My daughter has a '90 4Runner with the 22RE and 5 speed, great truck. She put 31" tires on it against my instruction and that kind of killed the power and mileage but it's still a great truck. It has 4.11's, they really need 4.56's for 31" tires and 4.88's for 33" tires.
In Toyota Land the 3.0 or "3.Slow" is a known turd. Toyota did head gasket replacement under recall/warranty but that's probably ended. Lots have wiring issues too I seem to recall, but can't quote specifics.
3.4 is way better, but watch for cracks around the balancer keyway, that part is expensive. 3.4 started in '96 in the Runner I believe.
Buy your parts from Rock auto, they're quite often the best price, sometimes by a lot.
I have a 90 4runner. It has 328k miles, 200 of them have been pure punishment.
I've lost a speed sensor in the rearend, an alternator, the heater switch is getting temperamental, I seized up the distributor shaft bearing @ 310k. I've done brakes once on the rear, 3x up front. Original clutch, u joints, and steering. I've done the timing belt, water pump Yada Yada every 100k.
I'd drive it to alaska tomorrow and never worry once. I wish my ford and dodge were 20% as reliable.
Originally Posted by BrentD
I would not buy something that runs on any kind of primer given the possibility of primer shortages and even regulations. In fact, why not buy a flintlock? Really. Rocks aren't going away anytime soon.
A Toyota pickup really should get better fuel milage than an HD 3/4 ton 4x4 with a six liter v-8. And it will with any motor besides the 3.0
My daughter and SIL's rig
First engine was not Toyota's fault. The radiator had a pin hole and they burned down the motor. I payed $5000 for an r&r on a rebuild. 2000 miles later it was in the shop again. Low compression, rebuilt the heads again.
Several years and 10,000 miles later, compression is down again. New heads are going to cost more than the rig is worth.
I shoukd have just paid to have a 22R installed the first time we put it into the shop.
People who choose to brew up their own storms bitch loudest about the rain.
Depending on the price, check out what an engine swap might cost ya. Several guys over at the college automotive program are into rock crawling rigs, or off road and beat them pretty hard...they tell me the 3.4 engine is cheaply available.. all of them seemed to have done the swap....
The 3.0 was the same engine as the Camry's I gather....
I've got an 88 with the 2200 RE, 540 K on that one.. am in the process of replacing the head, figuring it will be cheaper and better than just getting my head refinished.
The one I have picked up is suppose to have 30 PSI higher compression than the factory one had.
Some of the GM V6s were also a common conversion back in the day..., they seem to be available cheap enough, with conversions to bolt up to the Toyota manual trans.
Had a 97 with a 2.7L. Put big tires on it, changed the gears and then put on a blower. Great rig. Had 127K on it when i sold it. I understand the head gaskets can be a problem but never had a problem with mine. Very reliable, milage not too good between the blower and big tires, but never got stuck after the work i did to in.
mine is an '88 with the 22R engine. It goes anywhere I need to go. Sand, mud, water, hills or highway. 24 mph on the road, and with total reliability. I drive it regularly between Gainesville and Birmingham, Gainesville and my home in miami, and next month, it will make yet another trip up to the mountains in SW Virginia. Lots of miles, but I take darn good care of it.
I have and still use a '97 4Runner to hunt out of quite a bit. It has the bigger v6 (3.4l) and with the Limited version it has a rear locker in 4L. It blew a head gasket at about 175k but up until then very few issues. It's only been truly stuck once, and it was high centered in ruts.
“You never need fear a man, no matter what his size. When danger threatens, call on me, and I will equalize.” Samuel Colt.
�Common sense is genius dressed up in work clothes.� - Ralph Waldo Emerson
It's not just the head gaskets that's in issue with the 3.0 slow. The exhaust headers have a poorly designed crossover that leads to the exhaust valves in the rear cylinders getting burnt. So yeah, avoid the V6.
If the truck you're looking at is a 4 cyl with only 100k (for real vs. roll back) on it, it's just broken in. The main concern with a 25 y/o vehicle is misc seals drying out, sun damage if it wasn't garaged and if they fluids weren't changed regularly their could be some internal corrosion issues. But more than likely flush and change all fluids, new shocks and new rear springs and you should be gtg.
The stock rear springs are too soft and the rear ends sag. You can either po-boy it by adding jeep coil springs in addition to the leaf springs, or upgrade the leafs. Google will direct you to many options out there.
Yes, the rear springs are an issue on these years in Pickups and 4-Runners. The easiest solution is to grab a single leaf from each side of an old wrecked pickup and add it to the spring pack.
We have done a couple that way with very good results. Depending on the condition of your U-bolts, it should take less than a couple hours.
People who choose to brew up their own storms bitch loudest about the rain.
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