Hey gang----this is a great site and exactly what I was looking for!!! I am trying to replace my recently totaled 89 Toyota truck with a 4runner. I only know 60's Fords and am kinda lost as to what to look for in a 4runner. I am partial to the two door late 80's (I think that's the year) but so far I have only found one in my area for sale. I really don't need to have four wheel drive (I think some came with 2 wheel drive) but I think they all come that way now. My only requirement is that it is a 5-speed manual. With the small amount of money that I have I it looks like I will be buying a mid 90's or earlier....they seem to be holding their value well. What should I look for in buying a used one? Trouble areas? Are there parts that are very expensive/difficult to replace that I should keep an eye out for? Do certain years/engine combo's have more of a problem than others? It seems that I am hearing a lot of talk about head gaskets. Most of the people I have talked to say they have had a gasket replaced. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again

Tomstir

 

First of all welcome to the board! I am sure you will find alot of good info here! Congrats on choosing a Toyota you won't be dissapointed!

Second to address your question. All 4-Runners from 1992-1995 were pretty much the same. Only real differences are the options you get with it. Corey has a 91 and can answer any questions you have about that year. As far as problem areas I know of know except they have a real bad habit of sagging in the rear which can easily be remedied with some new coil springs. Also you are right about the headgasket recall. It was the 3.0 liter engines. If you find one your interested if you have a dealer run the VIN they can tell you whether or not it's been done. Also if you find some Runners with fairly high mileage don't let you that discourage you. I have seen as high as 270K on the original engine but that's a bit excessive. Lot's of guys have well over 100K.
I hope this answers a few questions you have good luck finding a Runner!

 

Welcome to the forum!

I owned a 1992 4Runner for two years. Only reason I traded it in was because it didn't have enough power for me.

If you have questions, I can try to answer them, too.

 

Welcome, good luck in finding what you want.

If you want a 2 door then you will have to settle on a 1st Gen, 84-89 model. They did make a few 2 doors in 90 and 91 but they are very rare. 4Runners were made in 4 door models only from 92 on. 2 wheel drive models for years 95 and earlier are also hard to find but they did make them. For whatever you get make sure it is the V6. Although they don't have much power the 4cly is even weaker. Like UKMEYERS says check to make sure the head gasket has been replaced before you buy. One last thing, 4Runners are extremely reliable, I've had mine for 8 years now and still love it.

 

Welcome! I have a 92 and love it. I have had it for 1 year and a couple months. I think they have pretty much covered it. Make sure the head gasket was replaced. Also, watch out for the saggy rear. For some reason, mine does not sag, so that is coo. Another thing you want to remember is that it is NOT a power machine. It will get you where you want to go, but it is not like the newer, stronger ones. It does run awesome, but not a speed demon! I am sure no matter what 4Runner you will buy, you will love it! Goodluck and let us know what happens! :fireman:

 

Thanks for the encouraging responses. So...check to make sure the head gaskets have been replaced and don't worry about the rear end sagging. No "always break/ real expensive to fix" stuff to look for? Back to the heads---what is the major problem with the gaskets...poor design, bad material, improperly torqued down? I'm not looking for speed or power...I have a few other cars for that....I need something that I can pick parts up in or throw the dogs in the back of.

Thanks again

Tomstir

 

Tomstir, I believe that it was bad material from the manufacturer. Alot of the gaskets were failing early so toyota issued a TSB not a recall to change it on all 3.0 V6's. I believe the TSB came out in 1995 but I'm not sure. Som people have even gotten new short blocks out of the deal. Don't worry about the head gasket deal though, just make sure it was done before you buy it. It takes all day to complete the change. One other think, the V6's do have a timing belt so check to see if that was changed also. I had mine changed when they did my head gasket so they only charged me for parts. Good luck in your purchase. I know I still am.

 

Tommy, other than that, nope! The 4Runner is a very reliable vehicle. That is why they are charging the prices they are for the 2nd gens, because they are good! Goodluck and let us know how you make out. I can't wait to hear how you did! :fireman:

 

Ok....I looked at a few this last week (would have been more but half the people I called never called back). First one was an 88/4cyl/ 170k $4900 that was very clean but felt very floaty/soft in the handling, and had an annoying knock at about 2000rpm, now he doesn't want to sell it. The next one I looked at, never drove, was a 92/V6/152k on chassis/35k on new engine $6750. I only looked at it, clean but there was a lot of "rigged" wiring on the fog lamps, still hasn't called back. The third one 90/V6/147k $5500 timing belt replaced at 89k "family used" dirty but easily cleanable. Drove very nice, slight sag in the rear and everything worked!!! I tried to pull the plugs to take a look but couldn't even get the boot off the first one that seemed to be the easiest to get to (front right). I didn't want to pull too hard and break it...doesn't look like there is a lot of room to get to plugs...what's the secret? Seemed to want to be shifted by 3500 not much after that, forgot to ask about the head gaskets, can I call any dealership with the vin? There was a 92 at a dealership that I called about....the guy couldn't answer any of my questions...just kept saying "come on down--it won't last", then he called me every day to remind me of an appointment with him that I never made and one final call to say that it was sold....I looked at it when he wasn't there...BEAT!!! I don't think that he would be able to do a VIN search...who would you recomend that I go to ask. Why would it be better to have the PO do this?-- I thought it was a "no charge" bulletin?. I'm going to look at two 87's tomarrow. I'm partial to the early two door years for the "keeps me young" looks but I like the early 90's 4-door accessability. Do the back seats in the 4doors fold down to extend the bed? If so....do they lay flat? What kind of mpg are you guys averaging and with what combo's?

