4runner_kid
Senior Member
3.4 is a BAD A@$ transplant. If i had the money i would do that in one of mine.
IMHO..my 1995 toyota 4runner poorly designed..
- Thread starter rumme
- Start date
3.4 is a BAD A@$ transplant. If i had the money i would do that in one of mine.
The first time pulling the 3VZE starter it is difficult but after that first time it goes by pretty quick. IIRC last time I did it took me less than an hour and yes, removing the inner fender liner bits helps drastically.
As with all 4x4 brands you get some ribbing from the other guys but I can say I don't understand either why people think these things are the best thing since sliced bread. Yes they are damn good trucks out the box (minus the open diffs) but they are far from perfect.
Off the top of my head on the 2nd gens, the rear tailgate is an abysmal design, the 3VZE in general, the lack of power and fuel economy in either motor, plastic timing chain guides, and of course the rust. Yes I've seen a few folks local and online with 250,000+ miles but I've seen just as many small block Chevs with that or more that make more power and are better on gas, sadlly with twice or three times the displacement. In reality if i had to go back I would have gotten a Suzuki Jimny (JDM Samurai) if I wanted a small wheeler or I would have gotten a SBC truck for the practicality.
With that said I've put a bit of money into mine and it hasn't caused any major troubles, save for I may be replacing my motor at only 180,000 miles which disappointed me after hearing all these high mile claims. Regardless, after the mods I've done and the parts, for how much I drive it doesn't pay to get anything else (even with gas above $4 a gallon).
As with all 4x4 brands you get some ribbing from the other guys but I can say I don't understand either why people think these things are the best thing since sliced bread. Yes they are damn good trucks out the box (minus the open diffs) but they are far from perfect.
Off the top of my head on the 2nd gens, the rear tailgate is an abysmal design, the 3VZE in general, the lack of power and fuel economy in either motor, plastic timing chain guides, and of course the rust. Yes I've seen a few folks local and online with 250,000+ miles but I've seen just as many small block Chevs with that or more that make more power and are better on gas, sadlly with twice or three times the displacement. In reality if i had to go back I would have gotten a Suzuki Jimny (JDM Samurai) if I wanted a small wheeler or I would have gotten a SBC truck for the practicality.
With that said I've put a bit of money into mine and it hasn't caused any major troubles, save for I may be replacing my motor at only 180,000 miles which disappointed me after hearing all these high mile claims. Regardless, after the mods I've done and the parts, for how much I drive it doesn't pay to get anything else (even with gas above $4 a gallon).
niteman
New member
Sounds like you should just follow your own advice and put the thing on craigslist and get your money back. You're unhappy with th design, you're unhappy with the mileage, you're unhappy with the power, you have a tough time working on it, etc...sounds like you're just plain unhappy with this truck.
As for the mileage thing, let's jump in our mental time machine and go back to the mid nineties for a sec. Gas was around a buck a gallon back then, manufacturers were not obsessed with stretching the mpg's as far as they could. Ever driven a comparable mid-ninties SUV? Jeeps - worse gas mileage, Ford Explorer - similar mileage, Mitsubuishi Montero - similar if not worse, Pathfinder - similar, Isuzu - similar, noticing a trend? Hell, my 94 Ford Rager 4cyl got the same mileage that my 94 runner 3.0 does now.
These things are old SUVs, what does everyone expect? If you want good mileage than fork out the dough for a newer SUV, buy an older CR-V, or get a civic or corolla. Seriously.
I do not think these 4runners are the be all end all for perfect SUVs. The perfect SUV, or car for that matter, doesn't exist. But these things are great, dependable, and long lasting workhosre trucks.
As for working on it, find a Toyota Field Service Manual and make at least that part of your ownership more pleasant.
Dylan
Member
I can attest to the spark plugs, 4 out of the 6 are fine to access, but the #5 and #6 are deep down tucked away....gotta get a socket with a bendy and an extension to really tackle it.
As far as the cup holders, I've been the only owner of my '94 (yep, 17 years) and I guess I'm used to switching the vents to the "Defrost/legs" position when I have a drink in there, it doesn't output any air through the middle vents on this setting.
Sorry no one informed you, but the 3.0 does have the nickname 3.slooow. Still not too bad though with the 5-speed. And as far as the MPG goes, it gets 20 highway MPG, which by today's SUV standards is low-end, but then again these trucks are 16-17 years dated.
I don't think the contributors/posters to this site are vain in that they feel there is nothing wrong with their T4Rs (at least 2nd gen in this case), but the flaws are far outweighed by the strengths of this vehicle which over time I feel you will begin to notice and appreciate.
Bob Seger should've had his song on a Toyota commercial...:violin:
As far as the cup holders, I've been the only owner of my '94 (yep, 17 years) and I guess I'm used to switching the vents to the "Defrost/legs" position when I have a drink in there, it doesn't output any air through the middle vents on this setting.
Sorry no one informed you, but the 3.0 does have the nickname 3.slooow. Still not too bad though with the 5-speed. And as far as the MPG goes, it gets 20 highway MPG, which by today's SUV standards is low-end, but then again these trucks are 16-17 years dated.
I don't think the contributors/posters to this site are vain in that they feel there is nothing wrong with their T4Rs (at least 2nd gen in this case), but the flaws are far outweighed by the strengths of this vehicle which over time I feel you will begin to notice and appreciate.
Bob Seger should've had his song on a Toyota commercial...:violin:
crawyota
New member
crawyota
New member
x2 very well said. hell I ***** about my 95 all the time , but i would never get rid of it . like it way better than the HEEP and RODEO i previously had.
arty:
JohnoDotCA
New member
Doing your own maintenance can be a PITA on 4runners for sure. It's a labour of love though for most owners. I cringe every time I've got to change a headlight out on my 95'.
