Davesfever

Hey guys im new to these boards, and new to toyotas all together so please dont flame me from the start. I crashed my car in the rain recently and am looking at getting a 4runner or pickup, for some minor offroading / daily driver. I found a 87 4runner on craigslist that has the following.

1987 4runner SR5 EFI Turbo
4-cyl 2.4l turbo
189,000 miles
4WD
Auto
Gray / Gray
Sound system / alarm / tint

I talked to the guy and he said it needs rear brakes and the front tires are getting worn down. What should i look for in this truck that could be wrong with it? It looks like a great deal and hes asking $4,000 for it. He said the timing belt / chain has been replaced and the water pump. He said he barely even used 4x4 and he bought it from a lady. Hes selling it because he has too many cars and its just sitting in his garage. So what imput do you guys have on this? Is there anything wrong with the 87 4runners and will it be a good truck for minor offroading / snow trips to my friends cabin? Thanks a lot guys, these forums seem pretty cool.

AH64ID

these are great rigs, I want to put a turbo motor in my 92....what is he asking? before you buy be sure to have it inspected by a reputible shop

Davesfever

Hes asking $4,000, but it needs rear brakes and will need front tires, so i will probably talk him down a bit. What are common problems on these and what should i look for other than the obvious rust, tranny slippage, previous accidents, etc.

bob200587

I'd have the turbo checked out...They don't last forever, but it shouldn't be much of a problem. I think that's a reasonable price. It's been repainted, but thats a good thing as long as no rust was just covered over. That truck is very much like mine, I don't have the turbo, and I have a manual, and I had the stripes put back on the sides wehn Mine was painted. As long as the frame looks good, then I say you found a great truck to start with.

AH64ID

there really isn't a whole lot I know of that goes wrong with them. The trannys are fairly strong. If you do a search here on 22rte's you might find something i dont know about...

rimpainter.com

Also, @ 189K you are looking at a turbo rebuild soon (at least) if it hasn't been done already. Remember, forced induction, generally speaking, increases wear in nearly every component of the engine; especially underhood temps, which in turn cracks hoses, o-rings, etc.

From the pics it looks pretty clean.

Davesfever

Yea i was wondering about the turbo. Do the turbo'd 22re generally not last as long as non turbod ones. I need to get a truck that will last for a while without many major problems and am on a budget.

Superflex84

I just sold my 87 SR5 Turbo...
I bought it with 130k on it and #3 rod bearing wiped out and the piston smacking the head.(drove it home in 4Lo ) Then built a 22rte for it and swapped it in.

They are fairly tough, minus a weak turbo casting that will eventually fail due to excess heat near the wastegate. The other problem they suffer from is the fact that they are not Intercooled. This poses a huge problem, even with the low boost that they create even in stock form(5-7psi). The heat soaks up in the exhaust side and cracks the casing between the impeller and the wastegate causing boost to be lost under accel.

But, even with a cracked turbo, they will still go alright. infact, a friend of mine bought a rotted out turbo xcab with a 5spd that was only making 3-4psi and on the ride home was able to spin through first and part of second...

I would just talk him down as much as possible and expect the worst case scenario, that you may have to put a turbo in it. LC Engineering makes some good stuff for boosting 22re's.

I would also check the fluids to make sure it isn't swapping coolant and oil.

Good luck!