bought a 4runner have some questions
 

I picked up a 91 4runner SR5 the other day to use as a daily driver and play off road a litle bit with. The truck has 140k on it and i was wondering is ther anything i should look into replacing on a vehicle with this much mileage.

I know these are some tough trucks. My parents bought a new one in 94 and still own it. It has a little over 200k miles of hard use on and off road.

First of all can i get the head gasket recall done on mine still? or has it been too long and will toyota not cover it anymore. My parents had thiers doen but it was a couple years ago.

What are some simple mods i can do to make it mor capable off road? I don't really want a lift or anything just the simple stuff.

Why do all the second generation 4 runners look like they are sitting down in the back and can it be fixed?

Are there any chrome step bars that i can replace my running boards with?

Thanks
Shawn

Hello Shawn, and welcome to the forums here.
Your rig should be eligible for the head gasket campaign.
I have info on my website on the links page to a list of recalls & TSBs.

My engine was replaced at 116K with a new short block by the previous owner when I bought the rig with 134K on it.

Please feel free to visit my website listed below for some mod ideas as I have 4 pages so far.

Just about all 2nd gens squat in the rear.
The springs are to weak, and get mushy over time.
Most 2nd genners replace them with aftermarket coils.

Try a search on the forum here for keywords such as:
T bars, Downey, sag, and that should pop up numerous hits.

I went with the Downey HD
coils in the rear.

It brought the rear end up nicely about 2" or so. After doing that though, you might find your T bars in front need to be cranked some to compensate for the rear lift.
Info on all that stuff is on my website in the mods section.

Here is the height your rig would look like with the Downey HD coils and a T bar crank, and 31" tires:
http://www.pnw4runners.net/pics&vids..._2002/bos3.jpg

http://www.pnw4runners.net/runs/11_9_02/42.jpg

There are numerous step bars you can buy.
Check with www.central4wd.com
www.performanceproducts.com

They work out nice if you don't intend on using them off road to support the weight of your rig on a log or rock.
They will crush.

A lot of people myself included buy rock sliderz. They protect you a lot more, and won't crush like the tube steps do.
See this post here for more info on the sliderz.
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/show...hlight=sliderz

But if all you need them for is to use as a step, the tube steps will work fine.
Here is a pic of my rig with them before I bought the sliderz.
http://www.pnw4runners.net/runs/4602/191024.jpg

Also visit our vendor section for links to places that sell gear to outfit your rig.

As I recently found out, you ought to look at replacing the timing chain/belts, depending on what engine you have. I bought my '91 with around 170K on it and the chain broke at 182K. It took me about 3 months of part time attention to get the engine rebuilt. I can't say I could've gotten away with just a chain replacement, as this involves replacing the head gasket as well. I just couldn't see tearing it all down and not re-ringing, new bearings and a valve job. Now it's running and I'm about 98% complete with this project.

If you have the V6, then it's a timing belt and should be replaced every 60k miles. It's also a non-interference engine so if the belt does fail you won't have to rebuild it.

Some easy things to make it more capable are sway bar disconnects, an air compressor, and armor. A disconnected sway bar will allow better articulation, airing down your tires will allow much more traction, and armor gets you past the psychological fear of body damage.

Oh, if you get the headgasket replaced, then you can also get the timing belt replaced and the water pump replaced. The water pump has been known to leak after a while.

Steve

Yes it's a V6 And as far as i can find out the head gasket campaign has been done but i am still trying to find out what date it was done on. It's probably about due to be changed. Is that a real expensive job to have done?

thanks
Shawn

I don't think getting the belts replaced is near as big a deal as the timing chain. The chain involves pulling the head and oil pan off. Don't think the V-6s go into all that.