Toyota should just send every 4runner owner a barrel of the little fragile plastic grill clips.
Toyota should just send every 4runner owner a barrel of the little fragile plastic grill clips.
OCMike
New member
Changing the headlight bulb in a 95 is simple. I thought I was going to have to pull off the grill, but it's much easier to unbolt the radiator overflow reservoir, the windshield wiper fluid reservoir, and move the battery back a few inches and change the bulbs out from behind. Right now, however, I need to change out the whole driver side headlight assembly. Now that's going to be a major PITA. I can't get the grill off without loosening the bolt on the front bumper.
Thats hillarious...so changing headlights is also a PITA ..lol...{ was a 50 second job on my 81 dodge truck}
I stand by my opinion ! Many terrible engineering ideas on the 4runner. Fortunately for me, I dont drive much...maybe less then 80 miles a week. My 1995- 4runner has 155,000 miles on it. If I can get 30,000 more miles out of it, without major problems, Ill be happy. Got the starter back in , so now its starting reliably. Changed the plugs, so shouldnt have to worry about that for many years. Put on new back drum brakes ...so thats taken care of..
I did notice that both front CV boots are busted ...but im gonna just pack them full of grease every 6 months and not worry about it. I only drive on hiway , so maybe keeping it packed with grease will be enough to keep them functioning. I dont use 4 wheel drive anyways.
OCMike
New member
Well it wouldn't be such a PITA for me if I hadn't tipped over the truck and pushed up the bumper. Now it pinches the grill and I can't remove it unless I loosen up the bumper. I have to change out the headlight assembly that I broke. It's really no big deal. At least I learn something new with each repair. haha
Have to agree, that there are quite a few design quirks in the toyota line. That 3.0 is probably one of the tougher ones i have worked on, though not as bad as a turbo mr2 (where you nearly had to pull the motor/tranny to change the waterpump/timing belt).
Though i find i spend alot less time under the hood, and it saves me more time, even with the headaches. My 91 pickup had the origional starter for 20 years and 245,000 miles and still worked great when I sold it.
And at least toyota seems to be working on ease of repair in thier newer vehicles. My 06 V6 is the easiest vehcile to change the oil i have ever seen. Heck I could do a full tune up. Oil, Air, and spark plugs in probably 45 minutes.
Though i find i spend alot less time under the hood, and it saves me more time, even with the headaches. My 91 pickup had the origional starter for 20 years and 245,000 miles and still worked great when I sold it.
And at least toyota seems to be working on ease of repair in thier newer vehicles. My 06 V6 is the easiest vehcile to change the oil i have ever seen. Heck I could do a full tune up. Oil, Air, and spark plugs in probably 45 minutes.
well Ive only been a 4runner owner for about 3 weeks now...and most of the things I have found out about this vehicle, are less then stellar..Heres just a few of the things Ive learned that these 4runners are famous for :
poor engine power
poor gas mileage
sagging rear end
hard to change plugs
hard to change starter
bad head gaskets/coolant leaks
bad steering rods/mechanism
rough ride
rear window problems
faulty oil pressure readings
difficult headlight replacement
power steering fluid leaks
etc..
It almost seems like its some sort of sick joke...LOL..
Im just glad I wasnt crazy enough to purchase one of these brand new in 1995 for $27,000....at least im learning these lessons for only $2500 by purchasing one used off craigslist .
hopefully when I decide to get rid of mine, I will still be able to pull at least $1500 out of it...so it wont be much of a loss on my original investment. Mine has 155,000 miles on it, and to be honest,the engine sounds good , but Ill be happy to get another 30,000 miles out of it, without any major internal engine problems { timing belt, head gasket replaced, etc} ...and then I may try and sell it to someone else , who enjoys having a vehicle that is a pain in the azz to work on, gets poor gas mileage and a engine with very little power.
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remeber the good ole days, when you could change a headlight in about 60 seconds, and only had to take 2 bolts out of the front of the headlight, and not deal with other components on the vehicle ?
looks like for the 4runner, you need to deal with several other components and do it from under the hood : is this really the easiest way to change a simple headlight on a 95 -4runner ?
unbolt the radiator overflow reservoir, ...then unbolt the windshield wiper fluid reservoir..then unhook the battery hold downs and move the battery back a few inches and then change the bulbs out from behind .
I guess the toyota dealership would charge $125 to do this...
LOL....
what a engineering nightmare.
looks like for the 4runner, you need to deal with several other components and do it from under the hood : is this really the easiest way to change a simple headlight on a 95 -4runner ?
unbolt the radiator overflow reservoir, ...then unbolt the windshield wiper fluid reservoir..then unhook the battery hold downs and move the battery back a few inches and then change the bulbs out from behind .
I guess the toyota dealership would charge $125 to do this...
LOL....
what a engineering nightmare.
The tilt steering allows me to fit comfortably ....if it werent for that, then it would be much rougher...
I shoulda did my homework before buying this 4runner...I have owned other toyota models in the past...but was unaware of the problems , lack of power and bad MPG the 4runner series is known for...
Hell, I used to have a 4 cylinder turbo toyota truck, with 35 " tires..and that had more power then this V6 .
Dont get me wrong, If I can get another 30,000 miles out of this 4 runner , without major internal repairs , Ill be happy...that would put the mileage at 190,000 miles....and I figure I should still be able to sell it for $1800 on craigslist....I got $2500 in it right now , and it seems to be running good. So if I only lose $700 on a resale, several years from now, im still doing good investing.
