SOLVED! Post 2853 Leaking Injectors, Dealer Techs Rock! Extended Cranking after Engine Swap 3.4L 5vz

Pretty sure husband has a volt meter, so I passed your info onto him, Knuckleduster. Thanks!

And Indy, thanks for the honest feedback about how you'd approach it, regarding having high miles. I agree, it's a little scary to think we could be looking at rebuilding the entire thing, short block and all, considering what you guys have all said about the time/cost value factors involved with a full rebuild, as compared to just getting a used/reman'd engine and moving on. Definitely need to keep this in mind as we move forward.

One approach I looked at was buying a brand new factory short block from Toyota. They said it'd be $3000. Which is a lot of money, but talk about peace of mind when we turn down that dirt road in the middle of bumf#*@ egypt. New Toyota factory cylinder heads are $1100 each. Also lots of money, but not a completely crazy idea compared to other approaches we've considered, like paying someone ~$5000 to install a reman. - IF we figured out how to keep labor costs at zero (neighbor's help), AND didn't have to spend thousands more on other new parts. If that all panned out the way I optimistically see it in my head, we could wind up spending mid thousands on engine components, BUT, we'd have a damn near brand new engine = peace of mind! (Have you guys picked up on how much of a worrier I am yet?! ) Can anybody tell me a short list of what the most expensive/most critical engine components are beyond what a short block includes and cylinder heads? And what components we'd for sure need to replace/buy new if building our own engine? I could look in Haynes manual too, but this is so much more interesting of a reading format!

With that plan, I'd need to find out exactly what all was reusable vs. not on our engine (by pulling things apart Saturday), then put together total costs list for all of these shiny new expensive parts, then figure out who the heck is putting them all together. Wonder what a machine shop would charge to do that? Or if they'd even be willing? Meaning, do they source their own parts and bringing your own is a no-no? Think they'd be willing to piece together good parts (if any) of our old engine with a new short block we'd bring them? I think husband, with neighbor's help, could put it all together, but seems like an extremely time consuming project, so worst case neighbor might get busy with his own life then we'd be standing there with a bunch of engine pieces scratching our heads.

I'm guessing many of you think we're a little nutty for not just putting in a used or reman'd engine by now and moving on w/our lives - can't remember if I've said why I keep hesitating on those routes, or maybe it's just obvious anyway. But when I called to get quotes from mechanics, all 4 private shops scared the piss out of me with awful horror stories about how many reman's are made on an assembly line by people who could care less about quality, then they see the aftereffects when these poor folks come to their garage and find out their "new" rebuilt engine that they just paid thousands for a year ago has blown up and they essentially are back to square 1. If we were gonna go with someone doing the whole thing start to finish (install and all), the reason we were (and still are) seriously considering that (EDITED - SEE BELOW) dude's reman over any other reman route, is because he appears/sounds like he really is super picky about precise, quality machine work, OEM parts, etc., and there's no doubt that guy is OBSESSED with Toyota truck engines. But, that option costs nearly $5000, and ultimately, you are still just taking his word on it that the quality standard is higher than other reman's - it's not like we'd take it apart to verify!

And a used engine - I don't know. That's a tough one. The consensus I'm getting from you guys is normally this type of engine (5vzfe) is bulletproof, so I shouldn't be scared off of a used engine just because of what is happening to OUR engine right now, as it looks more and more like our issue is a total random crappy fluke, sprinkled w/some seriously bad luck. And I see that point for sure - hell, that's why we bought Taco in the first place - trusting the quality/durability of Toyotas! But of course we found plenty of stuff to scare us off of that approach - youtube videos of guys swapping engines, saying it took 'em 2 or 3 tries to get a good used one, and I think even some guys on here said similar stuff. So even if we use all the helpful clues we've been given to find a good one (wrecked car vs nice looking body/interior, check oil/tailpipe, etc - see, I really do value and remember all of the helpful tips you guys are giving us!), there's still no guarantee of how solid that engine is - and I am a worrier (did I mention that yet?). But, I do see the benefits to used, so who knows, maybe we'll wind up going that way after all this!

