A friend of mine is the second owner of a 1985 4Runner, which he bought from a friend that used it to access fishing places. My friend had it for about 2 years and used it as a daily driver. Its still stock and has about 1ook miles on it. It has body rust around the wheel wells but I did not see any real frame rust on it.

Now the bad news: After bugging him for months he finally agreed to sell his 4Runner to me. The exact same night he goes out and it gets stolen from a parking lot. About a month later someone reports an abandoned vehicle to the police and he gets it back. The 4Runner is now at his house unable to run. My friend, who is not a mechanic, says the clutch is broken. We both feel that the 4Runner was stolen by kids who abused it (ie burning rubber) until it broke and then left it where it "died."

Question - Is there any easy way to check and see what needs to be repaired without having to pay for a mechanic to go to his home and inspect the 4Runner? What would you guys recommend I be cautious about? Any concerns about the safety and integrity of the suspension which I assume was abused off-road? Would this stop you from getting this particular vehicle?

Thank you for any help you can provide. I look forward to your responses.

 

I hate to say this, but I'd stay away from that particular truck. Sounds like there's no telling how much damage was inflicted on it during its ordeal. I don't know what the particulars of your deal with your friend are, but if you feel obligated to fulfill your end, pony up the cash (or better yet split the cost with the seller) for a mechanic to go over everything. Even then, there are many things that can go unnoticed until further down the road. I can't say where in particular to look, but if the clutch is "broken", it sounds like the clutch was dumped over and over again. This can introduce shock loads to the tranny that it isn't designed to accomodate. It may be just fine now, but fail due to stress fracture or bearing failure any time in the future.

 

Thanks for your input. Thats what I was thinking too. Anyone else?

 

Where was the truck found? On the side of the road? On top of a mountain? If it was found somewhere off road i would definitely stay way from it. The kids probably had a good time jumping and prerunning and abusing the hell out of the truck. If it has frame damage (bending) the truck has seen better days and I wouldn’t even bother with it. If it was found on the side of the road and there is no evidence of abusive 4wheeling then there is probably only drivetrain damage. Also how rare are these trucks where you are from. Would it be easy for you to find another one instead of this truck? Could you easy find wreckers for parts if you decide to fix up this one?

 

Can you make up the price of buying it in parts? If so, it might be a worthy venture.

 

This is real simple. DONT PASS UP WHAT COULD BE A GOOD DEAL. There are a few things you can do.

1. Does the motor run. If not its not a big deal just find out why and work with the price. If it does then give it a compression test. This will tell you a lot about the condition of the motor (low compression means you are heading for a re-build). If it has low compression dont let that be the deal breaker.

2. Check the oil. check to see if there is any water or metel shavings in it. if its good then your off to a good start.

3. Does it move under its own power. is the clutch slipping or is it just not working at all. If it just dosent work at all that could be a sighn the the tranny is broken.

4. If it runnes and moves put it in four wheel drive (hi and low) and make sure it still works.

5. Dont worry about the suspention being abused. If the rig still sits level its all good. You just might want to change the bushings if they are cracking.

6. Check the steering linkage to see if any of it is bent.

There is a good chance that if a couple of kids took it for a joy ride they may have smoked the clutch. The running gear in a Toyota is pretty strong stuff. Worst case it would be a great start to a kick ass wheeler. Just watch out for how much you have to pay for it. I bought my 84 xtra-cab for $570 and it only had a bad carrier berring a broke seat frame and a little low compression in one cylinder.

All of the above can be fixed with some simple tools and a service manual.

 

Thanks for the help guys. I am concerned about the safety and integrity of the suspension because it was found on a dirt/rocky access road. I do not mind fixing and paying for stuff but I don't want to be surprised by a part failing when travelling at highway speeds.

 

Easy to update the suspension and on a stock 85, the stock suspension is not worth much after 21 years. At a minimum, slap on a set of 2" lift springs, new shocks (like the OME 2" lift kit) and call it good.

 

I would bet it was young kids and they burned the clutch not knowing how to drive.

I seriously doubt that they where burning rubber in an 85 4runner, that would be impressive.

I think it's a good idea to have a mechanic check it out anyway, they don't charge too much and knowing what you are getting into is way cheeper than finding surprises.

 

True, All true.