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How likely is it I could change the spark plugs and wires on a 3vz-e being a noob
Hey all,
I recently was given my grandpa's 1989 Toyota extended cab SR5 for my 29th bday this last weekend, which I'm super stoked on but know im in for a bit of work, we used the hell out of the thing as i grew up but as my gpa grew older it turned into more of a "take a trip to the dump everyonce in awhile" type truck and really hasn't been used to much in the last 5-7 years, I know it needs a new battery, and that one of the cylinders isn't firing right, other then that i have no clue of what else needs to be done, though i assume mostly everything, but it does run!! Thing is other then general basics of checking the fluid and what not i dont have much knowledge of truck maintenance other then watching some stuff off of youtube trying to get a little bit of an idea of what im getting into.
other then getting a new battery, what would be the best things to do tomorrow? I was assuming doing the spark plugs and replacing the wires would be a good start but have read that its a hell of a job(i have generally smaller hands and patience), so whats the likely hood of me doing it within a couple of hours and is that even worth it? I have about 500 to start off with for the day so what would be the best way to spend that on stuff that is easy enough to do and that has the most likely hood of doing the most for the truck.
also there is one flat tire on it, it hold air enough to drive for like 2 hours im told but the spare underneath still might be good according to my uncle he just hasnt gone down to check, if so what do i need to take it off general rachets or what? maybe something to loosen up the old nuts? thank you all
29 years old and never learned how to change a tire? Well, you've come to the right place. Welcome to YotaTech.
If it were me, I'd start by asking around for a place I could work on it. Lots of people have done a lot of work standing out in the weeds, but if you drop anything it will be hard to find, and if you jack up the truck (the second thing you do when you change a tire) doing it on soft ground is dangerous. A reasonably hard, flat (paved?) surface, and the assurance that if you had to, you could leave it there for a few days. (At some point you'll be half-way through a repair and find you need a part.) A heated garage with a lift and compressed air is Nirvana, the gravel lot of your apartment is at the other end of the acceptable spectrum.
You'll have no trouble changing the plugs (but you might need to buy an extra bottle of patience). Get a cheap plug-gap gauge where you get the plugs. You should have all the tools you need to change a tire already in the truck.
Your first order of business is safety. Until you can pull each tire and check how much brake pads/shoes you have, don't drive over 30mph. Check all the lights. Make a list. Come back here with your list.
So ive helped with changing a tire but never done it myself! so i figured i wouldn't count it. so luckily my uncle( whos property its on currently) is into older cars and such and has a huge garage with nice jack etc so ill be blessed to have that and some of his guidance, though hes more of the type to hand the keys then walk away back to his projects. thats why im trying to come down with a few things to do really quick while its up there, im in the process of buying a house so i dont have a storage spot yet down in town but in the mean time its only a 45 min drive away to work on it, that being said im trying to do the most i can when i go, as far as safety ill just be cruising down some roads on there property to just see how it runs, no actual driving at full speed!
Personally, I switched to Optima Gel-cell batteries, and never looked back.
No more battery acid corrosion on the terminals, to begin with. Very important fator, to me! The terminals stay as clean as when I first installed the battery.
No more checking the water in the battery, which mattered, especially when I lived in SW Arizona. Low battery water was a constant problem, given the heat that constantly applies there.
Finally, and this is a biggie for me, with my idiot moves sometimes, if you run the battery flat, by leaving the lights on by accident, for example, the Optima will regenerate it's self overnight. At least enough to get a start out of it. Assuming I unload the circuit, obviously.
I find these various factors to be well worth the cost of the Optimas. As well, amortized across the useful life of the batteries, not to mention the acid corrosion of the wirees down inside the insulation, etc, the cost is actually lower than that of the old-style lead-acid battery.
All this is strictly my personal opinion. I haven't any links, quotes, or anything like that to support my position. Just personal experience.
Pat☺
Welcome to the forum. We will help you learn how to work on the truck yourself, save you money, and KEEP IT.
Key is do not throw parts at the truck. Search, throw us questions, AND get a $7 multi-meter from Harbor Freight.
Originally Posted by chickenwing0725
also for batteries im looking at these options and just want some advice ive heard the yellow tops are awesome, are they worth the price at this point? or should i stick with something cheaper for the time being...