Has anyone else noticed how you can find bad/scary info on any subject if you try? Maybe I'm researching TOO much! I keep talking myself out of every option. But really, they do all kind of suck though. Don't know guys, but eventually we WILL make a decision, and in the meantime this forum is definitely helping me cope with all this misery!

Keakar, just saw your post - thanks for the specifics. Honestly, til you & Indy pointed it out this morning, it didn't occur to me how involved this would be since the pistons are part of the short block (even though I know that by now). Meaning why pull the head unless you intend to either replace or rebuild the short block, when you know for sure you have at least one piston f'ed up. Right? Hmmm. Rethinking the Saturday plan now. Neighbor's logic was, what is there to lose but a day or so of time pulling off top end stuff, when in return you'd gain a much better understanding of extent of damage - and could still quit in the middle and tow to someone to take over, but maybe you'd find things out that could open up a much cheaper route. And of course that sounded great, but something told me it wasn't quite that cut and dry. And clearly it's not. Although we could take our short block to a machine shop and they could do all the specifics you described, right? Or buy the new Toyota short block, as I mentioned above? Hmmm. Lots to consider.

EDIT: I've deleted the name of the business that replaced our engine from this post, because problems developed with the truck after the work they performed, and those problems are still in the process of being diagnosed as of today 2/4/15. Until I have a full clear picture of what these issue are and what caused them, I do not want to recommend or speak poorly of their business. Thanks.

 

the machine shop will do as little or as much as you want them to, they don't care.

if you are doing this yourself you can send the block, crank, and heads off to a machine shop to be checked and reworked and they do all the hard technical stuff for you of checking for things being in "spec" then you simply have to put all the parts back together and torque then down.

nothing to be scared of really when rebuilding it yourself but mechanical experience is needed to avoid simple mistakes.

lets assume all you need is a new head for that cylinder, you can trade both heads in for remanufactured set of heads already reworked and ready to go for $325 each or $650 for the set. now the engine rebuild "master kit" that comes with just about everything will be another say $550 so your into this for $1100 not counting the cost of the machine shops work, so assuming your crank is in good condition you have all the big ticket items accounted for so added expenses are things like belts hoses water pumps thermostats and such that add up quick so call that another $200 for "whatever" then add in the beer costs to keep the mechanics motivated and you can see where this is very doable "providing" the machine shop doesn't find any crankshaft or cylinder wall damage to anything.

the reason you would pull the head is to see if it is reusable or not. if it is not reusable then you would know you need to buy the long block but if it is reusable, then you can buy the short block and have your heads reworked for around $150 saving $300 vs buying replacement reworked heads for $325 that requires you turn in the old one in exchange or just pay more and get the long block so either way you need it off. if you decided to go the salvage engine route then you don't need to pull it since you are replacing everything together as one.

 

also contact this guy: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1st-gen-tacomas/354925-crate-engine-fix-cracked-head.html

he is near you and has a good fully operational 3.4 motor with 180k miles but on his the heads are bad so you might be able to get his short block and just put your heads on it saving you plenty. not saying its ideal but see what his situation is, maybe you two can figure out if one needs the parts from the others motor to make one complete working motor and figure out who needs what and which direction they would go and for how much $.

 

Here's the current thought - we don't have a clue whether we'll want to rebuild our lovely engine after pulling head or not - so it's scary to start doing it without an end game plan. However, ALL of our options scare the piss out of me right now, and this one is free AND involves beer. And it's not like we can use that engine as it is, so how can we really make anything worse? And it's finally some action instead of the nonstop talking/researching/phone calling approach we've taken so far. So it's happening. That's it. Not. Going. To. Change. Mind. Period. Don't talk me out of it guys, we're pulling the freaking head, it's gonna be a head pulling beer drinking party and that's final. Woo hoo!

