Hit a milestone, maintenance question.

[68whiskey]

Radiator should be a high priority for you now on your preventive maintenance list of things to do. (LBJ's mechanically speaking and Radiator with whatever flavor coolant you want to use with DISTILLED water. I choose Toyota brand but that's my preference.)

As for the water pump, that's part of your 100k timing belt change. It comes in a kit. Don't schedule the water pump separately.

Everything of that sort is in great order. Radiator was replaced a year before I bought it last fall. I always use Toyota fluids in everything. The only thing that isn't OEM on the truck is the front rotors, which is only because I was impatient and didn't want to wait on the dealership. Which was a mistake, I might add. Even with OEM pads, aftermarket bargain rotors are a joke.

 

[StreetCreeper]

This makes me feel so much better. Thank you, sir. Original engine/tranny in mine as well. It drives and shifts so smooth. The only thing the tranny does is take a bit of time to shift out of second when its really cold, which from what I've read on here is normal.

Your tranny shifting like that when it's cold is absolutely normal and mine does it as well – nothing at all to be concerned about there. As for my transmission being original and shifting great – the first 350k of its life was probably pretty dismal and may not have seen much maintenance or care at all. Once I got the truck though, I did a full 16qt (Valvoline MaxLife red bottle high milage ATF) flush using the transmission itself to gently pump out the old nasty fluid until the fresh new stuff was coming out. I also replaced all three shift solenoids, cleaned the filter and pan and inspected the magnets to see if anything was going on in there @ 350k. All looked good though.

Fast forward 80,000 miles later and my tranny shifts as good today as it ever has has – in fact I recently was unfortunate enough to be forced into driving a 2003 Toyota Sienna minivan with 140k on it and the tranny was terrible in comparison to my 4Runner. My Runner shifts firm and quick unlike the Sienna that shifts slow and sloppy with a lot of slip.

Anyways, just made me appreciate how well these trucks were designed. Keep a close eye on coolant and (if poss) tranny temps. Outside of getting into a collision, most dead runners seem to die from neglect of the cooling system, e.g., the pink milkshake or blown head gasket/cracked head from overheating. If you don't have one yet, get a ScanGauge, Ultra-Gauge or some other OBD2 reader so you can monitor your coolant temps at all times. For me, the coolant temp is like the proverbial "canary in a coal mine". If I see the coolant rise without any normal corresponding change in environment such as driving conditions or weather – I know something may be failing or soon will be and I can address it before any real damage occurs.

 

[LittleCaesar]

Still avoiding the TB/water pump change there Creeper? Put Jimmi to work soon....

 

[StreetCreeper]

Still avoiding the TB/water pump change there Creeper? Put Jimmi to work soon....

Yes...it's true. I'm lazy and it's too damn hot out there to fiddle with right now. But it's on my to-do list. As for Jimi, he just talks a lot since he lost his arms in that bar fight – he's mostly useless these days aside from keeping my change out of the ashtray.

 

[Unner]

You are so right on this. I'm always wondering when the AC compressor, fuel pump, diffs etc...are gonna go on me. It's all a matter of time but there's absolutely NOTHING I can do to prevent it except park it. Every time I read a new thread about a problem I know it could be me but no use worrying about it.

Replace what you can as preventative maintenance, and don't worry about it too much. Most things will give signs of failing before total failure so you would hopefully be able to limp it to the nearest city/garage/home. I replaced my fuel pump as preventative maintenance though. Worth the $100 total and a couple hours to know it's good to go at least another 220k miles.

Are you monitoring your transmission temps? Very important! I keep my AC off as much as possible. My temps are around 186 for both water temp and tranny temp in the summer months. However, my water temp goes up to 190ish (never over 200) on my way home up hill three miles but my tranny temp is hotter at around 222 once I crest my road. This is with OD off. Never with the AC on up hill.

I run my AC all the time. You need it down here, heat index was around 110 all week at least. Back in Alabama the heat index was 126* at one point... Friday afternoon I was climbing a long incline going up into the Appalachians. AC blasting and I noticed my coolant was at 195. It then slowly crept up to 197-198 but went back down to the normal 186-193 range it stays in once I was on the other side of the incline. That was the first time I'd seen the truck read over 193 since I redid the cooling system 50k miles ago, but it was also at least 95* outside plus humidity so I didn't worry about it. It got up to 195 a couple other times on inclines, but I think that's just because of how incredibly hot it has been lately down here.

When I was in Colorado going up all the steep mountain passes in 4Lo my coolant actually started to get below the 184* threshold so the fan would shutoff. That was new and interesting to me. I guess the engine spinning at 3500 rpms pushes the coolant through faster therefore cooling it a little more than normal.

You guys are all good for a while yet — closing in on 430k with original engine and tranny. Just finished up a 1400 mile run up the West coast for the fourth of July holiday. Averaged about 20~21 mpg while loaded down with 5 people and gear. No head gasket issues and I check my coolant and oil every other day usually. Truck runs like a champ.

Perfect example of what these trucks can do.