I've searched up and I can't seem to find many problems with these. I'm looking strictly at the limited versions but still undecided on the v6 or v8, likely 2006-2009. I'm not here to discuss gas mileage or towing capabilities. My primary concern is which engine is more reliable than the other, in conjunction with common problems outside of the engine.
4th Gen Common Problems Question
- Thread starter msommers
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krupnation
New member
V8 has a timing belt, V6 has timing chain. Timing belt needs replaced at 90k miles. Both are rock solid engines, V8 has a little more hp and more torque than V6. V6 is plenty peepy but if youre towing then the V8 might be better. V6 has better gas mileage by 2-5 mpg. It's a Yota man, they run forever if maintained.
BlackWorksInc
New member
Both are solid engines, the 1GR-FE (4.0L V6) is in my opinion one of the best truck equipped V6's I know of. They have plenty of get up and go in all of our truck-frame vehicles. They are equipped with a timing chain which means potentionally you will never have to change it. The 2UZ-FE (4.7L V8) comes in two flavors for the 4Runner, Pre '05 and post '05. The difference is a subtle change in components as VVTi was added to the V8's in 2005 and a small gain of horsepower and torque was achieved. The V8 is equipped with a timing belt which is reccomended to be replaced every 6yrs/90k miles which ever comes first. This is often the biggest expendeture on this engine and should be looked for in high mileage vehicles.
Yup, there are a lot of V8 supporters on this board and no doubt it's a good engine but the V6 at least as good if you don't plan on doing a lot of heavy towing. My personal opinion is that unless you do a lot of towing you shouldn't let the engine be the deciding factor in which 4Runner you get. Just find one that's the color you want, good service history, low miles, clean, etc. If it's a V6, great. If it's a V8, great. They'll both last forever if properly maintained.
hamiltonj2w1
New member
I have had a 4th gen with a V6 a 5th gen with the V6 and now own a 4th gen with the V8 I really like the V8 over the V6s but the previous owner didn't change the timing belt so I have to and I have a broken exhaust manifold on my V8 which many low mile V8 owners are getting replaced under warranty. But both are great motors and seem to not have many problems personally can't go wrong with either one
Probably not cheap, probably more like their OEM provider had a small design flaw. Who knows.
As for the vehicle. Just to echo the sentiment, both engines are very strong and have their own plus/minus; but both have very good reliability ratings.
You will hear the need to keep up with the timing belt as one issue with the V8, I have a v8 and I took this into consideration. I chose the V8 for in general it's longevity. Not to say that the V6 isn't a long life engine, it is, but in general a engine lasts longer when run at lower RPM's and since the v8 in general produces its power band at lower RPM, this results (in my mind) to a longer life span.
Obviously, this may be a case of 350k vs 300k which is a long timer for both.
The brakes are an issue. But, you won't find any car that doesn't have its own issues. The complexity of modern cars makes this an almost impossible search. So, I would rather buy a car that has a proven reliability on the important and EXPENSIVE components (engine, tranny, diff, transfer) and can live with small brake issues.
As for the vehicle. Just to echo the sentiment, both engines are very strong and have their own plus/minus; but both have very good reliability ratings.
You will hear the need to keep up with the timing belt as one issue with the V8, I have a v8 and I took this into consideration. I chose the V8 for in general it's longevity. Not to say that the V6 isn't a long life engine, it is, but in general a engine lasts longer when run at lower RPM's and since the v8 in general produces its power band at lower RPM, this results (in my mind) to a longer life span.
Obviously, this may be a case of 350k vs 300k which is a long timer for both.
The brakes are an issue. But, you won't find any car that doesn't have its own issues. The complexity of modern cars makes this an almost impossible search. So, I would rather buy a car that has a proven reliability on the important and EXPENSIVE components (engine, tranny, diff, transfer) and can live with small brake issues.
I was able to test out V6s and V8s and noticed the V8s to be a lot smoother. I ended up putting a deposit down on a V6 but I'm not sure if I'm going to follow through or not.
