I'm new, with a new 4Runner!

[Yayko]

It's new to me, at least! I am driving a 1999 Toyota 4Runner SR5. It has a 3.4 L V6, automatic. I am only 17, this is my first vehicle. I LOVE IT! The four wheel drive seriously can't be beat. I just wanted to see if anyone could help with me with the small problems:

1) The fuel gauge seems to be reading backwards. When it is full, it is on "E" and when it is empty it is passed "F."

2)The CD player does not turn on at all. The CD player still takes in and ejects CDs, but the system seems to be inactive.

3) There are two small dents on the front bumper. I was wondering if they can be hammered out. If not, it's no biggie.

4) The rear window and windshield wiper do not work. They just simply...do nothing(No sounds or anything) when I press the buttons.

5) The antenna seems to have been torn off. It may have been taken off (why? I don't know.). Any ideas on how simple it is to replace it?

6) The small lights above the license plate do not turn on. Could that be a fuse issue? Or...?

7) The dashboard clock does not turn on at all. I have read on these forums that a lot of the 4Runners' clocks stop working, but I don't know if there has been a recent discovery on how to fix it or not.

8) The ABS light is on. I haven't noticed any issues with braking or anything. But then again, I'm not very knowledgeable on cars. (Yet!)

Now, I have not had time to try and fix any of these on my own, but I figured it would be better to ask first, so I don't make a mistake later. I am putting a new battery in on Saturday, so if I could have a good idea on how to fix some of these small problems before then, I would be very thankful! I am going to be a long-time member of this forum, so I will try to spread my knowledge that I learn from you, on to others. Thank you all!

Two photos of my ride are attached.

Any input is welcome!

Thank you,
J. Lindsey

 

[Cuff]

Welcome. Great first car.

 

[JMunn55]

Sweet 4Runner. I haven't had to deal with any of the issues you have except my rear window motor is definitely on the way to death and my dad's rear windshield wiper died. I would also like to know how to fix these things

 

[happysmp]

Congrats! I'm in the same boat but double your age!

 

[Diesel_Dog]

Welcome aboard. For most of your problems do a search on here, most have been covered in some detail. I'll get the ball rolling and try to answer a couple questions.

4) Could be a couple of things.
First check that you haven't locked out the window from going down and the wiper is in the right spot.

Broken wires
Because both the wiper and window don't work I'm thinking it could be a broke wire. Have a look where the wires go from the body to the back door. Also have a look at the birds nest of wires that go to and from the Wire box (ECM or ECU?) in the back door, could be that a connection has rattled loose.

Window motor
If the wires seem good there, You can check if the window motor for the back window works by taking off the plastic, then a metal panel inside the back door. Use a drill battery or some other power source and try to jump the motor. Positive and negative on either terminal should make it go one direction then switching the wires will make it go the other direction. If you get the window to go down you can check your inside switch to see if it will push the window back up.

Switch
If the switch makes the window go up but not down you want to check to make sure the switch is ok. Get out the multimeter and start testing. Also make sure the switch is making good contact up and down.

Relays
If all the above fails it might be a relay or two that are bad. Best way to troubleshoot these would be to grab a working ECM from another runner and check to see if it makes yours work.

Hope the above helps. My back window will roll down but not up, I suspect that it's either a broken wire or bad relay. I haven't found a runner near me to troubleshoot the ECM yet.

5) Search taco whip mod. The antenna on our buggys often fails. Lots of folks replace the power antenna with a fixed one from a tacoma. If you like the idea of a power antenna you can replace the mast (assuming the motor works and is hooked up correctly)

6) It could be that the lights are burn out. Pull them out and have a look. Test power with a multimeter.

7) Another common failular with our rigs. Most likely the pins in the clock need to be soldered again. There is a write up around on how to fix this. I used this one

8) My ABS light is on as well. Lots of folks don't like the ABS system on our buggys and go to means to disable it. Could be a fuse in the fuse box under the hood. Is the fluid level good? There is a good write up around (and YouTube video) on how to diagnose the problem using a paperclip on the ECM(?) under the hood.

Good luck and happy searching. You will find that most have already experanced the problems that you have and there should be a detailed write up on how to fix.

Good luck.

 

[Yayko]

Wow. You guys really came through! I didn't expect many responses, but you all made me feel very welcome.

