Recent content by del mar

4th Gen SUV. I have been on this blog now for about 18 months and am very surprised about the mechanical problems with this SUV. On the one hand I hear some mighty fine stuff and on the other hand I hear some pretty rough stuff. I can't blame it on the lack of undercoating, but that...

After all this rust, think I will be looking for a 1955 Austin Healey 100S. :)

And . . . is this the new normal for a 4Runner?

In the mileage range you are looking for, is a much lower than the norm for those years. The normal annual mileage used pretty much everywhere is 12,000. That means there is a higher price applied for cars with less than the average. Then, with the frame rust issue looming, and the likelihood of...

Interesting. What was that "a lot more than just the frame" that the dealer did when replacing the frame? Curious.

Might try cranking the engine without the spark plugs installed. That will get oil in to the oil passages quite well. Fuel shouldn't be an issue.

When I was 18, I bought a brand new Alfa Romeo Veloce Spider. It was a 1300 cc with twin Weber carb's. Dual overhead cams. 4 speed manual. And I used to go out on weekend nights and prowl for Corvettes on Mulholland Drive. :whip2: They were faster, but I usually won. It's the curves, ya know...

Not sure where you will find a $5K priced 4Run with your restrictions. But let us know. :panda:

Oh, sorry. I have used POR 15 on a small project, & was very happy with the results. I used the de-greaser that came with the kit. How much POR 15 did you use and brush on? I have a back issue and getting down and up on a crawler is a real problem for me.

How much POR 15 did you use? Why the Acetate? It sounds like a job well done.

Thanks for clarifying this date for me & other readers.

The forum says thru 05. Your tip about Carfax is good advice. The last time I bought a car was in 02. I'm one of those that buys 'em and holds 'em. Like I have a 1993 Montero as my daily driver.

The only item that concerns me on the 4th Gen is the head gasket issue. While I live in Baja (just 125 mi. South of the border) I will limit my search to Nevada, Ca, and possibly AZ.

This has been a valuable thread for me. I could not make up my mind which Gen to buy. But this thread sheds a lot of light on the subject, and helped me make up my mind. Thanks for keeping this thread active!

Excellent writeup! :nicethread: