3L Probs

[RoughLux]

What to do? My 3L is showing signs of age. Leaking gaskets mainly (oil out the head gasket, oil cooler plate leaks, cam seals, front main, etc)
Do I either....
Replace the 3L with a rebuilt 3L,
or do I replace the 3L with a rebuilt 5L (How Hard?),
Or replace the 3L with a 1KZT-E? (Really want to keep it simple though) What is everybody's thoughts? Keeping in mind money is an issue, as is time off the road.

[yamaha__308]

If money is an issue, have you thought about 2LT conversion? Can be picked up from importers pretty cheap with low kays too.. Faster than 3L too!

[Spoony's Nightmare]

yea i'm doing the 2LT conversion... if you are going to go down that road try and find a rarer 2LT not a 2LTE cause i can't imagine dealing with EFI during a conversion would be easy.

[Spoony's Nightmare]

having said that - the 5L is a fantastic engine... and turbocharged even better...

could go the 5L and turbo it a few years down the track.

[dultim8]

how much do u think it would cost to rebuild the 3L??

[babylux]

It depends

Are you happy with the 2.8?? if yes then rebuild
if no and still want a oiler the 3.0 has alot of eltrics do you want that?
If you want more power and are handy with the tools you would be suprised how much you get get a commo v6 or lexus v8 done for.

[Sic Lux]

how much do u think it would cost to rebuild the 3L??
how far do you want to go with it new sleeves in the block or just hone the told ones new pistons or just re ring and new bearings if you do alot of it your self there are savings to be had if you know what your doing having a manual helps shop could go over 5G best bet price around and understand what is getting replaced as it can make the price vairy.

[double diffa]

yea i'm doing the 2LT conversion... if you are going to go down that road try and find a rarer 2LT not a 2LTE cause i can't imagine dealing with EFI during a conversion would be easy.

I fitted a 2LTHE to my runner in place of the 2L, all I did was fit my mechanical pump to the new donk.
Be carefull of import engines, I got stooged with mine.
The company falsified the test tag, and said it had excelent oil pressure and compressions, 450PSI across the board, but it was shagged, broken rings etc.
They wouldn't cover it with warranty because I had removed the head ( thinking it might just be a valve), so I rebored it and did a full rebuild myself, on top of the $2200 I had just paid for the motor.
It cost me about $2300 to do a proper rebuild, so I now have a $4500 2Lt in my 4Runner.

[double diffa]

If I had to do it all again, I would fit a V6 Bommadore motor, maybe on gas.
You can pick up a whole commodore for $500 and a kit should only be about $1500 I think?
So if you can do your own work that might be worth a look, or I can sell you my 2LT for $2500 and I'll put the commodore in mine. :) :thumb:

[RoughLux]

Well for the moment im just gonna keep putting oil in it as its needed and just wait for it to die. Who knows it may just stay this way for years? Or it could all come crashing down and die today. I want to stay the oiler for a number of reasons.

1. Low down torque
2. More economical that petrol v6/v8
3. Less electrics to fail when in the middle of nowhere.

I wanna keep it simple. A lexus V8 would be great but too much stuffing around and it would drink the juice. I think the 5L would be the way to go but are they that much different from the 3L? 10kw or so difference in stock form isn't earth shattering. I'd like a v6 diesel myself but an old school one.(No electrics) I think oldsmobile had one but they're ancient.

[Courierman]

Roughlux, Are the leaks just seals and head gasket?? if they are then surely if you replace them it will be very cheap. if you cant do the seals you could take it to a mechanic.
Is the motor using any oil other than the leaks? you can check this i think by looking at the exhaust under different load conditions. specialist deseil mechanics could tell you. if the ring and bearing are fine you should do minimal to it.

as for replacing just remember if you replace it with another engine it has to get insepected and certified which will mean more costs and time.

have you tried any wreckers for a cost for one of these motors. they usually have the kilometres that the motors have done and have a warranty on them.

don't know where you live but gold coast 4wd wreckers have heaps of motors around. not sure if they have a 3L but you can call them on phone 07 5591 5988. at least they can give you a price on one.

hope this helps you.

[RoughLux]

Well the only leaks I can see come from between the head and block, oil drain and misting being blown into the intake manifold. So far I haven't been able to see any blue smoke(oil) from the exhaust so i dare say the rings are fine. Maybe I should just replace all the gaskets and seals and go from there. I've seen VRS gasket kits for the 3L for about 400 bucks. Much cheaper than a rebuild kit. I'll have enough cash to do all hub gaskets, diff gaskets, gearbox/transfer gasket and replace the centre bearing. Decisions.....decisions.

[Courierman]

Well the only leaks I can see come from between the head and block, oil drain and misting being blown into the intake manifold. So far I haven't been able to see any blue smoke(oil) from the exhaust so i dare say the rings are fine. Maybe I should just replace all the gaskets and seals and go from there. I've seen VRS gasket kits for the 3L for about 400 bucks. Much cheaper than a rebuild kit. I'll have enough cash to do all hub gaskets, diff gaskets, gearbox/transfer gasket and replace the centre bearing. Decisions.....decisions.


$400 will be cheaper than a rebuild. just get the compression checked by a desiel mechanic to see if it up to scratch. you never know it may be good enough to bolt on a turbo!@#

[Spoony's Nightmare]

It depends


if no and still want a oiler the 3.0 has alot of eltrics do you want that?
.

I think there is actually two 5L's.. one EFI one mechanical... .. don't know which lux's had what tho..

[RoughLux]

Turbo already on people! And yes the 5L came in mech injection and the 5L-E was the electronic equivilent

[andyjim243]

Nice work,Do you have some pics of the convert?

[RoughLux]

Sorry no pics. I found a step by step guide smoewhere on here that had photos. I changed a few things from that but if you can find it it'll show you all you need to know. :)

[andyjim243]

So how does it perform compared to the old donk,champ! A mate of mine did the same thing and he was wrapped with the results.

[RoughLux]

Yeah goes great. Sounds great too. 2.5" all the way. No muffler. Wanna put an intercooler on but need to save up first.

I think this thread has burnt itself out. The polls tell me the 5L is the way to go. Now can the body function without the kidneys? I'll need to sell em to pay for it all. :)