90-4runnerv6

Hi All,

I just recently purchased a 1990 4Runner with 188,053 miles. I got it knowing that it did not have the V06 (head gasket) and N50 (sterring replay rod) recalls done on it.

I took it to my local Toyota dealership and after six days in the shop, they diagnosed the head gasket problem as damaging cylinders 2 and 4 (scoring on the walls). They both had 50 lbs less than the other cylinders when they did a compression test. I'll find out tomorrow if they can machine and otherwise repair the damage or if a replacement engine is needed.

The service manager advised me that while the engine is taken apart, other worn items should be replaced. He did not give me a detailed list, but the total came to $1610 for parts as labor would not be charged. A couple of major items were the oil pump, water pump, and distributor. He also mentioned many hoses and belts, spark plugs, and rotor that he would advise me to replace while the labor is free. I am probably going to do it, but $1610 is only a little less than what I got the 4Runner for.

The service manager also advised me that the rear CV boots were cracked and needed replacement for a cost of $640. Also, the front brake rotors were warped and would cost $450 to replace both. These prices seem high to me. Advice?

Thanks and I look forward to this forum.

Johnny

just a 22re

wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wo
all there trying to do is get the cost of the rebuild out of you!!

rear cv's? 90 runners dont have them 450 bucks for front rotors? ill do em for you for only 100 and thats parts too heck ill throw in a set of pads to

and if there going to do a rebuild or a replacement then a yeah all the stuff that there trying to get you to pay for is in the cost of a real rebuild my friend dont do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ozziesironmanoffroad

yeah that is bullpoO!! you tell them you aint payin anything, since the HG caused the problems. and that in turn was caused by toyota, hence the recall.

abecedarian

yep... sort of... there are no CV boots on the rear of your truck.
Maybes it was a slip of the tongue and they should've said 'outer' instead of rear. But that's a question of semantics. If they can point at it and show the problem, then... hmmmm.
And if they are asking for money but cannot give you a detailed listing of the parts and labor associated, get a copy of what they are 'proposing' and go straight to the 'better business bureau' and 'bureau of automotive repair' as well as the county and state district attorneys and any consumer advocate groups you can find.

90-4runnerv6

So, the oil pump, distributor, water pump, etc need to be replaced with new parts as part of the recall? He said that they were not included in the recall.

I'll try to find out what he meant in terms of the CV boot. But he did specifically mention CV boots were bad and quoted $640 for them. I didn't know that the 1990 4Runner didn't have CV boots.

I also thought $450 for a front brake job was expensive. I did forget to mention that it is a 4wd but still $450 is pretty steep I think.

Please let me know what is actually part of the HG recall.

Thanks!

Duartizzle

I say you just let them fix the headgasket and everything that it blew. Don't pay a dime.

just a 22re

did it run when you had it or no????

if so what was the oil pruesser at when it did there you go and did it ever over heat?? well theres that one oh and wait it did run aye? well theres that new dis that you need cause with out it it would for sure run lol

DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

$450 for a complete brake job WITH new rotors on that truck really isn't too bad. Keep in mind guys, you have to completely disassemble the front spindle to replace a rotor.

$1600.....i would get a detailed list of everything they want to replace, then call up Phil at Toyota of Dallas

just a 22re

thats true i forgot about the cone washers i hate them things!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

the cone washers is the easy part, but getting alll the bearings off and removing the hub off the spindle can be a pain, especially if you dont have all the tools OR the FSM to get it back together right

just a 22re

lol for me thats the easy part

Jay351

Its true, I remember when I did the wheel bearings on my truck. It wasnt fun....

just a 22re

you guys are talking about the ones that are in the hub the ride on the spindle right? if so there really easy just make sure you have the inners and the outers right

90-4runnerv6

Thanks for all the responses! You guys are great.

So $450 for a brake job isn't too outlandish?

As far as the $1610 for the replacing of parts, the service manager did say he would provide me a detailed list. It's just I haven't gotten it yet.

The last thing that does concern me is the CV boots. If a 1990 4Runner doesn't have CV boots, what could he mean? Especially something that costs $640? Again he said the rear CV boots were torn and cracked.

just a 22RE: the oil pressure was low when I took my 4Runner in. In fact, either the gauge is busted or I had such low oil pressure that it didn't register on the oil gauge. I'm leaning towards the oil gauge not working properly because when I checked the dipstick it did show the correct level of oil.

Thanks again!

cadman

He is correct. Those parts are not part of the head gasket campaign. However, parts that are damaged due to the head gasket leak are covered, but the parts you mentioned are not likely to be affected by it. Sounds more like he is recommending they be replaced because of wear.

Jay351

These trucks are known to have bad oil pressure guages. Mine rides at 0psi 80% of the time.. Has been since i got the truck a few years ago.

Just to clear things up, you DO have cv joints (2 boots per joint) but they are on the front end. Since you have IFS you need the cv joints to transfer the power from the diff to the wheels.
You do NOT have rear cv joints, you have a solid axle in the back...
Take a peek under the front end, you will see.

scope103

If I was replacing a headgasket at 188k miles, I would seriously consider replacing everything "on the way," like the water pump, distributor, etc. Absolutely the plugs, belts, etc. These weren't caused by the headgasket, they're just old. And you're going get them done with "free" labor (free in quotes because you'll be paying dealer markup on parts, but lots of us do that without much gripe. You'll still be saving a boatload over having the dealer replace them one at a time.)

Yes, you have 4 CV boots (left and right, inner and outer) on your front axle. (None in the rear.) Those parts aren't "on the way" to a headgasket job, but you should definitely replace them soon, or you'll trash the CV joints. And while you're doing that, if you have warped rotors they should be done at the same time.

So this all sounds legit, and mostly a good deal. You can replace the CV boots and the rotors yourself (you can do ALL this work yourself, but it makes no sense to if Toyota is paying the labor for some of the items). But given that this is a time consuming, greasy job (albeit fun for some of us), you just have to ask what your time is worth.

SEAIRESCUE

Dealer is fishing to see if you will agree to other work, IN THEIR OPINION, while its in the shop. I would suggest the heads be sent to a auto machine shop for valve resurfacing while the heads are off. That should not exceed $300. The 3.0 is hard on valves. I would also inquire about having the injectors cleaned by Dr. Injector or some other independent shop. Finally, I would pay to replace the water pump, thermostat, idler pulleys and timing belt plus the oil pump input seal. Correctly done, you will have a good running motor for little cost.

My $0.02

just a 22re

ok i didnt see about the miles and it makes a lil bit more sence now yeah the oil pump maybe but not really a high point right now as for the water pump ill just do that when it goes very easy right up front and cheap i did one on the freeway once and the dizzy wow the only way they really go out is if they brake or they broke it on the way out lol they take a lot not hard to fix junk yard style!!!

the pump is only about a 100 buck part but yeah since its all apart i guess as for the boots yeah upfront not in the rear unless you got some very rare type of truck that nobody in the world has ever seen

90-4runnerv6

Well, I got a detailed list of what would be replaced. It's mostly hoses but they are charging anywhere from $20 to $30 for each one. There must be 10 hoses they are recommending to replace. All in all I got them down to $2025 for the CV boots (quoted me that it's a 6 hour job), front brakes (rotors and pads), and all the replacing of worn parts (including timing belt and tensioners/pulleys, oil pump, fan shroud [broken], water pump, spark plugs, distributor, rotor, etc).

As far as the actual headgasket, I still haven't received word if I'm getting a new small block or if they can repair it. I'm personally hope for a new one.

I figure with all the work done it should practically be a new truck at least engine wise.