Brother looking at 96 4runner - issues? Things to look for?

CoedNaked · 08-13-2006, 07:53 PM

I'm going with my brother to have a look at a 96 4runner found in this add: http://vancouver.craigslist.org/car/193409541.html

Are there any issues or known problems with this, the first year of the 3rd gen 4runner? Anything to keep in mind? Anything you think I should ask?

Thanks

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**rocket** · 08-13-2006, 07:59 PM

any problems with 1996 4runners?
http://www.yotatech.com/showthread.php?t=92072

seanz0rz · 08-13-2006, 08:00 PM

nothing ive heard of.

something i overlooked when i bought mine, check under all the floormats. i have stains, that i dont care about, but make sure there is carpet under them!

also check for rubbing and excessive wear in the wheel wells. part of my bumper is a little torn/worn from rubbing.

other than that, i havent heard anything, and its a yota, so its got to be great!

of course the usual stuff, leaks from anywhere, including the Tcase and Differentials.

JGM · 08-13-2006, 08:26 PM

Never had a problem with mine. Many (including me) would argue that it may be the best 3rd gen year to buy. My 0.02.

spaugh · 08-13-2006, 09:46 PM

96 runners have all kinds of problems. the worst year toyota ever made.

garrett1478 · 08-13-2006, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spaugh

96 runners have all kinds of problems. the worst year toyota ever made.

that kind of statement needs some examples to back it up.

seanz0rz · 08-13-2006, 10:08 PM

he owns one, i think it was more of a bash on asking a question that was already asked recently, very recently...

whatever, im not here for that.

im here to tell you that as far as i know, have read, heard about, experienced(very little right now) there is nothing wrong with the 96 or the 3rd gens in general.

CoedNaked · 08-13-2006, 10:42 PM

Thanks for the info guys, and the links, much appreciated.

The other thing I would be interested in knowing about 3rd gen 4runners is are there any normal wear items to look for? I'm talking more major type of wear items that may need to be looked at other than the simple couple thousand mile maintenance items like filters, plugs, etc? For example on my truck items that can go after 100,000 miles to 150,000 miles are ball joints and your idler arm (this 4runner has 235,000 km's supposedly which is about 146,000 miles roughly). No not a problem, just items that wear and need to be replaced.

**rocket** · 08-13-2006, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoedNaked

...are there any normal wear items to look for? I'm talking more major type of wear items that may need to be looked at....

I would'nt call these major but...

Theres only 2 common issues that *might* need attention sooner or later.

1. The real axel seals. (cheap fix)
2. The steering rack bushings. (cheap fix) http://www.wheelersoffroad.com/4runnerrackbushkit.htm

Other than that, i can't think of anything else.

I'll also venture to say that i've noticed people seem to have more problems/issues with '00-'02 4runners than ones with a '96-'98. Seriously.

ilikesoup · 08-14-2006, 08:04 AM

I'd say *try* to talk the guy down in price... that's a little steep for a '96 with that many miles. Unless it's in absolutely immaculate condition, I'd say don't pay more than $8,000USD. Also, that '96 says it has a 3.0L engine... it's actually a 3.4L, as long as it is a V6. My 4runner is almost exactly the same (year, transmission, engine, miles, cruise, pwr everything) and I love it, and it has no real problems outside replacing things that are worn out.

MTL_4runner · 08-14-2006, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilikesoup

I'd say *try* to talk the guy down in price... that's a little steep for a '96 with that many miles. Unless it's in absolutely immaculate condition, I'd say don't pay more than $8,000USD.

I'd agree that with almost 150k miles on it, even in spectacular condition, an SR5 should go for around $8K USD absolute max (you can find high mile 96s on eBay for around $6k now). If it was a limited, that might be another story but then it might only add $500-1000 at best. Now I am taking into account the fact that vehicles in Canada are more expensive as well.

