This past fall I made the jump and purchased a 1990 4runner for $1500. It had not been driven much in the last 4 or 5 years except as a hunting truck and a "don't wanna mess up my real car" truck. The odometer stopped working around 169k miles and the speedometer doesn't work. The truck runs great however I know that there has been ZERO maintenance in the past probably ten years save the initial oil change and fluid check I did upon purchasing.
I have a vision of this truck carrying my 2 boys my wife and me to the mountains for camping, towing the jon boat for fishing and getting to those hard to reach places for hunting. I picked the toyota because of the reputation of dependability and the thought that if i could get this truck to a level of performance it theoretically could last along time with the proper maintenance. (I own a prius and will only buy toyotas again!)
What I want to know is the order in which I should address the refurbish and any signs or events that signal a lost cause. The trucks starts up, runs, stops, restarts etc. The 4 wheel drive works. The things that i notice are that it leaks, oil and most recently coolant too. I can tell that the front end needs to be replaced; rods, cvs, brakes, the whole gambit. Any help is greatly appreciated..


Thanks

Congratulations.
What engine, and transmission does it have?

3.0 EFI. Not sure of the transmission

automatic transmission if that is what you mean

Ok, here's the list:

Check with dealer and see if head gasket recall was ever done. If not, they should still honor that.

Plugs (NGK) and Wires (Denso), brand does matter. Change cap and rotor and check the timing.

Air and fuel filter. You may have issues with the fuel filter. Spray the nuts on each side daily with PB Blaster every day for a week before you try removing it.

O2 sensor and general exhaust inspection.

Drain, flush and fill your coolant and transmission fluid.

Change the oil in your differentials.

Check the boots on you CV axles. If damaged, swap them out for new ones.

Sounds like you're only interested in light wheeling, but a solid set of all terrain tires is never a bad thing. BF Goodrich AT's are great and affordable.

After all that, it should run great. Now, how insane do you want to get? There is a plethora of offroad extras you can add.

I've been told by a few different transmission people to leave the ATF alone. Sometimes it's all that holds the tranny together....... Just a thought to stir the pot a little bit. Heard that for years


Otherwise a great list.

I have a 94 I am taking on as-well..it is abit crippled right now, but that is a nice list of things to confirm prior to gettin her all back together. Better to do many of these before installing them.