OK, so I've been keeping my 99 alive with mostly just regular maintenance for about 5 years now. It's been a great vehicle and after test driving a bunch of new trucks over the past year, I decided I like my 4runner more than anything new on the market.
It does, however, have 350K miles on it. Still, inspired by all of the high mileage rigs on here, I decided to take the plunge and put a lift on it and some wheels, etc. I put down a hefty deposit and have been waiting for the parts to come in.
Meanwhile, I drove it for the first time yesterday and noticed a decent splotch of what looked like oil on the ground so I decided to take it to my regular shop and have it looked at. I also inquired about getting the timing belt done.
It has always had a knock that gets louder when you put it in gear and hold the brake but that also goes away when you put it in park. It has been there for 4 years and 100k miles. After reading posts on here, I thought it might just be something loose and figured that since no mechanic could ever tell me what it was that I would just deal with it if and when something failed.
Anyway, the mechanic tells me today that the leak is primarily from the rack and pinion and that would be $900 to fix, which I was fine with. He also tells me that he thinks the knock is from oil deprivation at low rpms and so he thinks the bottom end is about to go out. He also said he did a cylinder test on it and he was getting low cylinder performance, particularly on the left side. It does surge a bit under acceleration but otherwise, I was driving it daily before the pandemic.
I inquired about fixing the steering and or replacing the engine and he pretty much told me he doesn't want anything to do with it and that it is time to "close the hood on it" because putting an engine in it is just going to lead to a whole bunch of other problems. I have put a lot of new stuff on it in the last couple of years including water pumps, brakes (including drums and rotors), radiator, alternator, etc. Basically, whatever it needed, I took care of it.
So, my question is, what is a realistic number for parts and labor on a new engine? I'm honestly ok spending the money on one, I'm just more concerned at this point that I won't be able to have the lift done until the rack and pinion is fixed and I need to find another mechanic apparently to do that.
Lastly, does anyone have a mechanic that they would recommend for the South Houston/Galveston area? I'd love to watch Tim's videos and do it all myself but unfortunately, I'm a medical student and have literally zero free time to do anything.
Thanks in advance.
It does, however, have 350K miles on it. Still, inspired by all of the high mileage rigs on here, I decided to take the plunge and put a lift on it and some wheels, etc. I put down a hefty deposit and have been waiting for the parts to come in.
Meanwhile, I drove it for the first time yesterday and noticed a decent splotch of what looked like oil on the ground so I decided to take it to my regular shop and have it looked at. I also inquired about getting the timing belt done.
It has always had a knock that gets louder when you put it in gear and hold the brake but that also goes away when you put it in park. It has been there for 4 years and 100k miles. After reading posts on here, I thought it might just be something loose and figured that since no mechanic could ever tell me what it was that I would just deal with it if and when something failed.
Anyway, the mechanic tells me today that the leak is primarily from the rack and pinion and that would be $900 to fix, which I was fine with. He also tells me that he thinks the knock is from oil deprivation at low rpms and so he thinks the bottom end is about to go out. He also said he did a cylinder test on it and he was getting low cylinder performance, particularly on the left side. It does surge a bit under acceleration but otherwise, I was driving it daily before the pandemic.
I inquired about fixing the steering and or replacing the engine and he pretty much told me he doesn't want anything to do with it and that it is time to "close the hood on it" because putting an engine in it is just going to lead to a whole bunch of other problems. I have put a lot of new stuff on it in the last couple of years including water pumps, brakes (including drums and rotors), radiator, alternator, etc. Basically, whatever it needed, I took care of it.
So, my question is, what is a realistic number for parts and labor on a new engine? I'm honestly ok spending the money on one, I'm just more concerned at this point that I won't be able to have the lift done until the rack and pinion is fixed and I need to find another mechanic apparently to do that.
Lastly, does anyone have a mechanic that they would recommend for the South Houston/Galveston area? I'd love to watch Tim's videos and do it all myself but unfortunately, I'm a medical student and have literally zero free time to do anything.
Thanks in advance.
hoto:
