Noob here - May be buying '87 SR5 Turbo

[klick81]

Well, more like trading for one. One of my co-workers saw the wife's 96 GT Mustang that we're selling, and offered a straight up trade for his white '87 Turbo 4runner (which I've been drooling over for a while now).

I took it out for a drive today, and it was quite a different feel from anything else I've driven . And I loved it!

Although I'm a long time old school Toyota enthusiast (I'm on my third 1st generation MR2), I have to admit that I'm completely new to this engine. The 4runner has 22x,xxx miles on the chassis, but the owner says the engine was rebuilt about 20,000 miles ago, along with a new suspension system. The body and interior are in pretty good condition (woohoo socal! no rust!).

Anyway, I'm taking it to a mechanic to have it checked out from top to bottom. Are there any well known problems I should keep an eye out for? I did notice that the engine ticks a little when idling, but otherwise nothing too obvious. This will be used as a daily driver, so reliability is important. Any tips or things for me to keep an eye out for?

Thanks for any help in advance.

 

[fourwd1]

While the 22RE is a good engine, the turbo version didn't usually last too long, usually due to improper care. The engine must be allowed to cool down before shutting off, especially after running it hard (long, high speed driving, racing, etc). Most people took full advantage of the power but didn't follow the rules, resulting in reduced engine and tubo life. So I'd check out the state of the turbo if possible.

 

[klick81]

While the 22RE is a good engine, the turbo version didn't usually last too long, usually due to improper care. The engine must be allowed to cool down before shutting off, especially after running it hard (long, high speed driving, racing, etc). Most people took full advantage of the power but didn't follow the rules, resulting in reduced engine and tubo life. So I'd check out the state of the turbo if possible.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll see how much my mechanic charges me for checking out the turbo. Should be worth the investment.

 

[klick81]

Here she is:

Supposedly had the engine rebuilt around 20k miles ago (about 3 years ago), but I would think double that mileage would be more accurate.

 

[91mr2sw20]

the 22ret is as reliable as the 22r,22re you just need to make sure and let the turbo cool for a couple of minutes as stated above. There really isn't a weak part although i have heard stories of the head cracking between the #2 and #3 cylinders and the coolant passages. Also the wastegate door flap has been known to crack. Just do the usual maintenance and you will be good. Good trade by the way looks clean from the pics.

 

[klick81]

He let me borrow it overnight (from work to my house, then back to work) to test drive it. I like the ride, but after going on some hills by my house I realized that this engine is pretty guttless.

SOMETIMES (not all the time) when attempthing to start accelerating on a somewhat steep hill, it has a hard time getting past 2,000 RPMs for about a full second, not really going anywhere. Then it has a good surge of power, and makes it up just fine (assuming thanks to the turbo), but I have to keep the accelerator almost at WOT to make it up. Is this normal for these 4runners? Even my naturally aspirated mr2s with the 4age can make it up without making such a big deal.

I noticed something similar when trying to accelerate on the freeway passing lanes.

Now this does not happen all the time, which makes me wonder if something is wrong with the engine. I'll be taking it to my mechanic later this morning for him the check it out. If you guys know about any well known issues that sound like what I just described, let me know!

Thanks.

 

[91mr2sw20]

The factory horsepower was 136 hp and 173 ft. lbs. stock and this is of 6 psi. So its not gonna pull like you think its suppost to, its more of a torque engine sort of like a diesel. Sounds like your tps is out of adjustment or check your air valve. When i bought mine it was running great at idle but then to drive it i was wot all the time to get it to go anywhere turned out i had a bad tps sensor. Also check timing this will hinder any engine. Also this isn't the greatest forum for the 22ret try a 22ret specific forum. Theres one that has great information on the 22ret. Good luck