Do you really want the best possible way to get the best performance out of your truck? Swap in a different engine :

Namely, of course, the 3.4l 5vzfe v6 . It's of the same engine family and is very simple for a good mechanic to swap in. A good shop that knows what they're doing should only charge $1-2k for the whole swap if you provide the engine. It's definitely worth it, though, to toss in a newer model engine with great stock performance. Essentially, it'll be like buying a whole new truck! She's a very troublefree engine and a phenomenal powerplant to upgrade on that absolutely loves forced air modifications :thumbsup:

Other than that, there's very little to be able to do to the 3.0l engines and the 2.4l engines to get any reasonable gain in power. Now, that's not saying there is nothing you can do to make these engines better, there's just little possibilities is all :

 

what did the 5vzfe come in? and why's it so much better than the 3vze

 

If you want performance out of the 3vze, you better have deep pockets.

Headers and full exhaust will run you around $1,200 and might net you 2-4hp.
Cams are a must if you are doing exhaust work.
O/s valves will improve power when coupled with cams, intake and exhaust work.


I would throw an exhaust on there and gear the diffs down for power.

 

5VZ-FE has .4 liters more displacement, it's a DOHC, meaning instead of 2 valves per cylinder it has 4 which equates to all around more efficient engine. Also the 5VZ-FE has forged internals, crankshaft and connecting rods. It also has much fewer bullshit lines, i.e. vacuum lines unlike our 3VZ-E's.

Personally I wanted the 5VZ-FE, but I've found the Chevy 4.3 Vortec is just a little more work for much more power, cheaper and less problems will be encountered when wiring. Some people have tons of problems with the 3.4 (wiring that is). I've known one that went so far as to go 4.3 after having done the 3.4 swap.

But for shits and giggles, remove the intake resonators, I've found that gives me more air at the upper RPM ranges (evidence; can now pop flames from 2-3 and 3-4 shift whereas before it rarely happened on the 1-2 shift).

 

someones talkin bout "fillsrunner" damn that thing is well built.

 

It's got much more power while still maintaining decent MPG's. It also has no real common problems. Also with the option of simple bolt-on superchargers (I've heard you do have to upgrade the fuel supply, though). Some stock engines could produce around 450hp or more with forced induction.
They came in tundra's, tacoma's. t100's, '96+ 4runner's, prado's, and granvia's, I believe

 

The 3vze and 5v share virtually the same bottom end.

I would throw a 5vzfe in there, down the road if you want an extra 50+hp slap on a supercharger and 7th injector and you will be blasting down the hwy!

But realistically the 5v swap is only good for guys who can do most if not all of the work themselves. IF you can't it becomes not very cost effective.

Best route would be to find a totaled tacoma or 4runner and then you can part it out at the same time, sell your 3vze etc. etc.

 

whats so complicated with the swap??

 

You have to figure out your own wiring harness, swap a few parts from the 3.0 over to the 3.4. Get a hose made for the power steering pump to the box, get either a custom crossover made (3.4 is passenger side drop) or headers.

Check yotatech.com they have a forum dedicated to the 3.4L swap.

 

The easiest & cheapest (free) way of getting power is by advancing your timing as much as you can without having any knock. stock is 10 DBTDC, I have mine at 12 DBTDC & it doesn't know at all, you could probally get away with 14 but just listen for any pinging/knocking. The headers are going to set you back a lot & I wouldn't mess with them for the money. The 3VZE was not meant to be a race engine. Mine gets me to & from work every day though & hasn't let me down yet!

I guess either leave it as what it is or save up the cash for an engine swap or get another truck that's already fast to start with!

 

4.3 vortec is the way to go

 

Tune up is the way to go for more power. Most young owners here who dream of swaps do not even have the skills or the money to tune up the motor (adjust valves, set plug gaps, set timing, clean throttle plate, change oxygen sensor, air filter, etc).

 

Tuning up an engine that at it's youngest was pretty weak to begin with is like putting a bandaid on a gushing wound.

Which young owners can't do these things?