For example:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Toyot...QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1996-...QQcmdZViewItem

CoedNaked · 08-14-2006, 10:54 PM

WEll guys we took a look. I'm a bit skeptical. Keep in mind 4runners & Pickups/Tacoma's, specially Pickups/Tacoma's, seem to command even more up here above the border, also factoring in exchange rate, etc.

AS far as the test drive goes, the guy is moving out of country as you saw in the add. He didn't know anything about the service history of the rig, he bought it in Salmon Arm, he used to live in Kamloops and commute to Calgary and stuff for work and he's only had it for a year or so supposedly or something like that (he's an aussie, moving back home, seemed like a good guy). The places above mentioned do use a bit of salt and/or sand in the winter although I don't know if this rig was used in the winter. As far as the rig itself the bumpers, paint, etc, have no rust. Checked the fender trim, no rust there, so she's clean that way. Underneath there is a bit of very minor surface rust on the frame, the fuel tank protector plate was rusted out but the fuel tank itself looked like it was in great shape. The axles and A arms, springs, etc all had a bit of rust on them but nothing major, but still a bit more than my truck and my truck is local/Vancouver and Vancouver doesn't see very much salt, if any, in the winter except during the odd snow or ice up in certain areas but we mostly see rain. The running boards were rusted out a bit underneath. The places where the vehicle was painted, I checked all the usual rust points i.e the fender lips, and near the bumper and things like that and there were no issues with the paint what so ever. The bumpers were in top shape and no rust there. The paint was in very very good condition for it's age. The interior was absolutely immaculate, and was in beautifl condition. No flaws in the seats or carpet, I was blown away actually. It could have passed for near new. The truck is fully loaded except it doesn't have a leather interior, but it does have power everything, and it has the E-locker too.

AS far as the drive, my brother drove, but the motor pulled strong, the clutch was a bit sticky at first but if it needed a new clutch by now it wouldnt' surprise me and that's no biggie. The motor also ran really well, and it didn't sound as noisy as mine with 176,000 plus MIles on it. It was also nice and quiet. The ride was plush, nice, quiet, and refined. I was very impressed and now I understand a bit more why you guys have such hard ons for your 3rd gen 4runners, they're very nice vehilces, very refined and a great set up.

Now here is the problem. My brother wrote down the vin and said he'd call the guy. WE are going to do the usual checks. My mom who works at a dealership ran a Toyota check to see the service history. The guy said he bought the rig in salmon arm a year or so ago. Well my brother wrote the vin down wrong but my mom fibbed the missing number and finally found a vin. She found a 4runner from Salmon arm that was dealership serviced from about 200,000 kilometers til 313,000 kilometers (125,000 miles until 195,000 miles), relgiously every 6000 km's (3700 miles) up until last year or so.

The guy I think has serviced this rig at Granville Toyota, or at least he had his last oil change done there and had a stock exhaust put on very recently as you can see from the add (and as we saw today, it was nice and new and sounded nice and quiet).

So I guess my brother should look up the Vin properly and call the guy again to get the missing number but his story and the vin we pulled up sorta match right now, so I suspect an ODO roll back perhaps as he has 236,000 km's on it. It was a very nice rig though....but if it was me with the current state of affairs I wouldn't touch it. I myself would spend the extra few thousand more and find one that has good service records and has been maintained well, preferably through a private sale, or at least one my mom can look up and find service records for to some extent. I'm told that you can supposedly roll back the ODO on these rigs very easily supposedly, which is unfortunate.

ASU4runner · 08-14-2006, 11:53 PM

Love my 96.. 203,000 miles and nothing more than routine maintenence.

CoedNaked · 08-15-2006, 04:43 PM

Well the final answer - we got the final number on the VIN and IT WAS rolled back - the guy also came clean about it today although he says he didn't do it, he said something about it having to be replaced but they should have rolled the ODO forward. Guess you gotta watch your back.

ilikesoup · 08-16-2006, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoedNaked

now I understand a bit more why you guys have such hard ons for your 3rd gen 4runners

You just hit the nail on the head... and made me laugh out loud at work.... people are staring at me now... hehe

CoedNaked · 08-19-2006, 06:26 PM

OK guys - there is a final saga to this story.....

