The 3RZ-FE engine is probably the most overlooked powerplant ever fitted to a HiLux. In other news that makes no sense: the HiLux with the best engine is probably the most overlooked on the second-hand market. Well, it was anyway. These days, people are starting to catch on.
Unpopular opinion: HiLux diesels have never been that good. The 3.0L D4D probably came the closest to being halfway decent. However, other makes and models largely eclipsed it.
Don’t believe me? Go for a drive in one, then hop into a Ranger 3.2L, or an Amarok V6, or an Isuzu 4J and let me know the results. The HiLux is really nothing special in comparison. I say that as a die-hard Toyota dork.
If we’re being honest, the mighty Lux has never really been known for great engines. They’re reliable, sure, some are even fuel-efficient. Almost none of them would ever really put a smile on your face when you mash the loud pedal. Toyota built them to work, not excite – not that there’s anything wrong with that.
For years, fans begged Toyota to put decent powerplants behind the HiLux badge. They had plenty of options to make them something special – 1UZ-FE, 1JZ, 2JZ, any of the 1HD line, the 4.5L V8 from the Cruiser… Toyota had reasons (coughbecausethey’resoftcough) but nothing really good made it into the Luxy line-up.
However, there was a period that offered the HiLux tribe a glimmer of hope. From 1997 to 2004 Toyota offered an absolute pearler. We’re talking about the 3RZ-FE 2.7L 4-cylinder petrol engine. A true masterpiece of automotive pornography. An engine that could relatively easily be tweaked for big numbers with excellent reliability. A tough four-banger that’d hand a lot of the sixes and eights found in other utes of the time a spanking.
Yet somehow, the 3RZ-FE is still commonly overlooked by diesel-loving Australians, though that’s changing rapidly. This used to be really a shame. With a few mods these transform a humdrum HiLux into an absolute ball-tearer. They guarantee to put a smile on even the meanest of mugs. The market’s catching up though, so if you want one, you better move fast.
Toyota really had no business putting an engine this sexy in the Luxies. They basically dressed it in a full-length kaftan, slapped some coke-bottle glasses on its face and made it wear a Mr T wig. Understandably, it took a little while for folks to realise just how beautiful this thing was.
It displaced 2.7L, which is huge for a 4-cylinder. This meant that power was going to be decent and torque adequate (108kW & 235NM in this guise). The real diamonds in the rough, however, are found in the very design and construction of the internals.
A cast iron block offered a bunch of strength. An aluminium head oversaw the running of the show with double overhead cams, multi-point injection, four valves per cylinder and a healthy 9.5:1 compression ratio. None of which is exactly revolutionary, but Toyota were just getting started.
The main problem with running an inline four is vibration. Essentially, you have two pistons travelling up as the two opposing pistons travel down through the natural combustion cycle. This causes a lot of vibration. Toyota mitigated this in the 3RZ-FE through the application of counter-rotating, gear-driven balance shafts. These rotated at twice the speed of the crankshaft. Without getting into boring physics, this made the engine exceptionally smooth and well-balanced throughout the rev range.
The crankshaft itself is a fully forged (aka strong as buggery) and balanced unit. It runs eight counterweights and has extra tough points in the form of hardened bearing journals and pins. These things will outlive the nuclear holocaust.
While the engine is computer controlled, there are actually relatively few sensors and electrickery onboard. This is especially true compared to modern examples, making it both easy to tune and exceptionally reliable. Toyota did incorporate Electronic Spark Advance so that the ignition timing is set by the ECM. This has proven to be a reliable (and tweakable) system, so we’ll let it slide.
What does all this amount to? A strong, under-stressed and torquey four-cylinder that was good for half-a-million clicks (with regular maintenance, naturally). It’s essentially a four-cylinder version of the bulletproof 1FZ-FE 4.5L six found in the Land Cruisers of the time. Also, it meant that it was absolutely begging for more horsepower modifications, but we’ll get to that in a sec.
The main problem with the 3RZ is that Toyota tasked it with moving a hefty HiLux around at speeds north of 100km/h. The HiLux has the aerodynamics of a shipping container. Consequently, people deemed them as thirsty – which they were – but it was hardly their fault.
Toyota designed the intake runners as extra-long with two per cylinder for increased torque production. Even so, compared to larger capacity and turbo-charged diesels, they were running a losing race.
Still, by and large these are still one of the most reliable engines Toyota has ever made. Toyota has made a lot of reliable engines, so it’s saying something. Most problems usually arise from lack of maintenance or using sub-standard aftermarket parts.
You should replace the timing chain every 150,000km or so, along with the guides and tensioners. Check it every service for excessive wear. This isn’t an exclusive problem with the 3RZs – any vehicle with a timing chain will have them expand to the point they jump gears and cause issues if left unattended for long enough. Many folks simply don’t change them, so it warrants a mention.
Water pumps can also give up without prior warning if they’re worn out. They do have weep holes for coolant and oil. If either fluid is coming out it’s past time to swap it out, or just change it out every 150,000km and save yourself the headache.
