used 115k 3.4 swap

Im looking at a motor with 115k miles that's complete with everything needed to swap into my Tacoma. He is asking $2000 with some extras (antifreeze, lines, etc) and I feel the price is a bit steep, but these motors seem to be getting harder to find with low miles. does this price seem fair? The gentleman was nice and supportive when I went and met him and has tons of toyota parts I could source if needed. He pulled it from a rollover truck he bought as a whole.

If anyone has advice on things I should look for/ask for when buying the motor to ensure my safety the most I can. Also if you guys even think its a good buy. I trust him, but I want to make sure of everything the most I can before I pull the trigger.

I would do an engine rebuild but my truck is my daily and cant afford to be out a ride for a while.

If anyone has any input on things I should do BEFORE I swap the motor in. Tips for swapping, maybe important lines, gaskets or something, anything I should do while the motor is out and engine bay is empty. I'm trying to do a swap the right way (regardless if I buy this motor or another) for longevity and cleanliness. I plan to do clutch, and a timing belt kit. a good engine degrease and engine bay cleaning. New radiator, rad hoses, and vac lines.

Thanks

 

Turn the crack bolt to make sure the engine turns freely.

Simple question to ask would be, what year truck the engine was pulled from? If he’s saying 01-04, verify the head gasket, should be MLS. If it has a graphite gasket, I would doubt his honesty as 95.5-00 came with graphite head gasket.

 

so what gasket is actually better? or is this just to make sure he's being honest with me? how can I verify this without ripping the motor apart? or is that not possible?

 

Is there any way I can do a compression test while the motor is on a stand? or something similar to a compression test?

 

Both. MLS is better, prone to longevity. If he’s saying 01-04 but has a graphite gasket, he’s throwing a curve ball for a quick sale.

It is extremely hard to believe the engine has 115k as the 5vz are extremely popular and driven excessively.

 

A simple thing to do is to buy a replacement oil filter to put on his motor and take his oil filter off, open it up, spread the pleats and look, any sparkles walk away. A look at the exhaust and spark plugs might tell you if it is an oil burner or not. Look at the core plugs, if the flywheel/flex plate is off pull the seperator plate and look at the core plug on the D/S bank rear, that is where all of the crap in the cooling system settles, you will see the casting bump for the cylinder and the ledge where it all settles.

I found the picture...

 

I would buy a borescope and inspect each cylinder (pull the plugs and inspect through the plug holes).

If its only got 115k miles it should have nearly perfect crosshatching with almost zero vertical cylinder wear

 

Said it before and I'll say it again " the days of the 20 + yr old 115k motor that the little old lady from Pasadena drove on sundays " are probably gone. Unless he shows you the odometer with the engine in the truck. I thought 127k was the standard salvage yard answer for miles on a pulled engine in 2025.

 

I completely agree, and you cant really prove actually mileage on anything unless you pulled it from the truck yourself and the combo meter actually belongs to the truck from which the engine is coming from.

 

i hear what everyone is saying in regards to the milleage and how 115k miles is low.

So the best I can do Is ask him for proof of purchasing the rolled truck, then see if he has the vin and find it on Carfax? maybe he has the cluster or something? there's absolutely no way we can prove that the motor didn't come from that vin? I understand the hesitation and how its very uncommon to roll across a 3.4 with 115k, so that's why I'm asking so many questions. Thanks to all.