Just bought a 94 v6 4x4 5spd

9

94stick

New member
Hey everybody!

New here, first post and first 4runner! I JUST bought this thing about two hours ago and drove it from the previous owner to my house (1.5 hours) with no big issues at all, really. It's got 230k miles, shifts great, runs well. I think. I'm in love.

A few questions, hoping for suggestions...

1 - There's a rattling sound when I accelerate
2 - Slight clicking sound when idling from the engine, hopefully not valves, oil level is full.
3 - When in neutral and coasting, or when in gear at about 5% throttle there are some vibrations. Feels/Sounds like I'm driving over a rumble strip like on the side of the highway.
4 - Besides a tune-up, changing diff fluids and tranny fluids, etc.. Any other maintenance I should consider performing?

It tracks straight, no groaning when turning at slow speeds, 4x4 works great. I haven't called in the VIN to see if the head gasket has been replaced, but the engine is clean, new belts and hoses... Check it out!

10155524_4113295928808_930895747_n.jpg


Thanks for looking, guys! Have a good one!
 
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Check around for an exhaust leak, pretty common on the v6. Maybe a wheel bearing or rear end issues causing the vibrations when off the throttle.
 
Vibrations off the throttle could also be caused by a bad u-joint. Ive had a few go bad and every time it has caused vibrations when letting off the throttle. Best way I found of checking is to turn the ignition off, leave the vehicle in neutral, chock the tires, get under there and grab the driveshaft to check for play.
 
Yea, I do think the rattling when accelerating is an exhaust leak. I'll crawl under there and check the u-joints as well. How difficult are those to fix? I'm a competent shadetree, I bet I could pull it off. Thanks for the replies guys!
 
Thanks!

A couple more newb questions:

Where's the oil pressure supposed to be at on the gauge? It's kind of ambiguous, I'm pretty sure I'm fine but I just wanted some clarity. At idle it sits just a little above the 1st line on the left, accelerating gets up to the second and cruising sits behind the second line.

Also, what's it supposed to idle at? I may have a vac leak...
 
Not sure about the oil pressure as your gauges are different than mines, however from the way you described it, it sounds like mines which is very ambiguous but sounds like its functioning fine. Idle should be in the neighborhood of 700 rpm. Cold itll be a lot higher. On a cold morning at first start up mines idles at almost 1400 but drops down to 700 when warm.
 
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U joints are easy if you have a bfh (big fuc%ing hammer) and some spare random nuts and a vise
And when you change rear diff fluid see how metallic the gear oil is and how much metal is on the drain plug.
 
ALSO: According to Toyota's owner website the head gasket recall wasn't performed! What are the chances of honoring the recall if the head gasket ever goes out on this thing, lol.
 
Ok, so I've searched and searched. I downloaded the FSM and still couldn't find it. Maybe I'm blind:

I'm planning on changing out all the fluids on this thing this weekend and I can't find CRAP on fluid specs. I found some things, but nothing on QTY. Can somebody fill me in?

Transmission (R150F) - 3.2 qts, 75w-90
Transfer Case (VF1A) - capacity? 75W-90?
Front Diff - capacity? oil type?
Rear Diff - capacity? oil type?

I appreciate the help, sorry if I'm rehashing threads here but I couldn't find anything after like an hour of searching, lol.
 
94stick said:
Ok, so I've searched and searched. I downloaded the FSM and still couldn't find it. Maybe I'm blind:

I'm planning on changing out all the fluids on this thing this weekend and I can't find CRAP on fluid specs. I found some things, but nothing on QTY. Can somebody fill me in?

Transmission (R150F) - 3.2 qts, 75w-90
Transfer Case (VF1A) - capacity? 75W-90?
Front Diff - capacity? oil type?
Rear Diff - capacity? oil type?

