Toyota 3.4 Conversion

[Bajatoy]

I am thinking about putting a 3.4 in my 92 4x4 but dont know how hard the conversion is. I looked around on the internet and cant find much or anyone who has done a conversion. I was told that it will bolt directly to my tranny but dont know for sure. Does any one know how hard it would be, what parts I need to change and what it would take to keep it smog leagal in AZ? Or even any pictures, I know there was a tan toyota and the jump championships 2 years ago that had 3.4 in it.

Thanks for any help!

[YotaWhoopRunner]

I'm not sure this will help, but here is a rock crawler that has done the conversion on his 86 4x4 which basically has the same drive train.

[yotatech]

Dan just put a 3.4l in his truck and i think fish is putting one in the piece as well.

[SuperDave]

Let me know what you find out. I want to do the same conversion on my '94. So far all I know is I talked to a guy that successfully did this on his '91 pick up. He found a Tacoma that was totalled and then transfered the engine and all the engine components and electrical to his truck. He said the motor mounts have a variety of mounting holes to bolt the mounts to the block and to the frame.

[fishd00d]

Heres the scoop.

The V6 3.0 tranny will bolt to the motor....but you need to find a flywheel off of a 3.4 I believe. We just put one in Dan's truck and it works great no problems so far!

Dan will come on here and tell ya all the specific parts you need I am sure.

[Bajatoy]

I am assuming that the 22re tranny is the same too? My 22 re timining chain guide broke and went betwen the sproket and chain. The chain slipped a couple of teeth and bent all the intake valve and three of the exhaust valves!!! OUCH!

[WFODAN]

Actually the swap isn't a walk in the park .

Fist off , the 22r tranny is way different . If you want to run a 2wd 5 spd then you need to get a R150 trans . It was the tranny that toyota put in their 89-95 V6 trucks . You need to get the flywheel out of the 3.4 ( which I found wasn't an easy thing to get ) and run the clutch for it , while running the throw out bearing for the R150 trans . The next problem is the oil pan and pick up tube . If you have a 2wd truck that you are putting the motor into then you need to run a 96 T100 2wd oil pan and pickup tube assembly . The next problem is that all the late model 3.4 motors are front sumps so the dipstick is also in the front . There is a blank in the drivers side of the block , under the motor mount that can be drilled out to run a rear dipstick . It was the spot for the dipstick tube for the early motors so toyota never took it out of the block on the newer ones . They just left it as a blank . The 3 row radiator can be run out of a 89 to 95 v6 truck also . It will fit right where your factory 4cyl radiator went . The factory hoses can be used also . As for the computer ....... I just hot wired mine to run . Since mine went in the race truck I didn't worry much about the guages and such on the dash end of the loom so we just focused on what it takes to make the motor run . We also built our own mounts so I'm not sure how you'll want to do it , but the 4cyl frame mounts are too far off to work . Way too far !! the tranny needed to be moved forward on mine to reach the motor and the firewall had to have lots of love given to it . Those are just a few of the things you'll need to know going into the swap . If you want to take a look at mine to see more PM me and I'll let you check it out .


After driving the truck and racing it for the last two weekends , I keep asking myself if it was really worth it , just to go slower . Hopefully the reliability factor comes in soon so I can see some positive about it . LOL!! Good luck .

[Curtis Guise]

Dan, you are in the prerunner class right? slap a TRD supercharger on it..... that might help.

[fishd00d]

We are working on some stuff Curtis http://www.race-dezert.com/vb3/attachments/old/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[WFODAN]

I was thinking about putting the TRD supercharger on it , but was told it might be a bad thing . I've heard nothing but horror stories about them leaning out on the top end ........ I've heard that someone makes one that uses a different fuel system all together . I'm still looking into it .

[Jordan]

Dan,

If you are looking into 3.4L upgrades go to this site
http://www.gadgetonline.com/4Run.htm
Gadget's 4-runner probably has more on it than any other 3.4L I have seen. His site is very detailed on all engine work, performance mods, DYNO tests, etc..

Great info

[Bonze2001]

Yeah good idea Jordan. Gadget is a freakin mad scientist!

