So I picked up an 'as is' 4runner SR5 4 cylinder last week for a decent price from a dealer here in Ontario. 158,000 Kms on the clock, seems to have been decently maintained (dealer had some history, 1 owner, newish looking wires and hoses, nice tires, etc). Changed all fluids and did a safety check... everything is fine. In fact I spent a grand total of $100 to get it on the road. Just two questions:

1) The engine 'roars' a little under heavy acceleration at low RPM. It sounds like it might be a muffler problem, but everything looks intact. Could be manifold, manifold gasket? There's also a very slight 'tick tick' audible inside the cabin when idling, can't hear it with the hood off... I know this also can signal a crack in the manifold... any comments?

2) When I come to a halt at a stop sign and wait with my foot on the brake, after a couple of seconds there's a slight lurch as if the truck wants to go forwards. In fact it will do just that if I have my foot very lightly on the brake. This is also sometimes accompanied by a 'clunk'. I just changed the transmission fluid so the levels should be fine... any ideas?

Cheers all.

 

I get the same clunk .I read some where that this is normal for this truck .I just can`t remember where .

I would be intrested in what type of gas mileage you get from your 4 cylinder.I`m getting a 23 mpg combined city/highway .

 

I get 17 mpg on my 97 4cyl

 

The roar you hear could be the engine fan, I hear it on mine especially when the A/C is running. Which brings me to your #2-mine will surge when I am stopped at a red light, for example, also when the A/C is on. But not when the A/C is off. Check and see if your A/C is on, it turns on automatically when you have it set to defrost even if you have the A/C switch off. The tick could be a crack in your exhaust manifold, it is very common. Remove the heat shield and give it a visual inspection. LC Engineering has the cure for the cracked exhaust manifold and the fan.

 

17 MPG Ouch !