Topic: 3.0, is it REALLY THAT bad?

[dntsdad]

I swapped my 3.0 to a 3.4 and the difference is amazing! No way in heck I would spend money rebuilding a 3.0 when the 3.4 swap is fairly cheap vs. a proper rebuild of a 3.0

[953rz4runner]

Do the sawp you'll love it.

[twistedtoy92]

i agree... 3.0's are gutless...... but they still will run a LONG time if taken care of and built right 

[91 ex-cab]

i agree... 3.0's are gutless...... but they still will run a LONG time if taken care of and built right 

Do the sawp you'll love it.

i agree... 3.0's are gutless...... but they still will run a LONG time if taken care of and built right 

My tacoma has the 3.4 and I really am not that impressed with it. It runs like a top, but the power gain over the 3.0 is really not that great. Maybe because tacoma's weigh more than older trucks

[junya92toy]

Slow and steady wins the race!

[twistedtoy92]

I love power but a healthy little engine will get me where I need to go and last a very long time. plus more power equals more fuel equals more money outta my pocket 

[toyotech]

more power doesnt always mean more gas.

[Daddys Lil Country Girl]

I have the 3 slow in my truck and I HATE it! It is so gutless! When I had the IFS on my truck is sucked! And then I blew the head gasket! Which happens alot with the 3.0. I wanted to do the 3.4 swap.. but what did I do...? Dump over a grand into it to get it rebuilt. Dumbest by far! I just didn't wanna deal with the ref and such cause it was my daily driver. That was over a year ago. And now its all torn apart doin the SAS and I have another rig to drive. I suggest doing the swap. 3.4 is best motor toyota has. After the rebuilt it had more power than ever but now I'm having problems with it and I have no idea what it is. Horse . But my plan is to run it till it blows again and drop a small block in er

[91 ex-cab]

I have the 3 slow in my truck and I HATE it! It is so gutless! When I had the IFS on my truck is sucked! And then I blew the head gasket! Which happens alot with the 3.0. I wanted to do the 3.4 swap.. but what did I do...? Dump over a grand into it to get it rebuilt. Dumbest by far! I just didn't wanna deal with the ref and such cause it was my daily driver. That was over a year ago. And now its all torn apart doin the SAS and I have another rig to drive. I suggest doing the swap. 3.4 is best motor toyota has. After the rebuilt it had more power than ever but now I'm having problems with it and I have no idea what it is. Horse . But my plan is to run it till it blows again and drop a small block in er

Have you driven a 3.4 swapped truck? Or even just a 3.4 for the matter?
3rd gen extra cabs weigh just a couple hundred pounds more than a 1st gen tacoma extra cab and my tacoma with a 3.4 has just a little bit more power than my 3rd gen extra cab with a 3.0, there is a little bit of a power increase but just barely enough to justify the swap. I however would do the swap because the 3.4 is a more reliable engine than the 3.0

[Quick Draw]

I think it really depends if your Tacoma is a manual.  My old Tacoma 5 speed used to be fairly quick, if you drove it right.  My girl friends 3.4 auto is pretty good...but it's just not the same.  That said...  a 3.4 auto in a 1980 pickup is crazy fast.  My little first gen will stomp on a just about every Tacoma and 4Runner, because it's so light.

[Daddys Lil Country Girl]

Have you driven a 3.4 swapped truck? Or even just a 3.4 for the matter?
3rd gen extra cabs weigh just a couple hundred pounds more than a 1st gen tacoma extra cab and my tacoma with a 3.4 has just a little bit more power than my 3rd gen extra cab with a 3.0, there is a little bit of a power increase but just barely enough to justify the swap. I however would do the swap because the 3.4 is a more reliable engine than the 3.0

I have driven both. One inna runner and one that came stock with the taco. But indeed its more power and more reliable. Between the 3.0 and 3.4 its clear that the 3.0 just have problems... mainly head gasket problems. granted mine went out cause the clutch fan went out. but all ive heard was how better and greater 3.4s were. Wish i would of done the swap.

[91 ex-cab]

I have driven both. One inna runner and one that came stock with the taco. But indeed its more power and more reliable. Between the 3.0 and 3.4 its clear that the 3.0 just have problems... mainly head gasket problems. granted mine went out cause the clutch fan went out. but all ive heard was how better and greater 3.4s were. Wish i would of done the swap.

There is no doubt the 3.4 is a better motor. I have also come to find that the majority of 3.0's I come acrost are good engines, as long as you take care of them properly you most likely won't have problems. My current 3.0 had 315,000 original miles, and now it has close to 200,000 miles on its first rebuild and it still runs like a beauty and has power.

Also were was your 3.0 rebuilt?

[91 ex-cab]

I think it really depends if your Tacoma is a manual.  My old Tacoma 5 speed used to be fairly quick, if you drove it right.  My girl friends 3.4 auto is pretty good...but it's just not the same.  That said...  a 3.4 auto in a 1980 pickup is crazy fast.   My little first gen will stomp on a just about every Tacoma and 4Runner, because it's so light.

Yes my taco is manual. It does scoot around pretty good if driven correctly like you said. But also my old sas 3rd gen with the 3.0 had enough power( once again if driven right) that I wouldn't say the 3.4 has a huge power gain over the 3.0. It is noticably there but i'm not sure I would write home about it like a lot of people do. 

[Daddys Lil Country Girl]

There is no doubt the 3.4 is a better motor. I have also come to find that the majority of 3.0's I come acrost are good engines, as long as you take care of them properly you most likely won't have problems. My current 3.0 had 315,000 original miles, and now it has close to 200,000 miles on its first rebuild and it still runs like a beauty and has power.

Also were was your 3.0 rebuilt?

I had one of my dads buddy's rebuild it in Chico he use to be the head mechanic at Wittmeier then opened his own shop. It ran better than perfect afterwards but then all of sudden it seemed like it wasn't running on all cylinders still haven't figured it out. But before I tore it apart I played in it runnin like crap totally powerless ha buddies look at it and everything. Once I can drive it on the road just planning on taking it to a shop to get it diagnosed.

[sgirt]

I bought my 89 new with the 3.0.  Loved the engine.  Never had any problems with it.

[Rockin4Runner]

I just got my 1990 4runner driving on the street with a 3.0 (98,000 mile) and I am shocked it does as good as it does going down the freeway. The rig sits on 37" tires, 5.29 gears and it cruises 68 MPH at 3grand RPM going down the freeway in 5th gear. In addition it's able to hold the speed in 5th gear fairly well.
Like the guys say, with normal maintenance and not driving the 3.0 like a 2stroke dirt bike, the engine will last you long time. Give the 3.0 a shot  , it might just get the job done for you.

[toyotech]

3.0 works for me now. the auto doesnt lol. the gearing doesnt sit well for me. maybe if i regeared? im on 32s any suggestions