So, I have this bad habit of buying stuff that I don't need because I have other stuff I don't need and I figure if I mix them I'll have something better that I don't need. A few years back I posted about my 93 pickup with a 3VZ that liked to leave me stranded. Well, after lots of time and effort I have mostly swapped it to a 3.4. I found that the majority of my problems with that truck were due to the previous owner having the engine rebuilt. The engine itself was supposedly done by a professional and looked fine - it was the installation that was a nightmare! It leaked out of almost everywhere and very few of the bolts were tight. I literally removed the motor mounts with one hand on a stubby ratchet. Glad I didn't die driving the thing...

Any way, I had this engine and a pile of 3.0 parts laying around and came across a 1995 4Runner that had the "holey" version of the 3.0 (after an apparent blown head gasket tossed a rod out one side). So naturally I bought it! It was cheap and had a bunch of brand new parts on it (OME rear suspension, wheels with 32" tires, bilstein shocks, new idler arm, tie rods, battery, stereo and 4 speakers. I thought at first that I'd just grab all the new parts for my 03 (except the rear suspension of course) and flip it for what I paid but my friend convinced me to put the engine from the 93 in it and make a profit. Since I'm slow he offered to do the job for me in trade for some stuff he wanted. I hoped to have it on the road within a couple weeks and off to a new owner. That was last October... 2014.

I retrieved the 4Runner the last week of this September - 11 months and 2 days after dropping it off. It ran but "may have a few small things to straighten out". Make that a ton of small things! I've been tinkering away for 7 weeks and I've got it to where I'm not scared of it and I've run 3 tanks of gas through it.

What it is: 1995 4Runner SR5, 3.0 V6, automatic, 4x4, PW, ABS, power sunroof. Has ECT.


What was and is wrong: my friend is apparently the Hulk. Nearly everything he removed broke in some fashion. He also "forgot" how most of the things he removed were supposed to be installed. Yay me! It would randomly quit. That's familiar so I knew where to look. The little wires on the AFM connector were broken and the whole air box was held on with a single cross threaded bolt so whenever I hit a bump the fuel would shut off. It did not help that 2 of the intake hose clamps were missing so air would leak randomly or the whole mess would just fall off. During disassembly "one of the little connectors shattered". While poking around I discovered that it's the knock sensor plug (engine harness side). The two bare ends are just jabbed into the knock sensor pigtail. Of course, bumpy roads cause a disconnect and engine quits. Oy! I need that connector! It is not the same at the one on my 93 or I'd have used it. Honestly, I remember pulling a connector off the old harness about 8 months ago so maybe it was the same one and just got lost. I'll try to attach a picture.





While investigating the wiring by the knock sensor, I found 2 loose wires. One had a connector and the other was just bare. The vehicle had no get-up-and-go and I had read that the I had read that a bad coolant temp sensor could cause this on an automatic. Sure enough, the wire with the connector was perfect for the sensor hidden under all the heater hoses. I have no idea what the other goes to. It's about the same length. In some Google pics I see a yellow connector on a sensor. I don't have it. Or the sensor. Wondering if the 4Runner had yet another sensor back there that didn't exist on the 93 pickup? The gauges work and it seems to shift fine now. I have a picture of that as well.



The idle was low and it stalled when hot. When the engine was installed the 93 parts were simpler so the intake was missing some ports. My buddy reused the grimy one from the 95 (and everything on it). Since the engine was blown when I got it I had no idea how it ran. I adjusted the idle screw but that seemed like the wrong approach. I checked the timing. It was about 7 degrees. I bumped it up to 10, tested it, then went to 12. Way more power and the idle cleaned up. I reset it to factory specs as it was still about 150 rpm low. It still seems to smoke at idle. I imagine this may be due to the filthy intake and/or the TPS setting. I had a brand new TPS on the 93 but it never made it during the intake swap. I'll clean everything and put that on and adjust it. I also found that the exhaust pipe is only held on by 2 of the 3 nuts. The last stud is directly blocked by the trans dipstick and may have stripped threads on the end. That's probably messing with the oxygen sensor. Any tips?

The vacuum hoses to the power steering were never hooked up. I found the line coming off the intake (open) and capped it. I still haven't found the other. I think it's supposed to go to the valves on the fender. Speaking of those valves, how does that assembly attach? Mine is just floating under the cruise (which is only being held down by one screw).

It would mage a terrible clanging noise after start up. It sounded (to me) like the starter was staying engaged. I noticed the belts were shot, When I asked, I was told, "yeah, they're dry rotted and cracked". Thanks, it's not like putting new belts on would have been super easy while the engine was out on a stand! Any way, the new belts solved the banging. Odd. The tensioner was a bit wobbly so I changed that too. I still get the occasional squeal (bearing noise) at partial acceleration. Alternator? Sounds like the driver's side.

I found the bottom hose from the evap canister wedged between the brake lines and the exhaust manifold. Nearly melted through of course. Doesn't this thing occasionally have raw fuel in it? Awesome. It appears to be the type that sits in the frame rail (not running all the way to the tank) but I don't see a hole in the frame rail to put it. One of the trans coolant lines has a sharper than stock bend in it. I think it's ok. No idea how to test. There's a silver looking tube coming out of the firewall in that area with nothing connected to it. It might be a "Y". I don't have a picture.

The previous owner didn't want to junk the vehicle with a full tank so he jabbed a hole in it and siphoned the gas. Being the responsible person I am, I bought a new tank. My pal promptly broke the filler hose, vent hose, and one of the tubes on the pickup assembly getting it off. More parts - including having to make my own filler hose because the factory one is unobtainable and it's back in. Unfortunately, when topping off the tank, something is leaking. I opened up the access panel in the floor and it's pretty useless. It also doesn't appear that it's totally sealed as my evap seems to drain somewhat often (not streaming) and I don't hear a hiss when opening the cap. But it has a parts store cap too.

So, it runs good enough to drive. The exposed wiring concerns me - but the gas leak is more pressing. The 4x4 appears to work but there's no gauge light. Shouldn't there be something? I also don't appear to have a CEL. Hopefully they're just burned out bulbs. The CEL would make final tuning easier.

This thing is fun to drive - but the lack of power reminds me all the time why I did the 5VZ swap in the pickup. The auto and extra weight certainly don't help! Sorry, that was long winded to get a couple questions out there but I thought it best to describe what I had already done.

Troy

 

Too many words? I know, it was half rant half looking for support/help.

Short version: love the 4Runner. I need a knock sensor connector if anyone has a junk/broken/spare engine wiring harness laying around. I need to get a straight on picture I guess. I need to know how the cruise and valves on the passenger side fender well attach. I need to know where the other PS vacuum hose goes. I need to know where to look for a squeal/grinding noise that happens randomly at partial acceleration (alternator?). Where do I start looking for fuel leaks when topping off the tank?

Thanks,
Troy