 

its the only way to be 100% sure what is the best way to go by pulling the heads off, what you find will often take care of making the decision of telling you what your options are and if you even have a choice.

if the beer party doesn't work then put some vodka in the lemon-aid lol

here is a nice video that will help you understand block disassembly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh8yo_q15qU

and this one is what they do when you send the block to get it reconditioned like new again https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAfdq217CJI

 

Pulling a head is a good amount of work on a 3.4, if it were me- knowing now that it is catastrophic failure and the engine is essentially a paper weight I would spend my time getting the motor out.
I'd guess it would take a pair of shade tree mechanics 5+ hours to get one cylinder head off of a 5vz. I would think the same shade tree mechanics could have the old motor out and on the floor in 8 to 10 hours. You would be wasting a lot of time by pulling the intake, exhaust, timing belt, cyl head etc. that could be spent on fixing the actual problem.
You already know your engine is wasted- I honestly wouldn't touch it until you have figured out what you are going to do exactly as far as a replacement engine.
Chances are if you pull the motor and have to wait 3 weeks to get a replacement your husband and neighbor are going to forget certain things and parts, nuts, bolts etc. Laying on a work bench somewhere in your garage something is bound to get lost.
Losing a single bolt on a toyota can be a nightmare because they like to use large metric bolts with super fine thread pitches you cant find anywhere except a dealer or salvage yard.
If I were in your shoes with limited resources and tools I would pay a small reputable shop to take on the swap.
imagine spending all that money and then having some minor stupid mistake wipeout another engine, you would really be up shit creek without a paddle then.. I think you would be far better off with a used engine and a professional installing it then you would be with a brand new reman engine and a couple guys with no real automotive experience doing it.
Maybe I am totally wrong- maybe your husband and your neighbor are totally competent in doing this project - I'm just saying if you have any doubt that they are not or if they have any doubt in themselves- take it to someone that knows what they are doing.. This one costly mishap could potentially cost you double if not taken care of right the first time.

 

Those thoughts went thru my head as well.

You are having a pull the radiator, fan, belts, waterpump, timing belt, most likely A/C pump, fan shroud, exhaust manifold, injectors and a lot of other things I forget, party.

I do think it would be a great learning experience doing this project, but I would rather see you do this job knowing you have a clear plan.

My vote is to source a used motor and just do a swap. I'm betting your neighbor would be for this avenue as well.

Keep us posted. I'm loving this thread.

KO

 

Ha! Gotta tell husband about this. We were just talking last night about how he stripped the tranny drain plug last time he changed fluid right before we were going on a trip, then went to 79 billion stores to find replacement, wound up having to get SAE next size up. So yes, I believe what you are saying and I'm sure he will too.

Guys, I am losing my mind. Have managed to do complete 180 since my last post. Shocking, right? Talked to several machine shop/engine rebuild shops this afternoon, who basically scared the daylights out of me as far as DIY engine strip/rebuild/install. One super nice older guy, who's been doing it for 45 years and that's all he does (disassemble Toyota truck engines and machine the parts), said our engine is "a difficult engine to take apart and rebuild, especially because of the dual overhead cams, and in general it's just extremely technical." Those damn cams have been husband's biggest concern from day one w/pulling the head! Neighbor assured us it'd be fine, but really, will it? Anyway, that machine guy recc' buying a reman rather than rebuild ours if quality is our 1st concern, or buying a used if cost is our 1st concern. After I described what we know about our engine at this point, he said don't bother w/your engine, because the time factor, the PITA factor, and the cost effectiveness factor, just get a reman or used. And no point pulling head if not planning to rebuild it was his point, unless we enjoy disassembling things with no goal in mind. ARGH losing my mind.

Called another guy, who we'd bring our long block to, then he'd rebuild it, and we'd put it in. Told him the condition of our engine, and he assured me virtually anything is repairable. Really? He did say if something wasn't, no charge, we could switch plans. But not sure how I feel about "anything is repairable" after learning all the 50 billion things that can damage an engine. Plus, after what the other dude said about how complex it is to pull overhead cams - wouldn't we have to do that to get it stripped to a long block for this dude? He was naming off a lot of shit that we'd have to make sure we stripped before taking to him, and that alone was a little scary, cuz it's not just that, it's that we have to get all that crap back on - correctly. Sure, mechanic neighbor guy could do it, but who knows if he'd be available when our engine is done? ARGH losing mind. For real. This sucks.

