Looking at getting a handy-dandy manual....from my exp in the past....Chilton's are vague, Haynes is better - but the Toyota ones are THE BEST - but the most pricey....any opinions/suggestions?

thx in advance,
aaron

 

aaron,

keep your eyes on ebay as well as the FS section of yotetech and ODW. i see the real toyota manuals on ebay every month. and if you see a seller selling, email him personally and axe him if he has your year and make an off-auction deal. works everytime for me.

bob

edit: btw, i obtained my 3 FSMs from someone on the ODW boards. he didn't post it in the FS section but rather, he offered it up to someone in a post. nothing escapes ol' eagle eyes bob!

2nd edit: i have the haynes manual. its ok but does not even hold a candle to the toyota FSMs. also, DO NOT BUY any CD-ROM PRODUCT FROM an EBAY seller named "missanne101". i've purchased it and now having the FSMs, that does not hold a candle to the FSMs either. the cd-rom sucks.

 

I've got a Haynes manual. It's pretty good, but I wish it had better pictures and a bit more detail. You might be able to check ebay for the factory manuals. I think there was a member here a bit ago that was selling some on there. Local dealership wouldn't even sell me one.

Well, have fun.
DH6twinotter

 

I've got a Haynes and Chitons for mine.

But, I got a Mitchell CD from eBay for $20, and it's pretty informative, with good wiring diagrams. It looks like what mechanics in non-toyota shops would use. As a bonus, it has other imports, and I was able to find out things for my wifes new ride.

 

thanks for the replies gents,

I've kicked around the cd manual idea....and wondered "just how good is it"? - i'm a person who really likes to have a PHYSICAL book in front of me, but it might not be bad to be able to print pages out and get them all dirty (hell, wipe up with them!)

maybe I'll do both.


95_4X4Runner - do you recall who the seller was on ebay?

check this one - is it like this?:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=34233

thanks,
aaron

 

Haynes: Sucks
Chiltons: Better, but still sucks
FSM: The best
FSM/CD: A pain because you have to print everything out, and sometimes you have to reference other sections while you are working, which makes you have to go back inside and print out more.

A PC in the garage would cure this, which is my next mod. But for now, I would go with the FSM all the way.

 

For ebay search I used to do:
"toyota factory manual" as the search words. It also pulled up a bunch of other crap, but didn't exclude some possibilities.

I have since aquired my manuals. (guy at work used to be a factory mechanic, got his old books)

 

does anyone know when Haynes and Chiltons prints the newer model manuals. like a 2001 taco?

 

How important is it to get the exact year of my rig? I found a factory manual for an 86' 4Runner on Ebay, but I have an 87'. Will it still work for me? I read through the history of the Runners and it doesn't sound like much was changed.

 

When they stop mistaking their butt for a hat.

 

 

I'd rather have a FSM that is a year off than the chilton/haynes manuals. FWIW the FSM for my 87 accord covers 86-88 for the electrical trouble shooting manual (ETM). Bcause there were no major design changes.

Paul