Found my new toy

[Arrowheadking]

Long time viewer, first time poster.

Found this baby a few weeks ago, 2001 165K mi, mint condition inside and out. Maintenance records up to date - one owner. Probably overpaid at $7000 but that market is kind of high around here. It's dead stock, but i have tinted the front windows to match the rears since taking the photos.

Love it so far, but i would be interested to hear what everyone thinks i should do with it moving forward. Maintenance wise and cosmetically.

I am thinking about changing all fluids and potential lift in the near future...

Thanks all, this has been a tremendous resource in the search process and look forward to learning a ton more.

 

[paddlenbike]

Beautiful. $7k would be under-market value here in CA.

 

[ajonesnv]

Absolute Steal!

 

[RonMAIDEN]

$7k for a clean reasonable miles 4Runner is a deal since clean 3rd gens are getting further and further apart.

 

[Brique]

I talked the seller on my 2001 down from 7 to 6k but only because of some maintenance issues I'll have to take care of. 7k was a good price if you don't have to deal with those.

If you're planning a lift, plan on doing lower ball joints as part part of the deal. If yours are original, they're tired and you'll want to take care of them. I'm in the shop as i write this getting mine done. My off-road trip a few weeks ago has got them leaking, so ain't gonna fool around.

Anyway, congrats on the find. You got a good deal

 

[GVL]

When searching for my T4R here in CA, I learned after a few months if you find a clean one you like then jump on it. Looks like you did just that and got a beauty - very nice!!

 

[JRZEE2000TR4LTD]

Nice truck. Looks a lot like mine except mines a Limited. I wish the limited came with the Sport hood which I like. Service records indicate any of the following?:

Timing belt/Water pump

Radiator (if it's an AT) to avoid the "pink milkshake"

Rear dif breather especially if you have any rust. (saves your rear axle seals)

Valve cover gaskets (check)

Spark plugs (30K miles)

Check to see if it's a Cali truck (2 cats) Which means you have an upstream A/f sensor and downstream o2 sensor (just good to know)

Take the wheels off and take a good look at the brakes - rears look for obvious wear and "grease" (which is actually gear oil - bad axle seals ) Fronts uneven pad wear or cracking (I had cracking on the inner passenger pad which caused a vibration that could have been mistaken for bad suspension parts.

Shock absorbers

Ask me how I know about all this stuff after buying a not-so-well-maintained 4runner just 3 months ago. I'm sure you'll have better luck than I did. My luck may have something to do with the 666 production line # on the door jamb sticker. This site has been invaluable to me.

 

[jgue467]

Very nice specimen!

Congrats on ur purchase. I didn't realize the 01' sports had that rear spoiler. yeah just read over the 3rd gen guide - you'll be set for a while. :banana:

 

[Arrowheadking]

TB/Water Pump has been done, as well as VC gaskets. Brakes are on the schedule to be inspected.

Very little to no rust underneath, is there a real benefit to the breather? (Won't be doing any offroading)

Also, not sure if the radiator has been replaced. I am aware of the milkshake issue but mine is currently showing no signs. Still recommend a full replacement or external cooler?

Thanks for the help guys!

 

[jgue467]

Has a great start!

... is there a real benefit to the breather? (Won't be doing any offroading)

Also, not sure if the radiator has been replaced. I am aware of the milkshake issue but mine is currently showing no signs. Still recommend a full replacement or external cooler?

Thanks for the help guys!

Rear breather mod (extension up higher) is if you plan (or by accident) to go into 'deep' water (beyond the current height of the rear diff breather on top of diff). So probably not in ur case.

Check in front of radiator, previous owner may have already bypassed factory tranny cooler. If not And ur radiator looks good outside And in (inspect coolant, test it and inspect overflow tank) I'd suggest going with a factory tranny cooler bypass, though many on here would say just replace the radiator and add a bypass tranny cooler. I went with the former 3 yrs ago and all is well (have original factory radiator still on there). You can find a good quality tranny cooler on ebay /amazon for like $40 or so.

If u have an app like Torque you can monitor temps before the change and after to compare effectiveness.

Then ur set! :banana:

 

[PitbullRescuer]

External cooler, hands down. It's the only guarantee you'll never get the milkshake. At those miles, replacing the radiator also is still a good idea too. After all, it's main function is to keep your engine cool.

 

[JRZEE2000TR4LTD]

Very little to no rust underneath, is there a real benefit to the breather? (Won't be doing any offroading

The breather on the rear dif is only a problem if it's restricted somehow (usually by rust which you seem ok with) The mod people are doing is for off-roading by extending it higher so when the dif gets dunked, no water,mud gets in. The dif still needs to relieve slight pressure, in normal driving or off-roading. If it doesn't, it could lead to premature axle seal failure. But like I said Rust is the big problem with the breather restriction. It's worth looking at and cheap enough to replace (about eight dollars oem)