lectric80

Ok, since I blew the engine in my truck, and we were already planning to do it, I'm looking over the next couple weeks at buying a Runner. I would much prefer to buy a 1st gen, but the prices and rust issues the majority around here have make me lean towards the 2nd gen. My experiences with Toys have all been 22r based engines, so all the older style vehicles. I have never owned a Toy with ADD or the 3.0, so I'm not 100% on the bad things to watch for.

I know the 3.0 needs timing belt every 50k, and that it tends to have head gasket issues. I know they aren't the most powerful engine, but I also know of plenty making 300k with proper maintenance.

Every truck I'm looking at is 5 speed, and most are SR5's or Limited's, I'm not even considering any with auto. So, what are the problem areas with these vehicles? Most common leak points on engines, rear end, front end, trans and transfer case? Interior issues or electrical issues that are common? Are there certain years that are more reliable, or had changes that improved the vehicle? Issues with water leaks, especially around the sunroof and any repairs available? Can the 4wd be engaged on the fly, say when I'm going down the freeway? <---This is important since my 90 I could simply lock in the hubs and engage 4 high on the fly as needed. My commute tends to be through icy, snow packed roads as the plows run the other way for the majority of the traffic.

I want to look at these with as much knowledge of what to watch out for as I can possibly get. I'm trying to stay in the $2-2500 range, so I know I'm not going to get the absolute nicest, but they should still be decent vehicles in this price range.

batmanurd

I recently bought a 93 4runner 233000 miles. it has blown its head gasket twice but it had a fresh engine rebuild and actualy has decent power for a 3.0. I haven't had any leaks from the sunroof even with it cracked from hail. I did have issues with the rear window/tailgate and some switches but most where fixed just by taking things apart and cleaning them. Mine has auto hubs as many do so you can engage on the fly but I plan on replacing with manual for strength and possibly better mpg and less wear. I don't have any major leaks. I've had a 1st and 2nd gen and have loved them both, even with their problems, bad mpg and lack of power.

lectric80

Thanks for the reply.

Power is not a huge concern, all the Toys I have had, had enough power to do anything I wanted to do with them. Plus, this will be my daily driver for a 70 mile a day commute and a backup for my Durango. It will see some offroad, but it will be fairly light.

Which switches tended to have issues? I will check out the rear window as well, although I don't plan to load a lot into this thing. It will make it nice when my wife has to work and I want to take the kids camping, up until this I have had to use my truck and have one kid ride with someone else because my truck only seats 3.

toyota4x4907

Keep an eye out for a 22RE powered 2nd gen. They are out there.
The service interval for the 3vze's timing belt is 90k not 50k miles. Most people seem to go 100k+ though. 2nd gens with manual trans can have problems with the clutch pedal bracket cracking and causing engagement issues.
Just keep the cooling system is tip-top shape and you shouldn't have issues with the head gaskets. The front main and rear mail oil seals seem to like to leak on both engines with higher miles. The ADD system can have issues with the vacuum lines and the actuator of the differential itself. I've seen and heard of a lot of small leaks coming from either of the feont and rear output seals on the trans. By small I mean like a drop of fluid seeping out and not even falling off.

lectric80

Good to know on the clutch pedal bracket, I saw a thread on that and will take a closer look so I know exactly where to look. None of the ones I'm seeing for sale currently have the 22re, but I will watch for one as I have had great luck with that engine (3 that made well over 300k before youthful stupidity took them out).

Thanks for the other things to check, like I said every bit of knowledge will help me ensure I get the most for my money.

Swimmerboy2112

iTrader: (2)

I'd watch for rust as my #1 concern.

Here it seems the second gens rust easier than the first gens.

Other than that, look for your typical valve cover leaks, and make sure the coolant is nice and clear, NOT oily!

99SR5

iTrader: (1)

yeah depending on where you are they all like to rust above the rear wheels especially if they have the chrome strip around the wheel wells. as well as behind the plastic cover under the passenger doors

lectric80

Yeah, I see a lot of them showing signs of rust in those areas. I'm trying to watch for those that are still early enough in the rusting that I can treat it before it rots through, or have no signs yet. They use a lot of salt here, something about a big body of salt water nearby, so any that have lived here are going to show at least some rust. I'm just watching for the best I can.


Thanks for the replies.

Terrys87

iTrader: (1)

One big advantage over the first gens, is how well the interiors are and how well they hold up. I think you are going to be pleasantly surprised at how most are in great condition, unless someone just totally trashed it out.

lectric80

Ok, so opinions from every one:

I'm looking later today at a 90 Runner that has had a 3.4 swapped in, supposedly by one of the dealers here in town, and approximately 40k on the engine. He says it needs a mass airflow and an alternator, but those are things I can deal with. I have the money coming in, and I know the 3.4 is a better overall engine power wise, but is this thing worth spending the coin on, or are there any major caveats to the swap that I need to be concerned with?

