Hiya!

[ChellaBella]

I just purchased my first 4runner this weekend. I already have big plans for it. I like to do as much as I can myself but need advice! I figured that joining this forum would most likely be the best way to get that from people who would know what the hell I was talking about. My rig is an oldie but a goodie. She has her pros and cons but we will fix that! Here are her stats:

1993 Toyota 4runner
V6 4X4
Automatic
Red
77500 miles

Things I would like to improve upon:

Her paint has seen much better days. It is obvious nobody ever gave her the pampering she deserves. I would like to restore her paint to as close to factory as I can.
She has been KEYED!! GRRRRR!! Not while in my possesion of corse but the little shit that had her before obviously made someone angry. I've been reading about how to fix it online but have some concerns.
The stripes on the side are so badly worn and faded I would like to remove them. I realize the problems this may bring up but I have a backup plan. If the paint is horribly different under them I can replace them with new solid black ones.
Someone had a fancy stereo and blah blah in her and I might consider putting another one in but for now I'm leaving that alone. I am a mom and my 9 year old does not need to be anymore hard of hearing than she already appears to be!
I would love to get a hold on some key fobs for whatever alarm system is in her. I am trying to figure out how to find the little brain for it so I can figure out what it is.

Anywho!! any help would be awesome! and I am more than happy to make my own threads later on each of these subjects.

 

[Quatre Coureur]

Hello and welcome. U will find alot of great info here as there are many knowledgable members. Only 77,500 miles for a 20 yr old RNR is really low. I would start by doing an oil change and a tune-up, change the belts and hoses and just go about making it a reliable DD. Toyotas are great vehicles and easy to own. The 3.0V6 is known to have some problems with blown head gaskets which can be remedied by installing headers. Other than that they"re just as reliable as any other Toyota engine. Good luck and congrats on ur new ride!

 

[ChellaBella]

^_^

Thanks! I had the battery checked this weekend because the windows and such were a little sluggish and it needed to be replaced. It was under warranty so no problems there! This is when they discovered the alarm system and had problems shutting it off! It took an hour and a half and all of the managers in the walmart starring at it before anyone thought to go grab one of the other workers who ownded one himself. He had it off in no time! I plan on getting an oil change this weekend and have them give it the once over. They will also be switching some tires around. The spare was on it and there was no sign of a flat in the actual normal tire but they discovered the valve stem was leaking and replaced it. Because of the wear on the tires they want to switch stuff around before they put the spare back up under the vehicle. I am really VERY excited about her and will post pics soon!

 

[ChellaBella]

 

[Dawg4Runner]

Welcome and grats on the 4runner! I had a 1993 SR5 pickup and it ran great up til when I sold it with 175k on the clock. The only issue with it was a blown head gasket at 50k which was covered under the recall.

 

[ChellaBella]

That puts me in mind of a post actually! Thanks!! I am so very happy with her!

 

[Cali4Runnea]

Congrats on the "new" Runner! Sounds like you have some really great plans to get her back into shape. =) I love the older Runners, they have so much character to them! I will keep a look out for your future posts to see what you do with it. Good luck and have fun pampering your new baby!

 

[loko ino]

Is the alarm system a stock Toyota one? With a little switch to the left of the steering column? If so, I just went through trying to hunt down info on a FOB..not many know or even believe the 93 had one, the dealer didn't have any info at all.
I finally found an old post about it using Google..you can get the FOB off ebay, an aftermarket model. This is the one: New Toyota Keyless Entry Remote Fob Free Onboard Instructions Free Shipping | eBay
Took me like 5 mins to program. Make sure you have a Toyota RS3000 alarm box under your driver seat. If none of this pertains, sorry for long post, carry on.

 

[ChellaBella]

Wow that post was very helpful! I've been having problems like that too! Everyone looks at me like I'm insane! I do have the keyless alarm! I can even show you the paperwork from when he first bought it! ^_^ this nice little old Asian man owned my girl before me. He has records of everything! It's very nice! In my research and hunting I've found the switch the shock box and I think I found the actual main box also. Is it green? I can't read what it says on the side!