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Old 08-13-2020, 05:32 PM #1
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Need advice about current situation

OK, so I've been keeping my 99 alive with mostly just regular maintenance for about 5 years now. It's been a great vehicle and after test driving a bunch of new trucks over the past year, I decided I like my 4runner more than anything new on the market.

It does, however, have 350K miles on it. Still, inspired by all of the high mileage rigs on here, I decided to take the plunge and put a lift on it and some wheels, etc. I put down a hefty deposit and have been waiting for the parts to come in.

Meanwhile, I drove it for the first time yesterday and noticed a decent splotch of what looked like oil on the ground so I decided to take it to my regular shop and have it looked at. I also inquired about getting the timing belt done.

It has always had a knock that gets louder when you put it in gear and hold the brake but that also goes away when you put it in park. It has been there for 4 years and 100k miles. After reading posts on here, I thought it might just be something loose and figured that since no mechanic could ever tell me what it was that I would just deal with it if and when something failed.

Anyway, the mechanic tells me today that the leak is primarily from the rack and pinion and that would be $900 to fix, which I was fine with. He also tells me that he thinks the knock is from oil deprivation at low rpms and so he thinks the bottom end is about to go out. He also said he did a cylinder test on it and he was getting low cylinder performance, particularly on the left side. It does surge a bit under acceleration but otherwise, I was driving it daily before the pandemic.

I inquired about fixing the steering and or replacing the engine and he pretty much told me he doesn't want anything to do with it and that it is time to "close the hood on it" because putting an engine in it is just going to lead to a whole bunch of other problems. I have put a lot of new stuff on it in the last couple of years including water pumps, brakes (including drums and rotors), radiator, alternator, etc. Basically, whatever it needed, I took care of it.

So, my question is, what is a realistic number for parts and labor on a new engine? I'm honestly ok spending the money on one, I'm just more concerned at this point that I won't be able to have the lift done until the rack and pinion is fixed and I need to find another mechanic apparently to do that.

Lastly, does anyone have a mechanic that they would recommend for the South Houston/Galveston area? I'd love to watch Tim's videos and do it all myself but unfortunately, I'm a medical student and have literally zero free time to do anything.

Thanks in advance.
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Old 08-13-2020, 05:46 PM #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc3g View Post
OK, so I've been keeping my 99 alive with mostly just regular maintenance for about 5 years now. It's been a great vehicle and after test driving a bunch of new trucks over the past year, I decided I like my 4runner more than anything new on the market.

It does, however, have 350K miles on it. Still, inspired by all of the high mileage rigs on here, I decided to take the plunge and put a lift on it and some wheels, etc. I put down a hefty deposit and have been waiting for the parts to come in.

Meanwhile, I drove it for the first time yesterday and noticed a decent splotch of what looked like oil on the ground so I decided to take it to my regular shop and have it looked at. I also inquired about getting the timing belt done.

It has always had a knock that gets louder when you put it in gear and hold the brake but that also goes away when you put it in park. It has been there for 4 years and 100k miles. After reading posts on here, I thought it might just be something loose and figured that since no mechanic could ever tell me what it was that I would just deal with it if and when something failed.

Anyway, the mechanic tells me today that the leak is primarily from the rack and pinion and that would be $900 to fix, which I was fine with. He also tells me that he thinks the knock is from oil deprivation at low rpms and so he thinks the bottom end is about to go out. He also said he did a cylinder test on it and he was getting low cylinder performance, particularly on the left side. It does surge a bit under acceleration but otherwise, I was driving it daily before the pandemic.

I inquired about fixing the steering and or replacing the engine and he pretty much told me he doesn't want anything to do with it and that it is time to "close the hood on it" because putting an engine in it is just going to lead to a whole bunch of other problems. I have put a lot of new stuff on it in the last couple of years including water pumps, brakes (including drums and rotors), radiator, alternator, etc. Basically, whatever it needed, I took care of it.

So, my question is, what is a realistic number for parts and labor on a new engine? I'm honestly ok spending the money on one, I'm just more concerned at this point that I won't be able to have the lift done until the rack and pinion is fixed and I need to find another mechanic apparently to do that.

Lastly, does anyone have a mechanic that they would recommend for the South Houston/Galveston area? I'd love to watch Tim's videos and do it all myself but unfortunately, I'm a medical student and have literally zero free time to do anything.

Thanks in advance.
Sounds to me like that mechanic doesn't want to do the work. I would be curious to see what kind of numbers he got during a compression test.

As far as the steering rack leak I would get another opinion. Most of the time it's actually the valve covers/half moons leaking down and dripping onto the steering rack boots.

