I picked up a 96 4runner 3.4l auto 2wd for 1800 last week after my daily decided to ˟˟˟˟ out the transmission just to get to work while my dodge is down. The 4runner needs alot of small things fixed (mostly electrical) but it gets me to and from work no problem and the only thing to out run me so far was a Mercedes bouncing off the rev limiter.

I guess my first question is Are 4runners normally this ballsy? As soon as you touch the gas it revs to 2k-3k and hauls ass. You cant really ease into it, its like full throttle or no throttle all the time.
Everything i know says a engine that blows white smoke on startup and has 220kmiles should be down on power but this thing is a freaking beast compared to the new v8 fords and chevys we have at work.

Is there anything to keep an eye on on these third gens? And does anyone have a link to a fsm download for these?

 

If it hasn't had new ball joints (oem imo) and either a new radiator or added trans cooler then search:
Lower ball joints
Pink milkshake

Welcome to the 96 and to yotatech!

 

As long as you keep up normal maintenance (cables, plugs, oil, filters, ect.) you should be fine. Does the white smoke go away or does it continue even when the car is warm?

 

Thanks for the advice i Fixed the throttle issue, after looking at a buddys 3.4l the cable was routed wrong.

As far as the smoking issue goes you start it, it runs fine for a min then makes a click revs up to 1500 then smokes till you put it in gear

 

You may just have a leaking valve seal or two that will leak a little oil into the cylinders over night and after you get that little bit of oil burned out, the smoke goes away. My 89 model does this. If, say, you started it up in the morning and drove it to McDonald's for breakfast, would it smoke again when you started it back up to leave? Mine will only smoke on the first start of the day and won't do it again until it has been sitting for 5 or 6 hours.

On the power thing, my 3rd gen is quicker off the line than my 13 model Chevy work truck but isn't quite as quick as the 13 model F150 5.0 I had before was. That chevy is going to get me hit pulling out into traffic one day due to it's scary slow response.

Probably the most common issue with the 3rd gen 4Runners is leaking rear axle seals. You will notice it when your rear brakes start sticking at low speed. If they ever do, pull the drum off and you will find tar from axle oil contacting the brakes. Other than that, they are fantastic. Probably my favorite vehicle of all time, although I am partial to my 1st Gen Runner.

 

Yeah the smoke is water/cooant smoke, my 84 had bad guide seals this aint oil smoke best i can tell
The motor has to cool off for it to smoke again after the first time but it will do it more than once in a day. It dosent smoke immediately when you start it. Takes atleast 30seconds and just before it starts you hear a click about as loud as the one you get when you switch from defrost to recirculation or fresh air and the vents change. And It stops as soon as you put it in gear dont even have to move.
Also its way too much to be condensation(used around a half gallon of water in about a week aswell)

Whats weird is that it still runs and idles great and the coolant dosent smell like exhaust or have an oily sheen which leads to believe its not a headgasket or cracked head. Havent had time to do a leak down and compression test or even look it over good yet

 

Sounds like you may have a small head gasket leak on the exhaust side due to the white smoke and loss of coolant. Does the white smoke smell sweet? Oil and coolant smoke can look real similar in certain light conditions. Pull your radiator cap, while cold, start it up, top the radiator off and look for bubbles in the coolant. I've seen leaks like this several times and they didn't ever completely blow the gasket but I know that they eventually will go ahead and blow out given enough time. The click you are hearing may be the fan clutch engaging but I'm not sure. The fact that it smokes just after you hear it may just be a coincidence or it could be that the gasket doesn't leak until the thermostat opens or the head and block expand when heated. Not sure. I haven't ever had to dig too deep into my 3.4L engines so I'm not sure about this but, is there anyway you might be leaking coolant into your intake manifold? If that were to happen, you would see coolant in the exhaust without having a head gasket leak. I know on the 3.0L engines, there are a couple coolant lines on the throttle body that could let coolant in if there were to be a crack in the TB. I'm sure not suggesting that's the case but just a thought. You really need to do a compression / leak down test to be sure.