When I tested the vehicle, I noticed it had a built in trailor brake. I was about to go back into the dealership but decided to take it for a ride. The outside and inside are in amazing shape. Has new tires and wheel alignment done among other minor maintenance stuff (oil, filters etc). The transmission shifts very smoothly but when I romp it on it gains rpms smoothly but once I reached 100km/h and evened out my throttle it was a tad slow, about a second or so to shift from 3rd to 4th and 4th to 5th. I'm not sure how common this is. Going from first to second was really smooth. Switching around from 2wd to 4hi and 4lo was all very smooth and snappy as well.
So basically everything seems to operate fine but I'm still unsure because of this friggin trailor brake.
What's your guy's opinion? Should I just walk or are these things quite robust? The problem in any case is that I don't know how much or what was towed - dealer especially and private if the guy is dishonest :s
When I tested the vehicle, I noticed it had a built in trailor brake. I was about to go back into the dealership but decided to take it for a ride. The outside and inside are in amazing shape. Has new tires and wheel alignment done among other minor maintenance stuff (oil, filters etc). The transmission shifts very smoothly but when I romp it on it gains rpms smoothly but once I reached 100km/h and evened out my throttle it was a tad slow, about a second or so to shift from 3rd to 4th and 4th to 5th. I'm not sure how common this is. Going from first to second was really smooth. Switching around from 2wd to 4hi and 4lo was all very smooth and snappy as well.
So basically everything seems to operate fine but I'm still unsure because of this friggin trailor brake.
What's your guy's opinion? Should I just walk or are these things quite robust? The problem in any case is that I don't know how much or what was towed - dealer especially and private if the guy is dishonest :s
morphius909
New member
We have the V6 and it's really bulletproof. 100,000 kms and it still sounds and runs factory new.
A few things to watchout for:
-Driveshaft clunk. Just lube the crap out of it.
-Infamous Seat Pop. Learn to live with it.
-Seized Brake Calipers.
-Possible 4WD Actuator Leak.
that's about it.
The 4th Gen is one of the most reliable VEHICLES, not just SUVs.
As for V6 vs V8, unless you want to do towing, I think the V6 should be fine.
A few things to watchout for:
-Driveshaft clunk. Just lube the crap out of it.
-Infamous Seat Pop. Learn to live with it.
-Seized Brake Calipers.
-Possible 4WD Actuator Leak.
that's about it.
The 4th Gen is one of the most reliable VEHICLES, not just SUVs.
As for V6 vs V8, unless you want to do towing, I think the V6 should be fine.
Jgr4runnee
New member
4th gen problems lots of miles
Hey guys, ok so I think I broke my 03 4runner. I got new tires two days ago and went missing today. Everything was a blast except after I got dont with the mud part. I was on the pavement and noticed it was pulling me left and That the diff locked I was going like 55 mph. I wasn’t aware of what it did so I just hit the button and there was a grinding sound followed by a little pop. So I quickly put the diff lock back on and everything was cool, until I pulled over to see what was up. I parked it and then turned off the diff lock. My car started rolling so I hit the break... strange. So I put it into gear and heard this grinding noise and it wouldn’t go into gear. Can I get a clue as to what’s going on? Around 250000 miles
Hey guys, ok so I think I broke my 03 4runner. I got new tires two days ago and went missing today. Everything was a blast except after I got dont with the mud part. I was on the pavement and noticed it was pulling me left and That the diff locked I was going like 55 mph. I wasn’t aware of what it did so I just hit the button and there was a grinding sound followed by a little pop. So I quickly put the diff lock back on and everything was cool, until I pulled over to see what was up. I parked it and then turned off the diff lock. My car started rolling so I hit the break... strange. So I put it into gear and heard this grinding noise and it wouldn’t go into gear. Can I get a clue as to what’s going on? Around 250000 miles
3gunshooter
New member
why r u posting this in this thread?
