Toyomo

First of all, I am a noobie here so I'd like to say hello all.

I have been thinkin' and have always wanted a 1st gen 4runner, so come this Monday all of that will come true as I'll be picking up a 1989 4runner 22re 5spd for $1000 bucks!

The truck does need some serious amount of work however, most notably the interior needs to be power washed with a pressure hose . Anywho, she has about 209k miles on her and she drove pretty well for the most part, she started right up, and there's no weird engine noises and the motor oil looked good. But first, let's go over the ugly.

-The clutch master cylinder is bad, no doubt about it. I had to double clutch it to shift it a few times but the owner was quick to point that out when I went to take a look at it. I am not a major techie, but I have worked on cars before and I have helped replace some friends' clutches before on their cars. My question is, the master cylinder a weekend job and is it easy for an average joe to do? The part itself isn't expensive, but then again they almost never are.

-The steering wheel is way off center, HOWEVER I felt no issues with the suspension at all. There wasn't any clunks or anything that would lead me to believe that it could be something serious. Car drove straight, but the top of the steering wheel is pointed in the 3:00 position, so I am thinking the steering wheel just needs to be centered.

-Charge light was on, and also the dash gauge light is pretty weak (not rly a big deal) but the turn signals don't work at all either. I know the alternator needs to be replaced as well. Would this fix my turn signal issue? They don't even light up on the dash.

-Fuel gauge doesn't work. Probably a simple fix, I am guessing fuel sending unit.

That's pretty much it for the bad. It's not terrible for a 21 yr old car as it was a worker's truck for awhile. But now for the good.

-It's got some badass tires and wheels on it.
-Pretty strong bumper guard both in the front and back
-4x4 still works
-Transmission (minus the whole double clutching issue) shifted pretty good
-Body is in pretty good shape from what I can see, as well as the frame itself. Didn't notice any rust spots anywhere.

That's all I've gotta say for now. I can't wait until I get it, should be a nice fun little project for the weekends!

kiyobrown

Welcome!! Doesn't sound too bad, especially for $1000.

Clutch cylinder is pretty basic, just be sure to bleed it real well when you are done swapping it out.

Steering weel sounds like just that. needs to be recentered.

Sounds like you might need to swap out a new column switch for the blinkers to work. I haven't heard of blinkers or dash lights not working bc of a failing alternator.

Fuel guage. lift up the carpet uder the rear passenger side seat. If you are lucky, you can get those screws up on the secret hatch will give you access to the fuel guage sender, if not you might have to drain and drop the tank to get to it.


For gods sake, man, post up some pics!! We heart pics. I'm sure others will chime in as to what some of these problems could be. We have all worked out a quirk or two on our rigs, some are the same fix, others not so much.

But use the search function, (as it was upgraded this week) it will have tons of reading for fixes on 1st gen 4Runners. Trust me, I have fixed just about everything on my runner with the help of YT.

And be prepared to spend more then another $1000 on that thing. You will fall in love with it and the upgrades will start pouring in.

Junkers88

Welcome to the addiction and be prepared to spend all your time here or in the garage and all of your money on the rig.

Anyway.

I don't think the clutch master cylinder will take more than a couple of hours. Before you replace it though you might want to check the fluid to be sure it is full, or better yet bleed it and run some new fluid into it.

As far as the steering goes I think you can just recenter the wheel. Be sure and have a good look underneath the front end to make sure nothing is bent first.

If the charge light is on and you're having gauge lighting issues then replacing the alternator will cure most of that. On the 22re the manual says to drain the coolant to get the alternator out from the top. If you need to flush the cooling system then this is a good time to do it. If not then you can pull it from the bottom with a little more work.

Can't help on the fuel gauge but I agree that it's probably the sending unit.


Have fun and post up pictures when you get a chance.

Toyomo

Won't be able to post pics until Monday unfortunately. There are a few things I have to do to her before she can be used as a somewhat daily driver and that's the master cylinder clutch, the alternator, and she needs a new set of seat belts (the driver's side) before I can take her out.

Depending if I can get all the fluids changed out by next weekend, I'll take her up for a small off roading venture as well but we will see.

I need to know what weight of oil to run in her as well and about how many quarts of oil they use.

kiyobrown

First off, where you located? If people know where you are at, they can probably direct you towards a local junkyard for parts. If not, Deathcougar (Josh) up at nix99 in Washington seems to be able to get his hands on about anything you might need.

