bolt before removal as per service manual. Best 3.4L tear down video on youtube!
I killed one about three years ago. Threw a con-rod. Went through the side of the block. The parts in the oil pan looked very much like this one. Including the windage tray! Under 100,000 miles and well maintained. The machine shop I had check my heads for flatness said these were notorious for connecting rod bolts backing out. My bearings also looked good. I was able to get a short block and so far so good.
I just got me a 02 tundra with 200k miles on it and it has that engine runs really good had a misfire fixed it no check engine light no more so far best truck I had
When you're examining the damages you should describe what kind of symptoms or sounds the owner would experience. Make mechanics great again! Great video by the way.
As a 3rd gen 4runner owner, this video excites the hell out of me
Stay calm Sam
Same here
Me too
Yes ! Lol
I miss the crap out of my 2000 5 spd 4runner. She was starting to get a little rust in a couple spots and I felt pressured to sell it while it was still worth a lot of money.
I thoroughly enjoyed this video - great job. Bought my '01 4Runner brand new with 2 miles on the clock. Currently at 518,500 miles - original engine & transmission. Getting ready to do the third timing belt job soon. Transmission flushed every 100k. Engine has never been apart - original injectors, starter, everything. Castrol 5w/30 GTX every 3,000 miles. Love the truck and am simply amazed by the engine.
Makes me hopeful for my 98. Got just over half of what you have and I hope I can make it to the half million club. Already done one oil change on her and fixing to do some chassis work on various parts wearing out (mostly bushings). Might do a compression test at some point but I think that should come out pretty good considering she doesn't feel anymore sluggish than any of the other 3rd gens I test drove before I found the one. No signs of any head gasket issues and pretty minor valve cover gasket leak that I think was already fixed and there's just residual stains. And mine is a 5 speed so I don't have to ever worry about the pink milkshake of death from the radiator mixing coolant and trans fluid (btw if you haven't replaced the radiator I bet that would be some pretty cheap insurance for it going a while longer).
100k trans flush?
Non interference why on earth religiously change timing belts its silly lol.
@@Roboticdoughbull3k what's silly about doing proper maintenance intervals? and obviously he hasn't done it religiously or he'd be putting his 5th/6th belt on, not 3rd
Good job on taking care of your engine and vehicle.
This is absolutely amazing to watch. I’ve owned my 4Runner for 9.5 years and I thought I knew my 5VZ like the back of my hand. Well let me tell you, I learned some stuff. Very well put together and I’m saving this video. This is awesome!!!
Hey Joe ….. it sounds like you know your way around this engine
I have from what I understand is a notorious problem with mis-fire on cylinder 2 / do you know a solution to this ?
What year this engine run through for the 4runner?
@@madebydade305ify 1996-2002. There was the 2.7L 3RZ (4 cylinder) and the 3.4L 5VZ (6 cylinder, as seen in the video)
@@blurmgru6632 I'd take it to a local auto parts store and have them plug in an OBD-ii reader to see what codes you're throwing and go from there.
@@Joe-ge2es Got it, are the 3.4 better than the 4.0 Toyota makes in the 07 4 runner?
I love your videos. I'm not even a mechanic; I'm a computer guy. I've always liked taking things apart and seeing how they work, though, and I've learned a ton from watching you. But your running commentary ("Piston McNuggets"), your laid-back, self-effacing manner, these are what make your videos special. You be you, man!
Same here. I’m a car guy and I work in the parts business but I’m not a mechanic and certainly don’t pretend like I am. These videos help me understand engines in a casual way when I’ve never worked on them
I’m in computers as well but love to take things apart. Fun to watch!
Computer guys are just car guys that haven't had enough fun with cars... yet
I "used to" be a computer guy. Ops Analyst (MVS Mainframe). Can you believe, they SACKED me for not partaking in the jibby jab?? Scary thing is I ONLY worked from home with zero contact in the first place, so whatever the rationale for requiring it certainly had nothing to do with "health".
Some part of all of us that enjoy building and working on things are mechanics just don't know as much as others but we learn as we go and to me that's what counts
My buddy has a 96 T100 with 1.2 million miles original engine never had anything more than valve cover gaskets or oil pan gasket done. Engine still has compression within spec aswell. Those engines are amazing.
The engines are very good along with the rest of the drivetrain. It's too bad that the chassis and body disintegrate into piles of rust flakes long before the engine wears out.
@@userer4579 Depends on where the vehicle lives/drives regularly. Anywhere without snow/salt/regular freezing temps, the frame does pretty well for itself
Yeah seriously, my buddy has a 97 t100 with about 800,000 or so on it, and he's still mashing the pedal to the floor. 🤙🏽
@@TheTapMusic I suppose if one lives in an arid climate the Toy chassis might be fine but so would anything else. Not trying to pick a fight with you just my personal experience with my trucks and others is that the Toys were far more rust prone than other vehicles subjected to the same conditions; 70s square body Chevys being the exception. Cheers.
I'd reuse those bearings
I'm thinking something on the lines of:
- One of the rod bolts unscrewed itself of.
- the cap is now retained only by one bolt and the crankshaft started to hammer it more and more, bending the remaining bolt.
- when the cap began to be loose enough the bearing detached from the crackshaft and began folding on itself as the crackshaft moved slightly in and out of the rod cap. Eventually catching the edge of the bearing on its way.
The folded but brand new looking bearing, but chewed up crank seems to fit pretty well with what I think happened.
Don't think water as anything to do with that.
The engine needs to be rotating quite a long time to fold theses bearings.
If the engine hydrolock first, the rod would most certainly bend or break first, and the engine will stop very fast.
The other half of the rod, most of the time, will still be attached to the crankshaft.
I agree, the hydrolock theory does not fit the folded bearing evidence.
I think you are absolutely right
Except you completely dismissed the evidence of the counterweight contacting the piston which strongly suggests the problem started with a hydrolock bending the rod making it shorter
@@ttank1994 I think the crankshaft finally escaped the rod and then the rod was pushed way past it by the combustion.
Then the rotating crankshaft cut the rod in half.
If the rod isn't connected the the crankshaft, the piston will always be stopped by the crankshaft and make theses marks.
@@ElectronikHeart I agree, loose rod cap bolts.
