New owner of 92 4runner

L

lighterthief

New member
Hello all! I am excited to have purchased my 92 4runner. It is a 5speed 3.0L v6 with 130k original miles. I bought this beast because I was looking for a car I could put some love into, coming from a 2000 chevy impala with more problems than miles, the impala has been left as a 2nd car in my driveway until I am confident that my 4runner will be my daily driver. Owner had a new clutch put in 10k miles ago and hardly drove her. Paid 2500 for her. Gonna get some pictures up tomorrow in my photo gallery. She is a beauty. I drove her out to dodger stadium about 30-40 miles frm my house and now I want to take her on some trips with me!! Hopefully colorado and utah in september for some tailgating at some college ball games and camping trips. I already found the 93 owner manual and think this website has good following and members. Im already addicted with the power of the v6. Head gaskets I heard were known to blow. Hope to use this forum as a resource for future projects maintanence. Gave her a wash and she sparkles in the sun. Pics will be up soon!!
 
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Woah that is vicious I would like to get her on some trails, keep me updated, or better yet I will keep tabs on the thread! Thanks!


I haven't seen your light what color was it again? :hiding:
 
Welcome to the forum, and to 4Runners in general, LT! As KidV mentioned, if you're considering a trip to Utah later this year, October is the time to go--we'll have plenty of near-stock rigs and be taking mid-level routes, so you won't need a bunch of mods to join in. They're great trucks--I'm sure you'll enjoy yours.
 
I just like the instant response I get when using a manual transmission. my tires are old and chalky will have to be replaced when i can. About half tread I promised some pictures so give me about an hour and they will be up. Thanks
 
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So it hasn't been an entire week yet, but I'm still loving the 4runner, and yes I am going to take back my comment about the power of the 3.0. I don't like going in and out of 1st gear. This is my first truck/car I have driven with a manual shift, and would like some advice on driving the car. First off, the tug on the 4runner taking my foot off the gas in first hurts and I think its giving me lower back pains!! I dont have any remedy besides being a grandpa on the gas pedal into 2nd. Throttle is really sensitive and a bit stiff, I am going to take the truck in to have the check engine light diagnosed. All fluid levels seem to be fine, and is eating gas as quickly as I thought or no better or worse really than my impala(maybe a little less :P But who cares!!?). So my aim is to get to 4th gear anytime im not climbing, usually have to stay any 3rd on any type of climb. I get a lot of engine tug in 1st and 2nd gear when throttle is not present even when at the correct speeds in these gears(still learning the finesse of it all), which Im thinking is my gear box/idler problem. I get to first, then second, then 3rd and its good, I then get it to around 3k rpms and disengage the clutch to allow for my car to roll with its momentum and throttle up to about the same rpm or slightly less when putting the clutch back down, which is also a goal when shifting between gears. I do this whenever going over bumps as I don't like the drag or strain to be put on the engine components. Reverse is a little rough i have to learn to feather the clutch/throttle better like i would in first on incline to keep from falling back if i was on the break( its good to practice i think). If you have any details as to what more I could do/or to avoid when driving the 4runner/manual trans. I would like to hear from you with as much detail as necessary to understand what exactly is taking place.

Thanks, the thief.
 
You sound like the kind of person who tends to overthink/overanalyze things a bit, LT. The biggest thing to remember with the 3.0 is that it doesn't make much power below about 3k rpm, so use that as your guide when shifting. For casual but steady acceleration, take it up around 3500 before shifting, and you should be just below 3000 when you complete the shift, keeping things nice and smooth. Short-shifting below that is fine for in-town driving, though--just let it flow naturally. Learn to shift by sound, and you'll get much smoother with the stick--eventually you won't have to think about it. You should only be disengaging the clutch continuously when slowing for a stop--don't do it while driving around. Let the engine work--it's designed for that. Use it to slow you down on hills, too--you will only hurt the engine if you're exceeding the redline (and even then, you probably won't, but don't get in the habit anyway). When downshifting, keep doing what you mentioned, bringing up the rpms with a quick pop on the gas pedal just before letting the clutch back out--this takes some practice, but over time you will learn to make very smooth downshifts without lurching. Don't overthink it, be smooth, use your ears, and you'll be shifting like butter in no time!
 
I tend not to let it bug me as much but I am the kind of person that likes to figure out of much as I can from my own intuition before going to other sources. Learning the hard way is the only way to be self-sufficient. I do the same thing when I play my dreadnaught :guitar2: instead of looking up music theory or tbs for songs. Money keeps me pretty paranoid as well!!
 
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