And the latest concern is finding out what the hell caused this. Both guys I talked to today listed off a whole laundry list of potential causes. And as others have said on here, it's key to find out and fix it, so we don't go through this joyous event again. One guy said could be clogged injectors, vacuum leak, catalytic convertor, valve adjustments, blah blah blah......and I don't know if any of that would be addressed w/a new engine, and if not, how much any of it would cost to diagnose/fix IN ADDITION TO the engine costs.

Seriously want to just tow to $4500 dude and cross fingers. By the way, that was the best news I got today - 1st machine shop I called said they only do cylinder heads (not full rebuilds), but offered to refer me somewhere. And guess what? He recc' the $4500 dude! Said he does great quality work, great guy to work with, etc. Have really heard lots of good and very little bad about his work. Major cost, but I can't really handle this limbo anymore......

 

if you plan to do it yourself listen to this guy 100%

 

and so we come full circle back to the beginning where its best to get a running used engine from a wrecked truck that you just drop in and your done in about 8 hours. the used engine will come with everything on it working so you don't have to "discover" or figure out what made the old one fail because you replaced everything, plus you have the option to keep the old engine for lots of spare parts or sell it to someone who needs parts.

basicly you unbolt the tranny, remove the exhaust manifolds, unplug all the wires in the wiring harness and move in out of the way, pull the fan off the motor, remove radiator. remove the two motor mount bolts, and its free to come out.

bing bang boom your done, get drunk and celebrate your trucks rebirth

this whole ordeal has better prepared you and educated you a lot as to things so working on your truck in the future wont be as scary im sure and other problems will seam like nothing compared to this.

 

Any news is good news,,when dealing with this fiasco. I am certain you feel the same way. It can be draining. Patience is the virtue.

If you do go this route, which I think at this point is not so bad, You will have this business on the hook for $4500+/- and you have learned more than most.

A expensive lesson that does not need repeating anytime soon. Take care of your vehicles.

That's a healthy chunk of duckets for the materials and time,,it better be covered for a significant amount of time.

Can it be fixed for way less?,,absolutely,,but we covered that.

And oh yeah,,you owe us all beers and Brät's.

 

I am still solid on my opinion of getting the JIS longblock and swapping it out. Zero miles on a quality engine, and at only $1800 for a long block is a HECK of a lot cheaper than a short block from Toyota for $3k. I have used JIS engines on several vehicles and never had a problem with them.

If you go with the guy that offered to rebuild for $4500, find out what kind of warranty he offers on his work. That is very important, because if he only offers 90 days, and 6 months from now the engine goes kaput, you will be in the same boat.

 

Morning all. Went out for mexican food and margaritas last night - even though that's the last thing we should be spending on right now, it was absolutely needed and $ well spent. Got away from the research for a bit, discussed where we're at, and leaning 99% to towing to $4500 guy today.

Although, of course being the details freak I am, even though I've already spent at least an hour on the phone with the $4500 guy so far over 2 phone calls, and scoured everything on his website, I have more questions for him. "Hi, it's the crazy electrode lady AGAIN!" Guessing he'll remember me....... I gotta say, after this experience, my hat's off to people who do this for a living. I would NOT want to deal w/people like me in this situation - totally paranoid, 50 billion questions, squabbling over prices, trying to essentially micromanage how to get the job done even though my knowledge is maybe a tiny fraction at best compared to what they know! Not to mention the complexity of the actual work itself - don't think I'll ever start a car again without visualizing the crazy complex crap going on under the hood! I salute all mechanics - you have a high tolerance level for dealing with stressed out people!!!!!!

BamaToy, excellent point about the warranty. I did read his warranty, which is 2 yrs/24,000, but frankly, I'd be surprised if it ever actually did anything for us if we did have a problem, due to all the red tape/disclaimers throughout the fine print! Which I'm gathering is a common problem. All those mechanics that scared the piss out of me about poorly done 'assembly line' reman's also scared me about the warranties with them - people get a crap reman, engine explodes a year later, they go to mechanic, who attempts to work w/whoever supplied the reman on applying warranty coverage for repair work he's doing, and ultimately red tape/disclaimers find a way of screwing them. Yep, I'm fully paranoid about all possible options/outcomes, but at least my expectations are low in terms of warranties.

Main reason we'd go to this guy for a reman, despite all the scary reman stuff I've been told, is that it at least APPEARS that these are no assembly line remans, because he CLAIMS he is insanely picky about who does the machine work, who he allows to work for him, parts he uses, overall quality/measurements are SUPPOSEDLY quadruple checked, etc etc etc. But no, I wouldn't expect that the warranty would actually help us much, but at least it's there and maybe would if things really turned ugly....one can hope, right? But he's been very nice, patient, thorough answering my questions, and the price is downright good compared to what other local mechanics quoted, especially if you really get the kind of quality reman/thorough service & labor he is advertising. Plus, it's nice to know he's obsessed w/Toyota trucks, period. Nothing else. Seems like that matters a lot, right? Being more experienced w/our particle truck's quirks? And should be able to do everything we need in one stop shopping - identify/remedy cause of piston hole, replace engine, and he's local, which is a big part of it for me. Ordering a reman on the web scares me, cuz even if you were somehow assured it was a quality one, ya gotta find a way to get it in, address cause of piston hole somehow, and figure out WTF to do if problems in future. I like that we could drive to this guy's shop and say WTF if we have problems later.

Back to crazy electrode lady questions - primary hang up now is finding out what the hell caused this, and wanting to be sure it doesn't happen again. Gotta say, although a few of the machine shop guys I called pointed this out, mostly that got into my head from you guys saying that. So thank you! I did already talk to $4500 guy about how "people" (you guys) said possible fuel injector plugged, and he'd said they can clean them for $185. But now I wish instead I'd asked a more open ended question, like, "what do you think could have caused this, and what do you recc' doing to be sure it doesn't happen again?" Not that I don't believe the fuel injector theory (seems quite likely after reading about it), but because I want to see how he'd answer that question, since I'm about to give him a ton of money and trust - at some point the trust thing has to get started! So, planning to call him this morning and ask that open ended question, plus pending how thorough his response is, I'd also ask these questions, based on researching causes for piston holes and things you all have told me:

1) Is our catalytic convertor OK/can you check back pressure? Extra cost?
2) Are the vacuum hoses replaced w/the new engine?
3) Will you do code reader, and if Toyota tech. didn't check/clear them, they'd still be there, right? Would they possibly help identify cause?
4) Is knock sensor part of new engine, and can you test/verify they work?
5) Will you verify all sensors that control check engine light are working?
6) With cleaning fuel injectors, will you also test them/replace them if needed? Extra cost if replacing?

I'd also tell him history of our check engine light episodes. Husband used fuel injection cleaner regularly on both Taco & Civic for past several years, - he didn't suspect clog, just wanted better MPG, and it did improve a bit. Best we can remember, every time check engine light came on over past 10 years, tightening gas cap fixed it. BUT, when light came on ~2 months ago, we pulled a seriously half assed move that I will regret forever. Light was also coming on in our Civic around that same time, so we wondered if fuel injection cleaner had something to do w/it - googled it, read that cleaner can do funny stuff to oxygen sensor, and interpreted that to be harmless. So we decided to stop using cleaner, bought a new gas cap for Taco, light went away, and we kept driving. And here we are. And now I'm paranoid about my Civic too, but that's another story. Guys, thoughts on this? Other than the obvious "should have checked the code," theories as to how this info might relate to piston hole? Should we be checking fuel injectors on Civic? Civic plugs looked perfect the other night, and light hasn't come on since stopping cleaner. Really want to see what this dude says, and also ask his thoughts on whether to ever use that stuff again, and whether he thinks our Civic is about to explode. Good grief, I'm just gonna buy a mountain bike if that happens.......