No need for fancy batteries. I use plain Interstates from Costco (best deal so far), yet my truck has taken me to wild and beautiful places, while overly-outfitted, newer trucks are stuck between office and Nordstrom
Last edited by RAD4Runner; 07-30-2020 at 05:14 PM.
Here's something to get you started: http://web.archive.org/web/201210210.../1maintena.pdf I'd assume that everything on this list is "due." Try to prioritize by difficulty. You probably should replace the timing belt (service interval: 96k miles), but if you get to that you'll check the valve clearance, and replace the PCV valve and grommet, at that time.
So! update, went and got a battery and went up to my uncles, got the new battery in, at first it was showing that the new battery was completely... dead.. so we recharged it and it worked but still had some issues getting it started regularly with out jumping it, once it was on it would run fine, only thing that killed it was when we tested the winch out after holding the button for it for like 6 seconds it killed the battery, my Gpa has a CB and winch all wired up on there not sure if that could be the issue, and for some dumb reason i never thought of taking them off and trying until i got back home, so next time.
we drove it from the back of the garage to a much better location to work on it and jacked it up, and took off and threw on the spare. Its smaller then the others but i have the flat with me and im going to go get a new(used) tire soon and then should be good in that department.
other then that just gave it a quick rinse and swept out the bed and got some armor all on the dash. Also I was shocked to see only 130k miles on it
After talking with my uncle he said there mechanic they've used for a long time says that somethings wrong in the lower part of the engine and that is making one of the pistons not fire, so he said it would be a better option to just get a refurbed engine and replace it rather then fixing the old one. This is where i need some opions and person experiences shared. i want to stick with the v6 rather then doing a swap though i know alot of people seem to favor that.
other then that my uncle says that the transmission and 4wd system is working fine, and it switched in and out of 4 and 2 perfect. the brakes were really low so we didnt drive it more then from the hill it was parked by to the flat next to the house so i cant say exactly on how well it runs but for only having 5 cylinders and sitting for two years. it didnt sound to bad and was running better then we thought.
other then that the radiator has a leak and the muffler has a few holes in it, brakes need to be bled. oil looked clean and new.
the dash had no cracking, the frame looked awesome! other then having some mud i dont see any rust really and no signs of bad corrosion anywhere. though i didn't do a deep inspection.
e live in the central valley of california and its super dry and they dont even salt the roads in any place around us.
next up is getting the brakes safe enough to drive and getting it to start reguarly on its own so i can get it to town (45min-1hr drive), getting the flat replaced and thown back on, checking all the lights and electronics, alot more cleaning of the interior and getting the winch and bar off so i can paint the bar!
Thinking of doing some type of bed liner as a coat and other random small stuff like that.
ill upload some pics of stuff here in just a bit to!
Last edited by chickenwing0725; 07-30-2020 at 09:01 PM.
Also found the owners manual! And some caps saying it has auto diffs but I didn’t take a pic and wanted to get more info.
and a toyota brochure or something under the seat going over the 1989 trucks and all the specs and trim options etc, its really damn cool.
ill post it soon as well
Last edited by chickenwing0725; 07-30-2020 at 09:05 PM.
When changing the plugs, you may find some that come out a half-turn or so and then tighten up and become difficult to turn further. Resist the urge to apply more force, with a longer wrench or more muscle. What is happening is that the steel threads of the plug are grabbing the aluminum threads in the block and starting to twist them out. If you just apply more force, you'll strip the threads out of the head and be in for a complicated repair.
Instead, reverse your ratchet and turn the plug back in a half turn, and then try again. It might come an eighth of a turn further before it binds up. Keep repeating this until the plug finally comes out. It could take 20 tries to come free, but that's way better than having to put in a heli-coil in a spot you can't see or reach.
Put anti-seize on the new plugs to help prevent this in the future.
Also, while the plugs are out, do a compression test on all cylinders. You can rent a tester at AutoZone or equiv.
I wouldn't take the comment about "something wrong in the bottom end causing one cylinder to be bad" at face value. Short of completely dropping a rod or having a hole in a piston, bottom end problems seldom cause one cylinder to run poorly. Cylinder misfires are usually related to ignition, injectors, or valve problems.
07-29-2020, 05:46 PM
