about to buy an '02 SR5 W/ trd supercharger, what shopuld i know/look for??

[drtyjerz47]

hey guys. i found what i think is "the one"i used to have a 99 limited IJM runner and it had almost every "commom problem" from the cholo lean in my sagging suspension, to a clock that didnt work, climate controls that just did what every they wanted as i drove, and holes in the fram that i could have probably put my arm through.

recently i found a 2002 thunder cloud gray SR5 runner
has a sport hood, clean under carriage, about 150k, just had the timing belt and some other maintenance done, and it has the second gen TRD black Super charger on it. it does NOT have the 7th injector that im aware of, im driving 3 hours this weekend to go look /buy it. the owner has talked it up alot, but then again hes selling it, so what owner wouldnt.

i had recently posted the add up on here just to make sure i wasnt going to over pay or anything , i got som egood feed back and then i took it down (im not going to lie, i didnt want some one to beat me to the punch on this one)

i really want to know what tests, or what should i be looking for engine wise with this S/C to make sure im in good hand and its not going o blow up on me when im taking my kids to day care in the morning.

any specific noises, anything i should be tugging on, ANY info and guidance would be greatly appreciated.
i know my way around an engine, im not a novice but im by no means an expert, that being said, of all the previous cars ive owned (this will be 11 LOL) ive never deal with forced induction except for my 2002 Audi A6 2.7T, and i only had that for a couple months before i deployed.

REGARDLESS.... any info guys anything at all would be GREATLY appreciated. last thing i want to do is drop all sorts of money on the vehicle and have to drop a bunch more on a new motor or a bunch of parts for repairs and have my wife get all sideways on me.

thanks gents!

 

[4-Ripcord]

I am sure you have read the buyer's guide, but you may not have noticed the section on superchargers at the bottom:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/82033-3rd-gen-4runner-buyers-guide.html

Basically.. look for leaking where the nose cone bolts to the body of the S/C, play in the pulley, condition of the bypass valve on the back.

You will want to hear it while running, superchargers do rattle a bit while idling but rattle at anything above idle is sign of a bad bearing.


FYI, even on a bad day the 3.4 with a supercharger is way more reliable than audi's 2.7T on a good day, I have one trust me. So don't worry too much.

 

[drtyjerz47]

I am sure you have read the buyer's guide, but you may not have noticed the section on superchargers at the bottom:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/82033-3rd-gen-4runner-buyers-guide.html

Basically.. look for leaking where the nose cone bolts to the body of the S/C, play in the pulley, condition of the bypass valve on the back

Thanks rip. No I didn't look there but I definitely will now.and I'm a huge fan of your rigs man,made me hit up the thundercloud scene over my ever so classy imperial Jade mica

 

[JayRolla]

If its clean, low mileage, and taken care of what else can you ask for.

 

[A.Wilson013]

Look for ANY signs of oil leaking out of the SC. That thing only has a littttlllleeee bit of oil in it, so any leak is substantial. Main spot to look is right under the nose cone at the seal.

When you blip the throttle, the bypass valve at the back should snap open and closed.

Note if it has the dynamic tensioner

Note the condition of the belt. If it's poor, I'd say the rest has probably also been neglected.

Is the SC making any rattles? It'll sound funny, especially if you're not used to it, but it should sound healthy... Maybe take a little video from the engine bay and post it up? Or have the current owner send you one.

That's really all I can think of. The SC itself is a very simple unit; not much to look at from the outside.


Hope you get it- it's a fun little addition.

 

[gamefreakgc]

Even if the supercharger rattles or acts funny, it's very simple to rebuild. You just buy a new nose cone and fill with oil, done. Not much else needed.

What I would check extensively is the transmission. Check the fluid level and color, if it looks old or brown then the transmission might be on its way out. The supercharger puts extra stress and heat and they have been known to fail if neglected. The shift points should be firm and short, if it lags between shifts then just be aware that it may not be in good shape (will lag more when it's warmed up). Reason why I say this is because the supercharged one I bought had the transmission replaced 3 years before (roughly at 175k miles) since the guy didn't know how to take care of it, and even that one had bad fluid in it (and it leaked).

Check as many fluids as you can, coolant, engine oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, power steering fluid etc. since if you find any bad fluid you might spot an issue or something that will fail on you soon.

Also, take it out at highway speeds. I didn't do this before buying and it wobbled like mad when driving. $400 later and it's fine but I wish I had known that from the start.

 

[Aznwolf118]

Like above check the transmission, then check it again

The supercharger parts can be had cheap. Mugnsun sells all your oils and rebuild kits. Ask if he has the stock manifolds, usually dudes that keep original parts tend to take better care of their rigs cause they are anal like that.

Also make sure what tyoe of or if he had tunig done with the 7th injector urd kit.

Note if the pulley is a 2.2.
A lot of people just slap on the 7th injector, and think the can run boost, without tuning.

I would suggest that if it's well taken care, it wouldn't be a problem.
I have had a s/c on my 02 for 155k out of the 160k on the clock now.

 

[drtyjerz47]

Like above check the transmission, then check it again

The supercharger parts can be had cheap. Mugnsun sells all your oils and rebuild kits. Ask if he has the stock manifolds, usually dudes that keep original parts tend to take better care of their rigs cause they are anal like that.

Also make sure what tyoe of or if he had tunig done with the 7th injector urd kit.

Note if the pulley is a 2.2.
A lot of people just slap on the 7th injector, and think the can run boost, without tuning.

I would suggest that if it's well taken care, it wouldn't be a problem.
I have had a s/c on my 02 for 155k out of the 160k on the clock now.

....there is no 7th injector

dum dum DUMMMM

its something im already putting money aside for...and i dont even have the rid yet. but yeah, no 7th injector.

i will definatly be through with the fluids, especially tranny and be through with the s/c nose cone oil. (thanks for that info)

if i get that 7th injector ill probably do the nose cone and the bypass valve all together just to reset the clock. but i need to ensure its not a ticking time bomb in the mean time.

but yeah what do you think about this lack of a 7th situation?

sorry if im beeing skeptical. im just about to drop 8500 in a rig and want to avoid getting dropkicked in the chest by my wife for buying a dud if it goes south on me

 

[gamefreakgc]

It's fine without any fuel mods. Mine has been that way for over 100,000 miles and runs like a top.