3.5L V6 or 4.0 V6 more reliable?

Phew, I'm in the clear @73k then.

 

We need a poll op

 

You know thats only because the owners skipped the Slick 50 treatments, right?

 

I think these type discussions should come with some ground rules like…

Define reliable.

For instance, how many blown head gaskets per 100k sold, or how many lethal engine recalls, does it have. By lethal I mean a total engine failure in the middle of the road, or fires, as opposed to not enough power going up hill, because, well that is what road test are for before you buy.

But I must warn that some dudes here are pretty sharp at collecting data and just might make a normally long winded discussion into a one page of facts and figures, so there’s that lol!

 

Please fill out a hurt feelings report and submit it to the "legal opinions" desk.

 

Yes, Peak HP and torque are higher for the 3.5
4.0 makes less HP but more torque down low.

Both are good engines and suit the trucks just fine. The problem with tacomas is they are all under geared off the lot. Neither engine makes the truck fast and thats the truth sue me

 

Right, l have owned both, the 4.0 makes 1 Ft Lb more at 600 less RPM.

 

I prefer this 3.0L

https://www.drivingline.com/articles/15-reasons-why-the-toyota-2jz-gte-still-rules/

 

You can’t argue with the 4.0 liter league, they have their minds made up.

both are good, my GF’s 4R has the 4.0, not sure what all the hype is over though.

 

As a fairly dedicated Toyota owner, one of which is my 2011 Tacoma 4L, I think both the 3.5 and 4L will be long-term reliable, as long as they aren't punished to the limits of their engineering and are properly maintained. I'm counting on my Taco to last at least as long as the two Camry's we've had that went past 250K before we sold them, and hoping it will last like our '06 Sienna has. It just turned 400K two weeks ago, my daughter drives it daily. We did have to replace the transmission (pump failed) at 275K, but no other issues at all.
By dedicated, I mean that since 1976, I've owned a '76 FJ40, a '76 Celica GT, an '86 Camry, '96 Camry, (totaled by a drunk driver after only 3 months of ownership), a '97 Camry, '99 Avalon, '06 Sienna, '10 Corolla, '11 Corolla, '11 Tacoma, and '18 RAV4. The '99 Avalon, BTW has only 36K miles on it, so the jury is still out on the longevity question.

 

We have a great wheat field just north of that photo. I rolled up on a mix of ice and mud, snow. Waited until I had Traction off,,, and.... no crunch, crunch... It was literally like driving my early g2!!!!



Thanks again bro... you just made my g3 experience go from 9 to 11

Now to figure out this shifter nob... not that I spend mod money on interior... but I kinda want to put an old g1 shift nob in place of the new one.

 

Nice, my first car was a 79 celica GT (wish I still had that car, it was awesome), also had a 78 Corolla wagon, 92 4Runner (died from 3.0 throwing rod, definitely not my favorite engine), 89 Camry, 99 Tacoma, 00 Tacoma and I’m currently looking for a brand new Tacoma.

Also owned a 89 Ranger, great little truck, 92 Chev 1/2 ton 4wd, also a great truck, 86 CJ7, piece of shit, and now a 2018 Silverado. I’m on this thread because that piece of shit Chevy was glitching out on the freeway today using the turn signal, total infotainment system blackout then basically resetting, then almost left me stranded at work because it has the random condition of completely going dark when I get in to start it up, literally everything just fails like a complete electrical failure, then randomly decides to kick back on 10 minutes later.

We’re all here because we drive Toyotas, at this point I’m happy to just get away from GM

 

While I believe the 3.5L is as reliable as the 4.L, the 3.5l will cost more when anything goes wrong because of the added tech, that all the techies love.

But i don't thing either of these (3.5&4l) will hold a candle to the 22RE & 2.7 in my check book.

 

well @jamesmanee
whatcha think? Decide yet?

 

The 3.5 has almost the same tech the 4.0 has in current 4Runners except for the Atkinson cycle/D4S. Not a huge difference.

 

Nice - I'm sitting just under 100K less (215K) than you, on my 2019. I didn't realize others drove as much as I do, HAHAHA.

 

The 3.5L has twice the injectors and a HPFP which in itself costs a ton, there is more but that alone, in and of itself should validate my point.

 

Fantastic!



Here is my knob

 

We're so far into this thread that I'm not sure my view will be seen, but here we go.

We have both the 4.0L and 3.5L in our 4Runner and Tacoma respectively. They're geared for different purposes so it's hard to compare speediness or anything like that. The 3.5L makes it's power around 3500 RPM, which is alarming to people not used to it but it's a characteristic of direct injected engines in general.

We bought our 4Runner with 48 miles on it. We bought the Tacoma about 5 months later with 14k miles on it. The 4Runner is just shy of 35k miles currently and the Tacoma is just over 95k miles. Neither has had any repairs and only routine maintenance as far as the engines go. The Tacoma does a little better on gas too.

As for 2nd vs 3rd gen Tacomas, I much prefer the styling of the 3rd gen. My tastes in trucks favor sharp lines and large grilles (although the Tundra is a bit much in that regard). The 2nd gen is too rounded for my liking, but that's all personal preference.

People talk about the additional electronics with the newer trucks, but that's just newer trucks in general. While it's a valid point, it's generally a non-issue, especially if you're not talking about a first model year of something.

Overall: I'd say I wouldn't be afraid of the 3.5L. It has different characteristics, but test drive it before you commit.

 

Yeah I'm here because of my 89 Ford Ranger long box 2WD 2.9L V6 5 spd.







Nice enough truck. Purchased brand new. My first new truck. Well maintained. However after 1 year the valve covers leaked. Fixed under warranty. Just before warranty expired the rear main started to leak. Went to local dealer and the tech brought me in and showed me the leak. He said to leave the leak, not worth it to fix. I said to myself fuck that. Didn't want to fight with the dealership. Gave me an excuse to trade it in for what I really wanted.

My 1992 Toyota 4X4.



Yes, happy to be driving Toyota. Again.