Limited Backstory: Really needed a truck, good friend let me by his 4Runner on a short term payment plan for asking price, $3600. 216k 1st gen.
When I got it, it looked good. It was missing a few bolts and had a bunch of obvious patch jobs but it started easy and ran strong so I thought, "How bad could it be?"
First problem is rear-end vibration. At 45mph it vibrates and gets worse with higher speed. Retubed driveshaft, went away for a while, came back just as bad. Noticed as I was under there that both the differential and t-case rear output flanges have been removed because the nuts weren't put back on correctly. (not punched into the notch in the shaft)
Then I notice a small coolant leak on the driver's side of cylinder one off of the head. It's got 215k miles so I'm not too surprised. Pissed but not too surprised. So I get all the parts ordered for the 1983/84 22R which is what I think I have. From the outside, I have round header ports and can't get a solid measurement on block height so I get 83/84.
So I've got the parts ordered, they should be here tomorrow. . . I start to take the motor apart.
I'm getting in there and wondering why there are so many coolant sensors and so few wires going to them. Then I see that two four exhaust studs were removed, and two completely stripped and attempted and failed to oversize and re-tap. Then I pull the thermostat housing and see a 195 thermo instead of a 180. Then I see the pear shape instead of the round on the head. Now I'm wondering, just which damn engine do I have in this thing? From what I know now, I have to assume it's a 1985+ 22R. Great. Now I've got the wrong gasket set coming in the mail.
More back story: The guy I bought it from was a really good friend so I trusted him. His story is that he never really drove it and didn't ever really get into it. So when I'm coming to him wondering why rear end is messed up and why the head gasket is leaking and all the other problems, he acts surprised and tells me that my situation sucks. I'm pissed off and thinking it's hard to believe he never knew about any problems with the truck like the differential being taken apart and not properly re-assembled, or how it's got an entirely different engine.
I've included a few pictures of the cylinder and block. I have a question about clyinder 4, which is the one with the too-short sparkplug and the white deposits on the exhaust valve. What would cause those deposits? It was the only cylinder with them. This piston that looks like it ran with a screw inside the cylinder was also in cylinder 4.
Main question is this: How should I handle this with my friend? I'm out a vehicle now and I'm thinking I need a new head and at least one new piston. I need a timing kit and might as well do oil/water pump while I'm in there. I've been trying to be a gentlemen and just be ok with a shitty situation and believe him when he says he didn't know anything about it, but he totally screwed me. My wife's grandma just died and we've driven almost 4000 miles in the last three weeks and money was tight before that. Now we're sharing a vehicle when it's kind of the worst time to do so. I want to ask him for $1200 or so back but I know that's a shitty thing to do. What should I do?
Thanks for taking the time. . .
Cylinder Head Photos
When I got it, it looked good. It was missing a few bolts and had a bunch of obvious patch jobs but it started easy and ran strong so I thought, "How bad could it be?"
First problem is rear-end vibration. At 45mph it vibrates and gets worse with higher speed. Retubed driveshaft, went away for a while, came back just as bad. Noticed as I was under there that both the differential and t-case rear output flanges have been removed because the nuts weren't put back on correctly. (not punched into the notch in the shaft)
Then I notice a small coolant leak on the driver's side of cylinder one off of the head. It's got 215k miles so I'm not too surprised. Pissed but not too surprised. So I get all the parts ordered for the 1983/84 22R which is what I think I have. From the outside, I have round header ports and can't get a solid measurement on block height so I get 83/84.
So I've got the parts ordered, they should be here tomorrow. . . I start to take the motor apart.
I'm getting in there and wondering why there are so many coolant sensors and so few wires going to them. Then I see that two four exhaust studs were removed, and two completely stripped and attempted and failed to oversize and re-tap. Then I pull the thermostat housing and see a 195 thermo instead of a 180. Then I see the pear shape instead of the round on the head. Now I'm wondering, just which damn engine do I have in this thing? From what I know now, I have to assume it's a 1985+ 22R. Great. Now I've got the wrong gasket set coming in the mail.
More back story: The guy I bought it from was a really good friend so I trusted him. His story is that he never really drove it and didn't ever really get into it. So when I'm coming to him wondering why rear end is messed up and why the head gasket is leaking and all the other problems, he acts surprised and tells me that my situation sucks. I'm pissed off and thinking it's hard to believe he never knew about any problems with the truck like the differential being taken apart and not properly re-assembled, or how it's got an entirely different engine.
I've included a few pictures of the cylinder and block. I have a question about clyinder 4, which is the one with the too-short sparkplug and the white deposits on the exhaust valve. What would cause those deposits? It was the only cylinder with them. This piston that looks like it ran with a screw inside the cylinder was also in cylinder 4.
Main question is this: How should I handle this with my friend? I'm out a vehicle now and I'm thinking I need a new head and at least one new piston. I need a timing kit and might as well do oil/water pump while I'm in there. I've been trying to be a gentlemen and just be ok with a shitty situation and believe him when he says he didn't know anything about it, but he totally screwed me. My wife's grandma just died and we've driven almost 4000 miles in the last three weeks and money was tight before that. Now we're sharing a vehicle when it's kind of the worst time to do so. I want to ask him for $1200 or so back but I know that's a shitty thing to do. What should I do?
Thanks for taking the time. . .
Cylinder Head Photos