Serpentine belts are also known for squeaking. Yep, you guessed it, it’s not an inherent fault with the engine. It’s because it’s worn and needs changing (duh).
The last big one is the valvetrain. Surprise surprise, it’s usually damage caused by lack of maintenance (gasp!). Every third service, it pays to check the valves and adjust if necessary. Basically, valve lash decreases over time which allows the exhaust valves to not close fully. This leads to blow-by which gets into the combustion chamber and next stop: burnt-valve-town. So yeah, check and adjust your valves.
The fact that the 3RZ produced so little power and torque from their hugely overengineered internals was actually a great thing. It means they’re capable of so much more than most people will ever ask from them.
They respond well to all of the usual suspects when it comes to power-ups. A free-flowing air intake is generally a cheap and easy addition. Follow this with a larger exhaust to get things huffing along. Neither will get that much more power to the ground, but they’ll set you up nicely for further mods.
Cams can net gains right across the rev range and add a little fuel economy back into the mix too. The same goes for a more aggressive tune via an ECU re-write, piggyback unit or complete aftermarket ECU set-up. You can achieve further gains via some head porting. Although this one is difficult to do at home and is probably best left to the experts.
From there, it’s forced induction time baby. These engines absolutely love a bit of positive pressure through the intake. Everything from some mild boost to blow-the-lid-off-the-bomb-shelter levels of tomfoolery are achievable. Supercharging or turbocharging – it doesn’t matter, 3RZs are built to be boosted. In fact, Toyota offered the engine with an optional supercharger through their TRD models – you know, back when a TRD badge meant something.
This is a well-worn path too. There are hundreds, if not thousands of these donks with a snail hanging off the side. Kits are available online offering all levels of power from “I just need a bit more to get up that dune” to “Holy hell, I need to update my will!”
If you’re sensible (we’re not) and can drive like an adult (we can’t) and build your turbo system within reasonable limits (we wouldn’t) you’ll actually see a net gain in economy too (we shan’t).
Right, time for some harsh truths about what these things cost in 2025. If you’re thinking you can pick up a decent 3RZ HiLux for ten grand like the good old days, think again mate. Those days are properly gone.
A clean 1998-2004 3RZ HiLux will now set you back anywhere from $18K to $30K. This depends on condition, mileage, and how many previous owners have molested it. The market’s gone absolutely mental. This is partly because people have finally cottoned on to how good these engines are, and partly because everything with wheels has skyrocketed in price.
The new HiLux range now starts at $27K and goes all the way to $75K for a loaded GR Sport. Yeah, you read that right. Seventy-five grand for a HiLux. So suddenly a $25K 3RZ doesn’t look so bad, especially when you consider what you can do to it.
Aftermarket support is still there, but prices have climbed faster than a cat up a curtain. Here’s what you’re looking at in 2025:
Quality Garrett G35 turbo kit from GCG Turbochargers $4,000-5,000
Haltech Elite ECU: $2,500-4,500
Front mount intercooler: $1,500-2,000
BOV: $400-500
Wideband O2 sensor: $350-450
Upgraded pump and injectors: $1,500-2,000
So yeah, we’re talking $10K-14K just for the engine mods, before you even think about suspension, tyres, or any other 4X4 upgrades. It’s not the budget build it once was.
Here’s the thing though – even at today’s prices, a built 3RZ HiLux is still bloody good value. You’ll have $35K-45K all up in a reliable, fast, practical ute that’ll handle anything you throw at it. Try getting that performance and capability from anything else new and you’ll be laughing all the way to bankruptcy.
Plus, you’ve got something unique. While every second tradie is driving around in a stock diesel HiLux or Ranger, you’ve got a weapon. It sounds like a WRX, goes like a cut snake, and still hauls your trailer without breaking a sweat.
The other bonus? Parts are still readily available. New 3RZ engines can still be bought for around $6,350 if yours eventually gives up the ghost. Though with proper maintenance, that shouldn’t happen for decades. Good luck finding replacement engines for some of the more exotic performance utes out there.
Look, I’m not going to lie to you – the days of the bargain 3RZ build are behind us. The market’s caught up, prices have gone through the roof. What used to be a cheap thrill is now a decent financial commitment.
But if you want something genuinely special, something that’ll put a proper smile on your face every time you fire it up, and something that’ll still be running strong when the apocalypse comes, a built 3RZ HiLux is still hard to beat. You’ll just need deeper pockets than you used to.
The 3RZ-FE remains one of the best four-cylinder engines Toyota ever made. It’s just not the secret it used to be. Honestly? That’s probably a good thing. These engines deserve the recognition they’re finally getting, even if it means paying more for the privilege of owning one.
Now excuse us while we go cry into our coffee about the good old days when you could build a monster for peanuts. Kids these days don’t know how good they had it… wait, that’s us. We’re the kids. Bugger.
