4 runner with a 3Y 2litre engine?

i am in the process of replacing my engine on an '88 4runner due to the classic blown headgasket. Currently its running (or was) on a 2.2lte 4y EFI engine. I have been offered a good price on a 3y 2litre engine. The car does ok in power with a 2.2 litre. I don't need to carve up the desert or pull a caravan so I'm keen to have the economy of a 3y for mostly city driving. But is the car going to be really slow? Will I notice significant power problems with a 3y engine?

Does anybody have a 3y and can tell me how it drives on such a small engine?

Cheers,

Ngingi.

I can't answer your question, but wouldn't it be easier to replace the head gasket on your current engine than to replace it with the 3y?

Yes it would be easier and cheaper. but not by much. The engine has done 260,000k and the replacement is a 2nd hand Japanese import with 60 -90,000k. To replace the gasket is $600- 800 (australian$) the engine is $1500 installed.

If I replace the gasket there is no guarantee on the quality of the rest of the gaskets in the engine and the resulting increased pressure at the head apparently can blow out older gaskets lower in the engine? for an extra $800 I can get a three year old engine in good condition with a warranty. So I figure what the hell an engine in much better condition for a few hundred bucks (about $500us if your in the states)
Does my logic make sense?

Or do you think the risks invovled in changing the gasket are worth it for the $$ saving?

?

It would be a better basis for judgement if I knew how the original engine ran and what shape it's in. If the compression on the old engine is normal for that age engine, and it didn't use a significant amount of oil (rings or valve seals), then I would not hesitate to replace the head gasket. I don't see how putting the engine back in normal condition would put any additional stress on any other gaskets. A possible problem may be caused if you ran the engine for a while with the blown head gasket and contaminated the oil or overheated the engine repeatedly. Other than that caveat, I would replace the head gasket in your situation.

Good advice Brian,

The oil has just become contaminated and have run is just a very little but I havn't overheated the engine much?

I have recently aquired the vehicle very cheap as a result of the gasket problem so am not sure how it performs on oil consumption.

I'm not sure of the condition of the engine so maybe I should check the compression first to assit me in deciding whether the rings are in good shape or not? When i take the oil cap off you cap feel the pressure pumping out of the engine which I though was an indication of worn rings. I'm not a mechanic but think the engine could be quite worn.
Is that normal for 260,000k's or should the engine still be in good shape (ring/bearing wise) at this age?

Take the compression. That is the best judge of its history. At 260K, the engine could be on its last legs or still have alot of miles left in it, all depending on how often the oil was changed and whether it has been overheated, treated badly by alot of off-road use, etc. Did it smoke from oil when you started it or when you were driving it?

Don't forget, with a bad head gasket, you are liable to have a bad cylinder on compression just because of that. Go by the mean of the 3 best cylinders and their variaion between cylinders without counting the cylinder with the head gasket leak.

You can also take the truck to a mechanic with a borescope and get an idea of the cylinder bore condition that way. It won't tell you if they are good, but you might spot a really bad cylinder wall that would make you give up on that block.

Also, the oil pressure at idle will give you an idea of the bearing wear. If the oil pressure is really low at idle, or the engine makes any knocking sounds, I would forget it. The low oil pressure at idle might be a bad oil pump, but I don't know if changing the pump would be worth the time or money.

Thanks mate. will do the compression first, though I have the feeling it wont be good. There's some soot in the tailpipe and the panting of the engine with the oil cap off is quite pronounced. Don't know if these are proper indicators of engine wear? but is kind of why I'm thinking of replacement... just to be sure.

You're welcome. That old of an engine is always a question mark.