My radiator failed somewhere along the journey back from Dallas, and I wasn't even aware the vehicle had overheated. Upon arriving in Houston, I turned the truck off, but the next day, it started making a weird noise. After taking it to the shop, I was informed that one of the pistons was shot. Despite this, I continued driving it like that for three months. Eventually, I got another block remanufactured, painted it, and installed it in my truck. At the same time, I also did suspension work and changed the oils in the transmission and both differentials. It's my daily driver, and I love this old thing.
My neighbor has a 1997 4Runner with the 3.4 and even though it has been severely abused and neglected, it still refuses to die after 320K miles and 25 years. Completely original internals, even the timing belt is original. No problems other than some minor oil leaks. Really impressive if you ask me!
Your neighbor has had to replace the timing belt, or it would have snapped a long time ago
@@WildWhiteFang Agree,at least once!
I turbocharged my 3.4 Tacoma 8 years ago (now with over 300k miles) and she still purs like a kitten. I change my oil every 4000 miles with Amsoil signature series. Doesn’t drink a drop of oil for that whole 4000 miles still to this day and sees 10 PSI of boost every time I drive it. The only Toyota engine that impresses me more than the 5vz is the 2jz.
@@GioGuitarDude wow 😱
My dad has a 1996 Toyota Tacoma with the same engine. It’s his daily driver and he’s the original owner. Just turned over 355,000 miles and still running like a top. Basic maintenance and no abuse.
I absolutely love the 5VZ. Just underpowered enough to not hurt itself, but not be unbearably gutless, and I swear they can ingest dirt and water by the pound and not care. Bought a really clean (albeit hydrolocked due to BAD overheating and sat for 2yrs) 97 4Runner Limited for a song, got it turning over after shooting the disgusting tar/coolant/carbon/fuel placenta out of the holes, chucked some plugs at it, and it ran on all six. Puking white smoke, but running. Decked the heads, cookie’d the deck, emery cloth the cams free of rust, gave it a quick hone (which did NOT fix the massive pits in at least 3 cylinders) and slapped it together with reused head bolts and a new belt/pump kit. It’s run perfect since March, and only burns through about a quart every few thousand miles, which I find unbelievable by the state of the bores. 90s Toyotas are the definition of “built different”, I swear.
Driving flat is no problem but going up hill they are gutless. You really have to floor it 😂. And they drink fuel like a V8
-1999 tacoma owner
@@Judgemental_Crowwell it's like my Ford with the 4.9, fuel mileage sux but almost bulletproof. I got the 2.4 Tacoma, tough little truck
I worked as a Toyota tech from 2002-2011 and worked on literally hundreds of these. In that time I only saw 2 blow up. One was right after a 90k mile service while it was idling and bleeding the coolant system. Just randomly let go. It's a pig of an engine but stupid reliable.
I went through 2 in a year. Threw an exhaust valve and head gasket issue. Both under 160,000 kilometers
@@kormysh8 that sucks. These 2 I'm talking about had a rod let go for absolutely no reason. Just happens sometimes I guess
I've seen one with a supercharger blow a head gasket at like 270k. worked at a dealer for a few years. owners son had one with accessory supercharger. still was a dog.
@@dustyc324 even the SCd ones were pigs. Only way to make power was with URD upgrades. I installed a few, including the owners Tacoma with the 7th injector kit. Waste of money lol
@@ENTERESTEDTREE ya they have all sorts of tech now but back in the early 2000s for a dealer installed system, they sucked lol
"This was a hydrolock event." This channel is better than anything ever shown on Forensic Files! Great episode, Eric.
Wow man.
Forensic files is pretty too ha
He might see a lot of these, considering the recent events in St. Louis...
This guy is entertaining and hilarious looking.
So what hydro locked it, if it wasn't fuel or water
Eric is no Peter Thomas, sorry
Been enjoying my 00 4runner for quite some time and admiring how durable these 3.4L engines really are. Appreciate the positive feedback from an experienced mechanic on how good they really are. Thank you.
"time to cam the crack caps loose" dude you have me in stitches everytime one way or another not sure if it's intentional keep up the good work
I was wondering if anyone else caught that...I still can't tell if he meant it or not...
I caught it as well. 🤣
I think it was a call back to another video where he said that a while back, still funny either way haha
That took my half-attentive rear a moment to go "wait a second..."
"Malice in the combustion palace" really got me early on.
He's died (and retired) several times since this video came out.
Enjoyed this one as always, only found your channel recently and working my way through them all. :)
Thanks for the tear down, I'm looking forward to the next one. You're the only person on TH-cam that's doing it on a regular basis, and we appreciate it. Since there's no sign of the piston kissing the head, you're probably right about hydraulic locking being the initial cause. Once the rod was bent, the piston hit the crank flyweight at BDC and the connecting rod cap got torn off.
Love how this dude is using Pittsburg tools to tear down an engine. Goes to prove you don't need all the fancy stuff to turn a wrench and have fun. I miss working on cars from time to time. Kudos to you sir!
The best tool a mechanic has is his brain
Alot of people are just tik tok mechanics nowadays that flex their tools more than their work. Personally, id rather pay $30 for a craftsman or Pittsburgh ratchet and be able to break and buy a new one 4-5 times before i even approach it being the price of ONE snap-on wrench.
It must take you so much time to edit these vids. You kept all the beautiful crunch sounds as you remove the bolts and that's really appreciated.
Toyota really hit a homerun with the 5VZ and 1UZ in the late 90s early 2000s. Phenomenal engines.
1uz late 90s?
@@needmoreboost8208 The 5VZ and 1UZ production overlapped between 1995 and 2002. Therefore, late 90s early 2000s they were both produced. Hence "late 90s"
No, this engine is shit. Phantom misfires that everyone ignores. Poor power and fuel economy. Head gaskets and random rod slinging.
nah thats 3vze@@Bleachanna
@@Bleachanna
I get 24 mpg highway using non-ethenal. 15% less using the blend.
No complaints from me😊
Loved my old 99 T4R. Wouldn't mind having another one, honestly. Mine was only a 2WD, but it still did some crazy offroady things that I absolutely did not think it would do. It's a V6 with the gas mileage of a V8 and the power of an I4.
Lol 💯
V8 fuel economy, zero power
But gets you anywhere you wanna go AND back home safely.
I can deal with the lack of power, I drive slow anyway and don't tow anything significant.
But I wish I could get better fuel economy on long trips.
