Buying Help, 05/V6/4wd, VSC TRAC VSC OFF ABS OFF, cannot read OBDII

[mastee]

Guys,

I just looked at a 05 v6 limited 4wd, with 194k miles, no rust , all vin stickers present but it shows "slight damage" on carfax, I could not really see any visible damage all lines looked good and so did the paint, no fading anywhere.

It drove fine as well, I did many take offs, reverse, engaged/disengaged 4H, 4Lo, tested all windows, sunroof. I crawled under on all four sides, no leaks underneath or around Tcase/pumpkin, no tears in cv boots.

He lets us leave for 15 minutes with the truck I did not see any other alarming sign, it felt fine while driving the whole time.

Bad:
Battery was terrible, and some brand I have never heard off
Two front tires will need to be changed, the two rears are good.

There was a small animal foot skeleton in the glove compartment..

**VS, Trac/off and ABS lights are on the dash and mine and his obd gave communication error...if it is something that can be easily fixed at home then I can use it to negotiate the price down further?

He posted for 6500 and with the OBD he was already down to 6200, I think he will go lower if he cannot resolve it and get emissions done, it cannot be registered. So it is a bit risky if it is something big but as compared to the two others I looked at this is a much better deal

 

[84ability]

That isn't usually a big deal, just annoying. On mine I just had to push the wheel speed sensor wire back into the hub further (it got pulled a bit during either my brake job or suspension swap). What should be a bigger concern is the 2005 and earlier V6's are known to have head gasket issues.

 

[mastee]

Is there something else I can do to check if this one is prone to failure or steer clear all together from 03-05 V6?

What is the typical labor on Hg job?
I have a family member that has a proper shop, he quoted $350 labor for timing belt kit on V8s, (listed below) but I am concerned from being up north it may be a rust bucket
2004 Toyota 4Runner Limited 4WD 4dr SUV In Woodstock GA - Car Buyer USA

This low mileage 03 had lots of rust, plus hg issue
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/ctd/5992118049.html

 

[84ability]

I would read the stickied thread towards the top of the 4th gen forum titled "*** V6 Head Gasket Action Request ***". The V8 you posted looks very nice and decently priced, I would try to get pics of the frame and check that out ASAP if I were you.

 

[RunninInGA]

OP, it took me a couple months to find a 4WD in the Atlanta area that was NOT covered in rust. All the ones I saw came from northern climates. Ended up expanding my search radius due to time pressure. Bought my truck from a dealer just outside Chattanooga. All of this is to say good trucks are out there but you'll need some time to find the good ones and you must act fast once you find one.

 

[rmstucky]

For the lights on the dashbaord, I have a very similar problem:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-g...-off-slip-indication-abs-vsc-trac-lights.html

Fix was to replace the brakelight switch under the brake pedal. Looks similar to your issue. Otherwise i have heard of issues with ABS wires giving similar errors
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/53097-where-brake-light-switch.html

 

[Bumbo]

Where those ABS VSC TRAC lights already on when you got there?

Not sure on the 2005, but on the 2004 it uses the ISO protocol not CAN or CANSF for the OBDII.

Because of that my scanner bugged up my Zero Point Calibration when doing the protocol negotiation. You get same/similar lights on the dash when you clear your zero point cal.

May or may not be your problem, buts something to look into and understand.

 

[jrm]

Could it have been flooded?

and the electrical damaged as a result? Any rust where you wouldnt expect it? or any kinda smell /interior discoloration?

 

[AuSeeker]

I like the 2004 V8 as well and it's loaded with all options, and V8 4WD T4Rs are hard to find in good condition,
I would suggest going to check it out ASAP, if the rust is not bad, the only other thing I see is the tear on the side of the river's seat,
but other than that it looks real clean and it is a very good price for that T4R, and with 160,000 it has plenty of life and many miles left on that truck
and I would think that the timming belt was done at around 90,000 to 100,000 miles, it should show up on the CarFax and or maintence records,
if so you would have 20,000 miles or so before it would be due for another belt.

The 2005 V6 you posted photos of looks to have a good bit of rust, more than I would care to have, but may not be as bad as it looks in the photo,
and then you also have the warnings lights which it's very possible that it's one of the ABS sensors/wires.

 

[mastee]

The 05 with the lights on is listed below, at the end it will be approximately $7000 with taxes and everything. I like the color better
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/wat/cto/5996817330.html

edit: "jrm" on the 05/v6 I did not see any evidence of damage not even the repair from the accident on the carfax is visible, it seems to have been done well and had all VIN stickers, no smells, except the lights and the OBD issue...I want to offer him $5500 him today and see what he says, a good friend owns a salvage yard and an uncle owns a proper repair shop, I have done upto TB myself on my 3rd gen (posted here) so perhaps with the help of the forums I can fix it myself..tempting

I literally went asap to take a look at the 04 v8, it is completely coated underneath with some black hard covering not rubbery but like truck liner type stuff, I am not sure what it is but I did not see any rust

I did the usual visual checks from underneath on CV boots, leaks, checked VIN on all panels, it shows zero accidents on carfax, wit several records but none for tb

I am not sure besides pressing the DAC, ride height buttons what else I can check.

So tell me what should be a fair price out the door on this guy, I told them I need to think tonight, they are adamant on 8000 plus 570 tax plus 400ish doc n title fee.
I will also have to foot the bill on the TB, approximately $500. So I am thinking offer $8500 atleast they can split the doc/processing fee since TB is not done, and we can settle just somewhere under 9?

 

[AuSeeker]

On the 04 V8, if you look somewhere under the hood they should of place a sticker showing that the timming belt has been replaced,
when I bought mine I couldn't confirm if the timming belt has been replaced via records,
but read somewhere about the sticker and looked and sure enough I found the sticker on the underside of the hood.

Also the water pump should be replaced while doing the timming belt, especially if it hasn't ever been done, the cost is minimal if done at the same time.

The coating on the frame is an undercoating and is a good thing to find.

 

[mastee]

I registered the truck on Toyota and none of the pdfs mention the TB job, I looked for the ticker but there was only 1 for serpentine belts under the hood, may be it is hidden somewhere and I get lucky


OEM TB kits with water pump on ebay
For Toyota Lexus 4.0L 4.3L 4.7L V8 Aisin OEM Timing Belt Water Pump Kit NEW | eBay

This seems to be more complete

TOYOTA 4RUNNER 03-04 OEM COMPLETE TIMING BELT WATER PUMP 14 PCS KIT | eBay

 

[84ability]

anywhere under 9 is definitely reasonable for that v8 in the current market, especially from a dealership

 

[mastee]

Well it just ended up being $9, drove it about 80 miles through our GA hills on highway 53 n local, had a bit of a scare when 4lo would not stop beeping, until I read that it needed to be in N and wait for couple of sec

I need to look at odd places for TB sticker, I did one two years ago on my v6 3rd gen, is the v8 about same level of difficulty?(posted here on forums).

thanks everyone for all the suggestions