Topic: 92 4 Runner w/ Super Swampers

[Yota87Truck]

A guy at work asked me if I wanted to buy his '92 4 Runner.  He wants $2500-3000.  It has the 3.0 L V6 and 180,000 mi. on the motor.  It is pretty much stock besides 2" body lift and 32" Super Swampers.  It also has a 3" Exhaust.  He said that the gearing has not been changed so it could use lower gears.  How many miles does this engine usually last?  And what kind of gearing would I need?  For this price would this be a good vehicle?

[jimbo74]

$2500 doesnt seem too bad, that engine does have some issues though, i am not quite sure if it applies to the 92, but the earlier 3.0s had common head gasket failures, and there were tsbs about them


i would rather spend $2500 on building a differnt truck though... i currently have about $1500 into my build.... and its an 84 solid axle ext cab... it was back registration, and didnt have an engine, but i already had the engine from my rolled truck and the $600 it took in registration was figured into my $1500 figure

[RHG]

I ran 33's with stock 4.10's with my 4 cyl. I imagine you would be fine with the 3.slow As for how long they last...its very hard to tell. Some ppl have good luck with them and some have terrible. Take Blackdog for example, he is on his 3rd 3.0 Then some ppl have a 3.0 that thinks its a 22re and it just wont die. If you were real serious bout buying this I would do a compression test on the engine and see how its doing.

[Yota87Truck [OP]]

yeah i will do a compression test...anything else i should look for?

[BLACKDOG]

Did some one call for me?  

Get as much info as you can on what has been done to the truck.  Get the vin, and take it to a dealer, and have them run it.  See if it falls under the hg recall, and if it does, if its been taken care of.

The issue was in the gasket material itself, so the new headgaskets will be fine.  Run a compression test, and while you are at it, take a good look at the spark plugs.  180,000 on the 6 isn't too bad, especially for that price.  I'd say he's asking a pretty fair amount.  the motor I have in my truck right now has about 230K on it, and it is still running strong.  Good luck

[jimbo74]

why is he selling it? is he trying to get out of a headache?

[kneedownnate]

I imagine you would be fine with the 3.slow As for how long they last...its very hard to tell. Some ppl have good luck with them and some have terrible.

My brother's friend owns an import wrecking yard and has had a 90ish 2wd flatbed with the original 3slow and hasn't had any troubles whatsoever in it's over 300,000 miles   He's not sure how he got around the headgasket problems, actually hadn't heard of them until I told him about it a couple years back.

I'd seriously look into buying that runner, sounds like a pretty decent start.

[BLACKDOG]

My brother's friend owns an import wrecking yard and has had a 90ish 2wd flatbed with the original 3slow and hasn't had any troubles whatsoever in it's over 300,000 miles   He's not sure how he got around the headgasket problems, actually hadn't heard of them until I told him about it a couple years back.

I'd seriously look into buying that runner, sounds like a pretty decent start.

I've been hearing different things over the course of time.  Slowly, its coming to sound like the problems really centered around 90-91.  Before and after seem to have less problems.  I'm not saying anythig concrete, just with the small bit of research, it seems like the block of time for the bad hgs is narrower that I thought.  However, reklund5 did tell me that it seems like the more miles the 3.0 has, the better it runs, and to be honest, I've had the same experience.  The motor in my truck now has the most of any of the 3, and it is running stronger than the one that came in the truc kwhen I got it, with about 70k more miles on it.

[kneedownnate]

That's very strange   I wonder if they run better the more carbon buildup they develop

[BLACKDOG]

That's very strange   I wonder if they run better the more carbon buildup they develop

[iNfErNaL]

Did some one call for me?  

HA HA  I was just gonna say let's call our resident 3.0 Expert BLACKDOG.

[BLACKDOG]

Did some one call for me?  

HA HA  I was just gonna say let's call our resident 3.0 Expert BLACKDOG.

I get a burning in my ears when someone talks about the 3.0, but I'm never sure whether I should come help or

[Tallchevy]

  I'm not sure about this but I heard that the problem was that the rear cylinders on both side were the problem & it was cause the way the exhaust was routed over the top & that would help heat up the rear cylinders  Is that true BLACKDOG 

[BLACKDOG]

I'm not sure about this but I heard that the problem was that the rear cylinders on both side were the problem & it was cause the way the exhaust was routed over the top & that would help heat up the rear cylinders  Is that true BLACKDOG 

I *believe* that compounded the problem, but wasn't the cause.  The cause itself was the composite material of the head gasket.  Time and excessive heat would cause the headgaskets to deteriorate, and eventually blow.  the rear most cylinders are subjected to more heat than the front 4, but with the newer headgaskets, that in itself shouldn't be a problem


Now that you mention it, I wonder if that is why many people claim that they run better with more miles?  Could it simply be that the constant heat over time essentially "cooks" everything together, kinda sealing it all up even more?   I know its a stretch, but I guess its possible? 

Aside from all this   yota85truck, if you run a compression test, have the vin # run by toyota, and it all checks out clear, I'd say the runner is a pretty good deal.  I'm on my 3rd 3.0, but its still a fairly reliable motor  I have yet to lose one due to headgaskets in all honesty.  I lost my first one due to cold temps, and only having water in the system (previous owner did that, I didn't check it before I went to reno in the winter stupid newbie mistake ) thought it was the hg, but after doing them twice, discovered it was the block.  2nd motor I bought used from a private party, and the rings went after about 6 months.  This 3rd motor was prior to the hg recall ('88)  and has been running like a champ.  Keep it cool, keep it full of oil, stay on top of leaks, and it will serve you well.  Keep in mind that this is the worst motor toyota made, and they are still out there, with 200, 400, I've even seen one with 500K miles on it.   

If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me or ask here.  I will try to answer them to the best of my ability.

[Yota87Truck [OP]]

Thanks for the info on the 3.0 motor...I don't know very much about them.  Now the guy says that his wife doesn't want him to sell it....  but i will see if i can talk him out of it

[BLACKDOG]

Thanks for the info on the 3.0 motor...I don't know very much about them.  Now the guy says that his wife doesn't want him to sell it....  but i will see if i can talk him out of it

I didn't either



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