3rd gen=best gen
@@txrunroutdoors at least my 3RZ makes decent power at 20mpg lol, almost got a v6 but said nope
😂 That's the best summary I've seen! Still the best pup of the litter, though.
@William Hahn The 4300 vortec was a decently powerful engine (190 horse) and fuel economy was great (20-22 mpg was easy in an Astro van on the freeway). Solidly reliable too, they just a b**ch to service in the vans. Saw many of them in trade vans with 300k.
My old 3.4 though would rarely crack 16 mpg (usually was 14.5-15 at best), although to your point, the 4.0 Jeep motor was both slower and thirstier (brother's Cherokee averaged 12 mpg).
Still though, the 2.7 Tacoma I later drove wasn't much slower but was so much better on fuel so I still considered my old 3.4 to be kind of a useless dog. Didn't tow much more, didn't have much more power and drank almost twice the fuel.
With the reliability of a tank
Young man I am 63 years old I have a Toyota V6 engine just like the one you tore down it's started missing all of a sudden on my way home tonight but your video showed me exactly the interior of my engine for which I cannot thank you enough but I will put in a special request for a whole heap of karma heading your way in store for The pearly gates when you pass on lol hahaha I cannot thank you enough your video was one of the best most intricate well spoken instructions And I cannot thank you enough marvelous job your job as a mechanic will go on and on and I'm you really know what you're doing and you explained it better than I've ever seen before keep it up good job
Those were the wrong spark plugs for a 5VZE engine. Toyota recommends a double-grounded spark plug for these engines, either NGK or Denso. Not likely the cause of the failure, as Toyota states that you get better combustion during a cold-start with the double-grounded electrode vs single ground.
My 2004 Tacoma 5VZ had NGK on one bank and Denso on the other, STOCK. Yep they use double grounded. These engines have only three coils. They send a wasted spark to the cylinders at the end of the exhaust stroke.
Tbh I feel like 99% of Toyota engines won’t give much of a shit which plugs you put in the damn thing, as long as they’re the same heat range or one off
You’re correct!
@@lomfmur probably true but our shop liked to put exact same plug back in anything, just to eliminate possible issues.
My 2000 4runner ran like crap on the wrong plugs. The twin electrode NGK or Denso plugs are the only plugs that should ever go in a 5VZ. Not what went wrong here, but just good practice with this engine.
Great video!!! This happened to my 2001 Tacoma at around 11 years old & 45,000 miles. Same con rod. Same location for the "inspection window." Never did find out what happened. Always changed oil/filter @ 5K miles. Never hot rodded it. Never towed anything other than a 14' john boat. No sludge in the pan or galleries. They gave me some of the parts as souvenirs. One of the cap bolts was missing, the other bent like a pretzel. Had a long block installed. That lasted another 8 years & 35K miles. Blew a head gasket (pass side, rear cylinder). Machine shop said that section of the head was .009" out. That, tap water, & the electrolysis between the iron block & aluminum head corroded the gasket. The head has been correctly machined & new gasket installed (& premix coolant). I love the truck. It's a 2001 and I currently have 86K miles. I've just been unlucky but I hope that turns around & get the reliability everyone brags about. Thank you again for the video.
You should do a tear down of its successor, the 4.0 V6 1GR-FE. I’ve got one in a 2013 Tacoma with 250k miles and it’s been overheated, submerged in a hurricane, run on a single quart of diesel oil after the crank seal started leaking, and just had the crap beat out of it for 9 long years and it still runs like an absolute top!
+1 My 13 only has 60k 😅 I’m the second owner.
I second this request. I have an 08 4runner with a 1 GR. I'm at 275k and she's running like a top. I'd love to see a teardown to get a look at the guts. I don't anticipate any issues, but who does....
@@elonsus9747 I have a 15 with about 65k. Love it! My 4th Toyota. 95& 96 4runners and a 2014 and 2015 Tacoma. I also have a Isuzu Trooper thats a total nightmare Lol
I bought my 97 4Runner and soon realized something was wrong, no overheating but we finally diagnosed the head gasket. I went for fixing it rather than replacing it. So grateful is has worked out so far. I hope the owner of that engine was able to find out how bad it was before paying the mechanic to take apart the head.
Great engines! I've had a few become headaches for simple reasons that can either be attributed to technician mistakes (yes, sometimes my own) or lack of maintenance. Besides that, they're generally easy to fix, can take a beating, and truly some of the best of Toyota. On that note, the 2.0L and 2.4L from the 90's and 00's are also famous for running ridiculous miles, my own father's '05 Rav4 and my sister's '96 Rav4 are in the 300k range. Sadly, the '96 has a clutch issue and we haven't tackled it yet since she got a 2016 Mazda 3 as a daily. The '05 Rav4 is still rock solid, despite a few weird issues in the past. Anyway, I'm rambling. Love the video! Don't forget to cold a crack one while you relax!
Toyota has produced so many reliable engines since the 80's. Even the 3.0L which is one of the least desired Toyota engines is surprisingly reliable with the recalled headgasket. My family had a 4 cyl 88 Camry when I was a kid which we sold with 450k on it and it ran just fine. The 4.7 V8 can easily blow past 500k as can the 4.0L V6. All to do with treatment and maintenance really. People get mad about the poor fuel mileage of Toyota engines but that's just the trade off you make to have the most reliable engines.
Hondas can run 300k easy , too. the issue is people are lazy, and ignorant and don't maintain them... especially the ones with a timing belt, half of the people who have a Honda with a timing belt don't know they have a timing belt .. it breaks and motor blows... that's and some years of the V6 had weak tranny's... a 4 cyl Honda with a standard tranny and a timing chain will go 300k with no problem.. if maintained..I've seen the automatic Hondas go well over 200k when maintained though
@@foskco87 the old 3vze head gasket is a easy to to job used to pick the 2nd gen 4 runners up for cheap as chips and rebuild em just for fun flog em n then sell em off, prices on em gone crazy here $10-15k used to pick em up for under $700
I'm not sure if this has happened to anyone else. I bought an old (1971) Super Beetle. I recognized a certain "tapping" noise from the engine, as being a worn Small End / Wrist Pin Bushing. I decided to remove the engine, and the Cylinder Heads and barrels. I examined the Connecting Rods - and sure enough, I discovered lots of free play on one Wrist Pin Bushing. And (yet) the other three Bushings were fine. On closer examination, I discovered that one of the Connecting Rods (for Wrist Pin lubrication) had NEVER even been drilled / countersunk by the VW Factory! So, I replaced the Bushing and then drilled a matching-size hole for the Wrist Pin. I want to say, that the carmakers don't always get everything right! It's great to see an expert at work, and we learn what engines are most reliable, and also those cars (with poor engines) to avoid! Greetings from Australia.
