skinnyhb

alright, so on monday night i became a new toyota owner. i finally found one on craigslist that matched my desires and i drove it home at about midnight. it's an '89 extended cab, 4x4 with a 22re and a manual transmission. the body has 289,000 miles, the engine supposedly has 16,000 miles. the guy i bought it from said that the head gasket went out on the previous owner who sold it to him. he put in a 22re out of an old 4runner that was strictly for ranch use and only driven around a farm. i have no way to tell if its true or not. anyways, when he installed the new motor in, he also put in a new, bigger radiator and power steering pump. the truck runs pretty well. it has a bit of a rough idle, but it hadnt been driven in a few weeks, and it seems it gets better every time i drive it and i think the timing could be improved. anyways, i took it to a mechanic for an overall diagnostic and this is exactly what he told me. i'm pretty disappointed in his service, but i guess that's why i don't use mechanics in general.

he said:
-brakes were 40% front and 30% rear
-rear diff pinion seal leaking and fluid is low and dirty
-front diff fluid has metallic and dirty fluid
-transmission fluid is dark and dirty- grinds when put into gear
-center support bearing is worn out and slip yoke is loose
-catalytic converter rattles and exhaust pipe has leak
-front running lights and turn signals are not working
-lower ball joints worn- not able to lube due to worn boots
-battery has poor connections

what i've noticed:
-the truck runs very cold (at least according to the guage in the cab) my first reaction is to suspect a faulty thermostat. any ideas?
-in the coolant reservoir there is some metallic fluid. it looks to me like residue from the headgasket issue. should i be concerned other than with the fact that whoever did the swap wasn't thorough enough to get that crap out?

so, overall, it doesn't sound too bad. i'm an ex-subaru guy about to jump into a new world of toyota. i'd greatly appreciate your input on some of these issues. i plan on doing an overall tuneup: plugs, wires, air filter, fuel filter, fluids flush. i'd like to know which of these issues i should be most concerned about and which i might be able to leave alone. i plan on having the truck down for a week or so while i do all these repairs and perhaps do a rattle can paint job, so time isn't necessarily an issue.

i appreciate your help in advance.

myyota

You can`t beat these older toyota trucks, there just about unstopable and once you fix all the problems you will have a great truck. as for what you should do first, i would a complete tune up, check all vacuum lines, replace the thermostat and flush the cooling system.

norcalsvx

sounds like a old toyota PO probably but some alum seal in the rad.

what subaru's did you have?

DCYota

If it's a newer radiator, flush the radiator and the block thoroughly to clean out whatever he used in the system. By a flush kit for this from any auto parts store.

Fill it with Toyota Red and some distilled water. Lower ball joints aren't that difficult to replace. Not as easy as uppers, but still you should be able to handle it. Otherwise, changing out all the fluids is a 1 Saturday job (diffs, trans fluid, oil change, t-case,).

Get some new batt. cables, and change out the sealed beam headlights and turn signals. Otherwise, who's 20 year old truck exhaust doesn't have a rattle in it somewhere?!!?!? You can check if the cat. converter is clogged fairly easy...or you can just order a new one and put it on. Of course, this is all assuming the mechanic was right. Buy an ohm meter and a timing light as your first diagnostic tools....ohm meters are invaluable for older trucks and diagnosing electrical problems.

Good luck, and congrats on the Yota!