May be time to sell the rig

[mspa]

Man oh man . . . I don't know if any of you have come to this point, but I think I may need to sell my '88.

I have invested thousands of dollars in to getting it running right, and replacing a bunch of stuff.

Now I have to rebuild the front end, do shocks, exhaust, and probably replace the engine within the next 9 months.

It's becoming a decision of affordability and what I've paid

 

[the_dingman]

I did that with my old '86 when I was younger... If your truck is in good shape, remember that by replacing these parts, your likely to get another 20 years out of it. That truck looks very nice, and everything you list is normal wear and tear. If you're handy, the front end and shocks shouldn't be too difficult.

After a wheel bearing collapse, new brakes all around (including new master cylinder twice), new exhaust, alternator, clutch, clutch slave cylinder, and a full engine rebuild (totaling well over $5k on a truck I paid $1k for), I sold my '86, and regretted it for 3 years, until I bought my '87 (any my '86 was in BAD physical shape). I love the design of the 1st gen 4Runner, and never enjoyed any of my 'better' vechiles after.

If you love it, keep fixin' it, it'll pay off.

 

[mspa]

I hear what you're saying. I think the biggest thing is the engine. The valve guides are leaking and it's smoking in the morning until the engine heats up and the seals swell.

I too love the first gen best. If I replaced it, I would be looking at a '95 4Runner, or I saw an '89 Land Cruiser with 99k miles and real clean (both for about $5k).

I do realize the new radiator, timing belt, water pump, alternator, power steering, clutch, etc, etc, should last another 20 years. I made sure they were all quality parts, and my mechanic warranties the parts and the work.

Still thinking . . . but I appreciate the comments. I really do

 

[zombie]

If you spend 3-6 K to fix yours, you know what you will have. If you spend that on something else you could still be in the same boat. Your truck sounds like it is in pretty good shape and I would think with spending that much on it you would have a great truck that's not a bellybutton like many of the newer ones (everyone has one). I just bought all the front end parts ( ball joints, tie rods, pitman and idler arms) for $250 shipped to my door. Not that expensive at all. You could put in a 3.4 instead of rebuilding the 3.0 and have more power and better gas mileage. There is lots to consider.

 

[mspa]

Hmmm. Let me know how it goes with rebuilding your front end. What kind of mechanical knowledge do you need? The toughest thing I've done is replace a water pump and radiator in a Mustang.

 

[K_Labs]

If you have enough beer you can fix anything! Hell look at me I went from doing oil changes to changing the front rotors on my 4x4 to Engine and Tranny swap. The more you drink the better mechanic you become. Or I just started tinkering at an early age taking apart the vcr and what ever else I could get my hands on>

You can achieve your goals I'm living proof BEEFCAKE!

 

[BlackLabeL]

have you tried running synthetic engine oil with an additive like lucas? synthetic oil wont be as noticable burning out of your tailpipe. (you may not even notice it at all)

 

[mspa]

haven't tried that. I did use Lucas power steering fluid to slow the leak before getting a new pump installed. I didn't notice a significant difference in that instance . . . not that I can make the assumption about oil in the engine.

I got a lead on a source for 3.4 engines and I'm hoping to get some costs over the next week or so.

As for the front end, I should do some checking on options and pricing. Same with shocks. I may just go KYB on those, since I'm not planning on off-roading beyond camping and maybe some easy trail riding.

 

[toplessrunner]

dont give up on the truck you will regret it, do the service it needs and have peace of mind that you will not have to deal with it for a long time, plus...they dont make trucks like these anymore.

 

[mspa]

thanks for the encouragement guys. all great advice!

 

[BlackLabeL]

I forgot to specify switching to synthetic oil wont affect the oil consumption, it will just make it less noticable out the tailpipe.

as for shocks, I got Old Man Emu shocks for around $110 each. (I imagine its cheaper in USA) and the ride quality on and off road is very good. you can install them yourself easily in about an hour.