I bought my 4runner around 3 years ago, and the parts of the air intake box that attach to the frame of the 4runner came totally busted (besides one), so it mostly rattles around under the hood. I have consistent MAF sensor issues, and cleaning it out only fixes the issue for 3 months, and then I'm taking it out and cleaning it again(making my gas mileage terrible. I'm thinking that my box is just more exposed to dirt and contaminants because it's not correctly attached to the car, which causes the sensor to get dirty a lot faster. Does that sound possible to you guys?

I want to just replace the stupid thing, but you can't find those boxes anywhere for any sort of reasonable amount. Does anyone know where I could pick up a used one at a decent price? If not, does anyone have any suggestions on how to approach this issue? I'm not super mechanically inclined, as changing oil and cleaning this MAF sensor about top off my experience...

you should be able to find one in junk yard or people parting out another 4runner on craigs list.

just keep in mind there are 2 different styles thru the 3rd gen years.

1. 96-98 have the same MAF design
2. 99-2002 have another MAF design

you should be able to pull one including the MAF and replace your broken one. you can also re-pin the plug to trick the 96-98 and use a 99-2002 air box, but you will also need to swap over the entire intake pipe and resonator. I have a vid of how that is done if your interested?

I'm sure somebody on this board has an air intake laying around you could have for pretty cheap... I just tossed 2 x of these intakes for 96-98 years last fall into the recycle bin, sorry.

I would head for the nearest junk yard for that. It's not a part that typically gets picked so you should be able to find one if the yard has any 3rd gens. That assembly would cost a bundle at the dealer I would guess.

Probably just order a new MAF if you want one too. Or you could run the junkyard one and see how it works for you. Might get lucky.

If you are getting dirt on the MAF you are getting dirt in your engine too. Is your filter not sealing correctly? Or are you running an oil type filter that's known for fouling MAFs?

In addition to the model year changes mentioned above, the 4-cylinder air boxes differ from the 6-cylinder models. However, it seems all 96-2000 4-cylinder 4Runners use the same air box.

I would go to a junkyard and find one from there. I think a brand new OEM unit would be too expensive anyways.

These are excellent questions...

I've checked the junkyards near me, and no 3rd gens so far, so I'll have to keep my eyes peeled.

If anyone stumbles upon this thread, has an extra box and feels sorry for me, I have a 2000 V6

I have used this site from time to time and had good luck finding things

Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market

I used salt lake city to search and lots of 4runners... just not sure where in UT you live?

Oh I moved this last year to rural Eastern Idaho. It looks like using the site you posted there’s potential for one in Idaho Falls, so I’ll have to go check that out!