Holidazed

I'm looking to buy a 2nd Gen 4Runner soon and was wondering if its safe to buy one with 220-3000,000+ kms

How long will these engines last with regular maintenance? is this the point where things start to break or are they good to go for another while?

what should I look out for when buying one?
Please let me know. thanks!

rimpainter.com

Head gasket recall is your biggest concern on the 3.0. Call the dealer with the VIN to verify whether or not it has been done.

The cooling fan has been known to destruct and wreak havoc on the higher mileage 3VZ's. Take a look at the fan blades.

I will only buy a vehicle if the owner can provide documentation on the maintenance records. In this case, I would highly advise the same.

BajaRunner

If its a 4 banger, it'l last you for a little while longer for sure.

My buddy has had his 4-banger 84 Toyota pickup (22r), it has 395,000 and still runs like a champ. Of course, he takes extreme care with it.

22re/22r run forever.

elripster

I'd say it's usually safe. Down in these parts its the V6's that tend to keep pulling. It's hot, hilly, and people just drive plain fast. It depends on things like is the truck running big tires, was it regeared for those tires, running aftermarket heavy stuff like bumpers/sliders? Stock trucks last and last with either motor. When they start pulling heavy aftermarket stuff, and run on freeways where people fly (75-85mph), the bigger engines last longer.

I have 276,000miles (440,000kms) on my 3.0 and it runs like new even with 33's and all the usual. I take care of it though.

Ask for service records and look under for tell tale wheeling scars. As said, make sure the recall was done. You should be able to squeeze 150,000kms out of her before a rebuild.

Frank

Flamedx4

I put 172,000 miles on a 22re, and my father has more than 250k miles on his 22re. My current truck has 210k miles on a 3.0 and runs perfectly and uses no oil. If the engine is well maintained - especially those oil changes, they're pretty durable. But I wouldn't buy one with that high a mileage unless the price was really good - good enough that you can budget for a new motor in the future, and good enough that you can afford to replace bearings and seals and idler arms and stuff that wears out.

Holidazed

thanks alot for the fast replies.

One truck i called about was a 1990 V6 and the owner has had it almost since day one (quick 2nd owner, lady driven grocery-getter). Her husband said that it missed out on the recall since those were for the late 90's and 91+ trucks mostly, and said that after 300,000 kms there were no signs of leaking. if the HG as going to blow it would have deffinatly done it by now. He also has detailed maintenance records and was quick to give me the name of the shopt hats done all the work. so thats a good sign. also No Rust. which is rare to find on older 4runners here I have found. They want $6500 Canadian for it. If i could get them to drop down to $5000-5500 it sounds like a good deal.

i'm also looking at a 1990 4 banger with 280,000 kms. its cheap, only $3500...i havent been able to get ahold of them to find out why yet.

how much do 1990-91 4runner sell for on average in the states? (i'm in vancouver).

also, at what age/mileage do things start breaking down? my 1991 Acura was at the poiont where one thing was breaking after another...litterally days apart, so i sodl it and switched to buying a Toyota.

bike4miles

I put 223K miles on a 3.0 and it was still strong when I sold it. The trany was starting to go though. It wouln't stay in first.

rimpainter.com

I would question his logic on that one.

cimahar

If it's a 3.0 , when checking headgasket recall, make sure that the production is 09/94 or BEFORE that's when the recall ended, how do I know, you ask. Well I have a 95 4runner wit hthat very same 3.0 ,, with a bad headgasket.
The dealer says that my vin is not listed under any recalls, toyota_cares
says that my Vehicle has a production date of 12/94 and that the recall ended, you guessed it 9/94,, LUCKY ME,,, Now I get a 3.4 yippie kai a

elripster

You have some great questions but they are hard to answer.

First off, this 3.0 sounds it's worth looking into. Even if the recall wasn't done, you might be able to have it done. But, getting a grocery getter that's well maintained is nice. You can run the VIN to see if it was done maybe before they got it.

4 bangers save you a lot of dough. Although they are getting rare around here they usually thousands less as they appeal to a different demographic of buyer. I'd go to www.traderpubs.com and just do a big search.

As for when things go, there is no set time with these trucks. You have to figure they are used in such different manners from owner to owner. (more so than a car) Whether they are a wheeler, just getting around, freeway, around towner, occassional towing, light wheeling, heavy wheeling.. it varies so much. If the steering is tight (and original), she's not rattling, the interior is clean, no marks from wheeling damage underneath, sounds like a a good possibility. I'll put more emphasis on the steering. If it's stock and in good shape that's usually a good meter for how the truck was treated.

Frank

Holidazed

Aren't the 4 banger trucks super slow? I drove a 87 4 banger and that thing did 0-60 in 2 days. it was painful to drive. Are there ways to boost the power on the 1990 4 bangers?

I'll check the VIN number for the HG recall for sure.

for the tranny, how strong are the automatics? is there signs its wearing out soon? I checked out one 1990 the other night and the owner reccently spent $3100 on a tranny rebuild!