Don't know if you get any of these in or have a demand for them, but I would love to see the AMC derived 4.0L inline 6 found in most real Jeep products before 2008 as a tear down. Although, these things are known to kick a head gasket and still run...yeah, that happened to my '04 Grand Cherokee.
I will donate one I have laying around!
Mine blew a rod out of the side of a block and still runs and idles even after sitting 3 years without an oil pan
I’ve got two jeeps with these engines. An lj at 192k and a tj at 152k. I recently pulled the head on the lj to replace the camshaft since it had a wiped lobe. The cylinder walls looked brand new with all the cross hatching fully visible and uniform.
I wouldn't consider the 3.4 one of Toyotas best engines. The 3RZ runs longer.
Yup I have a 2002 wrangler in the shop blown head gasket aside from the fluids mixing you could never tell
As an owner of a 95 4runner, and a 94 pickup Sr5 with 3vz, and a 2001 Tacoma with the 3.4, I appreciate this video as a whole. Thanks 🤙🏽
Fantastic teardown and analysis. A young dude that knows what he's doing!
Really enjoyed watching you tear down this 3.4L My 2000 Tundra 3.4 L has over 500,000.00 miles on it. I've done 2 timing belts, and removed the plenum and replaced all of the gaskets. I keep the oil changed and do occasional needed maintenance on it when needed.
Although, I do own a new 2020 Tacoma, (which only has 36,0000 miles) I really prefer driving my Tundra to work 80 miles round trip each day. It rides nicer, and I need to keep my Tundra running to keep the miles down on my Tacoma.
I have an issue with my 3.4L and I can't figure out. It developed a rough idling 8 days ago. I was told, it may have water in the fuel. Since, I left a gas station 25 miles back. So, I decided to replace all 3 Coil packs (Genuine Denso) new wiring, new recommended plugs. Sprayed out the MASS Air Senor, and put Gas Treatment in Fuel. After 2 days, started it up and it ran Great! Drove it to the airport on Monday ran great. Park it at the Airport 4 days. Flew back on a Thursday, and started in cold snowy conditions, and drove back home in the weather 45 miles, and the truck ran great!
Park truck in drive, for one day, and drove it work on Saturday. On my way to work (about 30 miles in), I could feel a little hesitation and reaching my exit, that same hesitation returned as the prior. Well, since I did drive 80 miles prior to putting gas in it. And it had about 1/4 of in the tank. Maybe, ?? , there is water in the gas after all. So, I placed a 10oz of alcohol, and stopped and place 5 gal of 93 octagon gas in it.. Today, I pulled all 6 plugs, checked, cleaned and reinstalled. The engine starts up great, but after the engine warmed, and the R's dropped. the hesitation returned. So, Now I'm thinking maybe I have a Deflective, (but new) Coil pack. Can you assist ?
I would still love to hear your thoughts. Sincerely, Dave - Cincinnati, Oh.
I sold my 1995 T-100 4x4, 5 speed, with 459k. I hauled cars, towed a Bobcat 653 skid steer, and generally worked the life out of it. I miss that truck everyday. All I ever did to it was 3 timing belt/water pumps, coil packs, and a clutch at 340k.
Got a 96 2wd 3.4l 5spd right now. 200k just did another timing belt etc new control arms ball joints etc. Love the truck will drive it 4ever. Frame is solid too a rarity in the rust belt
@@captaintoyota3171 T-100’s are one of the most under-rated trucks of all time. People didn’t buy them because they “didn’t have a V-8” even though the 3.4 had around 30 more horsepower than the Chevy 350’s of the era...
The 3vze in my 91 4runner had it's headgaskets replaced twice. First time it blew at just over 60k, out of warranty, but before the recall was issued. Job was done by an indy, sent the blown gasket along with the repair bill to Toyota. Toyota sent me a "good will" check for $1300. Six months later they issued the recall so I had it done again at the dealer with the redesigned gasket. Great vehicle, great company.
My 2001 4runner currently has 326k miles on it and broken down for the very first time last week. Replaced the fuel pump and it's back on the road driving slowly but beautifully. It might just last forever.
My 03 Tacoma is about to turn 300k, im having a hard starting issue after i get fuel. Purge valve checks good, what were your symptoms leading to you replacing fuel pump? Check engine light is p40 something, small evap leak. Im going to look at charcoal canister next. Have not done fuel pressure test, replaced timing belt , water pump, thermostat 2 years ago. Truck runs great other then right after i fuel.
@@komarama I didn't notice any symptoms until my 4runner refused to start after getting fuel at the pump. I think pump overheated with the lack of fuel. My wife likes to run down the fuel until long after the fuel light comes on.
@@halfblindstudiosfineart ok thanks, i think all females are pre-wired to do that🤣😂 i don’t get it😂
@@komarama Somewhere, in the brain, there is a little voice saying "I paid for the whole tank and dangit, I'm using the whole tank!" LOL
My ‘03 5VZ just hit 250k. Wife’s getting worried, I’m just smiling. Great video.
I wait for each new vid you put up. i have watched all your content, all the vids and even the comments, when I can. Keep them coming if you can. You are darn good at what you are doing. Thank you for the great entertainment and information.
75% of my subscriptions on here are car related, and this has become my new favorite channel. I'm always so happy to get a notification for a new video from I Do Cars.
Good video. Very informative.
I'm a 4.0L Jeep fan. I know of two 4.0L engines that shattered #6 piston. I owned one of them. Mine failed at 296k miles. Both engines were from a Cherokee and both of them were the 1996-1998 version. I have a 1995 Jeep Cherokee 4.0L with 328k miles that is still going strong. Absolutely zero internal engine repairs on this 1995 engine. It still has the original valve cover gasket.
