Couldn't stay away :) mileage question

[CathyG]

My first car was an 86 4Runner when I was 16. It had been the victim of too much DIY electrical work. It ate through 4 alternators and I was eventually forced to sell it.

Fast forward to today. I'm 25 now and I've always regretted having to sell that 4 Runner. I've outgrown my little Ford Escape and it's starting to show signs that it's going to have a major wear related breakdown. I need a bigger vehicle that's cheap and what do you know? A 1st or 2nd Gen 4Runner fits that description perfectly. :wink2:

As soon as my student aid money hits I'm going 4 Runner shopping. I've already located a few decent deals on Craigslist but it could be another 2-3 weeks before I get the money and any decent deal is going to have been sold by then. I'm comfortable working on vehicles this time around so a truck that needs a little work is fine with me.

I also had a question for you guys. At what mileage do 4Runners tend to need an engine rebuild and what does it normally entail? I'm fine with doing that work but I'd rather it be planned than an "oh crap, my engine just blew" moment.

 

[MT Tatman]

That depends on how well the motor and rig was cared for.....I rebuilt my motor at 350,000 miles, and when we got into it, it was obvious that the top end had been done at some point before I owned it. If you have a 22r motor, the biggest concern is the timing chain guides. They can wear out, and then you start wearing down the cover=bad. I don't know any of my friends who have "Blown up" a 22r motor. They just keep going. They will get louder, and show a loss of power. That's when you rebuild it. I'm no expert though, just a long time Toyota driver/enthusiast.

 

[RAD4Runner]

That depends on how well the motor and rig was cared for.....I rebuilt my motor at 350,000 miles, and when we got into it, it was obvious that the top end had been done at some point before I owned it...

300k-plus sounds about right. My head gasket blew around 185k miles. Engine was still going strong but a new HG with old bottom-end would not have made sense, so I decided to have it rebuilt.

 

[ralatkins]

My 94 had 230k when it spun the main bearing, but PO (and the numerous ones before him) had not taken care of the truck at all. I knew it was just a matter of time when I bought it as it had a decent oil leak and was ticking like crazy, but I still put almost 8k on it before it went lol.

bought a rebuilt 3.0 from Denny's Machine in Baltimore MD and couldn't be happier!

 

[BigRyan1986]

My first car was an 86 4Runner when I was 16. It had been the victim of too much DIY electrical work. It ate through 4 alternators and I was eventually forced to sell it.

Fast forward to today. I'm 25 now and I've always regretted having to sell that 4 Runner. I've outgrown my little Ford Escape and it's starting to show signs that it's going to have a major wear related breakdown. I need a bigger vehicle that's cheap and what do you know? A 1st or 2nd Gen 4Runner fits that description perfectly. :wink2:

As soon as my student aid money hits I'm going 4 Runner shopping. I've already located a few decent deals on Craigslist but it could be another 2-3 weeks before I get the money and any decent deal is going to have been sold by then. I'm comfortable working on vehicles this time around so a truck that needs a little work is fine with me


I also had a question for you guys. At what mileage do 4Runners tend to need an engine rebuild and what does it normally entail? I'm fine with doing that work but I'd rather it be planned than an "oh crap, my engine just blew" moment.

It all depends on how it was taken care of. Mine 3.0 has almost 260000 and im going to pull it this winter to rebuild it since we dont get snow in washington anymore. Im rebuilding it not because it needs it but because i dont want it to go out on me at random. so im just doing it to save myself a later hassle. and yes you can just blow up a 22r i have done it with a celica threw the rod straight through the side of the block. If you have one of those engines its not hard at all to rebuild. You could have it done in a week if you had everything all ready to go for it and providing you dont need a lot of machine work.