My brother bought this 4runner. The family member we have that works at a dealership did a bunch of digging on this 4runner. Called up the Toyota dealership it was sold at in Salmon Arm to get the inside scoop. It used to be owned by a Doctor who did a lot of commuting between cities (e.g. Kamlopps, Salmon ARm, Calgary) and traded it in on a Hylander Hybrid. I think it's an Alberta Vehicle as it is labelled a Canadian Import into our province (BC). This doctor METICULOUSLY maintained it. Well around 315,000 km's or something like that the ODO failed and he had to get a new one, but the new one wasn't rolled forward or perhaps it was a scrapyard odo. Bottom line though is this vehicle had a strong portion of it's life being serviced by a dealers despite it's high K. Well the owner who my brother bought it off who didn't know anything about it has put some K on it too but with the newer ODO which reads 236,000 km's. So we figure that the vehicle probably has maybe 325,000 to 340,000 km's (203,000 to 213,000 miles roughly say). My brother took it into the dealership today and it got a good looking over. The oil is in fine shape, needs a new TPS and PCV valve. Spark Plugs in good shape, Oil nice and clean. Definately needs a new clutch (I think it's the original too though so that's not too bad). Compression test was solid - all cylinders between 174 & 178 PSI which is outstanding as far as I'm concerned. Interior is immaculate, all the buttons/switches work too, no issues there what so ever. Overall the overriding thing is that we do have a family member who works at a dealer so that helps if anything ever goes wrong, and he has a solid foundatin to start from knowing the engine's compression is solid.

My brother also got this vehilce for a pretty good price and so we figure & reason that the thousands we saved can be put towards getting the rig into tip top shape.

The mechanic who we normally have work on our rigs suggested that we didn't even need a full safety on these things as he says they have virtually no problems. Pretty impressive I guess (He owns a 3rd gen too).

I think my mom and I are going to pitch in and buy him some new tires - Pricing out some Bridgestone Revo's - should we get the P rated or C rated tires? Leaning towards the C's.

08-13-2006, 07:59 PM	#2 (permalink)
rocket Super Moderator Staff Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 4,527	any problems with 1996 4runners? http://www.yotatech.com/showthread.php?t=92072 __________________ '96-'02 gone: '92

08-13-2006, 08:00 PM	#3 (permalink)
seanz0rz Contributing Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Cal Poly Pomona or Redlands, CA Posts: 1,282	nothing ive heard of. something i overlooked when i bought mine, check under all the floormats. i have stains, that i dont care about, but make sure there is carpet under them! also check for rubbing and excessive wear in the wheel wells. part of my bumper is a little torn/worn from rubbing. other than that, i havent heard anything, and its a yota, so its got to be great! of course the usual stuff, leaks from anywhere, including the Tcase and Differentials. __________________ 1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6 4x4 in Evergreen Pearl Metallic, Sonoran Steel #1, 285/75R16 BFG A/T, Elocker retrofit, Tundra calipers, brembo blanks, hawk lts pads, CarPC in custom center console with molded Indash touchscreen, KC daylighters mounted on Surco Safari rack, Custom sound system, 4xinnovation sliders, sleeping platform, Shrockworks front bumper, 1" 4crawler body lift, etc. Pictures Photobucket is being updated, if a picture i posted no longer works, please PM me.