I appreciate the help, sorry if I'm rehashing threads here but I couldn't find anything after like an hour of searching, lol.
Click to expand...
Front and rear diff are more than likely 75- 90 along with everything else and just buy like a case and a half of 75-90 and return the rest. Just fill until the transfer case and the front and rear diff start coming out the fill hole put the plug in it and it's good.
 
Easy enough! After that I'm taking her to a great 4runner doctor around here to give her a look over / physical, lol.
 
94stick, any toyota dealership should still honor that headgasket recall. there are some recalls that have a time limit, but i don't believe there is one for the HG. also, there is another recall on our trucks, i had it done, but i can't remember what it was, it has something to do with the steering components, call your dealership and ask about that also. if someone know's what i'm talking about they'll chime in.
 
I see no one has mentioned the ticking sound.. my 94 has the same sound, its the valves ticking. I had my V6 fully rebuilt and the mechanic who did the rebuild said the ticking sound was normal. Considering that i almost put 15 k on it since the rebuild, I think you should be okay. As far as the oil pressure goes, when mine is warm and at idle, the pressure is at a 1/4 of the gauge. Under accelaration and at highway speeds, the pressure is a little over the halfway mark. I hope this helps, good looking rig man.:clap2:
 
That's somewhat relieving.

I had planned on getting all the fluids changed this weekend as mentioned previously, but time constraints and remembering that I know a very good mechanic who "cut his teeth on 4runners" led me to take it to him to do it. While there I asked him to look the thing all over and give it a thorough inspection. I'm picking it up this afternoon: 2 new CV axles, a re-sealed rear diff, some gear and motor oil and a timing adjustment and the thing should be running like a top. There is an exhaust leak, and the speedo is a little whiny but I can fix those myself next weekend.

Super stoked!
 
I thought the head gasket recall was limited to the first 100k miles. Maybe it changed, but I wouldn't count on it at this age and with those miles.

On the steering one, it was "SSC 50N - Steering relay rod replacement safety recall notice"

I don't see anything on the notice about a limited timeframe of miles or years. On our Sienna for a non-safety recall of a powered sliding door, there was both of those limits I believe.

On my '92 the muffler rusted out, so it made some extra noise there for a while. And when the nuts at the connections holding the catalytic converter to the exhaust and muffler got loose, that made some noise too (I think one of the seals wasn't right when I replaced the cat).

I have lifter tick when under power, so going up the mountain I hear it but going down the other side at the same rpm and speed I don't. I tried one of the snake oils from the auto parts store, but it didn't change things. Using slightly heavier oil might help (stock 10W-30 instead of 5W-30 or 0W-30) but I haven't worried about it after hearing it's common and not really a sign of problems.

Enjoy your new ride. And good eyes on the person who noticed that front mudflap :)
 
Thanks, yea my dad had a 2nd gen when I was in high school that I drove around a little bit. Now that I think about it I remember the ticking sound on that one too.

Worked on her a bit today, the exhaust pipe to exhaust manifold connection was a little loose so I tightened it up until I can get a new gasket for it. It seemed to help a bit, a few loose vacuum lines were fixed as well. It sounds a lot better, still idles just a tad high but lower than it was. This thing was very well maintained by the Previous Owner: most of the rubber in the engine bay is new, the plastic anchors that all the sheet metal screws anchor into for the fender well guards are new, the whole engine bay is VERY clean. I'm loving her more and more.

However, I saw a good sized oil leak coming from between the transmission and the block, looks like I'll be pulling the transmission soon to replace the rear main seal. I think I hear the throwout bearing squeaking a bit anyway and I may as well replace the clutch and all. Oh things to do, time and money...

To the junkyard tomorrow for:

Wiper Fluid Pump or just the whole reservoir assy
Passenger side front chrome fender strip
 
Oh yea, can anybody give me a part number for the gasket that seals the pre-cat exhaust pipe to the manifold? I can't tell if it's a ring that is held between the manifold and pipe or if it's a "triangle" with bolt holes that is bolted between the two...
 
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