1998 Limited 4x4 w/ Engine Oil Leak?

K

Kanger328

New member
Hello,
I'm going to check out a '98 4x4 w/ 140k miles tomorrow. Everything is in good condition and good working order, but the seller did say that it had a small engine leak. Should I be worried about this? He said his mechanic looked at it and said it's not worth fixing and this point.

His asking price is $6,900 and a few people will be meeting him tomorrow to check it out. I'm hoping he'll take my offer of $5,500 but I doubt it (it has the E-locker!). Worth a shot. Thanks in advance!
 
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What does he mean by not worth fixing? Does that mean it's too far gone to fix or it's too minimal to bother with? I'm assuming the latter but what kind of mechanic says something like that? In my opinion, the only things that should be coming out of an engine are heat, exhaust and horsepower. Anything wet or smokey is a red flag. If anything, I would hope a mechanic would recommend fixing it now while it's not a big deal before letting it become one.

Just before mine went up for sale, it had a "small leak" and a new set of valve cover gaskets fixed it.

What has been done to it other than oil changes? Does it have the orginal timing belt/water pump and/or radiator? Those are things you should do if they haven't already been done, so consider it in the price. There's "working order" and then there's "not broken - YET, working order". I paid a little more for mine than I wanted to but everything has been done except the radiator, so I took that into account - and I was also going up against another interested buyer.

I reread your post and see that it was "his mechanic", not yours. See if he'll let you take it to someone you trust and see if it's "not worth fixing".
 
Yep, he meant the leak was really minor so it wasn't worth paying the money to fix it. As well as maintenance, he has all records. Timing belt was replaced at 100k. Had no accidents, no issues with engine/tranny/radiator. Everything works according to him. Thanks for the feedback!
 
Yeh no problem. Make sure whoever you get to wrench your truck is not that guy. To me, that's like a dentist telling me I have a cavity that's not big enough to fill yet.

The point of the radiator, and all of those items, is not to fix them after there is a problem. It's to prevent the known problems. These trucks and engines will last way longer than the radiators, and if they go out on you in the wrong way, you're buying a new transmission.

Have you checked out the buyer's guide? See - pink milkshake

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/82033-3rd-gen-4runner-buyers-guide.html
 
Yeah, that's a great thread. I've been on there a quite a few times. I've been lurking on here for a few months now looking for the One. I hope this one is it.
 
The 96-97 had the 2 spoke steering wheel, the 98+ had the 4 spoke.

To the poster above (sorry, I'm on my phone and can't see your name) sounds lien yours was change at some point.
 
Location is important here but I would not pay that much for a T4R. But anyway, did he say where the oil leak was coming from? I agree that if it is the valve cover that wouldn't be a deal breaker but definitely a negotiating point.
 
Can't remember exactly what he said. He said it was somewhere in the rear of the engine. I'm guessing some gasket gone bad, just not sure where.
 
Im guessing the oil leak is from the rear main seal. In order to fix it you'll need to pull the trans. You could drive it like that for awhile if you had to but it will eventually leave a mess whenever you park.
 
So sad, didn't go for it. Was out of my price range. I think he sold for about $7k, which is still pretty good but not so much for a '98 IMHO. As a person on the search for a 4runner, I wish they didn't have such great resale value. And the search continues...

Thanks for all the feedback fellas.
 
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