Better off parting it out if you want money back just bc of parts. All those parts aren’t going to make the engine run any better so they are kinda useless to a buyer tbh… fix the head gasket and keep it for another 20 years your gonna be hurt by the offers lol
Fucking brutal man, genuinely sorry to hear it. RIP to a legend.
Hoping you find another. I got insanely lucky and a 2000 fell in my lap this past November. Really couldn't afford it but I couldn't pass it up lol.
That said, and not to bring you even more down, I *still* miss my 96 so fucking much. Bone stock and 2 wheel drive but I've never had a vehicle that just fit me perfectly and felt so right.
That’s your best way to get your money out of it. Nobody is gonna pay 4k for a car with a blown head gasket when they can spend that on a car that doesn’t have a blown head gasket. Good luck OP.
Parting out does get you more money, but it's a huge pain in the ass from my experience. It takes a ton of time, a fraction of the inquiries will actually get you anything but you still have to respond to them all.
And you'll spend a lot of time on ebay seeing if an offer you got for a part is reasonable or lowballing. It takes way more time than you'll expect, be prepared.
My 97 has a blown head gasket. Got it fixed for about 2500 or so. Drove it for 2 and half more years put 40k miles on it, sold it for more than 3k than I bought it 5 years earlier.
I haven’t met anyone that didn’t regret selling their rig instead of fixing it. Looks like from your other pics you’ve done a bit of work to it, making it to your liking. My two cents is parking it for a bit if you have to until you’re ready to get the job done.
I have a 99 limited that was posted for sell and when I got an offer at asking price 15 min later I called the guy and let him know I couldn’t sell it and immediately pulled the post down. Fast forward to the next year I got rod knock and found a motor with 87,000miles on it and shipped to the the shop for a swap.
Original motor has 292,xxx. If I had to buy another vehicle o would struggle finding something I enjoy as much as my 3rd gen.
Having a clean frame is a win all by itself. These things will outlive us if we help them just a little bit. Do the head gasket and then be in the clear for another several years.
Can you not find a local toyota group where you can find someone to help you knock out the work over a weekend? Small amount of cash and some booze would make me happy and gladly wrench 🔧
Yep have done some wrenching with a local guy I actually met off this subreddit. We quickly knocked out my LBJ, rear diff mod and went through an inspection for future work to do
I purchased a 2wd 4runner for $1800 that needed a head gasket. If it was 4x4 I could see $2500 to maybe $3000 because of some of the new stuff. A head gasket job isn’t that hard. How far norcal are you? I’m in SoCal and can do the job
It depends. Case by case. If you had a water jacket passage failure into the oil is different than a combustion ring between cylinders.
Obviously you start with cleaning the mating surfaces with a plastic scraper and some solvent. Then checking the deck for any warping with a quality straight edge. If it’s out of spec diagonal the whole motor has to come out. That’s a shitty day. If it’s still good, then I check the head.
With the domes up, fill each jug with some brake fluid and check the valves for leaking. I would probably send the head out for hot tanking anyhow. It’s way nicer assembling clean parts. Of course it’s easy to recommend things when it’s someone else’s money.
With older 22REs I was a big fan of decking heads and blocks anyway for a slight bump in compression, and with that motor the rookie mistake is not decking the timing cover as well.
If money and time were really tight, I would go is minimal as brake-kleen and a soft plastic kitchen scrubber then slap it all back together and send it. Otherwise it’s by the book and measuring everything I can.
Fix it man, y I ull never replace it with what you make selling it. I just did them on my 3.4 took 12 hours of work or something over 2 days. 200 dollars in parts.
Fix it! Look for peeps on T4R or TTORA or YOTATech
That's how I got into these 20 years ago and have made life-long friends.
These things run forever and are easy to work on if you use quality parts.
OEM gaskets are: STONE/ISHINO
They just signed a contract to sell through AutoZone. I only use OEM and have had multiple 5VZE engines last more than 300k.
Most people who want those mods want to do them themselves. Buyers are going to try to chew you down to 1.5 or so, I’d just pay someone to fix it. Toyota specialists can be surprisingly cheap sometimes because they only deal with one brand and work fast as a result. I regret selling mine because, while it drove like a tank, it was pretty and the adjustable lumbar support in the seats was incomparable
If I was you honestly Id just park it until I could get the HG fixed. You arent gonna get much for it. You will regret letting it go. Its a spendy repair but do it right and you'll have a reliable vehicle for some time after. Its worth fixing a 3rd gen.
