Loving my 5 speed.....

[Panda96]

Bought it about 3 weeks ago and am loving it. The miles were HIGH (328K) but it was one owner and trumped the other 6 runners I had driven with a lot less miles (all autos)! I'm from LC world so miles have never scared me. Having said that I was a bit hesitant just from not being as familiar with the 3.4.

Took it to my local master toyo mechanic and had everything checked out. Swapped starter contacts, oil change, coolant change, and general inspection. Everything is dry underneath and the LBJ's look good. Timing belt service ($700) needs to be done and a sway bar bushing needs replacing. Other than that everything looks and drives solid.

5 speed and it's 4WD......I cannot believe what a difference driving the 3.4 vs auto is! I have the vehicle, tranny, 4WD, and color I want. It's a blast to drive.
How many others on here own 5 speeds?? Thanks!

 

[Panda96]

More eye candy.....

 

[Panda96]

Bit more.....

 

[Panda96]

Not done.....

And a bit more......

 

[0xfded]

Looks great! Had to hunt around for mine, but I'm glad I held out for the stick. Never have to worry about a rusty radiator destroying my transmission.

 

[99ToyoRunner]

When I had to replace my Subaru, I bought my 4Runner from my friend and it just happened to be stick...The 5 speed makes the truck so much more enjoyable to drive. I took my truck that works on 3rd Gen 4Runners and they told me that they don't come across that many

 

[Chuckles89]

Nice looking truck! Fellow 5-Speed driver here. Mine is pretty slow already, I can't imagine what an auto is like lol.

 

[T4R2014]

What's up with your heater core valve?

 

[Scramble]

I love my 5peed! It was my first stick back in 1999. I can only imaging how much faster it would be with the 6cyl.

 

[Panda96]

Good eye T4R2014......idk actually. Looks like the bolts are missing off the back wall and maybe the actual black valve has been replaced with just a straight piece of rubber??

Can someone else chime in?

Thanks!

 

[habanero]

2 of them stick thingies for me!

The valve prolly started leaking or something so the old owner replaced it his style.
What's supposed to be in there...this 96 has no rear heat so yours would look a little different.....actually, I wonder if the rear heat steel lines rusted through and this was the other owner's fix?

 

[kolelt]

Even though I have auto. I DO have everything I need to make it manual. And you better believe it will be !!

 

[Limbwalker]

Thats a hell of a good looking rig for the miles! Jealous of the 5 speed... if my auto ever gives up the ghost, Ill be looking into a swap.

 

[Brique]

I sold my 1998 taco to get into a 4runner for family reasons (carseats). Taco was a stick, 4runner is auto. There are days (heavy traffic) when I'm really glad for my auto, but i do miss all the upside of the stick. If my auto ever dies, I'm gonna think long and hard about converting.

 

[Troybylt]

Stick checking in here, if you ever need to do the clutch I'd recommend the Marlin Crawler 1200lb Kit, has been fantastic in my rig so far. Loving it.

 

[AZ_Trails]

Welcome to the 5-speed club. I definitely love mine, but it has only 1/3 as many miles as yours. She's got a long way to go!

 

[AZ4Running]

Nice rig. I wish mine was a 5spd sometimes but the auto is a little easiers when wheeling and dealing with rocks and steep climbs. My 96 tacoma was a 5spd and i l Ioved it but it was a 2.7l and was too small for family needs.

 

[Koko4]

Mine's a 5-speed with 160k on it. It's a 1998 with the 3.4. Great car, and it's a blast to drive. It was hard getting used to that long clutch coming from a '97 Civic, though!

 

[SweetWaterSurprise]

5 Speed here too. Had to have it

 

[Limbwalker]

5 Speed here too. Had to have it

Hijack, sorry; Gracie Barra BJJ? I trained there for a while. Spent 15 years in a japanese style of JJ and Judo. My knees are both toast, so i cant really roll anymore but good to see another grappler on here. Cheers