Hey guys. I bought a 1997 Limited about 6 months ago. It runs like a top and I really enjoy it for what it is. I hardly have anything at all invested in it. I immediately had the timing belt changed and a couple other odds and ends. I used it as a hunting rig all year to save my nice pick up from getting scratched in the woods. She has 227k. I am thinking about dropping a bit of money on some suspension and tires, maybe a winch. The ride is incredible mushy. Probably a total of about $2500. Here's my question...how long do these trucks typically last before having to have considerable work done...like trans or similar? I don't want to put a ton of money into other things only to have to come back and rebuild a trans or rebuild a motor. There are no noises and no smoke at all. So what are your general thoughts?

 

Loop up habaneros 4runner build up. You should get some good ideas and guidance from that. And good luck.

 

Wow, thanks for that bootscootboogie.

270,xxx miles on the 96, no major engine work so far, lots of maintenance, even more fun. Tranny-wise I put a clutch in around 210-ish-000 miles. It sounds and drive great, no major fluid leaks, no smoking tailpipe. I do keep up on what needs to be done.
I've seen many in the 300s, and a few beyond that.

If auto tranny either a radiator replacement or trans cooler is in order if not done- preemptive of the dreaded strawberry milkshake.

If the lower ball joints have not been done it's a priority because of the way they fail. Personally I'd go only for oe ball joints. Sounds like you've got that job planned already.

With that mileage there's lots of stuff to take care of and there's no guarantee, but well cared for 3.4s should have a long happy life.

 

Thanks guys. Habanero I will check out your build.

 

I also have a 97 four runner purchased used with 96K miles on it. I did the timing belt and tensioner at around 260K miles. The old belt that I took off still looked in good condition so maybe the previous owner changed it at some point although it doesn't seem likely. At around 300k miles it developed a head gasket leak (pretty bad) and I took it into a shop to have the offending head remilled and all the valves done. Last year (about 350k miles into it), during a trip out of state, I had to take the truck into a repair shop to get front control arm bushings and all ball joints replaced. Since then, I've had both sets of ball joints fail on me during off road excursions and I'm at a bit of a loss as to explain their premature failure. As of now, the vehicle has 368k miles on it and the engine and transmission still sound okay. I guess I should add that I've added a suspension lift kit from what I would consider a reputable manufacture while I've kept the lift at a modest 2 inches. I've also replaced the stock front brake rotors and calipers with the Tundra upgrade which might have contributed some to my premature ball joint failure. I'm running BFG mudders and I've been pretty happy with their performance off road. So 365 K miles and still truckin on!

 

Older thread bump

But it all comes down to the environment (east coast salt = short life), how it is driven and how well it is maintained.
Unfortunately for most drivers the most maintenance they consider is gas in the tank and think some this is a POS because it has 200k on it and they have to put $2 grand into it

 

I also bought a 97 4 Runner Limited with 150,000 miles back in July. I live in a west suburb of Chicago and the truck was driven all its life in the Chicago area. It was obviously well maintained and I put front and rear struts and shocks, new tires and some miscellaneous minor fixes. The engine and trans are in great shape and I hope to get many more trouble free miles out of it. I downloaded the Toyota owners app and and was able to look at all the maintenance records going back to 2005! I really believe they are excellent vehicles and from what I've read from other owners, this is true.

 

We're mostly still waiting to see how long they can go! 300k is no problem here in the rust free south! I have a 98 Tacoma that I just changed factory spark plug (I'm totally serious) at 252k. The clutch is still strong, the motor is excellent. Timing belt and water pump replaced once. Had really good luck with the auto trannies too. Really solid choice.

 

The way some people treat things I would guess about 15 minutes.

It all comes down to how things are maintained and driven and if you have real good luck.

Mechanical things wear and break.

Look at my luck Sandy decided to drop 3 big tress on two of my trucks blowing them up hill .

That is my luck.

 

LOL!! Well, I plan on keeping mine until it croaks.........need to fix a small spot on the frame and put on my JBA exhaust still but apart from that, I will drive it as long as it will go. Best Toyota/vehicle I have ever owned PERIOD.

 

What happens if they fail?

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=4run...w=1280&bih=909

Catastrophic failure, - the car is hanging from that ball joint in the front. If it fails, it's pulled apart completely, and the wheel is free to swing backward and outward.

This is almost certain to lead to a loss of control, depending on how fast you are going.

It's one of the very few things to worry about on a 3rd gen, just do it and take it off your list of worries. Probably worth doing every 150K miles or so, or less if they show signs of distress (such as clunking/squeaking/'oozing grease from the boots).

4th gens redesigned that LBJ, and on those the cars weight is pressing the ball into the cup, so catastrophic failures are a bit less likely.

 

Ok, thanks!