Rishi3
New member
Well, when switching from 2hi to 4hi or locking/unlocking center diff, you must be going under 50mph. Personally I don't do either if I am over 35 mph, and everything shifts smooth as butter.
Anonymous4Runner
New member
Chances are his account is restricted from making new threads as he just signed up on T4R.org. When I first signed up, I ended up leaving compliments on other people's 4R pics to build my post history and eventually started making my own threads. This guy decided to take the shortcut and post his issue right away instead of building his post history. No worries :tongue:
This was my first Toyota and this thing has been the best. Very easy to do all maintenance an owner usually does (oil, plugs, bulbs, brakes....) and lots of good mods posted. My 6cyl 4R has 120K miles on now and would buy another in a heartbeat. Always interested in a new vehicle but reality sets in and there is no reason to part with this baby.
I had the slight driveshaft clunk (very very slight) that was fixed under warranty early on and there was a software flash upgrade at some point.
Really been as maintenance free as you can imagine. I did install HIDs from DD Tuning and LEDs on almost all interior and exterior lights that I could.
I get about 19 mpg on a long trip 65-70mph and 15-16 just around town, very accurate record keeping. Change conventional oil 5W30 and Toyota filter every 5K miles, also simple with filter on the top.
Hope that helps.
I'm in a unique psition to answer...
I owned a 2006 V8 for about a year, and replaced it with a V6 after the V8 was totaled in a crash from behind. The V8 ran quieter, and could be left in the AT-selected when towing on hills. But the V6 tows JUST AS WELL, with the only consideration being the fact that you often need to select a lower gear yourself (by hand) on hills. The V6 creates more noise. But that gas mileage difference is very noticeable: If there was a 3-MPG difference on a 40 MPG car, you would never notice. But, on this one, going from ~16 to ~19 is almost 20% better. (I live in mountains, all I get is 19 mpg).
That V8 timing belt job is ... unpleasant, or expensive. I consider the V6 to be the more capable of the two vehicles, although I still have an occasional urge to Dynamat the passenger compartment.
I owned a 2006 V8 for about a year, and replaced it with a V6 after the V8 was totaled in a crash from behind. The V8 ran quieter, and could be left in the AT-selected when towing on hills. But the V6 tows JUST AS WELL, with the only consideration being the fact that you often need to select a lower gear yourself (by hand) on hills. The V6 creates more noise. But that gas mileage difference is very noticeable: If there was a 3-MPG difference on a 40 MPG car, you would never notice. But, on this one, going from ~16 to ~19 is almost 20% better. (I live in mountains, all I get is 19 mpg).
That V8 timing belt job is ... unpleasant, or expensive. I consider the V6 to be the more capable of the two vehicles, although I still have an occasional urge to Dynamat the passenger compartment.
We kind of did the opposite. Our first '06 4Runner had the V6, and my wife totaled it about 6 weeks after we got it (she was fine, thankfully). The only replacement one available nearby with the 3rd row seats was a V8, and we just gave that one to my oldest daughter (whenever she decides to get her license, anyway, she's a sophomore in college now). Agree with your assessment -- V6 is noisier, V8 smoother, but there is a slight gas mileage difference (comparing to the Tacomas I have owned with the same V6). My wife just got a '17 Limited, and she misses the V8. It's just a very smooth motor. On paper they seem equivalent in power, but to me the V8 feels more powerful.
As mentioned, the V8 does require timing belt replacement. Ours is probably overdue based on age (almost 12 now), it only has 64K miles and has never been replaced. I am considering doing it myself, but I have read through the procedure and it does look somewhat unpleasant. Not necessarily hard, but time consuming with some tricky parts. I may take it in. Serpentine belt is original and still in good condition and it's not being driven much, so I have some time -- certainly not doing it in these temps!
I do have to say that the '06 V8 4Runner is probably the best vehicle I have owned. Zero issues with it, and it's a very solid, balanced vehicle that rides and drives great.