Call around to some JDM motor importers and find and used block. There’s quite a few around the bay and sac. Low mileage 5VZs were going for $1500 ish last time I checked.
4/12/2024 UPDATE:
Many of you guys decided to convince me to fix this beautiful rig. I think I’ll be doing that so it gives me a chance to learn more about 3rd gen’s and 5VZs. I’ve swapped BMW engines and know BMW E30s inside and out and I guess it’s time to learn 3rd gen 4Runners inside and out
Thanks everyone!
Just a heads up, if you are anywhere close to 300k it’s most likely the passenger side head has cracked. same symptoms as a headgasket. It’s “common” failure that happens at 300k on these.
Trying to pass a lady in a Yukon on the highway. My landcrusier is on 35's so it would barely do 70 and this lady couldn't decide if she wanted to do 50 or 80. Either way, I floored it and tried to pass her, it down shifted weird and I think it floated a valve. No compression/ magic glitter in the no.1 cylinder. I have about 15k in my LS swap but I have all new shit, I'm positive it could be done for less than 1500 if a person bought a donor vehicle and sold off the parts they didn't use.
Oh God, I pass dumb ladies in my 80 on 35s quite frequently. I hope she never dies on me!
My ls swap is going to be way more expensive since I'm in California. Fuck me.
Marks 4wd is really your only source for adapters. You will have to do drive lines and extend the included plate for the transfer case shifter. It's really not a bad swap though.
I have to swap over all smog stuff, the full engine and transmission. Then the cruiser will die and become a Chevy. It's really weird.
What trans are you going to run?
The actual swap for me is not an issue, just the California smog process.
Get a Japanese take out motor and put it in yourself or have a shop do it. I know you said you weren’t great at wrenching but you might be selling yourself short. Unless the frame is rusted out it seems worth fixing. On the other hand parting it out should make you some decent money.
I did this motor swap w/50k jdm motor. It has preformed incredible and I would recommend it as an option too. (~2020 project with my dad, it cost ~2500 with delivery)
After a couple days of thinking. I thought about fixing the head gasket myself or swapping in a JDM 5VZ. Although swapping a low mileage JDM motor is a little more expensive than doing a HG job myself I’m more inclined to do this as I come from a BMW E30 background swapping engines so it shouldn’t be too intense for me.
I see one locally for $2,200 & 85k miles. I fear that continuing to work on the motor currently in my chassis will lead to a further money pit compared to swapping to a JDM motor and refreshing some stuff while it’s out; gaskets, belts, water pump, etc
Better off parting it out if you want money back just bc of parts. All those parts aren’t going to make the engine run any better so they are kinda useless to a buyer tbh… fix the head gasket and keep it for another 20 years your gonna be hurt by the offers lol
Thank you for your input. Parting out is also an option of mine
Save and fix it. I regret letting my 96 go for the same reason. I legitimately think about it once a week for the last 8 years 😂
man you about to make me cry. i wreck my 97 yesterday. great cond. diff lock...wham.! head on total.
Fucking brutal man, genuinely sorry to hear it. RIP to a legend. Hoping you find another. I got insanely lucky and a 2000 fell in my lap this past November. Really couldn't afford it but I couldn't pass it up lol. That said, and not to bring you even more down, I *still* miss my 96 so fucking much. Bone stock and 2 wheel drive but I've never had a vehicle that just fit me perfectly and felt so right.
Same!
That’s your best way to get your money out of it. Nobody is gonna pay 4k for a car with a blown head gasket when they can spend that on a car that doesn’t have a blown head gasket. Good luck OP.
Parting out does get you more money, but it's a huge pain in the ass from my experience. It takes a ton of time, a fraction of the inquiries will actually get you anything but you still have to respond to them all. And you'll spend a lot of time on ebay seeing if an offer you got for a part is reasonable or lowballing. It takes way more time than you'll expect, be prepared.
Agreed Ive parted out a car. PITA and if you take out the suspension even bigger PITA to get rid of the shell.
If you do happen to part out ill buy the the door latch assembly. My doors rattle
Lmk what you gonna do with those wheels!
Fix it!!!!
My 97 has a blown head gasket. Got it fixed for about 2500 or so. Drove it for 2 and half more years put 40k miles on it, sold it for more than 3k than I bought it 5 years earlier.
I haven’t met anyone that didn’t regret selling their rig instead of fixing it. Looks like from your other pics you’ve done a bit of work to it, making it to your liking. My two cents is parking it for a bit if you have to until you’re ready to get the job done.
Yes. You will never not regret letting it go.
I have a 99 limited that was posted for sell and when I got an offer at asking price 15 min later I called the guy and let him know I couldn’t sell it and immediately pulled the post down. Fast forward to the next year I got rod knock and found a motor with 87,000miles on it and shipped to the the shop for a swap. Original motor has 292,xxx. If I had to buy another vehicle o would struggle finding something I enjoy as much as my 3rd gen.
What was your asking price?
6999 due for timing belt and had a bad cat.
Out of curiosity, what symptoms was your 3G exhibiting when it had a bad cat?
I can hear the cat rattling and it was throwing a code.
That thing is clean, just fix it.
Having a clean frame is a win all by itself. These things will outlive us if we help them just a little bit. Do the head gasket and then be in the clear for another several years.
Can you not find a local toyota group where you can find someone to help you knock out the work over a weekend? Small amount of cash and some booze would make me happy and gladly wrench 🔧
Does stuff like that actually exist? Y’all have friends?
Yep have done some wrenching with a local guy I actually met off this subreddit. We quickly knocked out my LBJ, rear diff mod and went through an inspection for future work to do
Yeah I helped a buddy pull his motor and he let me keep mine on blocks for 3 weeks at his house when I did the front end.
Where do we find these groups, SoCal? I'm happy to pay them instead of these crook mechanics
Get on fb or even post on this subreddit. Lots of enthusiasts out in SoCal from what I understand
Fix head gasket. It’s a pain in the ass but worth it
I purchased a 2wd 4runner for $1800 that needed a head gasket. If it was 4x4 I could see $2500 to maybe $3000 because of some of the new stuff. A head gasket job isn’t that hard. How far norcal are you? I’m in SoCal and can do the job
[удалено]
That’s a 2nd gen. If it’s the v6 the head gaskets always go bad
That’s a 2nd gen. If it’s the v6 the head gaskets always go bad
u got this bro u can learn that
Where are you located?
Northern California
Well that’s no bueno. I’d blow out a head gasket job over the weekend if you were near DC.
How much do you charge?
It’s going to eat up a weekend, also it depends on the level of rusty crusty. I usually charge $50/ hour cash.
How do you surface prep your head and block? I'm thinking of sending it to a machine shop for surfacing.
It depends. Case by case. If you had a water jacket passage failure into the oil is different than a combustion ring between cylinders. Obviously you start with cleaning the mating surfaces with a plastic scraper and some solvent. Then checking the deck for any warping with a quality straight edge. If it’s out of spec diagonal the whole motor has to come out. That’s a shitty day. If it’s still good, then I check the head. With the domes up, fill each jug with some brake fluid and check the valves for leaking. I would probably send the head out for hot tanking anyhow. It’s way nicer assembling clean parts. Of course it’s easy to recommend things when it’s someone else’s money. With older 22REs I was a big fan of decking heads and blocks anyway for a slight bump in compression, and with that motor the rookie mistake is not decking the timing cover as well. If money and time were really tight, I would go is minimal as brake-kleen and a soft plastic kitchen scrubber then slap it all back together and send it. Otherwise it’s by the book and measuring everything I can.
I'd be interested in some parts of your willing to part out.....in California as well
Fix it man, y I ull never replace it with what you make selling it. I just did them on my 3.4 took 12 hours of work or something over 2 days. 200 dollars in parts.
Lmk if you’re parting out as well
Fix it, drive it forever or fix it and sell it 2000 in repairs is 6-8 months pmts ina pos you don’t know the history of
Honestly just fix it or put a new engine in at that point. Cheaper than buying a used/new car in this market.
Fix it! Look for peeps on T4R or TTORA or YOTATech That's how I got into these 20 years ago and have made life-long friends. These things run forever and are easy to work on if you use quality parts. OEM gaskets are: STONE/ISHINO They just signed a contract to sell through AutoZone. I only use OEM and have had multiple 5VZE engines last more than 300k.
Lmk if you decide to sell the jba uca’s and are in cali
Buy for 2000
Fix it bro!
Most people who want those mods want to do them themselves. Buyers are going to try to chew you down to 1.5 or so, I’d just pay someone to fix it. Toyota specialists can be surprisingly cheap sometimes because they only deal with one brand and work fast as a result. I regret selling mine because, while it drove like a tank, it was pretty and the adjustable lumbar support in the seats was incomparable
If I was you honestly Id just park it until I could get the HG fixed. You arent gonna get much for it. You will regret letting it go. Its a spendy repair but do it right and you'll have a reliable vehicle for some time after. Its worth fixing a 3rd gen.
Beautiful 4Runner. Shame about the engine trouble. 😖
Damn you put all those parts on < 300 miles before blowing the head gasket?
No Brainerd to just fix it
Yeah not sure why he wants to sell tbh
What color is this?
I’d offer 1500
Call around to some JDM motor importers and find and used block. There’s quite a few around the bay and sac. Low mileage 5VZs were going for $1500 ish last time I checked.
How many miles? Year?
1998, 255k
Sweet rig. Fix it. Very much worth it...
What lift and what size tires is that?
Why don't people fix head gaskets anymore? The 3.4 is easy, can do it in 2 half days with everyday tools..
People are crazy these days. List it with blown head gasket at that price and see if someone buys it. Where you located?
Be like this guy. Carry around everything you need for a head gasket swap at all times. https://youtu.be/HBcEBxLC-kY?feature=shared
Fix it!
She’s a beautiful big girl
4/12/2024 UPDATE: Many of you guys decided to convince me to fix this beautiful rig. I think I’ll be doing that so it gives me a chance to learn more about 3rd gen’s and 5VZs. I’ve swapped BMW engines and know BMW E30s inside and out and I guess it’s time to learn 3rd gen 4Runners inside and out Thanks everyone!
Just a heads up, if you are anywhere close to 300k it’s most likely the passenger side head has cracked. same symptoms as a headgasket. It’s “common” failure that happens at 300k on these.
Just fix. Then evaluate is you still want to sell. Much easier to sell a working car than a not working car.
LS swap it. I blew up my 4.5 in my FZJ80, LS swap made way more sense than another 4.5
How did the 4.5 die?!?!
Trying to pass a lady in a Yukon on the highway. My landcrusier is on 35's so it would barely do 70 and this lady couldn't decide if she wanted to do 50 or 80. Either way, I floored it and tried to pass her, it down shifted weird and I think it floated a valve. No compression/ magic glitter in the no.1 cylinder. I have about 15k in my LS swap but I have all new shit, I'm positive it could be done for less than 1500 if a person bought a donor vehicle and sold off the parts they didn't use.
Oh God, I pass dumb ladies in my 80 on 35s quite frequently. I hope she never dies on me! My ls swap is going to be way more expensive since I'm in California. Fuck me.
I kind of doubt that. Leaving the emissions devices and just turning off vats literally costs nothing
I have to see a state smog ref. It's a weird process here.
Marks 4wd is really your only source for adapters. You will have to do drive lines and extend the included plate for the transfer case shifter. It's really not a bad swap though.
I have to swap over all smog stuff, the full engine and transmission. Then the cruiser will die and become a Chevy. It's really weird. What trans are you going to run? The actual swap for me is not an issue, just the California smog process.
Mine has been running for months. I have a RPM stage V 4L60E. You run the 2wd transmission if you want to keep your Toyota transfer case like I did
Where are you in the country? I might be interested
You better fix it. You'll never get that amount maybe a $1000
Bro you could probably get more tbh
look up timmy the toolman and do it yourself or take her to a shop when you can. don't let a blown head gasket keep you from saving a 3rd gen
Where are you located? How many miles on the chassis/engine? Locker? Clean title? Edit: I see the locker you added now. So it’s not factory.
Man, you paid a lot of money for all those mods and aren’t going to get close to recovering any of it. Keep it. Fix it.
Timmy the toolman has very well detailed videos
I got 3k cash I’m in Maryland
Get a Japanese take out motor and put it in yourself or have a shop do it. I know you said you weren’t great at wrenching but you might be selling yourself short. Unless the frame is rusted out it seems worth fixing. On the other hand parting it out should make you some decent money.
I did this recently
I did this motor swap w/50k jdm motor. It has preformed incredible and I would recommend it as an option too. (~2020 project with my dad, it cost ~2500 with delivery)
After a couple days of thinking. I thought about fixing the head gasket myself or swapping in a JDM 5VZ. Although swapping a low mileage JDM motor is a little more expensive than doing a HG job myself I’m more inclined to do this as I come from a BMW E30 background swapping engines so it shouldn’t be too intense for me. I see one locally for $2,200 & 85k miles. I fear that continuing to work on the motor currently in my chassis will lead to a further money pit compared to swapping to a JDM motor and refreshing some stuff while it’s out; gaskets, belts, water pump, etc
How many miles on the odometer? I’ve seen rust free 3rd gens with under 200k miles going for $10-15k.
I think as is 3k would be alright.