Got a New Truck Today!

brian2sun

brian2sun

Elite Member
Like the Title says, I got a new (well used, but new to me) truck!! Don't worry, the 4runner is staying with me! But with 35s on it, I needed to get a new DD that get more mpgs. So here it is..
It's a '98 regular cab Tacoma 2.7L 4x4 5 speed w/ 188K. Stock as can be, it must be the ultra base model because it has no ABS, no tach (not even with the stick shift), not even a tripmeter! And it's sitting on some tiny little 235/75/15s. I'm keeping them though, because I've already driven it 120 miles and my tank is still 2/3 full! I'm very happy with it and it seems to run and drive awesome!

On to the pics (sorry they are small)...
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It's so nice to have 3 pedals again!
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Sweet!

The 3RZ's are pretty bulletproof. Mine still ran great at 240k when i sold it. Only thing i will say is that you should either find out when the last time the valves were adjusted, or just get it done. Mine never got it done and it ended up burning a valve which caused 0 compression on one of the cylinders.

Other than that, these things go forever and there is no timing belt to worry about!
 
Thanks everyone!!

steezemcqueen said:
Sweet!

The 3RZ's are pretty bulletproof. Mine still ran great at 240k when i sold it. Only thing i will say is that you should either find out when the last time the valves were adjusted, or just get it done. Mine never got it done and it ended up burning a valve which caused 0 compression on one of the cylinders.

Other than that, these things go forever and there is no timing belt to worry about!
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Yeah, funny you mentioned that. Apparently, that's exactly what happened with this truck a few thousand miles ago. They said a valve burnt up, it had no compression in that hole so they just rebuilt the whole head so it wouldn't happen again to any of the other valves. It purrs like a kitten now. It has that distinctive Toyota "sewing machine" sound!

I looked at the gear code too and apparently it has 3.58 gears. Which would be a joke off road with 33s, but with these small tires it actually still has plenty of power and I would guess it probably gets a little better mpgs than say, 265s and 4.10s would. I drove it up the mtn tonight (6K ft) and it handled it in 4th gear 90% of the time so I'm pleased!
 
brian2sun said:
Thanks everyone!!



Yeah, funny you mentioned that. Apparently, that's exactly what happened with this truck a few thousand miles ago. They said a valve burnt up, it had no compression in that hole so they just rebuilt the whole head so it wouldn't happen again to any of the other valves. It purrs like a kitten now. It has that distinctive Toyota "sewing machine" sound!

I looked at the gear code too and apparently it has 3.58 gears. Which would be a joke off road with 33s, but with these small tires it actually still has plenty of power and I would guess it probably gets a little better mpgs than say, 265s and 4.10s would. I drove it up the mtn tonight (6K ft) and it handled it in 4th gear 90% of the time so I'm pleased!
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Well congrats!

My very first Toyota was pretty much the 1991 version of this truck. 4 cylinder, reg cab, 4x4, bare bones. I loved that thing.
 
Thanks! I hope to DD it for the next 10 years+! I already love it! It feels like a baby compared to the 4runner, lol.
 
brian2sun said:
Lol, no the tires are just THAT small! It definitely has stock springs and shocks, and no body lift either because I checked. :driving:
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It does look like the truck has a little lift on it with a slight rake.

Congrats, that is a sweet addition to the Toy stable! :D

I have to admit...when I saw the heading for your post I just about shat myself thinking you sold the 4Runner... :jaw drop:
 
Brian- good little truck. I know you had been talking about it for at least a year so I am glad you finally got it. I need to get off my but and put that 82 Honda on the road and park my 4 Runner.
 
I thought you were driving a CRV as a DD. Well, you made a nice upgrade.

The only drawback I have ever seen with the 2.7 is the location of the fuel filter. Otherwise, once the valves are good to go, it is one stout little engine.

My pop would be stoked with the hand crank windows.
 
IanB said:
Nice truck! Glad to hear you're keeping the 4R too!
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jirehn said:
Very nice truck men, Awesome.How much did you come up with this?
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Thanks guys! I didn't get the best deal ever on it, but I think I did pretty ok considering I've been seriously looking for about 3 months now. And these regular cabs are tough to find - and even tougher to find one in good shape for a good price. I swear I came across a couple 150-200K 4x4 reg. cabs for over $9K, no kidding! I paid $6200 (which is ~$300 under "clean retail" on NADA).

Mellow77 said:
It does look like the truck has a little lift on it with a slight rake.

Congrats, that is a sweet addition to the Toy stable! :D

I have to admit...when I saw the heading for your post I just about shat myself thinking you sold the 4Runner... :jaw drop:
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Yeah, I thought the same thing about the rake. I'm not 100% sure how many leafs they came with stock. It's possible they added a leaf, but if so, they did it a long time ago because they all have the same amount of old surface rust on them. The truck isn't rusty though, the chassis is as clean as my 4runner. Leafs and exhaust just always get rusty no matter where you live. I like the rake too! I can load it up and not sag!

Pikeman said:
Brian- good little truck. I know you had been talking about it for at least a year so I am glad you finally got it. I need to get off my but and put that 82 Honda on the road and park my 4 Runner.
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Thanks Michael! Yeah, it's been a long time coming! Now go out and get that little Honda running!

LittleCaesar said:
I thought you were driving a CRV as a DD. Well, you made a nice upgrade.

The only drawback I have ever seen with the 2.7 is the location of the fuel filter. Otherwise, once the valves are good to go, it is one stout little engine.

My pop would be stoked with the hand crank windows.
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You're right, I was driving a CR-V for a while. I bought it from my sister for cheap a while back because she was going to trade it in anyways. I hated it though, I always said, "It's a car for people who don't like driving cars." So I flipped it and made some $$ on it.

haddix said:
Good looking truck. I wish you were building it up though! :D
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Dagobah said:
I had the same thought :nerd:
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It would be a perfect little wheeler huh? I have to resist every temptation to mod this one, but I might do a few upgrades to it. Like add a tach, lol.
 
brian2sun said:
It would be a perfect little wheeler huh? I have to resist every temptation to mod this one, but I might do a few upgrades to it. Like add a tach, lol.
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If you build it I will start calling you Big Scuba :wow:... Tach is easy..Scanguage II
Oh and I got the brake calipers and oil pan gasket for my Honda just need to get it on and then see if it passes smog. Then maybe I can do stuff like replace my rear main seal and T-case seals that have been leaking past couple months on my 4Runner.
 
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