08-13-2006, 08:26 PM	#4 (permalink)
JGM Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 342	Never had a problem with mine. Many (including me) would argue that it may be the best 3rd gen year to buy. My 0.02. __________________ 1996 4Runner & 1971 FJ40

08-13-2006, 09:46 PM	#5 (permalink)
spaugh Contributing Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: San Diego Posts: 528	96 runners have all kinds of problems. the worst year toyota ever made. __________________ 2002 Supercharged Limited TRD 4x4 5Spd Tacoma

08-13-2006, 10:08 PM	#7 (permalink)
seanz0rz Contributing Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Cal Poly Pomona or Redlands, CA Posts: 1,282	he owns one, i think it was more of a bash on asking a question that was already asked recently, very recently... whatever, im not here for that. im here to tell you that as far as i know, have read, heard about, experienced(very little right now) there is nothing wrong with the 96 or the 3rd gens in general. __________________ 1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6 4x4 in Evergreen Pearl Metallic, Sonoran Steel #1, 285/75R16 BFG A/T, Elocker retrofit, Tundra calipers, brembo blanks, hawk lts pads, CarPC in custom center console with molded Indash touchscreen, KC daylighters mounted on Surco Safari rack, Custom sound system, 4xinnovation sliders, sleeping platform, Shrockworks front bumper, 1" 4crawler body lift, etc. Pictures Photobucket is being updated, if a picture i posted no longer works, please PM me.

08-13-2006, 10:42 PM	#8 (permalink)
CoedNaked Registered User Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Posts: 1,473	Thanks for the info guys, and the links, much appreciated. The other thing I would be interested in knowing about 3rd gen 4runners is are there any normal wear items to look for? I'm talking more major type of wear items that may need to be looked at other than the simple couple thousand mile maintenance items like filters, plugs, etc? For example on my truck items that can go after 100,000 miles to 150,000 miles are ball joints and your idler arm (this 4runner has 235,000 km's supposedly which is about 146,000 miles roughly). No not a problem, just items that wear and need to be replaced. __________________ 1993 Xtra Cab Pickup \| 4x4 \| 3.0 - V6 \| R150F \| Silver-Grey \| Amsoil 10w30 synthetic oil \| Amsoil Synthetic Drivetrain fluids\| Borla Cat-back Exhaust \| OME HD Leaf Springs \| Bilstein HD Shocks \| Downey Idler Arm Brace \| Grey Husky Liners \| SR5 Bucket Seat Swap \| Color matched Canopy \| Yakima racks \| Line-X OTR \| Michelin LTX A/T 31 x 10.5 x 15 \| 323,600 KM's (202,250 miles) \| Made in Japan - Vin starts with "J"\| Fish on

08-14-2006, 08:04 AM	#10 (permalink)
ilikesoup Contributing Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Indian River, MI Posts: 177	I'd say try to talk the guy down in price... that's a little steep for a '96 with that many miles. Unless it's in absolutely immaculate condition, I'd say don't pay more than $8,000USD. Also, that '96 says it has a 3.0L engine... it's actually a 3.4L, as long as it is a V6. My 4runner is almost exactly the same (year, transmission, engine, miles, cruise, pwr everything) and I love it, and it has no real problems outside replacing things that are worn out. __________________ 1996 Toyota 4Runner SR5 -Go- 3.4L * Manual Transmission * Deckplate mod * ISR Mod * Amsoil air filter * Magnaflow 18" Muffler -Stop- Akebono Ceramic Pads * Brembo Rotors -Wheelin'- Front: OME/Tundra 3/8" Spacer * Rear: OME891/OME86 * Diff Drop * 265/75R16 Mastercraft Courser A/T -Sound- JVC El Kamelion CD player 4V pre out * Soundstream Rubicon 500 watt * Two Cerwin Vega HED 12"