Any answers,help,suggestions,comments,remarks will be appreciated


Tomstir

 

Tom the rear seats do fold down to extend the bed. You have to first lift up the part that you sit on. Then you have to take off the head rests and then fold the other ones down and the whole thing lays flat. Very handy! Goodluck with the search and let us know what you find. :fireman:

 

Tomstir, go or call the service manager or someone in the service department. Only they can give you the history of the vehicle, carfax can also give you a history as far as wrecks or other damage. The TSB is a no charge deal unless you get other things done like timing belt, drive belts, water pump change at the same time. The back seats fold down easily, almost flat. I get about 18mpg on the highway with no performance mods. Some get as much as 22 and as little as 15 depending on tires, mods, and most recent tuneup. The front two on the right are the easiest to get to but if you cannot get it of then it may have been awhile since it has been off. Check the color and smell of the fluids while you are at it. As far as shifting, if the vehicle is cold it takes a while before it starts to shift but once it does shift, it should be smooth and rapid if your still excelerating. At 60mph my tach reads 2800rpm. Hope this helps.

 

Hey Tomster,
First, WELCOME!!

I think you would be happier with a v-6 (3.0 or 3.4) than the 4 (2.4). The head gasket TSB was only on the V-6.

Most shops use a tool to grip the spark plug boot in order to pull it off. Most new vehicles now put a little silicone grease inside the boot to make it easier to remove later. I grip the boot with the tool, and give a little twist to break the boot loose from the plug, and then pull it off. Quite often if the wires are old, the metal contact will pull off from inside the boot (stays attached to the plug). Relace the set if this happens.

One of my friend's kids just bought a 90 4Runner, and when he got home bought a full set of wheels and BFG MT's. Proceeded to the woods and got stuck. Found out the frond wheels were not spinning when stuck, then found no front axle shafts were there.:mad: :mad:

Most prefere the normal 4WD. There is another system that has ADD in that the front axles always turn but are disconnected from each other when in 4wd. Engage 4wd and vacuum is applied to the ADD to engage splines in the axles (it has a "box" just to the left of the front diff with tubing going to it. Thats the ADD). These also would not have a selectable hub on the front axles. Just means all the front axle stuff turns and wears even when driving on the street in 2wd.

Where are you located?? You can fill in the location on your profile if you like with just the state if you don't want to be too specific.

David

 

I called one of the local Toyota dealerships today and they said that the vin didn't fall under the tsb and didn't require head gasket replacement. Does that sound right? They did tell me that it was serviced in 1993 to have an a/c valve replaced, but couldn't tell what city/dealership did the work. I'm going to try to check it out again today or on Wednesday...maybe make an offer.

Another guy I called last week called back today...87/v6/42k on new motor...I'll try to check it out today.

David---I always hate it when someone doesn't fill in the "location" blank....thanks for pointing that out.

Thanks again for the help...any more suggestions?

Tomstir

 

Hey Tomstr,

These are V6 manuals you are looking at right? Those would be a lot better at power than an auto. Since you are in San Jose, you may not have this problem, but I hear looking under the carriage for swiss cheese holes is a good idea, especially in the mountianous ranges where salt is poured onto the road. Good luck on your search!

Oh one more thing, 1-800-GO-TOYOTA will give you info on TSB's and recalls for free, just have the VIN# ready. That will save you trips to the dealer.

 

Since you're wanting a manual transmission (yeah!), you might want to inquire as to whether or not the clutch has been replaced. Depending on the mileage, this may be an issue. I think I had about 125K on my '91 4runner when I had the clutch replaced.

For the 2nd generation 4runners (90-95) Toyota recommends replacing the timing belt every 60K miles. I believe this is true for 1st and 3rd gens as well but don't quote me. You may want to negotiate a better price if the vehicle has, say 110K miles on it. You'd be looking at a timing belt replacement within a year and they run around $600.

On a side note, Yoda mentioned the ADD system on the 2nd Gen 4runners. If you purchase a 2nd Gen, I highly recommend changing to manual hub locking hubs--if you need assistance check the Tech articles that Corey has posted. I can also help you if you need it.

Good luck finding a rig!