So I recently purchased a 2002 4Runner sport. Seems to be holding up pretty well with 260,000 miles. I just have a few concerns with it. When idling when it’s cold out (like 30 degrees or colder) it makes a weird rattling sound while in drive. It only happens at idle and only in drive or reverse. It’s hard to pinpoint the sound, but it’s sounds like it’s directly under me near or in the transmission. It also doesn’t like to leave first gear when it’s cold and hasn’t warmed up for at least 5-10 minutes depending on how cold it is. It shifts smoothly though. Also when I accelerate, usually after 30 mph, it starting to make a humming sound. It hasn’t gotten any worse or better, and it doesn’t seem to cause any problems, and nothings over heating. Also around 30-40, something sounding like the blower motor or something in or around the glove compartment is making a clicking and rattling noise. These problems don’t seem to be causing any harm or anything bad. Just wondering what they could be? It’s currently on a 3 inch Rough Country lift, with 265/75/16’s. The previous owner did the timing belt and water pump kit before I bought it, along with a trans flush, and all new struts and coils. What should I keep an eye out for? Or what should I do for a tune up or preventative maintenance? It gets maybe 9-10 MPG, and seems a little sluggish when going up hills. There’s no check engine light on. Sorry for all the questions lol, this is my first T4R.
First time 4Runner owner
- Thread starter Sparda
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Scoop'02
New member
Congrats
Congrats on the new rig [MENTION=349108]Sparda[/MENTION]!
Have you read through the buyers guide yet? Lots of good info there on known issues and maintenance:
3rd Gen 4Runner Buyer's Guide - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum
I also saw a thread about "what this noise is" somewhere on this forum but I don't know where, you'll have to do some searching
Congrats on the new rig [MENTION=349108]Sparda[/MENTION]!
Have you read through the buyers guide yet? Lots of good info there on known issues and maintenance:
3rd Gen 4Runner Buyer's Guide - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum
I also saw a thread about "what this noise is" somewhere on this forum but I don't know where, you'll have to do some searching
phattyduck
Elite Member
Get new OEM lower ball joints, and make sure the radiator is in good shape. Old ball joints (especially when lifted) can fail catastrophically. Neglected radiators can mix trans fluid and coolant, which often ruins the transmission.
Humming/vibrating above a certain speed is often driveshaft related - do you have a 2WD or 4WD?
-Charlie
thennen
New member
Congrats and welcome! My 2001 with 265k miles has two similar symptoms to yours. The rattle at idle (goes away when put into neutral/park?) - mine has done that for most of the time I've owned it, which is 14 years. Since it only happens in gear when stopped, I never paid it any serious attention, and nor problems have arisen. The second one is staying in 1st a bit longer when cold. I attribute that to age/miles and never having transmission fluid flushed, but not sure. I just take it easy until it warms up. As phattyduck says, make sure the radiator is good, and if you have any concern about its condition, replace it. The possibility of ruining the transmission due to a radiator failure far outweighs the few hundred dollars a radiator will cost.
toastyjosh
New member
have you checked the trans fluid?
It should be nice and red
It needs to be warm on flat ground, and running when you check it.
It should be nice and red
It needs to be warm on flat ground, and running when you check it.
thegipper
New member
It should always shift out of 1st no matter how cold it is. It is normal for it to not shift out of 2nd gear until it warms up some (coolant temp around 120) but it should always shift out of 1st. The delayed shifting out of 2nd gear is supposedly for emissions.
What concerns me is that you say you hear a rattling noise, possibly from the transmission. I had a very similar issue with my 97 not shifting out of 1st gear until it warmed up and also a rattling noise. I was able to positively identify where the rattle was coming from and it was the transmission.
The rattling noise was resolved by dropping the transmission pan and replacing the filter. It was plugged up with gunk that developed from a previous pink milk shake. Once I replaced the filter, the rattling noise went away but the "stuck in 1st" condition persisted. In fact, it got worse and worse until I finally replaced the transmission.
Now there are a lot of things that can make a rattling noise so you should probably figure out exactly where it is coming from before jumping to any conclusions.
Here is my thread on the tranny issues I was having: Delayed shifting when cold, yes I know its normal but.....
What concerns me is that you say you hear a rattling noise, possibly from the transmission. I had a very similar issue with my 97 not shifting out of 1st gear until it warmed up and also a rattling noise. I was able to positively identify where the rattle was coming from and it was the transmission.
The rattling noise was resolved by dropping the transmission pan and replacing the filter. It was plugged up with gunk that developed from a previous pink milk shake. Once I replaced the filter, the rattling noise went away but the "stuck in 1st" condition persisted. In fact, it got worse and worse until I finally replaced the transmission.
Now there are a lot of things that can make a rattling noise so you should probably figure out exactly where it is coming from before jumping to any conclusions.
Here is my thread on the tranny issues I was having: Delayed shifting when cold, yes I know its normal but.....
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I'm new to T4R.org and the site won't let me start a new thread so I'm asking on this one:
Does anyone know if LH and RH lower ball joints for a 95 4Runner are interchangeable? They do have different part numbers. I've done the RH (passenger side) and I'm preparing to do the LH, but I see that I crossed up the parts - I installed the ball joint with LH part number on the RH side. Wondering if I need to rectify that or if they're really the same.
Thanks!
Does anyone know if LH and RH lower ball joints for a 95 4Runner are interchangeable? They do have different part numbers. I've done the RH (passenger side) and I'm preparing to do the LH, but I see that I crossed up the parts - I installed the ball joint with LH part number on the RH side. Wondering if I need to rectify that or if they're really the same.
Thanks!
runnersT4R
New member
Check the motor mounts and the trans mounts. Sounds like a "iffy" or bad front trans mount to me.
What color is the trans fluid? If anything other then red and crystal clear, I'd suggest spending $80-100 on trans flush by a mechanic. Very messy job to do yourself, even for exp'd, without the right equip.
At that mileage, I'd check with the seller as to when the brake and PS fluids were last flushed. (Sorry if I missed that part.) If not done, then highly recommend you get them done soon. My brakes failed due to not having the brakes fluid flushed and luckily no accident but why take the chance. Each service is usually about $80-100 around here.
What's the compression like? Seems it should have better fuel econ, maybe 15+, and not be sluggish up hills. And welcome to being a 4runner owner!
Thanks for the response. Pretty sure I did mix them up...
According to Olathe parts site 43340-39245 is LH, 43340-39835 is RH.
I definitely installed the one labelled 39245 on passenger side, no problems.
The one labelled 39835 I still have unopened in original Toyota packaging.
Almost seems they are interchangeable... (???)
~Apologies to Sparda for mashing up your thread.~
Might want to check the Classic section of the forum, they'll be more helpful per your question.