-Ryan

[Curtis Guise]

supposedly you aren't supposed to put the SC on a 3.4 earlier than a '97. I found that out after putting it on the '95 I am building. The main problem is with the ECU. But so far the cheapest way around it that I have seen is to get a Perfect Power SMT-6 unit for $300 and a better fuel pump than stock and you can adjust your fuel and timing system with a laptop with that SMT-6. There are also a couple of other things that help and may or may not be necessary just to get it to run right. Bigger injectors, different spark plugs and one or two other things. There is a huge thread on it at www.yotatech.com (http://www.yotatech.com) and some guys have been dialing in their trucks with the SMT-6. Here is a link to the thread. http://www.yotatech.com/showthread.php?s=929b3cf23b071ed7b16b3edad59fe396& postid=159033#post159033

the guy "ravencr" has used it on two trucks so far. he also started another thread about his second install.

You can also get a stand alone system for the engine and get rid of the stock ECU. I have also heard of people that put the SC on their '97 or later and it works great. So once I finish the front of my truck and get it rolling then I get to make it run right.

[SpeedRacer]

Is it official forced induction is legal at MDR? Last thing I heard from Art Savedra was that all race promoters including MDR do not allow forced induction in desert racing. I understand Jerry raced a forced induction motor in his Lucas truck but no one protested.

[pphat]

Offroadsolutions sells a harness conversion so you can plug the 3.4 wiring into the 3.0 harness in a 90-95 truck. There are issues w/ a converting a manual tranny, but an auto should bolt on no problem.

great read on all the issues here:
http://www.offroadsolutions.com/technicalarticles/34l_conversion_kit.htm

the wiring harness is here:
http://www.offroadsolutions.com/products/performanceaccessories.htm

They even do a complete conversion kit, tho it gets kinda pricey.

[Curtis Guise]

I think this was gone over already. They are running in the prerunner class so if its street legal you can run it. Superchargers are street legal.

[WFODAN]

ya I looked at off road solutions when I started the swap . The biggest problem was the price of their stuff and they made nothing for the 4cyl to 3.4 conversion . It was all 3.0 to 3.4 .

As for the super charger being legal in MDR ....... It's only legal in the 1450 class . Since 1450 is called a "street legal class" then they do allow street legal super chargers . Jerry from Camburg is the one that got that ball rolling . He wanted to eliminate the windshield rule and allow super chargers . Art only went with the superchargers . So to answer the question , yes they are legal in 1450 .

My main concern was the leaning out of the motor under boost . If you could imagine getting in your street truck and putting it to the floor for about six hours , then you could almost simulate an off road race . Leaning out would be the result , and the exhaust temp would go threw the roof .


As for the manual tranny being tougher than the auto ..... Not really . I was almost going to make my truck an auto for a few days , but decided to go with the manual . I am currently running the ECU out of the donor truck I got the motor from, which was a 2000 4Runner Automatic 2wd . I have had no problems running the auto ECU with my manual trans . As for bolting up ........ There was no problems with that either . The R150 went right to it .

[Bajatoy]

Off road solutions site says that there is 4 cyl conversion kit in the process. I am going to contact them also and see what they say. Will keep you all posted.

Thanks for all the great help so far!
Keep it coming.

[pphat]

>>ya I looked at off road solutions when I started the swap . The biggest problem was the price of their stuff
>>and they made nothing for the 4cyl to 3.4 conversion . It was all 3.0 to 3.4 .
Sorry, missed the part where ya had a 4 banger... Like I said, not cheap for the whole kit... but not having to wire it myself, I'd pay for that.

>>As for the manual tranny being tougher than the auto ..... Not really .
>>I have had no problems running the auto ECU with my manual trans . As for bolting up ........
>>There was no problems with that either . The R150 went right to it .
Cool... I've read that some of the 3.4 engines that come out of trucks w/ automatic trannies have different crankshaft machining than the manuals. Don't know the exact years, but apparently those years wont accept a flywheel or pilot pbearing. My understanding is that the ECU only matters if you're running the auto... the manual can use any ECU.

Good luck w/ it!!!

[Travisfab]

Not to get off the topic, but has anyone heard about the supra 7mgte motor, it is supposed to be a fairly easy swap, I know that supra can pull some big numbers, seems like it would be a good motor for a desert truck

[Tyson]

Aaron (orvacion) on this board is starting that project as we speak and as soon as we get his truck running my yota will be going supra style as well. Good relaible motor, and faster then what I have now though I am now fairly confident that I'll have to drop the radiator in the rear.

