superchiem's Toyota RV 5vz Swap

[SafetyDang]

The one thing I helped with he took apart and redid. Just because of that stripped bolt on the bell housing. So much for putting in my to the build. I'll help drive it though

[Wainiha]

Superchiem, you and Safety do really nice write ups. I wish regular instruction manuals had pic's like yours. Chilton and Haynes should take a hint from you.

[superchiem]

That would be nice haha. Thanks for the complement....

[superchiem]

Here is the battery tray painted:





Basically the overflow tank had threads on the mounting bracket. I wanted to put bolts through the over flow tank bracket and battery holder to sandwich them together. So I drilled the overflow bracket threads. I then cut the battery holder and welded a piece of metal perpendicular to the battery holder, but parallel to the overflow mount. Drilled two holes and welded some nuts on the other end. That was harder to explain then the actual work.

[superchiem]

Its been a while, but started collecting pictures and things. Started wiring finally. Its getting interesting thats for sure

Here is the fuse box:



You first need to pull the 80 amp alternator fuse. There are 2 clips that you need to release on each side of the fuse. Then you just push down on the fuse itself. I forgot to mention you have to disassemble the bottom of the fuse box, which isn't difficult.





This is how the stock setup is. You have to replace that white cable with a larger cable and wire it toward the new battery location. I used a 8 gauge wire from an $30 amp kit from fry's electronics.



Unbolt the terminals.



I hacked off the crimping area for the white cable.



Bolted the new 8 gauge wire on.



Plugged the fuse back in.



I went around the front of the engine bay and to the battery. I zipped tied the new cable to the harness that was already in front of the radiator. Hopefully the excess heat doesn't cause to much resistance here. I'll possibly move it if it causes me problems.



Believe it or not have I had no idea where the original main ground was located. I found it on the 5vz block.



I'll take a better shot later.



Wiring is hard to photograph when you are in the zone. I'll try to keep it up, but I won't keep any promises. I'll get my brother to film on how to release terminals from connectors on safetydang tv.

Thanks for looking!

Navy

[Jtotheaceyota]

subscribed!

[TrailBlazin']

Hurry up and finish it! This build is sah-weet!

[mosk22rte]

Real nice write up, superchiem and SafetyDang. Great work, too -- I love your attention to detail.



Also looking forward to continuing installments

Jeff

[superchiem]

Thank you! I'm getting married so a lot of our projects are going on hold until end of april.

[1990dlx]

Dude, nice work, you are like a mad scientist!

[Sea.Jay]

i'm sure that motor will treat you nicely for a long time

looks great

[the_slug]

Thank you for the great documentation.
Will you have to cut the hood or try a body lift (not sure how that would work with the camper)?

[superchiem]

Thanks for all the comments. Sea Jay, I hope your motor roars to life soon.

Small update for things that had to be done.

My house is going to be swarming with relatives, so I am having some sleep in the RV. That means no dash or instrument panels sitting everywhere in the camper. So I put the dash back together and installed my T100 SR5 gauge cluster. I believe the 5vz oil pressure sensor may work with the this, but I'll do a voltage test and see if its the same.



I needed to get the RV off the jack stands, so that meant putting on torsion bars and the rest of the suspension components. I first needed to route the tranny wires and o2 sensor wires. One of the 02 connectors broke when I pulled the motor for the 3rd time.



I found the exact connector from the window washer pump.

Pulled out the lock.





Pulled out the terminals.



Do them one at a time.



Done!



So torsion time!



And shes back on the ground!



Don't worry guys April 21st is the wedding. Then we'll be back on the projects. Hopefully we can get the RV and Dang's 5-speed swap done this year

[superchiem]

Originally Posted by the_slug

Thank you for the great documentation.
Will you have to cut the hood or try a body lift (not sure how that would work with the camper)?

The hood barely clears, but I might throw some washers to have better clearance. Might also get a fiber glass hood w/ a very subtle cowl. This is a 3-3/4 rise. I would like about half of that.

