Nick420

hey guys im looking to buy a 1998 toyota 4runner sr5. its black with tinted windows all around and has the flat black fender flares (bigger than the normal ones but smaller than the limited). its 5 speed, 4wd, and has a supercharger + a trd clutch. it also has an all leather interior but the only thing it is missing is a sunroof and the factory roof rack. it has 103k miles and the guy wants $10,500. what do you guys think? the only thing that worries me is that the supercharger was put on at around 50k or 60k miles... you guys think it will hold up?

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91_4x4runner

Got any pics of it? Engine bay, exterior, interior, under body shots? Does it have any other mods on it? Lifted, larger tires etc?

Nick420

its all stock besides the things i mentioned. i dont have any pics but i can tell you that the interior, engine bay, and exterior, are all exceptionally clean and theres not a noticeable scratch or dent on the truck. thanks for your input

mt_goat

I'd be worried about the engine if it's supercharged without having fuel mods (a 7th injector or URD fuel kit). Maybe it would be a good idea to do a compression test before buying it.

Nick420

yea but the supercharger is a factory option type of thing. theres no way they would sell it if it screws up your engine by just bolting it on

91_4x4runner

Yes, they would. The engines are prone to pinging/accelerated engine wear from the factory, and the 7th injector kit/fuel pump upgrade reduce the probability of these issues arising. Reason I asked about the pictures of the vehicle is that people try to make their rigs really clean sometimes to mask problems before sale.

Nick420

this is true. i dont know it looks like the guys never done any wheeling and its been owned by adults only. ive searched the forums and cant find anything about posting pictures... stil dont know how to do it haha. if i figure it out ill try to get some and post them. any pointers?

rimpainter.com

It doesn't really matter who owned it. They run lean all over the map without any fuel mods. In fact, during cruise can be one of the worst times for high EGT's. True, TRD designed it as a bolt-on item, but one must ask why they scrambled and released a 7th injector kit and the free FMU mod; because customers were complaining about the pinging and complete loss of power during sustained WOT runs (when the fuel press at the rails dropped to dangerous levels), etc., etc.

Thankfully the 3.4 is a very strong motor and can take quite a bit of abuse, but I wouldn't play with fire. If you buy it, sell the charger or get the fuel/timing mods.

Joshs98Runner

They speak the truth grasshopper, there are tons of superchargers out there that are claimed as "bolt on," which they are bolt on, but not really complete if you understand what everyone is talking about. A supercharger has one purpose, to force air into the cylinders to allow the engine to create more power, with the added air pressure the fuel going into the engine the fuel is more "probable" to detonate on it's own, this is why people blow up engines, the forced air doesn't really hurt a damn thing, it's the unstability of the fuel with the increased air pressure is what leads people to harming the engine. The best ways to make fuel more stable when boosting and modifying an engine is to upgrade your fuel system to be able to supply a more reliable feed of fuel so the engine doesn't have the chance to run lean, and the next steps are to use higher octane which has a more stable combustion point, and to retard the timing in the engine to avoid pre-mature fuel combustion and/or "pinging" and "detonating".

I like to think of boost like the saying "guns don't kill people, people kill people." Superchargers have the capacity to kill an engine for those reasons, but when a supercharger or turbo is used with knowledge and caution, they don't blow up in your face...find out if this vehicle has the "7th injector" kit or the other fuel upgrades these guys speak of, if it doesn't I would be cautios before making the purchase, have the engines compression tested when cold and warm, take a look at the spark plugs that are in it when you do the compression test, just because people think they are adults doesn't really make them qualified to run boost on an engine. I am only 19 and would trust myself more than the majority of 40 year old men to modify an engine because I do a lot of research when picking out parts for a vehicle and having an understanding of what exactly they do and what needs to be done to keep the engines tune running safe.

Nick420

thanks for all the info guys. i will definately ask him about any fuel mods. the only bad thing however is that i live in sc and hes on the kentucky/indiana border so theres no way i can test drive it and take it for a compression test. do yall think it would be out of line to ask him to do all that stuff? thanks

Wife's 4runner

I went to go buy a supercharged 4runner before the "minor" repair work was performed. $2500 later (for the seller) I was glad for the "slow" stocker that ended up in my driveway.