08-14-2006, 10:54 PM	#12 (permalink)
CoedNaked Registered User Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Posts: 1,473	WEll guys we took a look. I'm a bit skeptical. Keep in mind 4runners & Pickups/Tacoma's, specially Pickups/Tacoma's, seem to command even more up here above the border, also factoring in exchange rate, etc. AS far as the test drive goes, the guy is moving out of country as you saw in the add. He didn't know anything about the service history of the rig, he bought it in Salmon Arm, he used to live in Kamloops and commute to Calgary and stuff for work and he's only had it for a year or so supposedly or something like that (he's an aussie, moving back home, seemed like a good guy). The places above mentioned do use a bit of salt and/or sand in the winter although I don't know if this rig was used in the winter. As far as the rig itself the bumpers, paint, etc, have no rust. Checked the fender trim, no rust there, so she's clean that way. Underneath there is a bit of very minor surface rust on the frame, the fuel tank protector plate was rusted out but the fuel tank itself looked like it was in great shape. The axles and A arms, springs, etc all had a bit of rust on them but nothing major, but still a bit more than my truck and my truck is local/Vancouver and Vancouver doesn't see very much salt, if any, in the winter except during the odd snow or ice up in certain areas but we mostly see rain. The running boards were rusted out a bit underneath. The places where the vehicle was painted, I checked all the usual rust points i.e the fender lips, and near the bumper and things like that and there were no issues with the paint what so ever. The bumpers were in top shape and no rust there. The paint was in very very good condition for it's age. The interior was absolutely immaculate, and was in beautifl condition. No flaws in the seats or carpet, I was blown away actually. It could have passed for near new. The truck is fully loaded except it doesn't have a leather interior, but it does have power everything, and it has the E-locker too. AS far as the drive, my brother drove, but the motor pulled strong, the clutch was a bit sticky at first but if it needed a new clutch by now it wouldnt' surprise me and that's no biggie. The motor also ran really well, and it didn't sound as noisy as mine with 176,000 plus MIles on it. It was also nice and quiet. The ride was plush, nice, quiet, and refined. I was very impressed and now I understand a bit more why you guys have such hard ons for your 3rd gen 4runners, they're very nice vehilces, very refined and a great set up. Now here is the problem. My brother wrote down the vin and said he'd call the guy. WE are going to do the usual checks. My mom who works at a dealership ran a Toyota check to see the service history. The guy said he bought the rig in salmon arm a year or so ago. Well my brother wrote the vin down wrong but my mom fibbed the missing number and finally found a vin. She found a 4runner from Salmon arm that was dealership serviced from about 200,000 kilometers til 313,000 kilometers (125,000 miles until 195,000 miles), relgiously every 6000 km's (3700 miles) up until last year or so. The guy I think has serviced this rig at Granville Toyota, or at least he had his last oil change done there and had a stock exhaust put on very recently as you can see from the add (and as we saw today, it was nice and new and sounded nice and quiet). So I guess my brother should look up the Vin properly and call the guy again to get the missing number but his story and the vin we pulled up sorta match right now, so I suspect an ODO roll back perhaps as he has 236,000 km's on it. It was a very nice rig though....but if it was me with the current state of affairs I wouldn't touch it. I myself would spend the extra few thousand more and find one that has good service records and has been maintained well, preferably through a private sale, or at least one my mom can look up and find service records for to some extent. I'm told that you can supposedly roll back the ODO on these rigs very easily supposedly, which is unfortunate. __________________ 1993 Xtra Cab Pickup \| 4x4 \| 3.0 - V6 \| R150F \| Silver-Grey \| Amsoil 10w30 synthetic oil \| Amsoil Synthetic Drivetrain fluids\| Borla Cat-back Exhaust \| OME HD Leaf Springs \| Bilstein HD Shocks \| Downey Idler Arm Brace \| Grey Husky Liners \| SR5 Bucket Seat Swap \| Color matched Canopy \| Yakima racks \| Line-X OTR \| Michelin LTX A/T 31 x 10.5 x 15 \| 323,600 KM's (202,250 miles) \| Made in Japan - Vin starts with "J"\| Fish on Last edited by CoedNaked; 08-14-2006 at 10:58 PM.