Have you considered trying a 5w40 or 10w40 oil to see if your engine noise gets better?
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Old 08-13-2020, 05:52 PM #3
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If your going to replace the rack get a factory rack. Getting a life time rebuild from some place like autozone will only be nothing but problems. As far as the engine goes when you spoke about the Knock you are talking about a engine Knock not a drive train Knock like bad ujoints. If it is a engine Knock then most likely the engine should be replaced. One thing to consider is doing a compression test on the engine if the engine checks out ok you could consider figuring out what piston is giving you the knock pulling the pan remove the rod cap and inspect the Crankshaft. If it is still in good shape you could replace all the rod bearings and cross your fingers This is worth the risk. Engine replacement you could try to find a low mileage engine or go the JDM route. Plan on replacing all the hoses that carry coolant as well as water pump and timing belt. If for some reason you remove the heads on your engine or another be sure to take the heads to a good machine shop and have it resurfaced and the valves cut.
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Old 08-13-2020, 07:32 PM #4
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Get a 2nd opinion on everything and don't replace the engine until you 100% know it will fail and even then keep driving it if it drives ok. Continue doing the maintenance on it until you have a better mechanic drive it. Damn take it a Firestone or similar place for a diagnostic
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Old 08-13-2020, 07:33 PM #5
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No way to know if it is an oil pressure issue unless the oil pressure is tested! It could be a cracked flex plate or just mechanical interference too (heat shield or something).

Sounds like you definitely need a new mechanic if he doesn't want to do a steering rack...

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Old 08-13-2020, 08:09 PM #6
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Thanks, for the replies. I'm picking it up tomorrow and will see if I can get the pressure test info from him. I guess my thought is that if it were a low end problem it would have gotten worse over the past 4 years and 100K miles I have driven it, but it hasn't.

I'm reasonably sure it isn't the valve covers b/c I just had them do the valve covers before the pandemic hit. They have done good work in the past and the shop is highly rated but I think maybe the shop owner is just set in his ways and when he makes a recommendation and you don't follow it that he would just as soon not do business with you, which is fine.

I guess I might just bite the bullet and take it to the stealership to have the rack done since it was recommended to do an OEM rack. Any idea of what they will charge?
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Old 08-13-2020, 08:40 PM #7
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Or just do a v8 swap and call it a mod!
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Old 08-13-2020, 09:30 PM #8
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Duggysgarage is in the Aldine area.
I think it would be worth the travel if you can make it up there. He lives and breathes toyotas.
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Old 08-13-2020, 09:47 PM #9
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Duggysgarage is in the Aldine area.
I think it would be worth the travel if you can make it up there. He lives and breathes toyotas.
Thanks, I looked them up and they are about 45 minutes so I may give them a call.
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Old 08-13-2020, 10:12 PM #10
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If you want to take it to a Dealer ship that's up to you steering racks are pretty straight forward job any good shop can do it. I would make sure the bushing get changed when they do it. It may need inner and outer Tie rods with that kind of mileage. As far as the engine work goes a oil pressure check would be a good idea as mentioned above. Engine noises can up for different reasons if you want to try to get an idea where the noise is coming from your self you can use a long pry bar or a stethoscope and move it around to narrow down where the noise is coming from. You will be surprised how well it works. If you put the bar against the engine when it's running then resting it against your ear. Move the bar around until you hear the noise the loudest. How To Find Engine Noises - Quick & Easy - Bundys Garage - YouTube
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Old 08-13-2020, 10:59 PM #11
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A friend of mine just had his engine replaced by Yota1 in California and it was close to $7 grand. Now he also replaced all the hoses, alternator, and a lot of other stuff.
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Old 08-13-2020, 11:35 PM #12
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A bad steering rack means it's "time to close the hood on it"??
What a crock of shit
I'd take it to someone else. The steering racks on these rigs do tend to leak with age (like the majority of cars) but it's NOT the end of the world, provided it isn't something else, like your valve covers which are much more common. My rack was replaced around the 200k mark, personally. Though the knocking is interesting - you should take a video and post it here when you get the car back
Even if it IS your engine knocking, and it was at the end of it's life, 5VZ crate motors were pretty cheap last I checked
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Old 08-14-2020, 01:34 AM #13
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A friend of mine just had his engine replaced by Yota1 in California and it was close to $7 grand. Now he also replaced all the hoses, alternator, and a lot of other stuff.
uhh was it a tt 2jz swap?? good GRIEF!!!
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Old 08-14-2020, 01:37 AM #14
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A bad steering rack means it's "time to close the hood on it"??
What a crock of shit
I'd take it to someone else. The steering racks on these rigs do tend to leak with age (like the majority of cars) but it's NOT the end of the world, provided it isn't something else, like your valve covers which are much more common. My rack was replaced around the 200k mark, personally. Though the knocking is interesting - you should take a video and post it here when you get the car back
Even if it IS your engine knocking, and it was at the end of it's life, 5VZ crate motors were pretty cheap last I checked
RIGHT!
i have 577k miles on mine and it runnnnns im telling you like a top.
The knocking could be the lifters out of spec or like it was mentioned, flex plate. They are self adjusting lifters if i remember correctly so manually doing it would be $$$. just change your oil and go with with SHELL T series 10W30 Syn blend and let it ride!
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Old 08-14-2020, 07:12 AM #15
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It has always had a knock that gets louder when you put it in gear and hold the brake but that also goes away when you put it in park
Why has this statement been ignored?! You guys are almost as bad as the original mechanic!

Assuming you have an automatic, this is a classic symptom of a cracked flex plate, which DOES NOT require an engine rebuild. I would inspect the flex plate and go from there.
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