Just got a 3rd gen 4-cyl 5-speed :)

[kenyansagi]

Hi everyone, just wanted to introduce myself and my newly acquired 3d Gen runner :bounce:. I'm from kenya originally so have always had a great respect for everything Toyota, out there we don't have roads and conditions like here, plus no one really maintains their vehicles in Africa BUT the Toyotas still keep going! We call the 4runners as Hilux over there and one of the main difference compared to 4runners is the factory-built swing out tire rack and, often but not always, the snorkel. Also, the v6 is pretty rare in Africa since most prefer the more fuel efficient and lower maintenance 4-cyl engines.

Anyways, after many years in Canada :canada:, I finally saved up enough to buy this 3rd Gen (yr 2000), 5-speed manual, with 120k miles on it. Its an ex-Arizona vehicle so completely rust-free compared to what you'd normally find in Canada. Another plus for me personally is the 3rz-fe engine with its fuel efficient 2.7L 4-cylinder engine.

What I didn't know at the time of buying is that it has the larger 17" rims from an FJ and sporting 265/70/17s which are definitely far from stock. Would any of you by chance be able to tell me how I can figure out how much lift is installed on this runner?


Here he is, the day i bought it:

Haven't done much to it yet, but want to get some all terrains on it soon. Has some M+S on them now but nothing to brag about.

I washed it properly inside and out and perhaps too much in the engine :shrug:
Ran totally jerky on the drive back from car wash and seems water seeped in the spark plug wells which i dried with paper towels and a hair dryer! Remind me not to do that again!

Would really appreciate someone helping me identify the lift and whether there's any need to change the suspension :help: - Runner rides pretty good and the shocks are procomp es6000s in back and es3000s in front. Gets good mileage too - about 17-18mpg in the city, havent stretched it on the freeways yet.

Great to meet everyone! I'm already addicted to this forum, hoping I can find some budget for mods

 

[CAN-03runner]

Nice trunk. FJ mags look good. Blend the old with the new.

Keep an eye on that tailgate/window. Both my 1st and 4th gen are non functional. Not sure if they salt roads in Vancouver like in Montreal,. But i think that warmish humid rain/snow of vancouver might mess up the mechanism on yours too.

 

[kenyansagi]

Thanks CAN-03runner. Yeah we have a dangerous wet snow/rain here in winter where water seeps in to cracks and then freezes overnight messing up locks and windows. Fortunately my tailgate window still functions good, just had to lube it a tad when I got the truck couple weeks back.

What do you do to protect your trucks from rust? When I lived in east coast I always had krown rust control done on my car and always kept it in top shape. There's no Krown in Vancouver but I could drive an hour upto Squamish to get it done.

Right now the Runner has no rust but its only a matter of time since I take it upto some heavy snow areas for skiing and winter camping where the roads do have salt.

 

[20034RunnerV84x2]

Nice trunk. FJ mags look good. Blend the old with the new.

Keep an eye on that tailgate/window. Both my 1st and 4th gen are non functional. Not sure if they salt roads in Vancouver like in Montreal,. But i think that warmish humid rain/snow of vancouver might mess up the mechanism on yours too.

Did you roll both down & back up again to be sure they're both all the way up?

 

[CAN-03runner]

Did you roll both down & back up again to be sure they're both all the way up?

Yeah. Not a issue with diconnecting the battery or resetting the ECU or something like that.

Odd funny thing is that my first gen had a semi functional tailgate. I was going to remove and try to clean, lube and fix the mechanisim. I did a body swap, because the original body was to rusty to repair and cheaper to just swap with a good body. replacement body had a bad tailgate glass too....slipped my mind...old body ended up in the junk yard..before I got to the part of getting the tailgate on and working...oops...no mechanisim in there at all...held up with 2 wooden sticks..:boom:

The 4th gen, at the bottom of the glass, there are 2 clips/clamps, one on each side that hold the glass and guide/push/pull it up and down. One clamp rusted and broke open, and so when it went up it went up slanted. So now it is just permanently raised up, and stays that way.

So then..make that 3 of my 4runners had bad tailgates.

And so...it is not a bad idea to remove the rear panels on the tailgaite/rear hatch and make sure there is no corrosion. If there is clean it off, and apply rust proofing and check at least as part of a yearly inspection.