A buddy of mine gave me his 1993 6cyl manual 4WD 4Runner to take to our family home in Mexico, and to leave it down there. It has 215k on it. I need to get the 4runner sorted out before it goes anywhere though. And I'm not sure if it will be worth it.

It has a lack of power so we will do a compression test later in the week and start there. The acceleration is really slow and at 70MPH, it feels like it is exhausted and is the extent of it's power. I'm curious as to rebuild costs and if used engines are available? Are the used engines from Japan available for something this old? Or is rebuilding it even worth it?

Also, the tranny is making some noise and often pops out of 1st gear. The reverse light switch is also broken. So the same questions apply... rebuild or replace with something used? It seems like a good time to do a clutch as well.

Anything used with no known history will only keep me worried. I'd prefer rebuild but my wallet is a bit light these days too....

I've owned a '96 and 2006 4Runner and I miss them dearly. I am excited at the possibility of getting this old gal back to good health again.

Advice or suggestions would be appreciated. Ideas on cost would help too. The car is currently in the los angeles area.

Thanks in advance!

All the options depend on 3 things
1. What do you plan to do with the truck?
2. How much money do you want to spend?
3. How much can you do yourself?

Answer those for us and we can give a better idea.

Rebuilding the engine and transmission will cost between $7,000 and $10,000 depending on your area. It could cost $2,000-$5,000 if you can do almost all the work yourself.

As far as the engine the 3.0 is useless and way expensive to rebuild because if it's not done 100% you will continue to have issues with it.

With the amount of money you will have putting into a 3.0 rebuild. You could swap in a better engine altogether like the majority of people do. But if you are short on cash you are most likely going to take a gamble on a used motor and transmission. The only thing I can suggest is make sure you get one with a warranty and make sure you can beat the piss out of the engine before the warranty runs out to test it.

DO NOT get a JDM ENGINE 80% of the time they are bad and every engine you send back for warranty you pay additional shipping and 20% restocking fee. Those company's are essentially a racket scam.

Best of luck in your decisions. Remember if you don't have the money save until you do. Don't rush things that makes it worse in the long run.

I plan to leave the truck in Mexico, near the coast, safely guarded, and use it about 4 times a year, for a week or two at a time.
I hope to have it on dirt roads for surf trips, some small day adventures, some overnight camping adventures. So occasional 4x4 when necessary. But mostly family trips to the beach and grocery store.

I have the car at a mechanic friend's house at the moment. He is a trustworthy guy who offered to help me. He has a lift, hoist, etc... He has worked all over the world as a mechanic and mostly does VW and Audi. He's the brains, I'm the muscle and money. I will pay him an hourly rate but it will not be what a shop would charge. I restore old motorcycles so I'm not an idiot but I am when it comes to something computerized like a 4Runner.
He can't rebuild the transmission so that would have to be farmed out. Everything else should be manageable.

I was hoping I could get it revived for under $3k.
I can fix/replace the broken driver's mirror, the broken power window actuators or switches, and other nick nacks.
The AC doesn't work and I'm hoping it needs a recharge.
The windshield washer squirters don't work and I'm hoping they are clogged.
The gas door broke and I can fix that.

It needs tires but the suspension was gone through a year or two ago.

I'll probably get a cheap Earl Scheib paint job on it before it goes south too. It is faded and flaking on the hood and roof. i don't care about the dents or dings.

Ultimately, I am looking for cheap, and reliable solutions. I don't need crazy upgrades or enhancements. What engine would be a good, affordable replacement? As long it has good compression, leakdown test ok, etc.. Then I'm OK with a used replacement.

The 3.slow as its know is about your entire budget to be rebuilt. That said a diesel VW would be a good option for you as your buddy is a VW mechanic. All said and done you can be diesel for the same as you would spend on the 3.slow rebuild.

Funny you mention diesel. I looked into conversions 5 years ago and I ended up buying a '05 Passat tdi wagon that I might sell sometime this year.

I'm doing another TDI swap right now it's really a good way to go for the money.

If you were local to me, you'd have this 4Runner and my TDI in your cue...

I love that idea of going diesel but I think that is a whole other can of worms at this time.

It would be but you got a look at how much bang for your buck you're going to get. Rebuilding a 3.0 is a waste of money in my opinion. If you're going to spend that amount of money you might as well do an engine swap. At least that's how I look at it.

And you're one step ahead by having a running TDI sitting right next to your truck.

Of course it is always up to you what you want to do but if it were me I would not waste the money on a 3.slow

If this were to become a daily driver, I would seriously consider it.
But this will live in mexico, a 16 hour drive away. If anything goes wrong with it, i can't drive it two days back to the guy who helped me with the swap. I need something that a mechanic in mexico can deal with and not scratch his head with it.

Then get a donkey.