Such a great engine. I was waiting on you to tear one down. Thanks for the video 🙏
My Toyota 1996 Hilux Surf 3.4v6 5vzfe engine has done actually 255,000 Ks & still running strong & even the auto 4 speed Automatic transmission with transfer case runs really well to & have done cambelt water pump tensioner Ideller myself with a help of my son & I'm running NGK Iridium Spark in this engine & I had installed these NGK Iridium Spark plugs when the engine had done 119,000 Kilometers & had taken the Spark plugs out at about 125,000 ks just to inspect them & just wiped them with a clean rag then copper coat the NGK Iridium Spark plugs & screwed & just nipped the Spark plugs up & haven't been changed since then & they are still running in the 3.4v6 engine & doesn't miss a beat & it's a very strong motor & when I do oil change on this engine I get 6 liters out of this engine & put new 6liters back in the engine & it is my secret of getting all the old oil out of the 3.4V6 engine & whole 6 liters back in the engine up to the full mark & putting in 15W 40 oil in this engine & now in again I put in Moreys Stabilizer just a small amount & I live in New Zealand & it is an Excellent Quality Stabilizer for all engines it is amazing stuff Kind Regards Peter & the next cambelt water pump tensioner change will be at 300,000 Kilometers & it's not common thing for a 3.4v6 engine to break as these Toyota 3.4v6 5vzfe engines these are Excellent Quality Engines you keep these engines well serviced these engines are great & if you happen to buy one of these 3.4v6 engines & put one of these engines into a small rear wheel drive car this engine will perform well especially if you supercharge or turbo charger it will really move alright & theres nothing wrong with these engines they are great engines Sir
Another excellent choice for a teardown - it's amazing how relatively simple some engines are by comparison with anything made in Germany....
German engineering, germans will be germans
Mines about to hit 400,000 miles and has been on every forest Service road in Canada and the US. They’re amazing!
This might be one of the most beautifully designed engines I’ve seen on the channel!
Had a 98 4RUNNER with the 3.4, traded it for a 11 4RUNNER. The 98 had 368,000 on it and ran like new. Just regular maintenance, no major repairs ever.
Bought a '92 3.0 litre V6 Toyota Fourunner a few years back from a guy who had drowned it in a creek crossing. Same issue, snapped rod in #6 cylinder, hole through block behind starter motor. I patched the hole with two hand made aluminum washers, an 8mm bolt & nut, and plenty of gasket silicone. Crank pin journal was fine. Got a piston and rod from another scrap engine, put it back in #6 hole. That engine ran another couple of years until I sold the vehicle, ran perfect in fact, could still be going, Toyota tuff!
i love your videos eric! look forward to these videos every saturday night
Such a great engine. I had a 2000 4runner with the 5 speed manual and it was an absolute joy to drive. World of difference coming from the 3.0L. You can just feel when driving it that it is a solid, reliable engine. Just so smooth and responsive with lots of torque. Mine never gave me any problems. I have an 07 4runner now with the 4.0L and it is a great engine as well but I actually miss listening to the purr of the 3.4L idling.
Again another beautiful tear down... Definitely some weird carnage there... I'd be willing to bet that made some serious noise just before, or right as the rod exited the block... Please continue, I look forward to these weekly video's...
I had this engine in my old '98 T-100 that I owned for 17 years. Not too sexy but damned reliable. Sold it to my nephew a few years ago and last I heard, he was at a little over 320,000 miles. I did the timing belt and water pump three times on that truck while I had it. The last time I did it, it took a little over 4 hours. Those were decent engines to work on too. I kind of miss that truck but my '14 Taco is better. Agreed with another comment here, would love to see a tear down of a 1GRFE, 4.0.
Great video!
That engine seemed to have died by an accident rather than neglect if your hypothesis is correct. If water is ingested, is the cylinder that intakes it random based on the rotation, or can you guess which cylinders have a high probability of destroying themselves first? If it's a fuel injector, I would think you could easily determine that assuming they left them in the engine.
I wonder about hydrolock theory myself: not common on a running engine, but usually a startup event that's part of a head gasket failure. Surely more piston damage [maybe lands or rings] could exist, and just possibly some valve damage
Yip a wee hydrolock, then ran it out of balance and piston interfering with the crank, till something let go.
pretty sure that intake failed and let water by while it sat a while.
Just a wee bit - hydrolocked engine I had had a broken piston and rod, plus another bent rod.
accidental downshift could over rev it and bend a rod, ask me how I know
I stumbled onto your channel while looking for the right vacuum port on the lower intake for my boost gauge. Mine dynoed at 407 @5450, still running the stock fuel pump and 440 cc injectors with 13.5 psi.
I really like your forensic approach to an engine tear down, your logic and explanations are top notch. I’m a new sub now, thanks!
Great video and now I feel great about my 3.4 5vz. My 03 Tacoma has 436,000 and still going great. Recently I'm hearing some more ticking and tapping that I'm not used to hearing. But still kicking. I plan on replacing it when it does go.
when's the last time the valves were adjusted or at least checked?
@@demetrius8594 I've had it since it had 87,000 on it and I don't believe they ever have. The head gasket leaks some but no other leaks. I'm not sure it would be worth doing that now. I'm kinda waiting to see how long this thing will last and then I'll put a new engine in it. Your thoughts? Thanks!
Do the valves get adjusted?
@@reeksreeks3017 Probably wouldn't hurt. But with this high mileage I can't justify that expense.
Good to hear,my 1996 Tacoma 379K.
Good luck to you.
Yes, these 5VZ 3.4L V6 engines are awesome. In 1995 I purchased a T100 SR5 with this engine. 27 years later I still own it!
It only has 160k miles and honestly it runs like the day I bought it 'used' with 4k miles. I have driven it all over there US and it has never failed me. The 4 speed automatic trans has also been bullet proof. I have ALWAYS maintained it every 4000 miles. Water pump, timing belt, valve cover gaskets, cam seals and a few other incidentals were replaced over the years. Incredibly reliable vehicle! I believe this vehicle will last me the rest of my life. Like your old 4Runner, this thing is bullet proof
.
Thank you for this tear down. I have always wondered what this engine looks like from the inside. I don't need any parts. I will check with you if I ever do; but don't hold your breath.
160k is broke in. Mine is 215k still strong as ever. Everyone misses the rear cam seals when valve covers leak. If u fix both its sealed up tight
@@captaintoyota3171 Yea, a few bucks on Rock Auto for rear cam seals with valve cover gaskets. During the pandemic slow down I converted the truck to LED lighting just for something to do. HUGE improvement and totally inexpensive DIY project. ALL interior lights and exterior lights switched out to LED! Changed the blinker relay and all good to go. Awesome upgrade....
what a great video. really hit home for me because my 5vz from a 2000 runner blew apart exactly the same way when over revving in park. Also got a window in the block on the same cylinder even. Could have even been my motor!
