hey. im new here. Looking at a 1988 toyota p-up. its got 147,000 miles, drives real smooth. a/c blows cold. worried about an obvious oil leak. cant tell really where its coming from as the truck is older. needs a bath. nice looking smooth truck though. probly an older owner. wondering what type of red flag warnings to look for and whether 1700- 2000 dollars is a decent price

 

Price is ok. Depends on your location.

 

Great price if it's straight and pretty rust-free.

 

Would be nice to have a bit more info like:
4x4 or not
Engine?
Trans?
If it doesn't smoke the oil is likely from an external seal. Where on the motor do you notice the oil?

 

Go through entire frame front to back both sides and check for thin areas from internal/external rust, use a screw driver hitting the frame & also pop off frame plugs and feel inside with your finger for rust flakes on the bottom, that will give you an indication of frame condition!!!! If the foundation is junk then the rest doesn't matter!!!!
Check brake lines especially above gas tank they like to rust there. Where is oil coming from front of engine or rear? a lot or just dripping?
If everything is good then price is right on the money<Pun intended ;}LOL
Need more info like 4cyl or 6 cyl? auto or manual? to help you and posting pics would be great!!!!

 

Truck has no rust. Its a 4 cylinder. 22r motor. Oil seems to be coming from the top side of the engine. Running down when hot. Small leakage from behind and above what seems to me to be the water pump. Sport not familiar with theses trucks. Generally a chevy man. But thought this could be a buy on a truck cheap on gas.

 

that oil leak depending on exact location sounds more like a valve cover gasket or half moon seal. Easy fix. However that same area is prone to leaking if the timing chain was changed without taking the head off and the front most part of the headgasket that seals between the head and timing cover gets pinched or rtv wasn't used in the corners. Without a photo it's hard to say.

Price sounds good though for a 4cyl 4wd truck.

 

I'm assuming it's 4x2 then...if not you're in for a surprise.

 

15-18 mpg city 23-25 highway with 33's and 4.10 factory gears. IMO that's not bad at all. One can argue though part of that mileage is the fact my engine has been rebuilt. Would definately be higher with a sound engine and stock tires. Maybe a little higher iif I didn't have a weber carb on mine. And definitely higher if it were fuel injected.

 

That's pretty good. People who aren't familiar with Toyota pickups typically have a common misconception that they're great on gas, so I figured I'd throw that out there.

 

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we need pics!!!!