my new 4runner, and what i should do to it

[iamaskier87]

just bought this 2001 with 110k for $3000. the seller is my manager, he just received a brand new one for a wedding gift. as far as i know the guy never did anything other than oil changes.

so far i have changed:

air filter
battery
new radiator (started leaking the day i got it home)
spark plugs
oil (there is some sludge under the filler cap, if i do quicker oil change intervals will it flush it out a bit?)
2 new tires up front (2 of the tires on the car were bald, 2 were about 70%. does it matter that i now have one type of tire on the front axle and another type on the back? should i go back and get 2 more new ones that match?)

still to do:

fuel filter
front brakes
front/rear diff and xfer case (if it's never been done, should i take care of this right away?)
trans fluid? (it's prol original, i included a pic it still looks red. sometimes if the car is not warmed it will not shift into 3rd until like 2.5k rpms?)
accessory belts are original most likely. no cracks but the alternator belt will squeal sometimes if it's cold for a minute or two. can i tighten it or should i replace?
i'll wait til summer to do the timing belt/water pump
the latch for the hatch has to be reset before the door is close, it's rusted out. can this be repaired?

so what do you guys thing i should give immediate attention to? i have two options here too... i could either keep it and put some money into it, or do you think i could turn a profit on it since i got it for so cheap?

also notice the only cosmetic damage is the bumper, is this the right part to fix that? - 99 00 01 02 4RUNNER SR5 FRONT BLACK BUMPER & APRON W/HO : eBay Motors (item 200418656870 end time Feb-13-10 23:57:08 PST)

thanks!

 

[LINY4Runner]

:welcome:

just bought this 2001 with 110k for $3000.

you got that truck for $3000?:wtf::wow::rant:so not fair

i have two options here too... i could either keep it and put some money into it, or do you think i could turn a profit on it since i got it for so cheap?

Keep it and sell whatever else you drive, because it can't top a 4Runner.

 

[004Gunner]

Congrats on the steal and the welcome to the club of sport hood owners! :trophy: That tranny fluid doesn't look bad and as long as it doesn't have a burnt smell you should be ok. Getting maintenance records would be a real plus since it would be nice to know the age of the tranny fluid and coolant (don't forget the coolant!). The diffs and transfer case are all due for fluid change but no need to make it immediate. If you are going to replace 1 belt you may as well replace them all and I would recommend getting 2 more new tires. I don't see any reason to have mismatched tires, jmo. Lastly, maybe it's just me, but if I hooked you up with a bada$$ ride for $3k and you turned around and sold it for profit, I would never hook you up again. It looks really clean and I hope you enjoy it! :bigok:

 

[RonMAIDEN]

Keep it and enjoy it since that is the deal of the millenium so far.

And you can spend alot of time on this forum. :bigok:

 

[bak3rme]

just bought this 2001 with 110k for $3000. the seller is my manager, he just received a brand new one for a wedding gift. as far as i know the guy never did anything other than oil changes.

so far i have changed:

air filter
battery
new radiator (started leaking the day i got it home)
spark plugs
oil (there is some sludge under the filler cap, if i do quicker oil change intervals will it flush it out a bit?)
2 new tires up front (2 of the tires on the car were bald, 2 were about 70%. does it matter that i now have one type of tire on the front axle and another type on the back? should i go back and get 2 more new ones that match?)

still to do:

fuel filter
front brakes
front/rear diff and xfer case (if it's never been done, should i take care of this right away?)
trans fluid? (it's prol original, i included a pic it still looks red. sometimes if the car is not warmed it will not shift into 3rd until like 2.5k rpms?)
accessory belts are original most likely. no cracks but the alternator belt will squeal sometimes if it's cold for a minute or two. can i tighten it or should i replace?
i'll wait til summer to do the timing belt/water pump
the latch for the hatch has to be reset before the door is close, it's rusted out. can this be repaired?

so what do you guys thing i should give immediate attention to? i have two options here too... i could either keep it and put some money into it, or do you think i could turn a profit on it since i got it for so cheap?

also notice the only cosmetic damage is the bumper, is this the right part to fix that? - 99 00 01 02 4RUNNER SR5 FRONT BLACK BUMPER & APRON W/HO : eBay Motors (item 200418656870 end time Feb-13-10 23:57:08 PST)

if i were you, i wouldnt mod it or buy any parts or anything yet. learn to love the 4runner stock, let your emotions feel for it. learn to grow on it. then eventutually you'll adding and changing stuff. as for now just make sure it runs well, and replace anything that needs to be replaced.

and for 3k that is a hella'ova deal, u are one lucky guy

 

[steve-]

Wow congrats on a sweet deal! And with a sport hood no less.
Keep it and enjoy it,4Runners rock

 

[iamaskier87]

Congrats on the steal and the welcome to the club of sport hood owners! :trophy: That tranny fluid doesn't look bad and as long as it doesn't have a burnt smell you should be ok. Getting maintenance records would be a real plus since it would be nice to know the age of the tranny fluid and coolant (don't forget the coolant!). The diffs and transfer case are all due for fluid change but no need to make it immediate. If you are going to replace 1 belt you may as well replace them all and I would recommend getting 2 more new tires. I don't see any reason to have mismatched tires, jmo. Lastly, maybe it's just me, but if I hooked you up with a bada$$ ride for $3k and you turned around and sold it for profit, I would never hook you up again. It looks really clean and I hope you enjoy it! :bigok:

turns out the trans fluid is original, should a flush/fill be the first order of business for this truck? it won't shift into 3rd and 4th til about 2.5k rpm until its warm. after that it's fine, would the flush/fill fix this?