Diesel_Dog, Thank you so much for all of the in depth info. I will be sure to try your suggestions. I am interested in the Taco whip mod. I will try that out. I could care less about the motorized antenna. But, once again, thank you!

happysmp, I wish you the best of luck! I will post an update once I fix some stuff and let you know my issues so you can fix your's also!

JMunn55, Diesel_Dog seems to be a good source of info, so I would go ahead and try out his suggestions also! If you get to it before I do, let me know what was wrong, I'd be happy to listen. Also, how do you like your runner? I was interested in how the 2.7 L was. How is the mpg? (I'm a teenager, that is a big thing for me. ;] )

Cuff, Thank you very much.

 

[ABOZEYAD]

welcome to the forum ..... :welcome:

 

[Dirtyfingers]

Hey welcome to the forum!

 

[JMunn55]

Thanks, I'll take a look at his stuff.

I love it. I'm 19 and I've had it for two years. I never want to sell it. Mine has been a great vehicle but I've needed to do a lot of repairs lately, because it's high in mileage and the salt on the roads here just rusts everything. The previous owner never undercoated it. Just started my own thread earlier today actually.

In the summer I get over 500 kms to a tank. My dad also has a 2.7L manual 4Runner, and he drives faster than I do and he gets usually around 400 kms to a tank. So it seems with the 4-cylinder, if you take it easy, it gets good mileage, but if you're a lead foot the V6 is a better choice. Reliability is pretty equal between the two as far as I know. The 2.7 has a timing chain instead of a belt, so that's one less maintenance item to worry about. It has enough power for me, and I tow my ATV in a trailer fairly frequently.

MPG, I'm about 27 mpg Imp./22mpg US. That's with 235/75R15 (29") tires, only a half inch bigger than the stock size. I have 31x10.5" BFG A/Ts on now, and I didn't notice much difference in mileage.

 

[Yayko]

Thanks, I'll take a look at his stuff.

I love it. I'm 19 and I've had it for two years. I never want to sell it. Mine has been a great vehicle but I've needed to do a lot of repairs lately, because it's high in mileage and the salt on the roads here just rusts everything. The previous owner never undercoated it. Just started my own thread earlier today actually.

In the summer I get over 500 kms to a tank. My dad also has a 2.7L manual 4Runner, and he drives faster than I do and he gets usually around 400 kms to a tank. So it seems with the 4-cylinder, if you take it easy, it gets good mileage, but if you're a lead foot the V6 is a better choice. Reliability is pretty equal between the two as far as I know. The 2.7 has a timing chain instead of a belt, so that's one less maintenance item to worry about. It has enough power for me, and I tow my ATV in a trailer fairly frequently.

MPG, I'm about 27 mpg Imp./22mpg US. That's with 235/75R15 (29") tires, only a half inch bigger than the stock size. I have 31x10.5" BFG A/Ts on now, and I didn't notice much difference in mileage.

Ahh, I am in the same situation that you started in. I am 17 and just got mine too. It is also pretty high in miles... 190k. But it has been maintained well, mechanically. So, I am not worrying much about the miles. And, US uses the imperial system. So wouldn't it still be 27 mpg? Miles to the gallon? If so, that is pretty impressive! I get about 20 mpg (highway) with my 3.4L. Let me know if you do any big modifications to your runner! I'd love to hear about it.

 

[JMunn55]

US gallons are actually smaller than Canadian. It's weird. But in US measurements I get around 22-23 mpg. I'm still in the same situation, I'm in university fulltime.

And mine, in miles, is at 206,000. The previous owner of mine was a longtime mechanic at the dealer the truck came from, even though he was the second owner. It was fairly well maintained, but I knew it was gonna need work when we bought it. The engine and transmission are 100%, but the issues are with rust and various leaks.

I haven't really done any mods. Only repairs. I have a few in mind.
Check out my truck work thread. I'll start taking better photos and doing instructions from now on, starting with my front diff seals (which includes CV axle removal). I list the work and mods I've done/want to do at the end.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/163042-jmunn55-build-repair-thread-bear.html

 

[Diesel_Dog]

Diesel_Dog, Thank you so much for all of the in depth info. I will be sure to try your suggestions. I am interested in the Taco whip mod. I will try that out. I could care less about the motorized antenna. But, once again, thank you!

No problem bud, I've found that most problems I've faced with my runner someone else has had and it's documented here. My antenna is broke as well, but I don't listen to the radio so I'm not going to replace it. There is a delete plug as well if you want it completely gone and like the clean look. It's toyota part number 55796-89102 antenna cover.