I just bought a 3.4 auto, 162k miles, in impossibly good shape. The previous two owners had it 12-14 years between them, religiously had Toyota dealers perform a lot of maintenance & I see tranny flushes, front suspension bushings etc, a rear end change, suspension bushings, all kinds of fundamental maintenance done. Drives without squeaks or rattles, tighter than some new cars I've owned. Fairly recently repainted, interior in beautiful shape. Best shifting auto I've ever driven.

One issue - the heater controls are workable, but wonky. The Carfax shows the 2nd owner back had the dealer investigate heater control problems, I suspect this is a factory defect. Details:

• Temp control won't slide all the way right for highest temp, and heater box does not put out quite the high temp I expect from Toyotas. With time I get comfortable, but I recall Toyotas heaters being roasting hot, which in Colorado winters is kinda nice. It doesn't act like the anchor points at either of the cable are loose, although I'll certain be checking the cable.
• Floor/dash/defrost control just feels funny, and I don't get the volume of air out of the dash vents I expect from Toyotas, esp this vintage. "Feels funny" - it slides too easily left & right even though it clearly moves flaps inside the dash like it should - but they don't feel they snugly fit up against & catch on the internal walls of the box & air ducts.
• The fan roars loudly, which I recall being normal. But I don't get the air I expect, particularly out of the mid-dash vents.

Are these heaters usually nice and hot, are the controls usually a bit tighter than what I describe, and higher air flow volume? How tough are the heater boxes to remove or disassemble in these?

Thanks all!

 

Lo, a clue has appeared... A few small pieces of thin, old dry foam material on the floor. So part of my problem is perhaps the foam seals inside the heater box, on the control flaps, have deteriorated & are breaking apart. That'll cause reduced air at the mid-level vents...

I foresee a dash disassembly at some point in the future, unless I find the problem is livable when I hit really cold temps, like my first ski outing to our Colorado mountains. That will also be my opportunity to carefully examine the cable & clamps on that temperature slider.

Drat.

 

Check the valve under the hood on the heater core hose and see if you can open it further manually there. Might need to rehab or replace that. Flush cooling system, core passages might have sediment. drop fan and check for blockage in AC coils, or heater core.

 

Congrats on the new truck!
thats a good find with 162k on the clock