 

Very good at dodging questions with random "facts". You sound like a politician to me.

 

I agree to a point. not all young owners(im young) decide they are gonna swap in a new v8. most of the people i think he is meaning to say are the guys on here for a week saying "Q.my 22re/3vze is gutless how can i get more power? A. without huge money you cant, do a tune up with stuff from the factory Q well i called the dealership today and they want $150 for a tune up kit, why would i spend $150 on a tune up kit when i could buy a chevy 454 big block off craigslist for $200 out of a wicked old chevy with god knows how many miles and its carbureted, sheash you guys are idiots with your stock motors and regeared differentials im gonna put a big block chevy in, that will bolt right up to my tranny and everything right? A. the bellhousing is not the only worry you have look at advance adapters plus you need to run this this and that. Response...there is no response, after 3 days of ridiculous questions from a person owning an unmodified truck he signs off toyotanation never to return, if you question me type in engine swap in the search bar id bet theres tons of questions and very few of us on here have anything besides a 22r/22re or 3vze. my .02

 

i love my 22re..has plenty of power for what it is..if i was to do a swap i think the vortec is the way to go..tpaine let my know when u get that 454 installed...hehe

 

I think but am not sure that the 22R-E tranny is easier to bolt a 5M or 7M-GTE too, as easy as a 4.3 to the 3VZ-E tranny.

And tpaine point taken.

 

haha no thanks if i were to go all out on my truck id either put a chevy 5.3 in it or a modern toyota v6 supercharged to stick with the toyota in toyota idea which i like. this of course is after college when i have some money and a place to work and another vehicle.

 

pretty much whatever the common 3.4 swap is in 4-5 years. i got a lot to do before i worry about an engine swap

 

Given the head gasket weakness of the motor, due mostly to heat problems and a bad design, trying to wring more HP out of it is risky. The best thing to do is headers and exhaust. That eliminates the problematic exhaust crossover that so often causes head gasket failure on cyl 6, plus it will give a very noticeable boost in power.

Doug Thorley headers (the ceramic are best) are very good, and LC Engineering are probably a little better (but more $$). A Magnaflow cat is cheap, flows and performs well, and will be a big help if your cat is original. Finish up with a 2.25" cat-back exhaust with a good flowing muffler. The best I know of are Borla - I have one and it's a great piece of equipment. Cheap for its quality (stainless steel). Do all that and the timing advance turborich advised and you'll see probably about 20 HP (rough estimate). I saw a very noticeable boost in power just from a 2.25" Borla cat-back, even without the headers. See this thread:
http://www.yotatech.com/f116/3vze-complete-exhaust-192629/

There is not much to gain on the intake side - best you could do is an ISR - search for that term on yotatech. You won't see any noticeable change in HP from it, tho.

Valve and cam mods would give more power but are very expensive and the money would be MUCH better spent on a 3.4 swap as mentioned.

Keep your ignition all Denso stock. Those Japanese engineers really got that part of the engine right. All you can do with ignition mods is screw it up.

 

A couple weeks ago I was doing some Googling on the 3.4 swap (again) and I found this site. They were pretty good about showing/telling step by step what you'll need, and how you'll need to do it. My conclusion from the read: you almost need a complete donor vehicle....$$$

http://www.offroadsolutions.com/34conversion_manual.html#full_kit_list

(These people are no longer in business, but left their site up for tech info.)

 

My perspective on this is different than most. Since I'm a mechanic and understand the workings of an engine, I see potential in almost all engines. In order to get real performance out of the 3VZ you will need to do some serious work. But a lot of it doesn't need to be very expensive, if you do it yourself.

First you need to do some real research, (may involve reading:yikes. This is to gain some understanding of engine performance. Cylinder head porting, camshafts, Intake Manifold modification, Exhaust.

Learn what really makes power!

Get involved!

I see so many threads about "what kind of intake should I buy" People just don't get it. Look at what the original hot rodders used to do. They didn't have Summit Racing or JEGS so they had to do it themselves.

 

Why do research when you can just ask somebody to do it for you?:lol::ugh3: