Are 3rd Gens as Good as We Think They Are?

[LittleCaesar]

My 99, built in 10/98, has a dying A340F in it due to a clutch pack that is at the end of its life. But knowing that the previous owner towed a 20ft boat and probably didn't take it out of O/D I am not surprised and have set money aside for another tranny sooner than later. Other than a freak design such as the OEM radiator possibly dumping coolant into the tranny, heat, more than anything else, will shorten the life of an auto transmission.

The design of the 3rd gen 4runner is excellent, but as all things mechanical are, wear and tear along with time are not on their side. As fellow member 4RunningDaily once lamented, "this s&#t is old!" The trans dying for your excellent video editor sucks, but find another one, invest in a tranny jack, and make a great of a tranny removal and install video.

I still love my 3rd gen though, having owned it for a dozen years.

 

[White Stripe]

Yes 3rd gets are very reliable. So reliable people neglect to do much maintenance. How many times has the fluid in that transmission flushed? I'm guessing at best once. I put a supercharger on mine at 190k. I has to do lots of baselining due to neglect, but it's great.

 

[poleclimber63]

Yes, there are first hand experiences of breakdowns and mechanical failures. BUT there were a CRAP load of them made AND there are still a ton of them on the road, and of those, quite a few in well kept and/or good condition.

I dumped a 99' Suburban in favor of my 98' 4Runner. Everything was failing on the Suburban! Locks, windows, handles, rear end, tranny, electrical problems--- you name it! Yes, I had an engine failure 2 yrs in, in my 4Runner, but it never let me down anywhere, and I haven't had to replace any of the said items, I did on my Suburban. I've had a few things to do, and I've done a number of things for my own reasons. Most of those mechanical upgrades would have still have been undone, if it wasn't for my passion and interest.

I wouldn't hesitate to jump in it right now and drive 500 miles. Is it perfect? No (LBJ's, rear axle seals, brakes, frame rust, rad failures). BUT its probably the most durable vehicle I've owned and one of the simplest to work on. In my 20's, 60's Chevys were my passion, and to say a 4Runner is a pleasure to work on, as compared to a 62 Chevy, is huge. Very well engineered. Relatively easy to repair and not overly expensive. With maintenance, it will outlast pretty much anything. Will you eventually have repairs? Yes. BUT way less frequently than most!

 

[T4R2014]

I wouldn't even call the A340F a weakness. Even the 01-02 variants have better than average lifespan. My 1996 A340F is all original, and the previous owner towed a Honda S2K with it every other weekend to upstate NY for a few years. It shifted fine when I got it and after some Castrol ATF it is shifting wonderfully. I'm not exactly easy on those highway on-ramps either.

 

[frodiesel]

I think 160K miles is remarkable service life for a 20 year old transmission.

Tough crowd.

You living in a 89 dodge caravan?

 

[PNW yota]

All I can say is I was a die hard jeep guy from age 16. Comanche, Cherokee and 2 grand Cherokees. My buds all drove various jeeps as well but one by one all switched to toyotas. I was the last to convert. Doubt I'll ever own something other than a Toyota. If my 3rd gen $hits the bed I'm not sure I'll jump right to another. Maybe Tacoma or tundra but I do know I'll be driving toyotas forever. Can't beat the reliability or re-sale value.

Buying used is always risky. I'm still nervous over various "quirks" my rig has but there no way around it other than shelling out thousands more for a new rig off the lot.

 

[GangsterOfLove]

You living in a 89 dodge caravan?

Laughing here. :thumb:

OTOH Fiat is still using that gawdawful Ultramatic trans in their vans (afaik) and 100K is stellar performance for those. My '98 Windstar managed to shyt three transmissions before the 75K warranty ran out and I swapped it off on a 3rd gen.

I think 160K miles impressive for a 20 year old trans and the upside is that they're cheap to rebuild, all things considered. Many, many other transmissions will cost you more, and God knows what it will cost to rebuild an 8 speed.

 

[StreetCreeper]

Are 3rd Gens as Good as We Think They Are?

Yes.​

​

 

[pluton]

Your friend either got a [very]rare bad trans or, more likely, the PO F'd it up.
I'll put money on the PO being a lying sack of sh*t...especially if a pink milkshake scenario was involved.
The 3rd gen 4Runner, overall, is not only one of the most reliable small trucks ever made, it's one of the most reliable vehicles of any kind ever made.

 

[animator]

With over 210k on a completely original drivetrain, I can count on one hand the times it's been to the shop, and two of those times were for simple things like a new battery or new brakes.


So yes, it's been a great car for the decade or so that I've had it. I want a new truck, but I just can't let go of a perfectly fine, paid-for, worry-free 4runner.

 

[kolelt]

You are going to see many topics on forums about issues. Because this is a forum where people ask anything ! And share everything. Just like any other forum. When I bought my 4Runner my head gasket went. That was a bumer. But I didn't give up. I still think it's reliable, and I love my truck. Toyota is Toyota. And there's a reason why people always say, "Toyota never dies".

Some people have buggier issues with their cars then others. It is what it is. You can a brand new car and have problems in a week. But for 20year old car, that handles amazingly on road and off road. And EVERYTHING works. Yea I'll take it. My friends a mechanic. All he works on 99% is American cars basically. Electrical problem and other bs. He says he rarely sees a Toyota or Honda......

 

[zoombyu86]

If it creates friction, it generates heat, thus, is susceptible to failure at some point. I don't expect much from my 4runner because it's 16 years old but it surpasses my expectations every day despite having to change a few critical components in the last year.

There is a reason that warranties only go out as far as they do. Engineers don't expect stuff to last that long and they aren't built to last forever; How else would they make money if people weren't buying new stuff?

I'm going to bet that even though so many people on here claim to be meticulous in their maintenance and upkeep, it's not as often as needed.