 

[iamaskier87]

turns out the trans fluid is original, should a flush/fill be the first order of business for this truck? it won't shift into 3rd and 4th til about 2.5k rpm until its warm. after that it's fine, would the flush/fill fix this?

also there is some sludge you can see in the crankcase filler hole, should i put some seafoam in?

 

[Brian32]

did the rack system come with it or did you buy it?

 

[KellyJ]

turns out the trans fluid is original, should a flush/fill be the first order of business for this truck? it won't shift into 3rd and 4th til about 2.5k rpm until its warm. after that it's fine, would the flush/fill fix this?

That's normal. The A340F isn't programmed to shift into O/D until the engine has warmed up for at least a few minutes. By keeping the transmission in a lower gear while cold, the higher RPM's are "harvested" which heats up the engine quicker. Until the engine fully warms up, you'll notice that each gear is held longer than usual (normal operating temperature)

What a steal for $3000 too. Welcome to the board

 

[(4)runnin'it]

welcome! that's a sweet ride especially for 3k. keep and and put a lift and tires on it or what ever you want. i think it'd be cool to see those rims painted gunmetal with a lift and 285's. but first i would do all the maintenance but looks like you have that under control.

 

[COShadow]

I would take the hitch off, grind the rust off and prime / paint it.

 

[iamaskier87]

That's normal. The A340F isn't programmed to shift into O/D until the engine has warmed up for at least a few minutes. By keeping the transmission in a lower gear while cold, the higher RPM's are "harvested" which heats up the engine quicker. Until the engine fully warms up, you'll notice that each gear is held longer than usual (normal operating temperature)

What a steal for $3000 too. Welcome to the board

awesome, this is great to know i was getting worried! should i still go with a flush and fill since it's never been done?

as far as the front bumper/hitch, i'm gonna wait til spring and fix it up!

 

[KellyJ]

awesome, this is great to know i was getting worried! should i still go with a flush and fill since it's never been done?

as far as the front bumper/hitch, i'm gonna wait til spring and fix it up!

Glad to help. Yes, if the fluids are still original at 110k I would think it's time for a flush and new fluids

 

[004Gunner]

awesome, this is great to know i was getting worried! should i still go with a flush and fill since it's never been done?

as far as the front bumper/hitch, i'm gonna wait til spring and fix it up!

That fluid is in a lot better shape than I would have expected for it being original. I would recommend a drain and fill instead of the flush because the fluid is original. The thought is that a flush may move around too much gunk and actually make things worse. A drain and fill can be done several times in a row with x amount of miles between each one which will exchange the vast majority of old fluid with new fluid. The process is considered gentler on the transmission's internals than a flush would be though. And I agree that your current shifting pattern is normal. No worries

 

[topdown4runner]

I'll give you $3,500 for it as is...that's a nice little profit!
You won't really enjoy the truck. 4runners suck. They always break down and leave you stranded. I'll be on a flight today up to what ever northern snow bound state you are in & tow it home to Florida, as it obviously won't make it on it's own.


Now if you believe any of that, I WILL be up there to get that purty truck!
It is EXACTLY what I am looking for ( the $3K price included )

Do some basic maintainance and treat her well, and she will last you for the next 20 years, easy!

Excellent score :cheers:

 

[iamaskier87]

in order of importance how should i take care of the following? keep in mind all of these are original at 110k miles...

front diff
rear diff
xfer case
trans fluid (drain and fill or flush?)
fuel filter

again, the two front tires are new. the two rear tires are the same but a different brand than the front tires (one of these rear tires has more wear than the other). do i really need to buy two more tires to match the new ones on the front? keep in mind i might sell this truck after the winter, so does this require immediate attention?

 

[LINY4Runner]

in order of importance how should i take care of the following? keep in mind all of these are original at 110k miles...

front diff
rear diff
xfer case
trans fluid (drain and fill or flush?)

again, the two front tires are new. the two rear tires are the same but a different brand than the front tires (one of these rear tires has more wear than the other). do i really need to buy two more tires to match the new ones on the front? keep in mind i might sell this truck after the winter, so does this require immediate attention?

trans fluid first for sure, then i'd do the x-fer case, then the diffs

as for the tires, i'd recommend they all match in style and size, as well as treadwear