New Owner of 3rd gen 4runner with a lot of questions (Really Long)
 

Hi Everybody,


I just bought a 1999 4runner Limited. It's 4wd and e-locked. It has 112000 on the clock and a fresh timing belt. I've done some searching for the minor issues it has and have come up with some answers but here's what needs to be fixed:

1. The sunroof leaks right at the seam in the front center. I'm going to check to see if the drainage channels are clogged and i remember reading something about a drip tray that I'll have to check out. I just hope I don't have to buy new glass/seal.

2. There is a vibration, especially under acceleration in all gears between 2300 and 2900 rpm. I'm not sure what's going on here. Motor mount?

3. The clock works very intermittently, I'm going to replace it.

4. The bulb is burnt out behind the climate control LCD. I'm going to replace all of the dash backlights with orange/red LED's.

Mods I'm planning on doing in the near future:

1. I'm going to install (hopefully used) bolt-on coilovers and UCA's in the front and OME springs in the rear. Does anybody have experience with the extended travel Donahoes vs. standard c/o's? Does that extra 1 inch of travel make a difference? I'll be running some 285's once I install the lift.

Eventually I'll be SASing or longtraveling the front, I'm just not sure what would be better yet. Most of my offroad time will be in the California desert and Baja and I need more off-roading experience before I decide. I really like the rear end setups that BruceTS and Chaplain are running, I may eventually pursue a hybrid of their two setups.

If anybody has any experience related to these problems, please chime in. Thanks for the help.

The vibration is most likely a tire balance issue since it only happens in a certain rpm range. If it were motor mounts it would shudder at all rpm's and at idle.

Thomas

1. Check the channelsand tubes, this is the #1 cause of leaks and water problems. They have channels so they are designed to never leak unless clogged.

2. Motor mounts is unlikely, I would look at the driveline or balance of the tires

3. The clock is a VERY VERY common problem in the 4Runners. I would suggest getting a new clock from the dealer. They are spendy, but will last another 10 years.

4. Research this very extensively before replacing things. Most often, its not just the bulbs causing the problem, and new temp controls are over $900 new at toyota. Again, a very very common problem.

This is unlikely to be the problem. Tires will vibrate at higher speeds, not certain rpms. Especially since he made mention that it was worse on acceleration.

To the OP - Does the vibration go away or get better as soon as you let off the throttle? i had a customers car do that once, I never found out what it was, but am still intrigued.

You can check the tire balance to rule it out, since it is cheap and relatively easy to do, but again, I do not think that is your problem.

Hey thanks for the help guys.

I'm going to investigate the drainage channels for the sunroof today.

I hate spending that much cash on new parts but not having a clock is annoying.

DC, as far as the CC backlight goes, I think I have the same problem in these threads so I'll be going this route first.

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/b...k-am-i-158573/

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/d...out-fix-76598/

As far as the vibration goes, maybe I should give some more details. I know that it has to be either in the trans or the engine because the frequency of the vibration is directly related to engine speed, not wheel speed like a tire or driveline vibration would be. Also, I may be imagining this but I also feel like there is a loss of power related to the vibration. If I stab the throttle from stop, the revs climb through the vibration range kind of slow but then as soon as it hits 3k rpm, things smooth out and acceleration increases quite a bit. I know that between 3k and 4.5k rpm is the torque peak for this motor so maybe that has something to do with it but I still feel like as soon as the vibration goes away, power increases. I'm not used to the slushbox yet so with more seat time, I may have better insight as to what's going on. I'll have to see what happens if I let off suddenly, per Hayes post.

Thanks.

Let us know what you find.

Have you checked your U-joints on the driveshaft? My friends 4-Runner just recently had a problem similar to what you described above and the vibration was from the rear U-joint being bad. Just a thought. Hope you find out what it is.

Thomas

I had the same vibration but in a different range. it ended up being an alignment issue that i read about from gadget's website. i don't have the url handy for the site anymore though.

Does the vibration occur in Park/Neutral at that RPM range?

Didn't get to play with the truck until recently with holiday travel and moving to San Diego. (I love this place.)

I can feel the vibration in park or neutral as well, but it is definitely amplified under load/hard acceleration. Still unresolved.

As far as the sunroof is concerned, I got up there with a glass of water and started messing around. Turns out the leak was right in front of me. I thought this crack in the plastic surround was a seam at first glance. Nope. I'm going to take some GOOP to it. :hillbill: I'm just hoping I don't have to buy new glass.