I am not a mechanic. I don't have the time, tools or know-how (yet...) to do what needs to be done. They got me by the short hairs I guess. My brother took the shop classes, I was the college prep dude taking calculus...

90 4runner, M/T, 3.0L V6.
Bought it new in 90. My Dad owned it 95-07.
Everything stock.
137000 miles.

Back-ground info:
I just drove successfully from Florida. 900 miles at 57 mph, 26-29 mpg. Not a problem, Starts fine. Runs fine.
Sags in the rear like an overage stripper.
Brake fluid looks darker than one of those Bavarian beers.
Rusty brake fittings where the A/C condensate dripped on it.
One blown CV boot. Others look ready to go.
Everything coated with grime and cob-webs.
It has been sitting undriven but covered since at least may 06.
Well, just minor start-ups and a bit of movement every few weeks by the neighbor watching the truck.
My Dad was ill health and finally passed away in July 07.

I am registering it to Texas so it goes through the state inspection. It seems lame. General safety items only.

Here is what I plan to have done.

Oil and filter.
Lube the chassis. (eventually I get my own grease gun & DIY)
Inspect M/T, differential & transfer fluids.
Flush coolant sustem. It looks kinda brown...
Flush brake fluid.
Replace the rusted brake fittings.
Rotate and balance tires. Tires relatively new (125k, 8/04).
Replace CV boots and ball-joint dust covers.
Repack front wheel bearings.
Replace timing belt and water pump.
Adjust valves, set timing & idle.
Replace spark plugs.
Replace original rear shocks and maybe coil springs.
Check drive belts, replace as needed. 2 done at 129600, 5/05.

I went through all my dad's maintenance records.
It was a bit sad to always see his distinctive scrawl...
Fuel filter done at 130505, 8/05. So, it is OK, right?
New battery at 124116, 7/04, so it seems fine.
New clutch slave and master cylinders at 119349, 1/04.
Pulled 4 wheels, check brakes, scuff up drums with grinder, test drive sat at 125022, 9/04.
Replaced front brake rotors and pads, cleaned and adjusted rear brakes, repack and replace front wheel bearings, replaced r/s cv boots. 99602, 5/01.
New muffler, tailpipe and hangers. 78000, 1/98.
(Exhaust system looks really rusty. State insp. checks for leaks.
I might have to do this now, but definitely will roll it in soon)
Replaced distributor cap, rotor, wires, starter contacts at 94943, 12/00.

QUESTIONS: Well, you guys that do your own work are probably cringing now but I don't have a choice really. I need this vehicle for a few more years so I gotta pump in some dough.

Should I do the front shocks while I am at it?
Original shocks with 137000 miles I guess.
No noticeable problem but when the truck is this disassembled is it cheaper to have them replaced?

Should I replace the original oxygen sensor?

I will replace the air filter myself!
And maybe even the fuel tank cap gasket if someone walks me through it. Slowly please.

All my dreams of a suped up 4WD with big tires, a lift kit, other new add-ons and seat covers and a CD player will have to wait.....

I will let you know what they say they will charge me.
I call at 2PM today to get the estimate and authorize them to press on or not....

Also, I will tell them to keep all the old parts so I can see the condition and at least know they actually did something, right?
Or is there a trick around that to screw the consumer?

 

Rearend will need new coils, if you can score some from a landcruiser (I dont recall the years) it willfix the sag and add a wee bit of lit in the rear.

Replace all 4 shocks, they are probably worn out by now. test by getting out and pushing the bumper down by yourself or with a friend, if it doesnt immedialty spring back and stop they are no good.

I think you got everything down you need to do..

 

While you are into the water pump ect., do the front main seal and thermstat. Before you do anything, make sure it is not using large amounts coolant. The headgasket's could be gone. Call a dealer and give them the VIN#. They will be able to tell you if the gasket's were done under the recall.

 

me thinks calculus class didn't teach you how to equate your MPG properly

 

 

I have a 3rd Gen so I'm not 100% on the 2nd Gens but Landcrusier coils on a 3rd Gen give a lot more than a wee bit of lift in the rear (3-4"). Regardless, CJM is right on replacing the coils. Landcrusier coils will be two birds with one stone (-sag, +lift), just expect rake.

Can 2nd Gen owners confirm?

 

No, I think I did it correctly.
Sizzlechest, maybe I confused you in how I tried to say that over the roughly 900 mile trip from Fl to TX, I was on cruise control averaging 58 mph, I did fairly well controlled fuelings and odometer trip "legs" that consistently held me at 26-29mpg.

