Brakes on 1997 - Plus other ?s

[wlmbusiness]

Hi all - New to the group here. Have a few questions on a used 1997 SR5 I am looking at. Would appreciate any advice/info.

This vehicle has 105K miles. I just took it to a Toyota dealer for used car inspection. Generally wondering if the issues they found are common for a 97 with 105K miles (generaly speaking of course).

1) Emergency brake has to be replaced, does not work at all. Seems odd that an entire EB mechanism ($799) should have to be replaced. Yes/No?

2) Vibration when first applying brakes, subsides when coming to complete stop - Toyota says needs new brakes and rotors - that seems logical to me, but is there a historic brake issue for the 97s I should know about?

3) The current owner had all the routine maintenance done at a local garage, not a dealer. I assume the local garage just did oil and lubes. Are there any absolute maintenance items or replacements that are considered "must dos" prior to 105K?

Any pointers/advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

[lee]

2) yea, you probably have warped rotors which plagues runners of all years. mine is starting to exhibit what youre talking about more and more...

3) http://www.toyota.com/html/owners/ go there, click on service & maintenance, enter in your trucks info and go to your mileage. itll tell ya what you need (timing belt, water pump usually).

good luck.

 

[bflooks]

that's a hell of a link you gave, lee! i wish i had those maintenance record forms when i bought my truck. instead, i have all receipts. atleast after looking at that, and comparing to my mileage, i think i am very much up to date with maintenance.

 

[lee]

yea, thats a really useful thing for owners... no idea why dealers dont tell their used car customers to go there.

 

[khaug]

I owned a '98 LTD for five years. Wonderful truck, wish I still had it.

I agree with your reservations about spending $700 on the parking brakes. Very difficult to imagine how that would be necessary. I'd get a second opinion.

Toyota brakes in general have a reputation for warping of rotors. At 5 years/75K miles, my '98 still had its original brakes and the rotors were smooth - this in spite of my having towed my track car (4,000 #) extensively in mountainous terrain. I think my secret is that I'm careful to never keep the brakes applied at a stop when they're hot - I shift into neutral, or at least let the truck creep ahead. This prevents uneven cooling and transfer of pad material to rotors.

Rear axle seal failure has been a frequent complaint for 3rd gen 'Runners. This allows diff lube to ooze out into the brake drums, ruining the brake shoes. If the problem's really bad, you can see spattered gear lube on the inside of the wheel rims.

My '98 went 75K miles needing only replacement of a single oxygen sensor as unscheduled maintainence. It doesn't get much better than that!