 

[thegipper]

I've only owned my 4R (previously my brothers) for about a year. He owned it for about 6 years and in that time, he literally did nothing but oil changes other than a pink milk shake repair (radiator/flushes) at 200k miles.

Now when I got it, it was in desperate need of many repairs, but most were wear items that you except to fail over time (suspension stuff mostly). I've had to do a few mechanical/electrical repairs like the starter contacts, vacuum check valve and a couple broken wires in the drivers door. Other than that, everything I've done has been preventative maintenance or neglected maintenance.

The 4R to me just feels tight, well built and well designed. I had the same feeling about my Acura TL compared to other domestic cars that were total POS.

My biggest gripe with it so far is if you do have to make repairs, the parts are like 2 or 3x as expensive as some other vehicles (jeep ect). I would say they are in general "easy" to work on but there are definitely some exceptions. The axle seals are NOT easy to replace comparably speaking, especially because it is a relatively common item to fail. Removing the starter is NOT easy compared to other vehicles. Having to replace the time belt/water pump every 100k miles compared to a lifetime timing chain is relatively annoying too (at least its not an interference engine).

So IMHO, the 3rd gen 4R is a very reliable and solid vehicle. With that being said, no, it is not some magical unicorn without its flaws. I wouldn't hesitate to take mine on a 2000 mile trip tomorrow and mine is far from perfect. A good way to get some perspective is what other 20 year old vehicle would you have more confidence in?

Toyota in general is not the best at any one thing (engine, design, tranny, ect) but they are very good at most things.

In the last 3 years, we no longer own the Acura TL (we do regret selling it though), the pontiac grand prix or the jeep grand cherokee. We now own a 3G 4R, a 2011 Camry v6 and a 2011 Highlander limited. The biggest reason we are all Toyota now IS reliability. To me, reliability IS number one.

 

[thegipper]

Another good way to look at it is value. Why do 3G 4R that are 20ish years old with 200k miles on it still sell for 5k+. I could buy 3 or 4 Grand Cherokee's for the same 5k. Now they did make way more grand cherokee's but the demand for them is extremely low. The demand for 4R's in general is crazy but justified.

People buy them and almost never sell them. One of the biggest reasons they keep them is there reliability. We were in the market for a late 4th gen or early 5th before we bought our Highlander. There was literally 11 4R's for sale in the entire state of Wisconsin that we could find that fell in that range! We had to go to Chicago to find more to look at!

That is not a coincidence.

 

[TillytheToyota]

As a new member of this forum and a new owner of a 3rd gen, I can see how doubt can sink in after reading multiple threads of people addressing problem after problem. Before I bought my t4r, I scoured this site looking for any reason that would deter me from making my purchase. Believe me, I found plenty of nightmare problems that I wasn't sure I was prepared (or equipped) to deal with if they ever decided to rear their ugly heads. However, this forum is a great community of knowledgeable people that have 'been there done that'- so if anything, most of my doubt has been replaced with a can do attitude. I guess just don't get bogged down on the "negative" threads on this site.

I'll also mention I would've never, NEVER considered buying a used vehicle at 187k. It's had 2 owners in its life, the PO I bought it from had an "okay" maintenance record on it, the first owner- excellent. So I took a risk. Do I know if the first owner towed dinosaurs behind it for the first 100,000 miles and ran it up 70degree slopes full bore? No I don't, I took a risk.. but less of a risk because of it being a Toyota.

 

[aontkos]

I think the answer is yes, but we are all a little biased here. I bought my truck three years ago with just over 100k miles on it. It had just one owner and a complete maintenance record from the local Toyota service center.

I'm now up to 152k miles with minimal maintenance done. I've done fluid exchanges, LBJs, starter contacts, put in OME 881s and 906s (because I wanted to), replaced the CVs (torn boots from new ride height), replaced the radiator (because I wanted to), replaced the valve cover gaskets and added a trans cooler. I've never had to get the truck towed in the three years I've owned it. I think all of those repairs are a drop in the bucket compared to what other vehicles may require at 100k miles, much less 150k.

When I bought the truck I was optimistic that it was solid, but lately I've started to feel like it's showing its age. Granted, I'm at 150k less than a considerable number of the folks on here, but I notice little noises that bug the sh*t out of me. Two weeks ago I noticed the slightest "whizzing" sound from the transmission that goes away in N and P, so I'm beginning to expect the worst.

With that said, I'd still rather take my truck on long hauls than my girlfriend's Civic with fewer miles. I'm still taking the truck on a road trip from Florida to Canada next fall. When things fail, I'll replace them. These trucks are worth it.

 

[Teedeejr]

Give it as much- or little- credit as you want.
I don't overestimate mine, but I FVCKING LOVE IT, and think it's the best rig $5,000 could ever buy me! I love every minute of driving and owning it, and love maintaining it.

This. I've had my '98 for about a month, paid right under 5K, and yes, I too am loving every minute of driving and owning it. I haven't enjoyed driving like this since owning my 1st car, a 1979 Celica GT.

 

[JayRolla]

Anyone else getting more mad as this thread stays alive??

It needs to be deleted!!

 

[zoombyu86]

Anyone else getting more mad as this thread stays alive??

It needs to be deleted!!

I agree, we are all biased and no one wants to see this but we can't have a dictatorship forum just because we don't want to see something.

If anything, It just shows how much we all still love our rigs even when stuff does break. Weed out the weak!

 

[Jimi900]

I've got 185,000 miles on my '02 (03/02 build), and I have owned it for 9 years and put most of the miles on it. It has never let me down. I have had to replace the passenger side rear seal but I caused the failure so I can hold that against the truck. the rest of the time it has been brakes, tires, and oil. I love this thing. My truck is completely stock other that 267/75 tires.