Dreadnaught
New member
After a LONG search I finally picked up a 99 Limited 4x4 and its bone stock. The seller owned it for the past 16 years and before that his Uncle owned it who bought it new from the dealership. I checked multiple VIN history sites and verified, so I’m officially the 3rd owner. 224K on the clock, and a 3 ring binder stuffed full of maintenance records and parts receipts. The seller bought most parts from the dealer and had most maintenance done at the dealer. He even kept receipts for OEM windshield wiper blades going back years - which is crazy IMHO. Always garaged (so he said), no paint fade, no ripped seats, the doors, headliner, dash, etc., are all in great shape… even the electric antenna works. Well... you can see the condition for yourself in the pics. For undercarriage pics, I pulled both skid plates because I wanted to inspect. Some grime, but surprisingly not much, and not a drop of oil on my driveway in the past week. It’s had the real main seal replaced, so it was leaking at some point. No rust which is good (I’m in NorCal) but no E locker unfortunately.
Now onto business. 224K now, last timing belt done at 140K. Never had lower ball joints replaced, rear axel seals have not been replaced, shocks are gone...its like driving a waterbed (or mid 70's Cadillac.. haha). It was dealer prepped for sale and within the last 100 miles it got new plugs, new coil packs, new air filter, tranny drain and refill. I looked at the service records and there was no error code prior to sale, the seller just did these items.
So I'm doing the timing belt, dry belts & lower ball joints shortly as preventative. I need recommendations on:
A)Lower ball joints (brand)?
B)Shocks... I want a comfortable ride, with no lift. I’m thinking Bilsteins - Thoughts?
C) What other stuff I should tackle in order? - Fire away!
The other stuff will be added to a list and dealt with as funds and time become available unless there’s something I should do now that wont empty my wallet and take a weekend.
I’ve been wrenching for years as a hobby, and out of necessity of course, had a few Toyota’s (my wife current is a ‘02 Sequoia that we’ve had since ‘05) but I’ve never had a 4runner. Been wanting a 3rd gen for years.
Thanks in advance for your input from the 3rd gen experts. BTW, I'll be pulling the running boards off right away.
Now onto business. 224K now, last timing belt done at 140K. Never had lower ball joints replaced, rear axel seals have not been replaced, shocks are gone...its like driving a waterbed (or mid 70's Cadillac.. haha). It was dealer prepped for sale and within the last 100 miles it got new plugs, new coil packs, new air filter, tranny drain and refill. I looked at the service records and there was no error code prior to sale, the seller just did these items.
So I'm doing the timing belt, dry belts & lower ball joints shortly as preventative. I need recommendations on:
A)Lower ball joints (brand)?
B)Shocks... I want a comfortable ride, with no lift. I’m thinking Bilsteins - Thoughts?
C) What other stuff I should tackle in order? - Fire away!
The other stuff will be added to a list and dealt with as funds and time become available unless there’s something I should do now that wont empty my wallet and take a weekend.
I’ve been wrenching for years as a hobby, and out of necessity of course, had a few Toyota’s (my wife current is a ‘02 Sequoia that we’ve had since ‘05) but I’ve never had a 4runner. Been wanting a 3rd gen for years.
Thanks in advance for your input from the 3rd gen experts. BTW, I'll be pulling the running boards off right away.