And lastly for this morning, TOTALLY shifting gears. Anybody still have used car links they want to share? I remember a few of you posted some but now this thread's so long I can't find them (will look more though). I figure since this all started, I devoted time to trying to figure out what the actual problem was; time to researching options in a general sense; time to learning what an engine consists of; time to comparing reman options; time to comparing local mechanic/dealer options; and time to the "pull the head" rebuild and use a machine shop route. But still haven't made a single call or done really much research on a used engine, other than what many of you guys have told me about it being the best/most affordable route. By now you are all well aware of my reservations about it, but I figure I may as well spend a couple hours looking at that option more closely, so I don't look back and wonder. How much stuff would have to be taken apart on our engine to put a used one in? Would those double overhead cams come off, or would they already be on the "new" used one? Probably only worth exploring used route if it'd be a pretty damn easy swap that neighbor and husband could do fast and with minimal effort/tools/equipment - enough people who seem to know our engine (you guys, machine shops) have convinced me that it's complex enough that it's probably better left to someone w/experience even just to swap, unless the swap is insanely basic. Otherwise, the not knowing history of used engine's care, lack of long term warranty, and PITA of searching for a competent, affordable mechanic to do the swap just doesn't seem worth the savings we'd get compared $4500 dude option.

 

Here's another thought to add to the stack. Your truck is about 20 years old, tranny etc has the same number of miles. Would your 4500 be better spent on a newer or different truck? Only you can answer that question. My 96 cost me 200 and then I found the cracked head. Once it was back on the road I was about 2k into it, doing the work myself. Then I bought a 2000 that fits my needs better and sold the 96 for a profit.

But if I had paid 4k on an engine, is be stuck with that truck fire a long time.

Even with a damaged engine you can probably recoupe another grand or 2.

 

This is exactly why I'd go with a used low mileage salvage engine.
Only things that will have to be swapped over are starter, alternator, ac compressor, power steering etc. Everything will be on it, no messing with the cams unless you want to do a timing belt as preventative maintenance which I would recommend but on a 34 if it breaks being a non interference engine it still wont hurt anything.

 

True Indy. Definitely considered this. But we REALLY want all the features that Taco has - 4wd, TRD off road, xtra cab, auto tranny, and I know it's silly, but even her color.

And I admit, wise or foolish, there's definitely some sentimental attachment driving this decision for both of us. We bought Taco like 6 months after we got married, for $13,500, right after husband's old Blazer shit the bed. We searched hard to find her - knew exactly what we wanted, down to every last feature - and for us, especially at that time, it was A LOT of money, a major decision - we didn't even own a home yet. And since then, we've explored just about every hidden gem Oregon has in her, she's handled stuff that should not be considered a road beautifully and gotten us back to the comforts of home time and time again, he's spent countless hours doing all he could teach himself to fix any ailment she ever had, and wow........I think I'm gonna cry now. I just can't get rid of her.

But on a more practical note, after online shopping for a day or two right after this all started, I concluded that it's damn near impossible to find a truck for 10-20K that has those particular features, unless it's being sold by some super shady looking outfit, and/or has almost as many miles as Taco does, so you feel like you're trading one set of problems for another. And I don't think I'll ever be comfortable paying more than 20K for any vehicle ever, even if I was super wealthy. OK, maybe if I was like jackpot lottery wealthy.....but it's just nuts to me to pay $400-500+/mth for a car.

You make a great point Indy, but unless you found me a Taco exactly like her for less than 20K w/less than 100,000 miles from a reputable seller nearby, I can't let her go.

 

Thanks Knuckleduster. Yep, just emailed husband to warn him that I may not call the tow truck yet today, cuz I want to explore junker option first. I suspect he's gonna kill me, since by the time he comes home from work every night, I whine about how I can't take this anymore, we gotta make a decision, blah blah blah. Then, when he leaves every morning, we are agreed on what the plan is, then I start looking at other ideas and changing my mind and...........repeat cycle. So we are both going crazy in our own way!

