2000 Tacoma 3.4L - Motor Swap Completed

I have a 2000 Tacoma 4x4 SR5 TRD 5-Speed that needs a new motor. It's puking oil out of the front and making a tapping noise that gets louder under load. So I've begun stripping it down to swap motors.

The following new Toyota/Aisin/Japan OEM sources parts will be installed on the 2000 4Runner replacement engine with 86k:

• Timing Belt
• Water Pump
• Idlers
• Fan Bracket / Idler
• Radiator Hoses
• Belts
• Plug Wires
• Plugs
• Front Crank Seal
• Rear Crank Seal
• Valve Cover Gaskets
• New Intake Gaskets
• Clutch
• Flywheel
• Release and Pilot Bearings
• Heater Hoses
• Aftermarket Radiator
• Toyota Coolant
• Clean Throttle Body and MAF

I'm going to see if I can use the Alternator, PS Pump and Starter from the 4Runner since the truck has 228k with both parts being original. The donor motor is fully complete with all accessories, so I'm going to use as much of it as I can, except for the harness.

I spent a little time yesterday and a few hours today stripping parts off the truck.

1. Clutch Fan
2. Radiator and Hoses
3. Accessory Belts
4. Removed Alternator
5. Removed A/C Compressor and tied it to the frame
6. Cruise Control Cable
7. Throttle Cable
8. Heater Hoses
9. Starter and Ground Harness
10. Glovebox
11. ECU wiring through firewall
12. Upper Intake Plenum
13. Lower Intake Plenum
14. Lots of Connectors (labeled each one)
15. Plug wires
16. Cam Cover (no good reason other than I wanted to take a look)
17. PS Pump Lines
18. Battery
19. Airbox and Tube

At this point I have most of the harness peeled away from the motor. Maybe another clip or two down under where it connects to the transmission, but that's it.

I still have the starter, exhaust down pipe flange, bell housing bolts, fuel lines, hood and then the motor mounts to remove before I can pull it.









Progress will be a little slow since my time is a bit limited. But hopefully I'll be done within a few weeks.

 

Lots of activity in my thread but you know what, I'm going to post for the two people who might care! haha.

I got the motor out this weekend. I actually did pretty good, didn't miss any harnesses or hoses. Most everything was fairly straight forward, except for fighting to get the motor off the trans for hours. Turns out I had forgotten the stupid inspection cover which is a PITA to get to when you have a 4wd. Thankfully my buddy pointed it out after I struggled for a bit. Once that inspection cover was off, we lifted the motor, supported the transmission with a jack and it slid out like butter. To get the motor separated originally, I stomped the clutch once and it pushed the motor away about an 1" to 1.5" until it hit the inspection cover. DAMN.

Anyhow, I picked up a used motor yesterday and have pretty much all of the parts. I need to make a run for heater hoses, FIPG, a few misc bolts/parts and I should be dropping the motor back into it in a couple of weeks.

I spotted two leaks on the original motor - the front seal or oil pump and the drivers side valve cover rear cam covers. I will degrease the engine compartment and transmission before reassembly

 

where did the motor come from?

if the motor really only has 86k miles then I cant see any reason to be replacing all that just yet.

put new seals and gaskets and bearings where needed but the rest could go another 100k before it needs replacing so don't fix stuff that isn't broken yet, just do the critical stuff like seals and gaskets and the rest do as needed.

I see too many people waste money and sometimes cause problems (stripped or broken nuts and bolts) by trying to replace everything replaceable before it even needs to be replaced so I would put the running engine in as-is except for the "needed" items to be replaced

good luck with it and people are watching this thread even if they aren't posting

just my 2 cents

 

I have almost 230k almost everything is still original.

 

Worst part about this job is bolting and unbolting the motor from the transmission with the damn exhaust in the way. I love my taco but hugging the tranny for as long as it took to get those bolts on/off was waaaaay too long. My old engine way greasy as hell too so it made it all that more difficult. What took me so long was the fact I didn't properly seat the Torque converter so it kept hitting it each time I went to put in the motor. Took me 2 full days to get it out then back in.

 

Interested in your progress, I just bought a 96 4runner Auto with 130,000 and engine runs good. The 4runners body is shot. Only needed a engine donor.

Going in a 02 Tacoma Auto, same prob as your engine, knocking noise, oil leaks. 216,000.

Exciting to get this going.

 

It's honestly not all that bad. I've got the engine bay cleaned up now - going to replace my rack bushings and carefully inspect the steering shaft. I also got my donor motor onto the engine stand this afternoon, so progress will begin this weekend on getting it ready to install. If you have some tools and friends, it's not that bad of a job. The hardest part are the upper two bell housing bolts which can be accessed from above. I posted to your other thread before seeing this, so good luck. If you need anything, just let me know.

 

Nice work.

