Engine swap info...

sdueboay

sdueboay

Member
Hey all...

I posted this over in the "Maintenance" thread with no answers. Seems a lot of discussion happens here. Maybe I can get the answer I need. Thanks in advance...

I have a 2001 Toyota Tacoma Pre Runner, 2-wheel drive with a bit over 200,000 miles on the odometer. The body is in great shape and overall it's in good condition.... it's a Texas truck with zero rust. It's a "crew cab" style, with four full doors. It has the 5VZ FE V-6 engine in it. I bought it in its present condition. One of those friends going through a divorce kind of things and he needed the money quickly.

The engine got really hot and blew a hole in the radiator. The guy I bought it from says he has no idea how long it ran hot before the radiator blew. So I'm not sure if the heads or possibly the block is warped. After getting pricing for head work, gasket kit, new radiator hoses, water pump and all of the replaceable cooling components, it's going to be between $650 - $900 for parts and machine work, depending on what I have done and what brand of parts I buy.

I'm seriously considering just replacing the entire engine, considering the high mileage and the heating issues. My questions are, 1. Are there engines from different years that will bolt right into mine? If so, what years? Also, are the harnesses the same? What surprises will I encounter if I go the swap route?

I know that's a lot of questions, but I truly appreciate your help. I'm an old classic truck and car guy. The overhead cams and computerized vehicles have me a bit puzzled.


Thanks in advance for your input.

Steve
 
Hello Steve,

Sorry about the fact nobody has answered you here. That is very frustrating. I will attempt to help you.

The 5VZ-FE 3.4 Liter V6 is a great engine. It will probably go down as an all time great Toyota motor someday especially when you start looking at how many miles these little engines are racking up 12 years after the last of them were produced.

I am sorry to hear that your Tacoma has overheated. Okay, overheating is absolutely terrible for overhead combustion engines especially since these 3.4 liters have a lower block constructed of cast iron and the heads are constructed of aluminum. The first thing you want to do before sinking any money or time into your Tacoma is determine if you motor is healthy. You need to first determine if the head gaskets are blown, and find out the condition of the cylinder heads. The easiest way to do this is to check the compression on all cylinders. If the head gaskets are not blown, then you don't have to worry about the heads being warped or damaged. Once a cylinder head warps, the head gasket becomes blown because the cylinder head no longer sits flush with the lower block. If the heads are warped or the head gaskets are blown, you will easily be able to determine this because this engine will have weak or no compression on some or all of its cylinders. The 5VZ-FE is quite the robust little engine so there will be a lot of compression on each cylinder, and the compression should only vary by about 8-10% for each cylinder if the engine is healthy. Remember 200,000 miles is not that much on these 3.4 liter motors. You will find a ton of people on the Internet with the 5VZ-FE engines that have an unheard of amount of miles on their rigs that have never had a whisper of a problem with them. Keep in mind, though, they have probably taken very good care of their rigs.

Okay, so now if the engine has been determined through testing to be healthy, just go ahead and replace the necessary cooling components you listed up above, and you will be fine.

If the engine, however, is determined to be unhealthy as a result of testing, you are probably better off to go ahead and purchase a new or healthy used 5VZ-FE. This is probably the more economical route to go. The 5VZ-FE is the exact same engine with the same motor mounts and brackets for its entire run. You just want to make sure you buy one that has air conditioning if your Tacoma has air conditioning so you have the correct brackets for the air conditioning compressor.

Good Luck.

Paul
 
Last edited:
Great info Paul. When I bought the Tacoma it was partially torn down so I finished the job. I knew the 5VZ engine was a good one from everything I read about it.

I'm in uncharted waters here... I'm an old school hot rodder and computers and overhead cams confuse me. If it were an old small block Chevy or Ford, I would have already had this back together and running again.

I'm going to have the heads inspected since they're already removed and I'll get back with the forum.

By the way, thanks for the reply. All of these views and only two replies and both replies touched on the lack of participation within the forum. I truly appreciate you taking the time to do so.

Steve...
 
You are very welcome Steve. I am glad I could help you. Good Luck in getting the heads inspected. I sent you some contact information if you want to talk about this personally.
Take Care,
Paul
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top