But back to the used thing - yep, I just explained to him that since $4500 guy isn't going anywhere, may as well explore used a little bit, so no regrets later. And how even though I'm the one that's said all along no way to used, we don't know how it was cared for, I am now realizing, wait, if we bought a "new" used Taco, which we considered and probably would do if we found one exactly like ours for right $ (see above), we are taking just as much risk w/how it was cared for before we bought it as we would be w/used engine. Except we'd pay $1-2000, instead of $15,000. Hoping he's on board w/considering this route for a moment or two anyway. Damn, that sucks about those stupid cams, cuz I know we're overdue for timing belt. Crap. He won't like that. Can we get one w/timing belt and cams on already, or does it not work like that because of what else the timing belt attaches to? Do a lot of these junker motors come w/a short warranty? If yes, could we put it in, then drive to one or two trusted mechanics to have them check it out before warranty is up? Or would we do some testing on it before putting it in? Pretty sure you guys gave me pointers on that already, I should go back and look.....

 

plus you don't need a warranty to assure you the engine will last, that's what all those miles on the wrecked trucks engine have proved, that it wont break or fall apart because of some random part failure or error in assembly plus it comes with all the accessories so no need to fix the original problem since you are replacing it all.

sure anything can happen buts that the same no matter how you go.

I also wouldn't start jumping into replacing stuff on the used engine just yet. sure it would be best but you can drive the truck for a while, see how it runs and if you think there is a problem, then replace the timing belt and water pump and all that. but for now that stuff cant wait if money is tight, it wont hurt to do that stuff later this spring when the weather warms up or drive it to a shop and let them do it which might make you sleep better at night not worrying.

 

what were pointers for looking for a used one? low miles/wrecked, but what else? just reviewed entire thread and what i found was:
1) oil change stickers/check oil for level/color
2) something about tailpipe - what was that one?
3) ask a mechanic to come with to check it out
4) look for wrecked, low miles, so you know it ran and was junked due to wreck
5) look for lack of maintenance clues - bald tires, low coolant, filthy interior, etc

[FONT=&quot]Keakar, back a while, you said "add to that what I said about you still need to diagnose the cause that ruined use which is most likely a bad injector but you still need to figure it out where a good used engine from wrecked car will have everything on it that already works so there is nothing more to do but drop it in, hook it up and enjoy."

so did you mean we'd get new fuel injectors w/used engine? if not, we'd still need to get those cleaned right? and our timing belt is way way beyond it's lifespan, wouldn't we be dumb to not change that out w/"new" used engine? those f'in cams though......


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I know there are a few salvage yards that will offer a lifetime warranty on a used engine we have one locally that I use called Milliron recycling in Ohio for like an extra $200 they will give you an extra extended warranty on the engine itself only not labor this might also be a viable option for you.
if you spent $1000 on a 100k used engine(will come with injectors,fuel pressure regulator etc.)that will pretty much fix your problem with the fuel system that you may possibly have), $200 on an OEM gasket kit (pretty much assures you that you won't have a blown head gasket for quite a while), $100 on a timing belt kit, new set of DENSO plugs, pay an experianced MECHANIC to install these items -while the engine is out of the truck (it's 10 times easier to do it that way) the labor cost will be 1/3 of what it normally would compared to if the engine were in the truck and you waited to have the timing belt done. by getting a new OEM gasket set you're pretty much guaranteed that this motor will last you a hundred thousand miles. Hg's are usually the first big expense auto repair that happens to an engine once they get some miles on them. Granted most Toyotas (aside from 3.0's)go for at least 200k before popping a head gasket -but at if you do it now that's a possible $1500 bill you could potentially save yourself in the future.
I'm pretty sure if you shop around you could get all of this done for less than $2500 and you don't even have to lift a finger, the neighbor doesn't have to come over to work on your truck, you guys can still go out for Mexican food because you saved 2 grand, you still have your beloved taco and will most likley be able to drive it for another hundred thousand trouble free miles....
if I were in your shoes this is exactly how I would do it.

but... if I was on a limited budget I would definitely just go the hundred thousand mile used engine route and call it a day I'm sure your husband in your neighbor could tackle the swap.
I would never ever even entertain the idea of putting $5,000 into that truck for a reman engine.