I explained it over in the 4runner.org forum.
Slim tires, aerodynamic and steady slow speed.
I was also pleasantly surprised.
I had budgeted to spend more on fuel for the trip.
Now I can spend it on repairs.

 

Well, the shop called back and said that I should replace all 4 shocks but the coil springs could stay. What say ye ol' timers? I mean my Dad didn't do any 4wd action. No towing or heavy loads. Shocks are original. What kills springs?
Can it be just the shocks and I am OK?

It is a good thing the shop is not pushing un-necessary replacements?
Right?

davenjai,
Yes, I called Toyota 1800 earlier and they said my Dad got all my recall work done. Steering rod, head gasket and the expansion valve. P01 campaign and V06 campaign and all that recall work. My Dad's records showed the rcpt as well.

These guys charge 68 an hour for labor here in south Texas in Corpus Christi. I used my Dad's old records to try and predict what it will total to. We'll see tomorrow when they call me back with the post-inspection recommendations. I told them I wanted to approve them before they press on....

Here are my very rough guestimates from previous labour/parts data.
* = what they really said.
Oil/Filter, lube chassis, state inspection. 55.5*
replace sparkplugs and adjust timing. 92
adjust valves, adjust timing and idle. 68
flush brake system. 171
front wheel bearings.154
new shocks. 248
replace timing belt and water pump, etc. 277.91
rotate and balance. 60*
flush/replace coolant. 103
EFI service. 69.99*
replace CV boots. 230*
flush M/T, transfer and differential. 168
total 1529.40

At this point I am a bit overwhelmed and just want them to do all this and give me back the truck. Maybe a few birds will not get hit with one stone.

We'll see tomorrow AM what more they say needs to be done and their estimates.

Now it is time for vino. Grazie.
Ciao, ragazzi!

 

a 3.0 doesn't get that kind of MPG. my 2.4 doesn't get close to that and I do better than most.

 

I'm not so sure about those gasmilage figures either, but hey, you never know
My 3.0 5spd gets at best 20-21 mpg, and at worse 17-18, depending on how I drive. Most of my commute is mixed between city/highway, lots of hills, and a freeway on-ramp, and if I take it easy I'll get 19mpg easily,

I'm sure that if I was driving on a flat freeway at 60mph w/cruise and a/c off, I could get 22-23 mpg

If he had minimal weight in the 4runner, smaller tires, and did a little drafting, I could see him getting 25-26 mpg (with a small amount of error factored in) Nobody's ever going to calculate their exact miles per gallon with just a trip-odometer and what the gas pump says. The only way that you could even get close is if you had a GPS system (that compensates for the curvature of the earth) and a very, very accurate way of measuring exactly how much fuel you use

Anyways, retiring2texas, it looks like you are in the same boat as alot of people who get a used car, you should feel very lucky to have the history of what was done on it, as that will save you money and time very soon, you seem to have a good idea of what you need to get done, just try and do as much of the work as you can yourself, if you aren't comfortable doing something alone, ask around and you will probably find someone more knowledgable (sp?) who is in dire need of a twelve-pack $100 in beer will get you more labor out of your friends than it will ever get out of a repair shop

the only things that I saw on your list that you should probably have done by a shop are the timing belt/water pump and the vavle adjustment, but these can be done by yourself if you have the time and patience,

Your list contains many of the same things that are on mine, (most of them I plan on doing in the parking lot of my apartment )
alot of these things are probably going to require some tools you don't have, but you can most likely rent from a shop, do buy yourself a good socket set (deep and shallow), a good wrench set, some pliers, a hammer, a set of jackstands, and a few cases of beer and the next thing you know it will all be done sooner than you think
oh, and find a FSM to help you along the way: http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-buchanan/93fsm/ <<-- this is for a '93 but it has alot of the same info you will need

all of the stuff that I listed above is most likely going to cost less than what you would pay someone else for the work, and you get to have lots of new tools

I think that everyone knows that sometimes you just don't have the time to do things yourself, and it just makes more sense to drop it off somewhere and pick it up when it's done, and that's cool too, just make sure that you take your 4runner to a place that has been recommended to you by people who have actually gotten work done there, and maybe ask a few of the customers you see leaving the place how thier experience with that shop was (if everytime you go to a shop, you see a customer storming out the front door and the guy behind the counter is laughing, that's not a good sign)

You've found what I think is the best site on the web for guys working on thier own Toyota 4x4's, the search tool will help out a ton, and if you can't find an answer, then ask and you'll get pointed in the right direction

 

I was on a road-trip moving to Texas from Florida. I-10 interstate.
My rough math method is to always add just 5 gallons of fuel and then use the trip meter to track the consumption rate at various points as the gas gauge needle drops and the warning light comes on.