 

Looks like my project. It's not that bad of a job once you get started, it's actually addicting, i couldn't wait for quitting time so i could push it in the shop and start working on it. I love buying a vehicle that somebody else thinks is junk and wrenching on it to get it going again. I did this engine swap by myself, i found it easier to pull & install my motors with the hood on. I also degreased my engine bay and i applied dielectric grease to all my electrical connectors. I replaced all the maintance items and valve cover gaskets while the motor was on the stand. Replaced the clutch while it was apart too. Have fun and keep the pics coming.

 

Looks like fun, hope it all turns out well!

 

Actually looks like a fun project. Good luck with the swap.

 

hey op are you going to rip apart your old engine to see whats wrong?

 

Nope. Going to give the motor to my buddy. One less piece of junk in my yard. LOL.

 

I used to have an old '95 4runner with the 3V-ZE in it. I learned a while back that the 5VZ-FE which is lighter and puts out more horses will literally bolt right up to the old 4runner tranny. You had to cut the hood and put a scoop on it to fit, and wiring air conditioning was impossible.

Is this the same with 2nd and 1st gen Tacomas? Maybe you should explore that route. Cutting may be necessary

 

To me that diminishes the value of a vehicle and the 3.4L is a very good motor. No sense cutting or hacking up a good vehicle. I could understand a roached out POS, but not something that just needs a little TLC.

I just bought the last of the parts from the local dealer. Paid a little more than online, but the heater hoses, motor mounts and a couple other small parts will be here tomorrow. I'm going to work on the timing belt and valve cover gaskets tomorrow. If I can get everything completed, then I plan to drop the motor back in on Monday since I have the day off. For me spending the money on these parts is not a waste. I can show the receipts when I sell the truck to show that for one, I bought all OEM parts and the items which are probably due for replacement are already taken care of.

 

If you've gone to all the trouble to pull the motor, why not just rebuild it with one of the "rebuild kits" from LCE - http://www.lceperformance.com/Master-Rebuild-Kits-s/16705.htm ? For a motor with 228K miles on it, whether you keep it or "flip" it, that truck would be in great shape.

Just a thought.



Ed

 

I thought about a rebuild but with used 5VZFE motors fairly easy to come by, I thought it might be a better direction to go in order to save time. In addition I do not have all of the instruments to properly measure and assemble an engine, which means I'd have to find a shop to do that work. I don't know of any that specialize in Toyota's around here, so this just seemed like a faster/easier solution.

 

I didn't make as much progress as I wanted to on Friday (1/16/15) because the stupid crank bolt laughed at every possible attempt I made at removing it. My IR 1/2 impact at 150 PSI, nada. Chain and a big breaker bar, nada. Keep in mind I have the motor in a stand, so it's not as much fun "torquing" on the motor as it would be in a vehicle on it's mounts.

I did a little research and headed to Harbor Freight last night to pick up a 3/4" impact, a set of adapters (3/4" to 1/2"), a 3/8" quick disconnect set, a cheap 3/8" PVC 25' hose and a few other odds and ends. Out the door at $140 and home with a bunch of new stuff. I'm not a huge fan of Harbor Freight, but the reviews on this particular gun stood out as pretty much everyone trying to remove crank bolts. I got home too late last night to try it, but I got everything assembled first thing this morning and at 8 AM I ran out and hit it using 140 PSI (keep in mind my air system has 1/4" fittings here and there, so the gun is not getting the air supply it needs) and it broke the bolt loose in a couple of seconds. I have a 250 ft.lb torque wrench and an OTC balancer holder on the way from Amazon for reassembly.

I spent yesterday doing whatever I could, such as getting the automatic harness off the motor, getting the valve covers removed, installing new spark plugs and I also installed new Toyota motor mounts. I also picked up the rest of my parts from the dealership, so I have pretty much everything I need at this point. The motor is good and clean on the top end with zero sludge.

 

I agree. I was considering having my 3.4 rebuilt but i found a complete 69k mile engine out of a totaled 03 prerunner for $1200+$200 shipping from a Arizona salvage yard. I replaced all the maintance items while it was on the motor stand then dropped it in. A week and a half after getting it up & running i drove it on a 3200 mile camping trip towing a small camper. It runs like a new truck, couldn't be happier! I have 2 3.4's sitting at work in case i ever do decide to have one rebuilt. After all your hard work i bet you decide to keep it, lol.

 

I made more progress today and I'm almost back on schedule. Install the clutch and flywheel tomorrow, heater hoses and a couple other things and it will be ready to drop back in. I got the timing belt, water pump, front crank seal, tensioner, idlers, thermostat, new fan bracket, valve cover gaskets (with half moon cam inserts and FIPG), spark plug tube seals, and the rear main seal installed today. I took care to torque everything to exact specifications as well with the exception of the crank bolt. I have to wait for my OTC pulley holder and 250 ft.lb torque wrench to arrive tomorrow. I'll do that after I get it back in the truck and bolted down.