Flamedx4

Tranny same rules as engine - how well maintained was it? On the other hand I used to run a transmission shop and we made our daily bread off Ford Taurus & Aerostar and Chrysler minivans. They rarely go 80k miles bless em... We NEVER had a Toyota in there. If it was maintained and not mistreated Toyota has one of the best automatics in the world. They seem to last forever. But yes, rebuilds are expensive, especially in CDN dollars. Bet he went to a Toyota dealer to have that done and paid way too much.

<<I would question his logic on that one.>>
I totally agree with that logic - if the head gasket lasted Two Hundred Thousand Miles it was NOT defective. On the other hand - it could go tomorrow. The two have nothing to do with each other at this point in the truck's life.

<<The trany was starting to go though. It wouldn't stay in first.>>
That was probably just the shifter itself - the bushing wears out eventually and gets sloppy. Not wanting to stay in first and being hard to get into 5th are the signs...

If you want to research prices in the US, go to www.autotrader.com and research away. Use a Zip Code near you, I'd suggest Seattle, and you'll get lots of vehicles to choose from. $5500 CDN if its in good shape with those miles is probably very good. For you guys who don't know, vehicles hold their value in BC much more than down here. (I lived in Osoyoos BC for a few years.)

arjan

I've noticed also that the toyota's are a lot more pricey here then south of the border. I was talking to a toyota salesmen and he told me that the Tacomas are very hard to get over here. The double cabs are apperently hard to come by.
I've noticed that the 4runners are cheaper then the tacos and we can't even get a shortbox single cab 4x4 over here anymore. Too bad in my opinion. Are there 5spd double cabs down south? Here there are only automatics for the double cabs. The extended cab V6 is available as a 5spd which is the only 4x4 with 5spd and V6 right now.
Ontario seems to be cheap for used vehicles as well. I think they are likely more rusty over there, since they use a lot more roadsalt then over here.

Highland Runner

I wouldn't even consider a 22re in a 4Runner. Its a heavy vehicle for a 4 cyl and have never even seen a 2nd gen 4Runner with the 22re. The 3.0 is just as reliable as the 22re. I have 210,000 miles with no problems, leaks, rust, etc.

arjan, they only make the D-Cab in auto which sucks.

Flamedx4

Yes, they only make the Double Cab with auto. I would have bought one if I could have gotten a 5speed. The 4 runner dropped the 5speed for 2000 or 2001 (can't remember) as well. Toyota seems to have forgotten that a large part of their success has always been due to the fact that many people really use them offroad and they hold up to that use, and I for one am really pissed that they choose to tell me I want an auto. (I don't - period.) I wrote them and they wrote back that since a high percentage of sales were autos they decided to only build autos. What crap. I think there's a real market for real off road capable machines - look at the success of the Jeep TJ! Even full sized trucks are getting lower to the ground and more carlike every year. Next generation Tacos will be a few inches LOWER than they are now. Geesh, if we wanted Explorers we'd BUY Explorers.... end of rant...

bob200587

22re Kicks Face!

arjan

If you have the time the bear with it

2ToyGuy

I have a 22R in my p/u (2WD) with 287,000, runs like a top. I've never actually timed 0-60, but I never have any trouble getting up to 65 in the length of the on-ramp to the freeway. The only repairs to it have been a new water pump at 30,000, a new radiator at about 100k, and a new alt at about 200k. Other than that, about the biggest thing i've had to do to the engine has been a valve alignment. Gosh. :pat: So hard...
The 4Runner, on the other hand, well, a "friend" was driving while I was out of town a couple of years ago when the alternator/water pump belt broke. He drove it till it OVERheated, stopped, let it cool, drove it it OVERheated, again, let it cool, etc about 4 times till he got it back to my house. Some friend. Needless to say, the head was shot, as was the HG. I replaced the head and gasket set, and it did ok for a while. Turned out I got a remanned head and IT was cracked too. I just got done putting the 3rd head on, and now it runs great. Almost the same acceleration as the p/u. It has 147k on it. I put BFG AT's on it, 30x10.5x15, because my access road turns the consistancy of greased ice when it rains (which is incredibly seldom! 3.6" per YEAR!). I needed it to get in and out when the road was shot. Takes me 30 min to go 3/8 of a mile. 4L, 1st gear, 12 PSI in the tires, and it works great
SO: Take care of them and they will last forever. I'm waiting to join the 300k club.
Oh, yeah, I do change the oil (Castrol Syntec 5W50) and filter every 3K. I change the Dist cap, rotor, and fuel filter every 10k, the coolant, belts and hoses every spring. The Runner get's a new fuel filter every 40K, and a new O2 sensor every 60K. All these engines need is a little TLC and they run forever.

YeloSub7

How much is th9is runner anyhow? That'll tell us whether its worth it or not??? and does it run ok?