My rough math method had me getting an incredible 26-28mpg.
Of course it is not a digital system, just the gas pump gallons indicated and the trip meter and the gas gauge warning light.
So, what error does that all add up to?
gas pump error: an ounce?
trip meter error: tenth of a mile?
gas gauge warning light: comes on at how much left in the tank.
A gallon left, +/- based on sloshing around/tilt, +/- 32 ounces?

The light would come on and I'd swing in right away to pump in 5 gallons.
Then I'd hit the trip meter.
125 miles later without the light on would already be 25+/-mpg.
Then as that increased by every 5 miles more, that was 26 and 27, 28mpg.
The gas gauge needle looked about in the same spot when the light came on.

Even if the error makes it a bit lower, say 24mpg, I attribute this excellent gas mileage to the following well-known reasons.
1. Low drag and aerodynamic. Nothing on the roof rack. Skinny little tires on it, no lift, no special add-ons. P22575R15

2. I was super diligently driving on cruise doing about 57 mph on I-10.
Grandpa mode. Slow and easy. No rapid accelerations ala dukes of hazzard.
***And if I can make a small editorial comment, everyone else is hauling butt passed me, musta been doing 80+, everybody, even old ladies, half of everybody on a freakin' cell phone while they drive, and it is almost sickening how much extra fuel that high speed must be guzzling. No wonder we are stuck in CENTCOM. I was overseas for 12 years so I guess the USA changed a lot while I was gone. What happened to 55mph speed limits? Oh well...

3. Not running the A/C. Windows closed. In the morning it was cool with just vent fan blowing at me, but I am sweating my nuts off later in the day. I finally broke down and cracked the windows a bit on each front side.

Ripleys believe it or not.
Yes, I now read that it is best to keep the fuel above the 1/4 mark.

So, whatever, 26-28mpg or maybe just 22-24mpg, the experiment is complete. At least it wasn't sucking down fuel terribly which would have been costly and indicative of engine problems.

 

Davenjai, thanks. I called Toyota 1800 and yes my VIN had all the recall work completed.

bmiller, yes, my boys get here soon and we hope to work on all our vehicles together.
Their uncle has lots of great automotive tools. Carpentry and stonework are what I usually do for fun.

 

Well, I had to rob a few liquor stores but I paid the bill.
The truck seems great. I made them show me the old parts and did test drive it before paying and did look it over for about half-an-hour. I caught a few things, minor coolant leak, one zerk not lubed. So I talked them into a 10% discount.

Looking back now I never should have had them to do so much.
hindsight is 20/20. Next time I will just take it for a few items so they focus.

A couple things they didn't charge me for because they didn't think it was needed.

maybe some don't like my long posts? No one is forcing you to read it... Just kiddin', Hey, I'm here alone, nothing else to do. my wife and boys arrive from Italy this weekend. So, I'm shining and cleaning the truck.

Thanks and good luck.

 

I know the feeling, I tend to try and cram everything I want to say into one long post, then it seems that nobody reads it,

Glad to hear that everything went good with the dealership,

Yeah, whenever I take my truck or anything to get work done on it, I usually don't have them do too much, because they will just hand a laundry list to the mechanic, who wants to get as much done, as fast as possible,

back when I used to work on jets, it always seemed like I would forget little things when I had a lot of little things to do, but when I would work on one big job, for a long time, nothing would get missed

 

If you cannot or don't want to do any of those things yourself then by all means pay for it. And as for the springs, they were sagging when they were brand new but Toyota never bothered to fix the situation until the 3rd gens came out. You can get Downeys for about $160, OME's for $120( these will give you a very cool looking rake, back end higher than front by about 1 1/2 inche) or Performance for about $199. Should costs about $100 to get them installed. Good luck.

 

eventually my "wants" list might get soem attention, new tires, new wheels, seat covers? All that fun stuff. Now it is just mechanical must haves.

But thanks for the info that the springs were equippoed already sagging.
I try and read through posts to gather knowledge, so dang much to read.