And the manual in your glove box will have recommended oil grades and amounts.

myyota

If you have to change the fuel gauge sending unit you need to drop the gas tank to get to it. The access panel under the rear seat will only give you access to the fuel pump. There is a drain plug on the bottom of the gas tank, so drain the tank first before you try and remove it, it removes alot of weight and makes it easyer to handle.

InternetRoadkill

Don't center the steering wheel by removing the steering wheel. Sounds obvious, but a lot of people do it as a quick fix. There's an alignment issue going on which means you need to check your steering linkages and get an alignment.

Toyomo

I live in Tucson, AZ.

I plan on spending only about 1000 dollars on it just to get it running to factory standards. I can get an alignment done here for cheap, but I'd have to take it to a shop.

I do need a few things mainly having to do with the interior. It needs door panels for sure as the ones currently in there don't have arm rests and the panels themselves are pretty torn up. I also would like to find some seats to go in there as well, not sure how difficult it is to take them out but I would imagine it shouldn't be too bad.

I am going to start ordering parts for it as soon as I get it on Monday, I've already found a few sites that can sell me new seat belts and so forth. I hope I can start driving it more often by March 1st but we will see.

Is there any specific brand of oil that anyone would recommend? Or is just about any type of oil going to be adequate for this?

Toyomo

I got it!!!

Haha, she drove pretty good today. I was easy on the clutch, but she has got a lot of work ahead of her. I have already ordered about 218 dollars worth of parts, and those include.

-Remanufactured alternator
-Whole set of seat bealts (used for 50 bucks)\
-Clutch Master Cylinder
-Clutch Slave cylinder


That's it for now. The steering wheel is way off tho, if I center it while I am driving she pulls to the right pretty good so I don't know if it's a combination of bad alignment or if the steering wheel is just way off center. I don't think my temp gauge works either.

I am going to be changing the oil on her this weekend though, so I need to know what grade of oil to use and what brand is good?

The tires are the best part about this car, they are damn good.

EDIT: Pics will probably have to wait till Tuesday, it's dark out.

874runnersr5

run some 10-30 castrol

Toyomo

Also, I know it's a lot to ask but I seem to be getting more responses here than from the other Toyota forums, but since this is my first manual transmission car I am kind of a newbie at knowing how to service it.

I plan on swapping out gear fluids and so forth within the next month, so is there any specific type of fluid this transmission needs? I don't know what kind of tranny it is, all I know is that it's a 5spd made by Aisin.

Any other valuable information would be great as well.

BigBluePile

iTrader: (3)

Welcome to Yotatech!

Its been mentioned, but use the search and you'll spend more time doing than waiting on responses. Also, try 4Crawler.com to get even MORE easy to find info.

Welcome to the addiction.


Oh, and pics or it didn't happen!

Toyomo

Here are some pics. Not much, but it's a start.

She died today on the road while I was taking her out for a spin, my fault completely as I saw all the warning signs. Had to get it towed home about 40 bucks later.

kiyobrown

Hell yeah! Whites a good color. Sounds like you got some work ahead of you. Looks clean for $1000 bucks.

myyota

It looks a little ruff around the edges, but nothing that can`t be fixed or replaced. Give it a good cleaning inside and out, and go from there, otherwise its a nice looking 4Runner.

Toyomo

I cleaned up the interior a little bit but I am going to need to replace the two front seats.

Like I said, the alternator crapped out on me today. I ordered one online for 87 bucks hopefully it'll be here by Friday or Saturday (though I doubt it).

I am pretty sure I killed the battery today as well but, no big deal free replacement over at Wally World so I'll get that done possibly Friday.

I did notice a few other things while driving it today though. Firstly, there's a taint smell of fuel when I am driving it, it goes away when the car is warmed up but it's still there. I drive with the windows open.

Secondly, I noticed the car kind of idles a little high. No codes or anything on the dash (aside from the charge light). I have to take this thing in for emissions testing, so I am a little concerned about the fuel issue.

Also how hard is it to replace the accessory belts on these things?

Duckie

Wewt for Tucson 1st gens!!

jordys

looks good. whls and tires are probly worth the cash you paid for it. good find.