Finally a 5VZ-FE torn down, I have a 5VZ-FE I’m going to tear apart in the near future. I love the channel, I’ve learned so much from it. Great work!
I'm a pretty die hard Toyota guy. The 3.0 was an underpowered gas hog. The 3.4 however will probably outlive Keith Richards, a 22Re and a few cockroaches at once.
I had a 1985 22R. I think it was the best motor ever. It had over 400,000 on it and still running when it went to the junkyard. The frame finally broke in half.
personaaly i found the 3vz-fe to be a very reliable engine,forged rods and steel crank have alot to do with that
@@andrewsmart2949 I have a 3vz with 270k miles. No issues, 17-18 mpg running 33" BFG AT. No valve cover leak, never done a water pump. Just don't get them hot and they will run forever.
Although sure, an extra 30 hp would be great, but not motor-swap great. Wish the Thorley headers were still around / actually CARB-compliant.
I own a smog shop and regularly see 20r, 22r, 22re and all of them except for a few mint ones I’ve seen below 100k miles but most of them are around 250k-400k miles. Super reliable 4 banger 🤙
@@joshuaa1921 what is a "smog shop"
My 3.4L has 246k miles on it. Only big issue I've had is a blown head gasket. It weirdly happened after I replaced a valve cover gasket which was leaking. Not sure how they could be related but after sitting for a week (over torqued and cracked on of the valve covers then waited for one off ebay) it was burning coolant - could smell it in the exhaust. I replaced both gaskets while I had it torn down with OEM Toyota gaskets - along with timing belt, tensioners, water pump, and other misc items. It has been about 10k miles now and is purring like a kitten. It is an awesome engine!
It's absolutely amazing how popular these engines are to have little to no aftermarket performance parts. LCE is the only one that I know of and even then it's limited.
have the same engine in my 2001 4runner and it's not too bad. 185hp but 220 torque which is an important number too. It keeps up, it's not fast but it's much better than the 4 banger they sold with 140 HP
Supercharger from TRD or Magnuson
@@travo5050 TRD doesn't offer them any longer and the Mag only nets 50hp for $4k. I'm talking internals. Cranks, cams, pistons, rods...
@@travo5050 Cool profile picture though
Really love to watch videos like this; and with no musak, and no time wasted, you make it even more enjoyable
that hole at 31:20 i have fixed a few blocks, in race cars,back in the day,with a .75mm or so, piece of copper sheet and around 10 to 12 small M4 bolts around the perimeter,all tapped M4 into the cast iron block of course...
a good silicone base sealant is used after a perfect degrease! a paper template is made first when the hole area is not flat,then transfered to the copper sheet,which is then hammered into shape over the hole area
when the hole goes through an oil rail,the block is scrap
properly done it lasts for ever
Steve Morris builds high power racing engines. On his channel under the title Worst Blow Up Ever, he shows his own engine with all connecting rods separated from the crankshaft. Now that's a blow up!
I saw that. It was the strangest blow up I think I've ever seen.
@@Troy_Built Even Steve was baffled.
Yes,I saw that too,that was for sure a WOW moment!
1998 Tacoma 4X4 owner. 200,000+ miles on the 5VZ. Not one problem, ever, that wasn't my own fault. They're slow, gutless and not great on gas, but when you turn the key it starts and runs well. Every time. Bomb proof compared to almost everything. IMO.
I put a TRD supercharger on one, probably in 99. It was new, and he financed it. On my test drive, I realized it was still slower than the not fast 4.7 V8. He was back in for knocking a few months later. This was in Denver. He was still using 85 (it’s Denver) and not the needed 91 octane. So yes, owners can ruin it....Continued the next morning, the thermostat was installed wrong. In general, Toyota fuel injector drivers didn't fail. Toyota used fused power, and switched ground in the PCM because it is much more reliable. It's why they are not a common item sold, like say a POS from FCA.
What a clown lol
yeah the trd supercharged hiluxes were unguided dangerous missiles LOL that killed many people in australia due to their extremely poor on the limit handling due to primitive leaf spring rear end,i have seen aftermarket supercharger installs and the compression ratio and N/A ecu settings do not suit,the tech who ran it on the dyno had to set timing to 0 deg under acceleration LOL to stop severe detonation,the first run had everyone running to the dyno cell cos it sounded like it was going to throw rods LOL,we had numerous incedents with the buick supercharged V6 in the holden commodores cos the drivers manual said you could use 91 octane(australia rating) in them in an emergency which many fools took to meand you could run low octane fuel 24/7,and further fools who took therostats out etc thinking it was going to cure the overheating the detonation caused LOL,the chrysler 300c australian version had a warning light that came on when you fuelled it with low octane fuel warning the driver of the reduced performnce,we have a 98 octane fuel available in australia,i personally use BP ultimate 98 in all my cars,and i use it as a base for my race fuel as BP guarantees it contains no toulene(methyl benzene),so i can reliably mix in up to 30% toulene to make a 110 octane race fuel,as well as a high octane E85 fuel,people just dont understand you cant just slap a turbo or supercharger on a modern N/A engine without major internal and ECU mods
@@andrewsmart2949 It was a Tundra, but your point remains.
@@nickma71 tundra in america,hilux in australia,same car different badge
@@andrewsmart2949 given the low specific power output of the 3.4, it wouldn't surprise me if it was knock prone. 9.6:1 CR is not very high compression and is probably knock limited by outdated chamber design. The Ford 3.5L ecoboosts are 10.5:1, but also run down to a staggering 10⁰ ATDC of ignition retard in some areas I've seen to get it to run on low octane fuel.
Owner of a 2002 4runner sport edition. Love my SUV. Purchased it in '04, with 60k; running with 260k now and going strong.
Thank you so much for all your videos! Looks like fun work. Just got a 98 4runner, first car to do some real work on and this helped me get a better look at my engine. Wishing you and your loved ones well,
Hey brother u just bought a 98 limited model with this motor. I'm in Pittsburgh. 260,000 miles. Sat in the woods behind someone's house for 2 years. Hasn't been inspected since19. Started right up. I'm in the process of getting it legal. What's the stats on yours if u don't mind me asking. Hope this comment finds you well. May God continue to bless you.
Clark
@@clark2491Hey, wishing you well! That’s awesome yours started up for you! Mine supposedly has 150k. It came from a Toyota Hiace in Japan. It was neglected, so a little clatter, but it’s been running smooth!
Love the video. I have a 99 with 305 thousand miles still runs strong Houston tx
267k on my 97 Tacoma and still going strong.
Did head gaskets on my 90 3.0 and sold it to my daughter who gave it to her in-laws. Over 300k when they sold it.
267? thats nothin, got 322k on my 98.
@@jklbubbublkj7939 they're great dependable rigs when properly maintained.
My buddy has one of these with what looked like bearing material or perfectly spiraled lathe savings in the heads along with an inch of sludge that was literally covering the cams, the sump was filled with damn near jello, oil pump was not building pressure "Obviously" the 3rd gen 4runner he bought with this engine had 280-300k miles when he got it for about 2500. Mind you the truck was still running and driving seemingly fine even with an oil pressure light. He continued to drive it for a week or so, lifting the truck with that engine in that condition before taking the pan down and the valvecovers off, cleaning it out as good as you can in a driveway as a 17-year-old in high school 5 years ago, replacing the oil pump and then sending it for the next over 100k miles , being nearly at 400k miles as it sits right now and even with those issues, you would never be able to tell anything was ever wrong with it just driving it. Its only just now starting to have issues with the oil pressure again, which is mitigated with higher weight oil, which for a truck that looks like it had a damn near lifetime of no oil changes, I think is impressive.
My 2001 T4R has 504,000 miles. Still going strong. ♥️
WOW 😱. What major parts have you replaced?
@@danjones3402 nothing major, beside timing belt & water pump every 100k.
As the current - and original - owner of an '02 4Runner, I found this very interesting. Thanks.
I really like this guy's attitude. He seems like a good guy.
Time to cam the crack caps loose. I'm dying over here. Thanks for the thorough job on teardown. I used this video to rebuild my 3.4 after having it apart for a year. Thanks for helping keep everyone supplied with the greatest yota motor, keep up the great work.
Absolutely one of the best engines ever made. I wish toyota still had the quality they did with the 1st gen tacomas. Why I keep my 04. 220k miles dosen't use a drop of oil, original motor and trans.
Why are you USAmericans so proud of that ridiculous low milage? Lots of Scandinavian cars daily (ab)used by craftsmen, run more than half a million km without issues ..
I currently own a 96 4runner with this engine. It's a 5 speed manual and 4wd. It's awesome. One of my favorites 👌 thanks for the video
I'll speculate that after the rod was bent, the crank tried to pull it back straight again going across BDC with the piston crashing into the counterweight. Since this engine uses cap screws and nuts as opposed to bolts to hold the rods together, I bet this broke the caps off the cap screws leading to the rod coming apart further.
Ghoul
Every 5VZ-FE built before 10 of 96, only a couple of months worth, got headgaskets under warranty because they would piss coolant out the left front or right rear. Other than that hicup, these motors lasted forever and was a huge improvement over their pedecessor. I owned one in a 99 4 Runner and pulled a car trailer with it.
Would love to see a 2GRFE on a video. Although finding a bad engine may be hard to find.
I second that. Lots of high mileage engines out there, especially in the later years when they correcting the early head gasket problems. I’ve heard of a couple near a half million miles and still going.
@@philrab how long do those 4.7 V8's last?
I have a 2006 Toyota Harrier with this engine and its a Hybrid as well. Its got 279Kms on it and it still runs so sweet! Its good on gas as well. I can't offer you MY engine, but would like to see one pulled down 🙂
Another channel on TH-cam recently uploaded a 2gr teardown video. Speedkar99 I believe he's called.
@@gonzogriff My buddy has a 4.7 year with 700k No joke and it wasn’t a easy life always towing or something hard with it.
'96 Tacoma 4x4. 3.4. 5speed. 325,000 miles and counting. I've never been inside the engine, and don't think previous owner had. I had the timing belt and water pump replaced (preventative) when I bought it with under 200k... probably time to do them again, and I might be capable at this point.
The mystery liquid that destroyed that rod might be related to the mystery foil/seal you found in the crankcase from some kind of additive someone in good faith poured into the engine. That's a strange place to find something like that. We'll never know. ...ANYWAY, thanks for your video.
My 03 Tacoma just turned a 103000 so I feel like it's almost brand new
Holy shit. And I was about to add seafoam to my crank case. Never mind. Lol
I always enjoy your videos but this was especially interesting because I have the 5VZ-FE in my Prado it currently has 370,000 km (~230,000 miles) on it and still running well with compression at 11 bar out of an acceptable range of 10 to 12 bar
I have 430,000km on my Prado.
Great engine
@@billythekid2281 5vz?
@@RotoRCol Yeah 5vz
Currently replacing heads on a 98. Previous owner didn't do oil changes and all the crud at the bottom clogged the oil pickup. No oil to the right cam caused it to seize. Must've been like that for a WHILE until we just bought it and after a brief run on the highway, it died. Still a testament to its reliability.
It's funny to me that the 3VZ are considered unreliable and full of problems, considering my family has a 1991 Winnebago Warrior (based on the cab of a 1991 Pick-Up) with the 3VZ, and that despite spending every winter outside (Canadian winter with lots of snow) it still starts as if it had run the day prior when we put the battery in in early Spring
"Could it be; application use, exceptional maintenance on your part, or plain luck? 🤔
No, I will try to convince this limited youtube audience that the 3VZ is reliable based on my 1 example"
@@MrWhatsHisFace87 Nah, in that case it's most likely luck, but honestly I had never heard before that the 3VZs were considered not really reliable, which is what I find funny
They used them in the Uhaul Toyotas. If they can last in that they certainly do not deserve to be called unreliable.
My 1989 Truck had a 3VZ. It blew a head gasket at about 70k miles. It was well maintained and never overheated. I sold it and four months later I got a letter from Toyota. Toyota said it would pay for replacing the head gasket, out of warranty. Even if it hadn't been repaired by Toyota. The throttle position sensor failed under warranty too.
I had a Toyota Surf in Okinawa with the 3VZ. The head gasket failed (spectacularly) at 160,000 KM. Right on schedule!
i bought a 4runner with one of these years ago when i was just out of high school. previous owners wife had run it low on oil, and it was suffering. but i didnt have alot of cash to fix it. so i just drove it, for about a year and a half. only firing 5 cylinders, for about a year and then it dropped another and was running on 4 by the time i swapped in a jdm unit.... that thing ran... was obviously way down on power, and would go through oil(mostly spitting out the PCV into the intake) but not once did it ever stall, die, or not start. it did shake like an 80s diesel truck at idle though which was annoying. that motor cemented it as the greatest most reliable motor ever in my mind. insane what that thing took.
I also own a 3rd gen 4runner and found this fascinating. Bought mine new and still driving it. (at least till the frame finishes rusting out) These cars are known to have the strawberry milkshake, so I wonder if this is what happened to this engine. Motivated me to go ahead and swap out my radiator this year.
Spent my Friday night watching this. Better than Netflix.
I really want to see you tear down a 4.0 from jeep. It’s a notoriously reliable engine. I myself have 513k miles on my 98 and the only thing i’ve done to it is gaskets and water pump and thermostat twice in it’s entire life.
That's impressive. Good ol' 258 AMC.
He can't do a teardown, they never blow up. O
@@mikekokomomike that’s the truth. I’ve seen spun bearings and bent rods in plenty of them. Never once seen one actually stop running from locking up.
@@mikekokomomike that’s the truth. I’ve seen spun bearings and bent rods in plenty of them. Never once seen one actually stop running from locking up.
My engine has nearly 250,000 miles on it, it has a dumb amount of carbon deposits on it. It's still running great.
I don't like that coolant goes through the intake manifold. On many engines, when the intake gasket failed, coolant entered the oil. It was the death of many GM V6 engines because they had the worst intake manifold gaskets.
that's why you pay attention when it starts running differently..... and fix it quick. I had a 91 grand marquis when I lived in FL in 04. the plenum gasket started to leak, I put a gasket on, changed the oil and it was fine
Died 57 times, also quit TH-cam 500. I always try to guess what the click Baity title actually has in it. Awesome breakdown you guys make this look so easy
Great video
Really liked that engine. Had an '01 4Runner, trd supercharged and a smaller(more psi/boost) pulley on it, along with larger fuel injectors and a inline ecu to control them, trd headers and exhaust....that truck absolutely kicked ass. Especially up in the CO mountains, would even put many sports cars to shame when it came to acceleration. But some jackass decided to rear-end me doing 80mph+, bent the damn frame. Yes, it will be missed
I had an '02 in the 'imperial jade mica' (green) that I found in 2013 with 62K miles. Paid $8250 cash from a Honda dealer(!) of all places. It was MINT and I treated it as such all the way to 82K..... when some tool in a '79 Cadillac w/ no insurance rear-ended me so hard that it flipped me over. He and his friends 'saved' me by kicking in they windshield so I could exit in the most unceremonious way imaginable. I was injured, livid and absolutely heartbroken all at the same time. Always have uninsured coverage, thankfully I did.
I blew mine in 2012 lol. I've had mine since it was new. Ordered a new motor from jdm and back at it again. I just redid every last thing on the inside of the truck. Scored brand brand new looking seats from an LKQ even 👌 score score score. I even went as far as stipping every last thing out of the truck. Cleaned every last plastic piece or replaced with ones I've been collecting from LKQ and ebay for 2 years. Sounds deadnered the entire truck including the roof, and door panels. Raptor lined my old Manick bull bar, Confer roof rack, Smitty nerf bars, tail light covers, swapped the KC Highlights for make it daytime LED ones, new rims and tires, replaced all sensors, suspension, brakes a-z front and back. Lol I guess what I'm getting at is I've had my 2000 3rd gen since new..23 years. I love my tank and I drive it every single day. It still offroads like a beast. It looks like a new truck again and I get complements all the time. Love my yota! Great video man!!
IT'S TIME! It's an oragami bearing. Very rare, very valuable.
Love the content! I show up for the engines and end up laughing my a off at your antics. That "So hot" line had me crying. Keep up the great work.
i've got 5 tacomas. all with the 3.4. LOVE this engine. ones at 482k miles. one at 300k, 2 at 200k, one at 98k. they dont die.
How were you able to snatch 5 of them lol?
My 2003 Tacoma (with 76k miles at the time) left the dealership after an inspection & oil change and locked up in about a block and a half. The dealership FORGOT to put in oil after the old oil was drained! They balked and cried but finally put in a new factory long block!
I’m over 500k on my 5VZ. I think it’s just about time for a nice tune up.😂 Been using Iridum plugs for 300,000 so I don’t have to change the old tech plugs everyone claims it just can’t run without.
375,000 miles and my 2002's Tacoma 5VZ just developed Bad "Rod knock". Also seen other videos of peoples 4runners/ Tacomas with bad rod knock. Wonder if the rods on these motors are the weak link?!?! Shame as i had just done a full valve adjustment/ VC gaskets and full timing belt/ water pump service. To boot a compression ck Before the valve adj. showed 215-225psi on all cylinders (OEM head gaskets). Top end looked very similar to this one, light to medium wear for the millage. Parked the truck and am shopping for either a JDM or good used complete engine to throw in it. "Machine shops" want $6k to rebuild mine (Bay area, CA).
By the way you didn't lock the cam central gears together with a bolt before removal as per service manual.
Best 3.4L tear down video on youtube!
Astounding and completely amazed by the fact that a person can take a complete engine apart without uddering one cuss word
LOL! Soon as his hands started 'waving' in the air I knew it's Scotty Kilmer he's talking about in the beginning (who's died 57 times). Hah!😀
I killed one about three years ago. Threw a con-rod. Went through the side of the block. The parts in the oil pan looked very much like this one. Including the windage tray! Under 100,000 miles and well maintained. The machine shop I had check my heads for flatness said these were notorious for connecting rod bolts backing out. My bearings also looked good. I was able to get a short block and so far so good.
My good friend and coworker had one drop a valve seal, I told him he won the Toyota bad luck lottery as they are generally bulletproof.
I just got me a 02 tundra with 200k miles on it and it has that engine runs really good had a misfire fixed it no check engine light no more so far best truck I had
The Toyota v6 5VZ might be the modern equivalent of the amazing Mopar 225 slant six (aka the leaning tower of power)
When you're examining the damages you should describe what kind of symptoms or sounds the owner would experience. Make mechanics great again! Great video by the way.