[Sea.Jay]

LT, please. Throw some limit straps on a long clevis and when you make some decent drives, just tighten the clevis up so it's more stable, and waaalaaa I bet you that extra width would be appreciated

[superchiem]

Originally Posted by Sea.Jay

LT, please. Throw some limit straps on a long clevis and when you make some decent drives, just tighten the clevis up so it's more stable, and waaalaaa I bet you that extra width would be appreciated

That would be interesting.

Small update:

Looks like a change of plans for the fuse box. I am going to use the 4runners fuse box. I have to add a few relay and fuses if I want to use the older style.

Anybody know what the 8 wires to make the engine run, in order for me to turn the rv around?

Thank you,

Navy

[superchiem]

The swap just got more interesting!

[Wainiha]

For real? With long travel and the S/C you could race it. I wonder what kind of rear suspension you would need?

I'd love to some guys face as I passed him up hill it that! What a unique build!

[superchiem]

Originally Posted by Wainiha

For real? With long travel and the S/C you could race it. I wonder what kind of rear suspension you would need?

I'd love to some guys face as I passed him up hill it that! What a unique build!

Maybe not LT. Looks like that won't work. Thanks for the comment!

[superchiem]

The problem with the starter was I didn't have enough amps going to the newer 4runner's starter internal relay, which I thought would be the same as the pick up. The power source for the starter was from the 40 Amp fuse, which is connector C1 pin 10. This goes to connector ii1 pin 3 then goes to the neutral start sw. From there it comes out the connector ii1 at pin 1 and splices to the ecu and starter.

Pin 10 of connector C1 is a pretty fat cable. I don't want to put to many amps through the n/p switch, so I am going to have to add a relay to send more amps to the starter's internal relay, which is how the 02 4runner wiring diagram shows.

I wonder if my oil pump is done for the transmission. We might have to put another quart in there to see if it builds pressure. From what I am seeing the transmission doesn't need any electrical input to work. Oh well at least I got plenty of practice pulling the tranny.

[superchiem]

Hey guys,

Here is a picture of the engine bay in a running condition. I still need to wire up the trans and dash lights. I have the next two weeks off for the wedding and might use Tuesday to finish up some wiring. Any advice on getting the ecu to the stock location?



I am going to Pick Your Part on Tuesday and getting the relay junction box that attaches to the fuse box. They usually come off 4runners with a/c condesnor fans (I think). This way I'll have a relay for the starter. Also going to pick up fuse terminals for the 15 amps I need for my ETCS.

[RickerRicker19]

Looks really good man!

[the_slug]

I don't have any advise to give, just TWO THUMBS UP! Dude, you are doing great. I really enjoy the write up and updates.

I want to tackle this project on mine. I just need the money, lol.

Thanks again for your write up. Hat's off to you.

[superchiem]

Originally Posted by RickerRicker19

Looks really good man!

Originally Posted by the_slug

I don't have any advise to give, just TWO THUMBS UP! Dude, you are doing great. I really enjoy the write up and updates.

I want to tackle this project on mine. I just need the money, lol.

Thanks again for your write up. Hat's off to you.

Thank you guys! Wedding and school stuff is cutting in to the swap time. Might have to wait till May to get her finished.

Thank you for looking,

Navy

[89s rule]

Looks really good. We are considering a Toyota Motorhome and I wondered if anyone had done a 5vz swap into one. I would be really curious to hear how the extra power helps and what your MPG is.

We are 100% Toyota and have been except for a few classic cars for over 10 years. Started looking at RV 's and couldnt believe the MPG diff in the Toyota ones vs a domestic van based RV. Grated its a 4 or 6 cyl vs a 8cyl, but still, on a 3K+ mile trip 5 mpg can make a large difference. The only other idea I had was to get a LSx swap into a domestic based RV, we are looking at older Class C's mainly for costs reasons. Engine swap if a future, possibly pipe dream.

