3.4L Rebuilt Long Block

I have recently discovered the wealth of knowledge in this venue, It is a great source of information... Thanks

With that being said, I had an overheat issue over the 4th of july, Upon my return I took truck to a friend and we quickly discovered that I have HC present in my cooling system. = Blown Head Gasket

I live in the Bay area and have looked around for replacement engines as I don't want to screw with redoing the top end only on a motor with 229K on it. I have found several suppliers that offer a long block Rebuilt in the 3.4L Prices range from $1,600.00 to $3,700.00 I found a company in Emeryville Cal. that imports engines from Japan and does the work on them here local. This company is Called Engine world and is on the low side of the price range. This post is to get info out to this forum and to also solicit some opinions. I've also got a Mechanic lined up to do the install at a price of about $1,100.00 I am anticipating another $500-$800 in Parts Water pump, Radiator, Hoses, Belts, And misc.

Any feed back or opinions on this would be great.

Thanks

Yoda

 

Me? I would fix the one I have.

 

Don't ever go cheap on engine rebuilds. This is one of those jobs you want to do yourself or have the highest bidder do, IAW your budget.

URD has a lot of knowledge on the 5VZ and does rebuilds on the 1GR. I doubt he will do the rebuild (he's usually swamped) but he might be gracious enough to point you in the right direction.

 

Repairing it was my first inclination, I have taken it to several shops and talked to several other ASE Certified Mechanics, 90% are saying they would love to take my Money to just do the heads, but they know they will see me back within 6Mo. with lower end problems.

 

http://www.yotashop.com/5vzfe-3-4l-dressed-block/

 

I just put a JDM 3.4 in mine, but it was a pain with the differences in the oil pan, cooler, wiring harness, and other bits and pieces. I also had the factory motor sitting there to look at and I took my time. slow the first time but not awful. This motor runs like a top and cost me $1350 with tax, not bad extension of the trucks life.

Brandon

 

Why not rebuild the one you have? Only reason not to is time and with 229k on the clock don't be a fool and just do top end. It could last forever by just doing the heads but you will be pissed if the bottom end starts to have issues.

Call Toy Connection in Santa Clara and if they are in a good mood they should be able to answer your questions and give you their recommendation.

 

I don't know anything about the shops you listed, but I was thinking...

If you're having a shop pull the head, would it be cheaper to inspect the block and go with a slightly oversized piston set, if you find something wrong?

 

I'm no machinist, but to do that, you have to bore the cylinders, as they really aren't round anymore, among a lot of other reasons.

 

I am leaning toward a rebuilt long block, cylinders bored .020 over and all components replaced, can get it done a total of about $3,500.00 VS $2,500.00 for just the top end, don't have the time or the patience to tackle it in my Garage!! Lol

 

And you don't know how the original owner treated it so you could end up being out even more money.

 

Not much of a gamble with the 5VZ...

 

Then don't look under the timing belt cover on the truck Ibought used where I found remnants of a shredded belt or the crank pulley bolt that was not properly tightened and had nearly fallen out.

Used is still used and you never know how it was taken care of prior to you purchasing it.

 

...... All Done, New Longblock installed, New life to an old truck. Seems to be running great, Total for the swap, $3609.62 On to the next project on the truck!!! New springs in the back, Prev owner put 2" blocks under the factory springs BAD combo!!

 

Good to hear that you got it sorted out. Did you use engine world or another source?

 

I used Engine world, They were great to deal with, got the core charge back within a few days.. So Far So Good

 

http://www.karking.com/index.php/engines.html?p=2

 

Thanks for the feedback.

 

I was in the same situation as you except i bought my 04 as a project with head damage from oil loss. I purchased a used but complete 3.4L with 69k miles off of ebay from a salvage yard in Arizona. I replaced all the maintance items while it was on the engine stand then installed it. 3 days after i installed it i did a 3300 mile camping trip with it, didn't even burn or drip a drop of oil. Gotta love Toyota's!

 

Glad you went the long block route...you initially assumed a blown head gasket due to hydrocarbons in the coolant, but actually, my first thought is always a cracked head...especially if the heads are aluminum... so the long block took care of that.

This is a little late in the running, but generally, I always prefer rebuilding what I have. Thataway, I know EXACTLY what I have when the job is done! But, I also have the technology and ability to get that done, and access to high quality automotive machine shops. Unless you're buying a brand new OEM crate engine, buying a rebuilt engine from an engine supplier is always a pig in a poke to some degree. Americans seem to be 'value conscious'...ie 'cheap'...and 'cheap' comes with a price...generally the cheaper a thing is, the poorer the quality...and everybody's anxious to maximize their profit margin.

That said, you'll likely get good service from your long block, and it was VERY wise going with a long block rather than the short block, because of the likelihood that your original problem was caused by a cracked head...better safe than sorry. A used engine from a junkyard is NEVER a good idea, unless you're just getting a vehicle on the road again, to sell, or just for a short term solution...

Well played, OP...