Toyota 3VZ-E engine

This page is a draft. It has not been approved yet, so read it with care.

Watch out for

Reputation: what owners and the press report. Tap one to see what to check.

Head gasket failure Every version

What to check: Look for milky oil under the filler cap and for white exhaust smoke, and ask whether the head gaskets were replaced and by whom.

Toyota ran a head gasket special service campaign, V06, for Pickups, 4Runners and T100s with this engine built from January 1990 to October 1994. Toyota said the failure was mostly limited to that production period, and the campaign ended on 24 September 2018.

Sources ^1,2
Twisted crank key Every version One source so far

What to check: Ask whether the crank key and the front seal were checked at the last timing belt job.

MOTOR reports 3.0 engines with a twisted crank key and a crank sprocket turned several degrees out of place, and says to check for a damaged key and a seeping front seal.

Sources ³