Just got a 94 tacoma??

Yep just bought me a 94 Tacoma 3.0,,I kinda jumped on it,the body is in great shape.But after doin some homework I'm kinda thinkin I shoulda stuck it out for a 95 and up. I'm thinkn mods mighta been easier on a 95 and up considering torsion bars compared with coil overs.Anybody else got a 94 they been tyeakn on? I'm lookn at puttn another motor in it,which looks like its gonna be a job..whats anybodys take on the 3.4 compared to another 3.0..I've been told to stick with 3.0.Not much power diff for price.Anybody got any suggestions for this beast I'm all ears. Of course the baby blue stripes have to go

 

re known as headgasket eaters. my 3.4 has 260,000 miles. id honestly sell it and buy a 95 rather than go through the hassel of swapping, however one of my friends has a 3.0 that made it to 230,000 then blew the head gasket in his driveway lol

 

I would definitely stick with the 3.0. Better things to spend money on. If you feel sluggish you can regear

 

nice truck btw

 

Welcome to TW and nice truck! I would stick with the 3.0 unless the it is having major problems. Once the 3.0 starts going out on you a 3.4 swap would be pretty nice. The 3.0 engine is still supposed to be a decent, reliable engine despite the head gasket problems. SAS it to get rid of those torsion bars!

 

1. You didn't buy a '94 Tacoma -- you bought a '94 Toyota Pickup. Tacoma's were made available in June of 95 (I believe), hence the year '95.5

2. I've heard nothing but bad things about the 3.slow. Too much gas for too little power, and blown head gaskets. The 22R series motors are awesome pre-Tacoma motors.

 

The 3.0 is not a bad engine if it is taken care of. It is still a reliable engine and is significantly more powerful than the 22r/e. From what I've heard it is a pita to work on though. If the head gasket issue was taken care of under the recall then he should be fine as long as the engine doesn't overheat. A lot of engines that overheat would probably need a new head gasket anyways so there's nothing special about that that makes the 3.0 less reliable. No need to scare the OP away and make him regret his purchase. The 22r is overrated imo.

 

The 3VZ 3.0L is probably the worst engine Toyota ever put in a pickup, but it's not as bad as some of the horror stories would lead you to believe.

I put about 150,000 miles on one ('93 XtraCab) before the truck was totaled in a wreck. The head gasket was replaced at around 60k-miles (first signs of leakage; under warranty), and the water pump was replaced at around 90K-miles (showing signs of going bad). Other than that, I can't claim to have had any trouble with it.

The 3VZ doesn't have much bottom end 'grunt', but I found it to be a nice engine for highway cruising.

There's more or less no aftermarket support for the 3VZ, so 'what you got is all you'll ever have'.

If you ever decide to do a 5VZ 3.4L swap, go over to YotaTech to get more info. Swapping out 3VZ's for 5VZ's is fairly common among the 4Runner crowd.

 

Not trying to scare the OP away or make him regret his purchase. Just giving an honest opinion on how I feel about the 3.0. Don't get me wrong, I almost got a pre-Tacoma with a 3.0L because the price was right. I had researched the 3.4L swap at the time, and from what I remember, its pretty simple.

x2

 

Thanks for the imput guys,,The liftgate says its a tacoma sr5 and it doesnt look like its been replaced..maybe its a late model 94 I'll have to check the born on date..As for the 3.0 engine in it the head gaskets have been done a few thousand miles ago so no worrys there,,,It does feeel a little sluggish when taking off under normal circumstances on the road, but 4 wheel drive is a monster,of course with 4.87 diffs y wouldnt it be,,I'm guessing thats y its so slow on the road

 

Ok so I'm not quite down with the terminology yet,,,SAS it??

 

SAS = Solid Axle Swap = $$$$$

 

Tacoma's were ONLY after '95.5. Furthermore, the 3.0L never came in the Tacoma.

I guess I might not have been clear enough in my past posts. I wouldn't say the 3.0L is a terrible motor by any means. Many people regard it as being one of the worst motors Toyota has ever built, but that doesn't mean its terrible outright. Toyota has made so many awesome motors, like the 22R-E (I know someone said its overrated -- but I don't think so at all), so its not really a fair comparison. If you've had the head gaskets replaced recently, you should be all set. Wheel that thing!

SAS refers to a Solid Axle Swap, as opposed to IFS (Independent Front Suspension). Many old Toyota's came factory with a solid axle. A properly built solid axle rig has more capabilities than an IFS rig, but for most people, the end doesn't justify the means.

For a good price run down of an SAS on Tacoma's, check the following link: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/solid-axle-suspension/138316-sas-quick-guide-cost.html

 

X3

The 3.0 is notorious for head gasket problems. Toyota even had a recall on them

 

I would definitely agree that the 3.0 is the worst engine Toyota ever put into a pickup. Still a a decent engine after the head gasket problem is resolved.

Yep. It's supposed to be cheaper and easier to SAS an 86-95 toyota pickup compared to a tacoma though.

 

I owned that exact 95 4x4 Xcab 4x4 SR5 model and that truck was the best out for its time period.
It went well over 250,000 & no head gasket problems. 10+ yrs!
What's the first number in your truck's VIN J or 4?
Mine was a J, built in Japan.
The truck was bullet proof except for it liked to go through idler arms.
Need nothing except normal maintenance. Clutch went 175k but still had the notorious squeak just like the tacomas today.
No TSBs but the model did have the head gasket campaign but Toyota stepped up and fixed it no mileage restrictions. But like I said, mine did not need it. The truck rusted off the frame before the engine died.
Nice truck OP. That is definately an SR5 striping kit for the model year. Does it have the sport seats & a sunroof?
This was mine well over 250k all original except for the rims & rust.

 

Don't invest alot of money in it if you are not sure about keeping it, always have a price in mind in case someone ask if your intrested in selling.

 

Wow you have a rare one indeed. In the rest of the world Tacomas were not made in 1994.
Sorry to bust your chops. It looks like you only have a couple of posts so you are new here.

 

^^

 

HAAHAA!! Yea I'm a little new to the taco world..Which is probly I bought a 94 istead of a 95 or 6...SO DONT BE BUSTN MY BALLS!!!! It is a pretty good truck though..It does what it needs to do. Ok so its just a pickup..But its one bad ass MFN pickup IMO..haha..A 5th gen hilux to be exact.N america just changed the name. And mine was made in Japan..VIN starting with JT..Apparently they still make the Hilux in other countries