He is only asking $2k for it, and I know it has some higher end aftermarket wheels that I will likely sell, but it has no lift and doesn't appear to be too bad on rust, but does have some around the rear wheel openings.

Thanks for all the advice so far, I will try to check in here before I head down to look at it, if it is still available.



Thats the one, he claims new exhaust from cat back, newer clutch and new starter. He hasn't marked it sold, so I'm hopeful it is still available and I can get down today to look at it, hopefully pick it up tomorrow.

batmanurd

When I bought my 4runner the guy told me it had a fresh engine rebuild but I wasn't for sure. I asked where was it done and he told me. I turned on the vin to the dealership and found he was telling the truth. So you might try that. I would have been super stoked to buy a 2nd gen with a 3.4 if it was done right

lectric80

I had a few things come up today and couldn't make it down to look at it, but I will in the morning. The bad is that the current owner isn't the one who had the motor put in, so I'm not sure I can find out which dealership did it, if it was in fact done at a dealer.

In talking to him, he "thinks" the mass air flow is bad, as it just doesn't "seem" to know how much air is going in. This makes me very nervous, if there are no lights, it could be as simple as the high idle when cold, but it could be something big. He claims the guy he bought it from was DDing it, but I'm taking a wait and see attitude at this point. Going down then make the decision. Also going to try to look at a few other non-3.4's tomorrow as well.

lectric80

Ok, so I ended up picking up one today. 94 SR5 3.0 5 speed and some rust. There is some rust on the tailgate, at the top, and it has rotted through, but I will pick up a tailgate to fix that. It has 245k on the clock, new clutch, master cyl and slave cyl. It is low on fluid, as in empty, but still shifts well. Going to get it refilled and bleed it out.


It does have an anti-lock light on the dash, but I can't see any wire going to the rear end. That is going to be fixed at some point. Overall it runs well, nice and smooth, everything works including the sunroof and rear window. Just a few minor fixes to do and it should be about as perfect as can be. Not bad looking either:

lectric80

Oh and I picked it up for $1750, not too bad I don't think. I had a good mechanic friend of mine come over and he really liked it. Interior is excellent and exterior has the typical rust areas. He did admit he is a bit jealous.

RJR

There should be an anti-lock sensor on the top of the rear diff. It senses rotation of the ring gear to detect rear wheel lockup. The wire comes back through the body and then down the right frame rail in the neighborhood of the right rear coil spring. Hard to find and get to. It helps to drop the spare tire so you can get your head up in there

Looks like a nice unit. Have fun with it.

lectric80

Unfortunately the spare is completely rusted into place,that's something I will have to deal with. The clutch system was also empty so I will need to bleed it out. The bolts for the license plate are broken, so I need to get them out. Just little stuff mostly,but it will all be dealt with. I'm sure I will have some searches and questions.

Replaced a few burnt out lights,and will get the registration done tomorrow. I still believe it is a decent truck. It is a one owner vehicle and the owner took pretty good care of it.

lectric80

Now the work starts. On the way home the first day I put it into reverse and heard grinding, turns out when he bled the clutch he failed to refill it. Going to have to bleed it out again, I've been watching it since I filled it back up and I don't see any leaking anywhere so that's a good sign. Mostly just too close to the floor when it grabs, so I may need to adjust it a bit once everything is bled out.

I knew the right front corner of the bumper was tweaked a bit, now I also know the headlights are way out of adjustment. Going to work on it tomorrow, even way out of whack like they are, they are still better than the lights on my 90 pickup.

Just filled it completely with fuel so I can see the mileage, I don't expect it to be as high as the pickup, which was at 25, but near 20 would be nice.

wii_tarded

No high revving, hot-footing off the line...driving like a grandma will help your mileage. That and getting the manual hubs.

lectric80

I may consider the hubs, but it will be a while. I really want to get my truck fixed, then I can spend some coin on this thing. So far, the mileage looks good but I know the speedo is off, as in reads 70 but only doing 65, so figuring mileage is not going to work unless I put a GPS in. I'm just going to judge by how many days I can drive to work and back, that's good enough to get me close.

As for driving habits, having driven my 22re for so long, I have gotten used to getting passed by most everything on the road. I tend to stick close to 70, and my drive is almost entirely freeway. I have about 4 miles total each way that is "city", the rest is 60+ MPH with no slowdowns.