Anything or model I should avoid, Toyota specifically? Or domestic for that matter as well. I know the 3vz had issues with headgaskets and thats why I avoided it when I bought my '89 pickup 2 years ago. My one complaint abotu the 22re was that it seemed to have limited power in a '89 ext cab with 32s, I wasnt sure how the weight of a motorhome woudl affect its power, etc.

Looking fwd to more builds and hope that you have a great wedding this weekend.

[superchiem]

Originally Posted by 89s rule

Looks really good. We are considering a Toyota Motorhome and I wondered if anyone had done a 5vz swap into one. I would be really curious to hear how the extra power helps and what your MPG is.

We are 100% Toyota and have been except for a few classic cars for over 10 years. Started looking at RV 's and couldnt believe the MPG diff in the Toyota ones vs a domestic van based RV. Grated its a 4 or 6 cyl vs a 8cyl, but still, on a 3K+ mile trip 5 mpg can make a large difference. The only other idea I had was to get a LSx swap into a domestic based RV, we are looking at older Class C's mainly for costs reasons. Engine swap if a future, possibly pipe dream.

Anything or model I should avoid, Toyota specifically? Or domestic for that matter as well. I know the 3vz had issues with headgaskets and thats why I avoided it when I bought my '89 pickup 2 years ago. My one complaint abotu the 22re was that it seemed to have limited power in a '89 ext cab with 32s, I wasnt sure how the weight of a motorhome woudl affect its power, etc.

Looking fwd to more builds and hope that you have a great wedding this weekend.

My advice is don't settle for the first Toyota RV you look at. You are basically buying a truck and a camper at the same time. You need to check the function of both. Before you go look at a one. Ask the owner if they can get everything ready for you, Ex: Shower, water heater, bathroom, a/c, and fridge. Some of these take a couple of hours to warm up, or cool down. I was extremely fortunate because I didn't look at the working condition of the camper, but more the truck part of it Ex: Motor, transmission, and etc...

The 22r is a great little motor, but only mated to a 5 speed. The auto is garbage with the 22r. The 22r has a great after market support, so you can get a little more hp out of it. It also has tons of space to work on, which I love the most about it. The 22r can always be traded with a efi version or even a turbo version, the 22rte.

Wel, I initially liked the 3vz at first even though everybody said it was one of the worse motors toyota's ever made. It fired right up and got me as far as the Grand Canyon and back. The problem came when I wanted more power. There was very little aftermarket support and on top of the that there was very little space to work with. I have never been so upset on working on car before, but this one takes the cake .

The 5vz swap became an idea on our second trip to the Grand Canyon because of some ticking valve sound it made. It was either tear into a badly designed motor or put in a newer simpler one. My obvious choice was the 5vz, which I don't regret at all now that its running. There was a huge down time with my swap just because I was doing everything myself. That meant no rv trips. So ultimately you are taking away time you could be spending with your family, which I found is one of the cons of the swap, but now I have an rv that can take me anywhere with my family .

Thank you for looking,

Navy

[superchiem]

The new starter plan.



The relay box I was going to use.



Wired it to the green relay.



Found out that when the coil had voltage it open the circuit. So I moved the terminals to the black relay, which is the correct style.

The new splice goes to the 30 amp fuse, which then goes to the relay.





Finished!



I still need to get the 15 amps to the ETCS, which I can probably knock out before class tomorrow. The RV is now moving! The tranny fluid was just low. Therefore no pressure. Its all coming together now.

[89s rule]

Originally Posted by superchiem

My advice is don't settle for the first Toyota RV you look at. You are basically buying a truck and a camper at the same time. You need to check the function of both. Before you go look at a one. Ask the owner if they can get everything ready for you, Ex: Shower, water heater, bathroom, a/c, and fridge. Some of these take a couple of hours to warm up, or cool down. I was extremely fortunate because I didn't look at the working condition of the camper, but more the truck part of it Ex: Motor, transmission, and etc...

