first up, i am a total rookie. the extent of my wrench working experience is swapping the instrument cluster and replacing the clutch MC in my 85 4runner. so i figured i would get my feet wet with a 5vz-fe swap into my 88 v6 pickup.

i do, however, know how to scavenge the internet for information, so only one or two "use the search button, noob" comments will be needed. :flipoff2:

most of the questions are really just general mechanic questions

the 5vzfe (99 4runner) has been sitting up no oil for ? months (less than a year)

- what do i need to do to prep it for operation?

- what routine maintenance should i do to it while it is out? it is said to have about 75K miles on it and i think it came from missouri. timing chain? oil pump? ??

- this is totally dumb, but where do i mount the load balancer to on the engine? what size bolts do i use? do i just hook the chains to the two hooks on the sides of the engine? my balancer has four attachment points. also, i found that on the 22R engines you use a 12X1.25X75 MM to bolt it up to a stand, is this true for a 5vzfe?

- the clutch went out on the 3vze and that was when i decided to do this. it started buzzing slightly one morning when stopped and the truck in gear (with clutch in, obviously) and by the end of the day, with very little driving the clutch would barely engage. is this the throw out bearing gone bad or dead slave cylinder? (the master appears to be fine)

- wtf is a throttle body spacer for? is this some crap "performance" mod that doesn't do anything?

- i haven't gotten a solid answer on what to do with waste anti-freeze. how should i dispose of it? (other than dumping it in a field somewhere)

i am sure there is a bunch of other shit i should know, but i guess i will find that out as i come to it. here is a link to my flow-chart of what to do and when.

flow chart (http://evol.homelinux.com/5vzfeswap/)

it seems so easy when looking at it on paper. i know that will not be the reality of the situation. please please please feel free to call me down on some of this stuff if you see that i am forgetting to do something or doing it out of logical order.

i appreciate any words of advice i can get. i know this is a tough forum for someone so wet behind the ears to roll up to and ask questions, but you guys are the best. i don't want to waste my time with half-asses.

To address the issue of sitting for awhile, I would just remove the valve covers and pour a little oil over the valves and let it drain down. Then crank the engine over by hand a few cycles and let the oil circulate and oil the bearings and seals.

Coolant: let me see ( scratch, scratch, scratch ) Do you have a cat next door? Pour him/her a bowl of it and have a little fun. They are attracted to the sweet smell and taste....hehehehhe!! Sorry, I know that is cold.

The 5VZ has a timing belt, not a chain. If the engine is out and 60K miles or more, you should replace the belt and inspect the water pump.

The TB spacer is junk. I did notice a slight increase in MPG at higher elevations +6000ft. (+1 MPG) which I am still scratching my head about. Other than that, zero performance gains on that hunk of aluminum. The 5VZ is not TBI and the intake air goes to six different runners. “Better fuel atomization” – yeah right. Don’t waste your money. I took mine off and sold it on ebay.

Some local auto stores have anti-freeze drop-off points. You can also call your local hazardous waste facility.

Hope that helps!

thanks for the replies y'all. so just some oil over the valves? how would you suggest turning the engine over by hand?

and timing belt and water pump are the only things i should do to this before i put it in and actually have room to work on in? sweet!

does anyone have any ideas about the clutch? i guess it isn't really a big deal because i am putting a new 5v clutch on, i guess i just don't want to be surprised by some other issue once i get it all thrown back together.

also, i plan on SASing this thing soon, are there any oil-pan clearance issues regarding the 3vze pan and crossover steering? i found one thread on it and it seems to be a mixed bag. most folks don't have an issue, while a couple of people did. i figure if i am taking the oil pan off now, i might as well get one that will work for my future plans now (i.e. T-100 2wd pan) than dick with swapping the 3v pan over only to have to take it out later. i suppose i can wait and see what happens too.

i really appreciate the help i've gotten so far. thanks guys!

I am not sure about your motor, but usually there is a crank pulley that has a bolt head in the center of it. On an 22RE it is a 19mm bolt. Just turn the bolt clockwise if you are facing it.

Hope that helps.

KC

You might want to adjust the valves while the motor is out. Contrary to popular belief, the valves are adjustable on this motor. The difference is that you work with shims, not tappets.

You could see if a local Toyota tech would check the clearance with the motor out for a tip or something. I would.

I would also strongly consider headers. Downey or Edelbrock make reasonibly priced headers for the 5VZ. Only downey makes ceramic, so you would want to have the Edelbrocks HPC'd or Jet Hot coated like me (HPC).

funny, i *just* ordered downey ceramic headers yesterday, along with my new clutch kit. stoked about that! i read that putting the headers on makes the swap easier. sounds good to me.

now i need to find a toyota tech in the denver area that would want to look at this thing

KC - thanks for the tip on cranking the engine over. it is dry here and i don't want to blast bits of dried seals all over the place when i first try to turn this thing over.

i doubt you need to adjust the valves at 60K. it would be the ideal time to bolt up headers.

Originally posted by surlynkid
i doubt you need to adjust the valves at 60K. it would be the ideal time to bolt up headers.

They are a recommended check in the FSM at 40K, or so I hear. I would need to verify that. It seems a bit soon to me.

hi,
mine sat for a couple years and the valves were sticky, in fact they were a lot sticky, so its not a bad idea to pour some oil over them. you can check the valves if you want but i consider 60k new. i didnt bother taking the valve covers off mine, i just pulled the plugs and put a socket on the crank bolt to turn it. there is hooks on the engine if its complete. one around the intake manifold on the drivers side and one in the back.

Originally posted by <96 Runner>


They are a recommended check in the FSM at 40K, or so I hear. I would need to verify that. It seems a bit soon to me.

mine has 255K and i am just now getting ready to adjust them. i bet the stealer would love to get you in to check them at 40K.

Originally posted by surlynkid


mine has 255K and i am just now getting ready to adjust them. i bet the stealer would love to get you in to check them at 40K.

If the engine is out, why not check the clearance? That is my only point.

Originally posted by <96 Runner>


If the engine is out, why not check the clearance? That is my only point.

i do not think it is that much harder to check them with the engine in. you still have to remove all the intake stuff and valve covers. i guess it is somewhat easier, but it is not like proactively doing a water pump. for the amount of work necessary, i still would not bother even if it was on the stand for a motor with 40K.