08-14-2006, 11:53 PM	#13 (permalink)
ASU4runner Registered User Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Boone, NC Posts: 535	Love my 96.. 203,000 miles and nothing more than routine maintenence. __________________ '99 4runner Limited 4x4 w/ E-Locker '96 4runner Limited 4x4 SOLD SE4RJ - Pics

08-15-2006, 04:43 PM	#14 (permalink)
CoedNaked Registered User Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Posts: 1,473	Well the final answer - we got the final number on the VIN and IT WAS rolled back - the guy also came clean about it today although he says he didn't do it, he said something about it having to be replaced but they should have rolled the ODO forward. Guess you gotta watch your back. __________________ 1993 Xtra Cab Pickup \| 4x4 \| 3.0 - V6 \| R150F \| Silver-Grey \| Amsoil 10w30 synthetic oil \| Amsoil Synthetic Drivetrain fluids\| Borla Cat-back Exhaust \| OME HD Leaf Springs \| Bilstein HD Shocks \| Downey Idler Arm Brace \| Grey Husky Liners \| SR5 Bucket Seat Swap \| Color matched Canopy \| Yakima racks \| Line-X OTR \| Michelin LTX A/T 31 x 10.5 x 15 \| 323,600 KM's (202,250 miles) \| Made in Japan - Vin starts with "J"\| Fish on

08-19-2006, 06:26 PM	#16 (permalink)
CoedNaked Registered User Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Posts: 1,473	OK guys - there is a final saga to this story..... My brother bought this 4runner. The family member we have that works at a dealership did a bunch of digging on this 4runner. Called up the Toyota dealership it was sold at in Salmon Arm to get the inside scoop. It used to be owned by a Doctor who did a lot of commuting between cities (e.g. Kamlopps, Salmon ARm, Calgary) and traded it in on a Hylander Hybrid. I think it's an Alberta Vehicle as it is labelled a Canadian Import into our province (BC). This doctor METICULOUSLY maintained it. Well around 315,000 km's or something like that the ODO failed and he had to get a new one, but the new one wasn't rolled forward or perhaps it was a scrapyard odo. Bottom line though is this vehicle had a strong portion of it's life being serviced by a dealers despite it's high K. Well the owner who my brother bought it off who didn't know anything about it has put some K on it too but with the newer ODO which reads 236,000 km's. So we figure that the vehicle probably has maybe 325,000 to 340,000 km's (203,000 to 213,000 miles roughly say). My brother took it into the dealership today and it got a good looking over. The oil is in fine shape, needs a new TPS and PCV valve. Spark Plugs in good shape, Oil nice and clean. Definately needs a new clutch (I think it's the original too though so that's not too bad). Compression test was solid - all cylinders between 174 & 178 PSI which is outstanding as far as I'm concerned. Interior is immaculate, all the buttons/switches work too, no issues there what so ever. Overall the overriding thing is that we do have a family member who works at a dealer so that helps if anything ever goes wrong, and he has a solid foundatin to start from knowing the engine's compression is solid. My brother also got this vehilce for a pretty good price and so we figure & reason that the thousands we saved can be put towards getting the rig into tip top shape. The mechanic who we normally have work on our rigs suggested that we didn't even need a full safety on these things as he says they have virtually no problems. Pretty impressive I guess (He owns a 3rd gen too). I think my mom and I are going to pitch in and buy him some new tires - Pricing out some Bridgestone Revo's - should we get the P rated or C rated tires? Leaning towards the C's. __________________ 1993 Xtra Cab Pickup \| 4x4 \| 3.0 - V6 \| R150F \| Silver-Grey \| Amsoil 10w30 synthetic oil \| Amsoil Synthetic Drivetrain fluids\| Borla Cat-back Exhaust \| OME HD Leaf Springs \| Bilstein HD Shocks \| Downey Idler Arm Brace \| Grey Husky Liners \| SR5 Bucket Seat Swap \| Color matched Canopy \| Yakima racks \| Line-X OTR \| Michelin LTX A/T 31 x 10.5 x 15 \| 323,600 KM's (202,250 miles) \| Made in Japan - Vin starts with "J"\| Fish on Last edited by CoedNaked; 08-19-2006 at 06:29 PM.

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