The 22r is a great little motor, but only mated to a 5 speed. The auto is garbage with the 22r. The 22r has a great after market support, so you can get a little more hp out of it. It also has tons of space to work on, which I love the most about it. The 22r can always be traded with a efi version or even a turbo version, the 22rte.

Wel, I initially liked the 3vz at first even though everybody said it was one of the worse motors toyota's ever made. It fired right up and got me as far as the Grand Canyon and back. The problem came when I wanted more power. There was very little aftermarket support and on top of the that there was very little space to work with. I have never been so upset on working on car before, but this one takes the cake .

The 5vz swap became an idea on our second trip to the Grand Canyon because of some ticking valve sound it made. It was either tear into a badly designed motor or put in a newer simpler one. My obvious choice was the 5vz, which I don't regret at all now that its running. There was a huge down time with my swap just because I was doing everything myself. That meant no rv trips. So ultimately you are taking away time you could be spending with your family, which I found is one of the cons of the swap, but now I have an rv that can take me anywhere with my family .

Thank you for looking,

Navy

Thanks for the quick reply. I know about the 22re as that is what was in my pickup I sold the end of last year. Was a great truck, just had no power once I put 32's on it, I had Marlin HD clutch and a 5 spd. I just cannot imagine how slow (possibly dangerously slow?) a large Dolphin or similar would be with a 22re. I think I would go with a 3rz swap before I put a turbo on a 22re. In all honesty my 22re probably needed a rebuild, I would get about 16 -18 mpg with 4.10s and 32s, with no load. Before the 32s I could get over 20 unless all city.

I am trying to figure out MPG vs space and ability to take a week or two trip with the family. We have a 4 kids (7.5, 6, 3.75, and 2) so they are small enough that we can make things work with sleeping, but definately need seating capacity when driving etc. I have not gone to test drive any yet, but hope to in the next few weeks.

What kind of MPG did you get with the 3vz? Most with the 22re are saying 12-16 in the full sized Dolphin style. I would think more might be possible in a Chinook or Mirage style?

Will I be at GVW with 6 people and luggage in a toyota based RV?
Would I be better off in domestic based rv that is setup to sleep 6? (from what I see MPG is 8-10?) I have looked at some Class B and popup vans as well, but not sure enough living space and traveling seats can be had together. The popups really seem like a good option if you are truly camping, not RVing.

My wife and I are planning a trip to WA from South Carolina for just the two of us this summer and are leaning strongly toward getting an RV as costs vs hotels, flying, missing 1/2 the country etc. We are celebrating our 10 yr anniv. and did a road trip to the Grand Canyon for our honeymoon. So we are hoping to see more of the country this time around since we havent dont much with just the 2 of us in the last 8 yrs.

In all honesty if it was just my wife and I and we did not have kids I would get a Chinook or Mirage and do a 4wd conversion and 31's and be done with it. But with kids I am just not so sure that one of smaller RVs (popup/under 21') will work for us. After this trip we will probably use the RV every other month for a weekend trip and then at least a week or so each summer with other trips mixed in as work, etc allows.

Am I being unrealistic with my ideas/goals? I figured you might be a good judge since your on a Yota site and have been over to GC a few times in an RV.

[superchiem]

Originally Posted by 89s rule

Am I being unrealistic with my ideas/goals? I figured you might be a good judge since your on a Yota site and have been over to GC a few times in an RV.

The problem with the rv is it is only 1 ton rated. Although you can get the rear dually axle up to 2 tons. For our grand canyon trip we were averaging 13 mpg with the 3vz. On hills we were bogging down to 45 mph. This is with 4 people and tons of stuff. If you pack light I believe you can make it with 6 people. The key is to get all the weight off the rear axles.

You should check out this site.


http://www.toyotamotorhome.org/

[1990dlx]

Really enjoyed this thread, even though what you are doing is well above my knowledge base.