I'll let you know how it all turns out.
T

[WFODAN]

As for the pilot bearing issue, yes that was something I had to consider when I was looking for a motor . The earlier 3.4s came with two different cranks , depending on auto or manual . I went with the 2000 motor . It has the same crank no matter which trans it came with . I believe 2000 was the first year of the universal crank . I wouldn't recommend going with any motor older than that anyway . Hope that helps .

[ntsqd]

Supra engine swaps aren't exactly easy. At least not in the '84-'88 trucks. The radiator ends up just at the grill and the core support has to be cut, as does the firewall. No room for an engine driven fan, pusher electric is the only option.
Here's one that's FS: http://www.desertspeed.com/ Note hi lack of grill. I'll guess that's because he opted for puller fans and needed the room.

[curt]

Are you guys all running MDR 1450? If not, was there a motor rule change again for SCORE in 7? I wanted to do that upgrade but I was under the impression that is a 4 valve motor so wouldn't be a legal swap in a 89-94 truck. If you want a relatively inexpensive programmable computer check www.sdsefi.com (http://www.sdsefi.com) they work great and don't come apart in our racing environment..Curt

[Curtis Guise]

And the only class it would probably be legal in is the prerunner class. (supra Engine) Because in all the other classes you are supposed to run an engine that was offered for the truck. Right?

[orvacian]

Yes, for racing the Tacoma swap is great because you can stay legal for certain classes. The Taco motor is a good reliable choice. It would also be possible to smog if you really wanted to. With the supercharger it will make about 210+ wheel horsepower.

With my project I have so far bought a crashed 90k mile 1988 auto turbo Supra complete for $400 that had the motor replaced by Toyota at 40k miles. That gives me a motor with turbo, wiring harness, ecu and bell housing (everything needed for the swap) for $400 and I still have a whole Supra interior, exterior, transmission, LSD and suspension I can sell to offset the cost of the project. So after selling my old 3vze engine that was in my truck for $600 and selling $60 of interior parts off the supra, I am still +$260 and I have everything I need! This engine can make 300 wheel horsepower with just a boost controller($100-$200) and a 3" exhaust. To do it right you should put a metal headgasket in it which adds about $500 to the cost but will make it more reliable. On the install, I was already gonna cut off the front fenderwells and make a new front bumper so radiator clearance is not a problem anymore. The only problem on firewall clearance I believe is the egr valve. You can not smog this engine in this truck anyway, so I will be eliminating all the smog equipment including the egr valve. For motor mounts, I hear the 5m-ge motor mounts from a mkII Supra will bolt directly to the truck and the stock motor mount brackets (unconfirmed as of yet). I attached a pic of my partially disassembled motor making its way to its new home last night.

[orvacian]

Heres a pic of Tyson showing us that high lift jacks are not just for trucks. Hey! Watch the paint!!! Like heard the other day somewhere on RDC, "It will buff out" Thanks bigtime to Tyson for helping me tow the Supra from West Hollywood to Pomona! It took us a hour to get it on the trailer with 4 people and a come-a-long. Then to get it off his flatbed we tied it to a lemon tree and Tyson locked his hubs and hit the gas!

Sorry if I hijacked your post!

[Tyson]

Hey ladies that guy is hot. . . YEAH RIGHT

No problem Aaron, always down to help out a friend. and after that frustrating loading situation it was fun pulling the trailer out from under the supra as it was tied to your grandmas lemon tree :-D

You know I will be hitting you up when it is time for my motor swap

T

[ntsqd]

FWIW I believe Bibelhiemer says the Supra 8" diff is the same as the 4wd 8" diff, so that Supra LSD may have a direct application. What's the ratio ?

The 5M engines are the 2 valve per cyl straight 6's and the 7M's are the 4 valve straight 6's.

[curt]

JDFAB, as far as I know the rules have been changed to allow any motor from the manufacturer within the displacement limits. The way the Toyota crowd gets screwed is "it must retain the same number of valves per cylinder" and even though not anywhere near as powerful as the Roush motors floating around for the Rangers it's not a legal swap. Something I've always been interested in is what determines the year of the truck, the cab and glass or the frame? If cab and glass is the answer, it could be an all glass conversion then the Taco motor would be legal, if it's the frame then we're screwed....Curt