Drcoffee
Senior Member
Hi all,
Back in 2012 I bought a ‘99 SR5 4x4 for my daughter after she totaled her ‘01 Honda Civic In a T-bone accident. After seeing the carnage, I would only buy her another vehicle with a real frame, that would Also be reliable and not leave her stranded. Well, I had no idea about the rear axle seal issues and it took me 2 months of trial and error to get it sorted out. Following the KISS method of keep it simple stupid and posted a DIY on how to fix your 4runner the right way the first time.
A possible solution to leaking axle seals - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum
I updated all the maintenance and then handed the keys to my daughter who has finished nursing school, gotten married and moved out of state. It was a double loss, because I lost my baby and my hunting/towing rig at the same time.
Well today, I believe I found a newer truck at a great price and pulled the trigger. You tell me. I bought it From a dealer who started the price at $9,000 two months ago, finally dropped the price to $7,600 and I talked him down to $6,500 plus tax and title. Its a Black 2007 SR5 Sport 4x4 V6 with 222,000 miles in pretty good shape, no accidents, basically 1 owner truck. The only flaws I could find is the left front axle needs replacing because of torn outer CV boot, no noises. And a slight pulse in the braking, but brakes in straight line. The frame has very minimal surface rust with no signs of being covered up. No visible oil leaks, and looking down the oil filler, no carbon deposits anywhere. I took it for a 1 hour test drive, highway and side streets, no shakes or other issues. I plugged a obd2 scanner and no codes popped up. MPG averages 18-19. The only issue I saw was Bank 2 long term fuel trim was +7% which is a slight vacuum leak but well under the 20% limit. Bank 1 is virtually 0%. Tires are getting worn but for the few miles I plan to drive it, I am not worried about that for a year or so.
First things to fix will be a transmission fluid exchange, add a Magnefine filter and tranny cooler. Then spark plugs and axle half shafts and finally diff and transfer case oil change.
Is there anything else I should address upfront? I’m happy to be back in a 4runner. My DD is a Lexus IS350 2014. So this is more of a toy.
Back in 2012 I bought a ‘99 SR5 4x4 for my daughter after she totaled her ‘01 Honda Civic In a T-bone accident. After seeing the carnage, I would only buy her another vehicle with a real frame, that would Also be reliable and not leave her stranded. Well, I had no idea about the rear axle seal issues and it took me 2 months of trial and error to get it sorted out. Following the KISS method of keep it simple stupid and posted a DIY on how to fix your 4runner the right way the first time.
A possible solution to leaking axle seals - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum
I updated all the maintenance and then handed the keys to my daughter who has finished nursing school, gotten married and moved out of state. It was a double loss, because I lost my baby and my hunting/towing rig at the same time.
Well today, I believe I found a newer truck at a great price and pulled the trigger. You tell me. I bought it From a dealer who started the price at $9,000 two months ago, finally dropped the price to $7,600 and I talked him down to $6,500 plus tax and title. Its a Black 2007 SR5 Sport 4x4 V6 with 222,000 miles in pretty good shape, no accidents, basically 1 owner truck. The only flaws I could find is the left front axle needs replacing because of torn outer CV boot, no noises. And a slight pulse in the braking, but brakes in straight line. The frame has very minimal surface rust with no signs of being covered up. No visible oil leaks, and looking down the oil filler, no carbon deposits anywhere. I took it for a 1 hour test drive, highway and side streets, no shakes or other issues. I plugged a obd2 scanner and no codes popped up. MPG averages 18-19. The only issue I saw was Bank 2 long term fuel trim was +7% which is a slight vacuum leak but well under the 20% limit. Bank 1 is virtually 0%. Tires are getting worn but for the few miles I plan to drive it, I am not worried about that for a year or so.
First things to fix will be a transmission fluid exchange, add a Magnefine filter and tranny cooler. Then spark plugs and axle half shafts and finally diff and transfer case oil change.
Is there anything else I should address upfront? I’m happy to be back in a 4runner. My DD is a Lexus IS350 2014. So this is more of a toy.
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