“Normal” or early warning signs for the 4runner

[baby#yota]

Hi all! So I’m new to 4runners but not new to cars by any means. I’m an engineering student and have been messing with cars for years, building engines etc. I recently purchased a 2005 v6 runner and love the truck to death. It has 215k on the clock and no real issues. However I have noticed a few things and want some insight on whether this is “normal” t4r behavior or something else.

1. When going down an incline and tapping the brakes the truck sometimes harshly downshifts and then when coming back to level ground hard shifts back to a higher gear. 99% of the time it shifts butter smooth

2. Brake pedal buzzing from the hydro pump…is this supposed to happen on and off through out a drive or just when you fire the truck up? Mine seems to buzz periodically especially when using the brakes.

3. Windex smell from exhaust under hard accel??? Seen other posts about this but no real conclusion???

4. Gear shifter being harder to push into 5th gear lockout (4) then any of the other gears? I suspect that the previous owners kids got some Cheerios down there and gummed it up. I had the console apart for a head unit and got a look down there.

5. The only actual “problem”, I have water soaking into my drivers carpet after it rains. Not creating a puddle but enough to make the carpet damp and smelly. I’ve pulled the carpet back and had buddies shoot water all over the truck with no luck. Also cleaned the sun roof drains with no luck. I see a lot of posts about pass floor dampness but nothing about drivers. Only clue is a slight drip drip sound I can hear with the AC on and a gurgle from the heater core from time to time. I’ve tested the HG and they are fine, so all that may be unrelated but who knows. It’s hard to tell if the dripping noise isn’t just the condenser dripping outside the truck. This may require a visit to a dealer to sort out but we’ll see.

Thanks I’m advance for any insight!

 

[bob3dsf]

1. It's got 215k. Probably need to change the ATF. It's a 2005, do those have tranny dipsticks? If so, ATF swap is easier then the sealed units most of our trucks have...but very doable. I've done mine 3 times (I have 255k).

2. Brake "buzzes" when you first start. It's the ABS system "function check" sort of thing. It's normal. If it's buzzing during a drive, what are the conditions, etc. You might be having a tiny wheel slip (??) and they system is picking it up and activating. If normal dry street driving with good tires, maybe it needs a brake fluid flush or maybe there are issues with wheel speed sensors. Have you visually looked at them and the wires? Maybe there is an issue there somewhere.

3. Windex smell? Not sure about that one...

4. Maybe same as 1?

5. Mine does that too sometimes. I can't track it down. I've checked all the same stuff. Its a mystery

 

[MacRendar]

Hi all!

Hi and welcome to the best forum for the best truck. :drummer:

1. When going down an incline and tapping the brakes the truck sometimes harshly downshifts and then when coming back to level ground hard shifts back to a higher gear. 99% of the time it shifts butter smooth


3. Windex smell from exhaust under hard accel??? Seen other posts about this but no real conclusion???



4. Gear shifter being harder to push into 5th gear lockout (4) then any of the other gears? I suspect that the previous owners kids got some Cheerios down there and gummed it up. I had the console apart for a head unit and got a look down there.



5. The only actual “problem”, I have water soaking into my drivers carpet after it rains. Not creating a puddle but enough to make the carpet damp and smelly. I’ve pulled the carpet back and had buddies shoot water all over the truck with no luck. Also cleaned the sun roof drains with no luck. I see a lot of posts about pass floor dampness but nothing about drivers. Only clue is a slight drip drip sound I can hear with the AC on and a gurgle from the heater core from time to time. I’ve tested the HG and they are fine, so all that may be unrelated but who knows. It’s hard to tell if the dripping noise isn’t just the condenser dripping outside the truck. This may require a visit to a dealer to sort out but we’ll see.

1. Do you have the tow package? I do and mine does this as well. My dad suggested that it's programmed to do that to assist with deceleration going down declines while towing. 99% sure it's normal.

3. I have the v8 not v6, my exhaust smells bad due to leaking exhaust manifold. Maybe you have an exhaust leak somewhere or a cat that's going or something.

4. Look up sticky shifter, tons of threads on this topic IIRC. People have fixed it in different ways.

5. Oof! I'd take that to someone I trust to track that down. A dealer might be the best bet.

 

[Keros]

1. Yeah, ATF as mentioned. Make sure it's Toyota WS. Yeah there's some other specific fluids that work... but you're trying to trace down a problem so don't introduce new variables. It might take several drain/fill cycles until it's entirely/mostly new WS fluid.

2. No comment, beyond my knowledge

3. Hmm, I'd suggest a coolant and oil sample get lab tested for cross contamination and exhaust gases. There's litmus tests available for the coolant, but nothing will be as sensitive as a lab. Bob is the Oil Guy forum talks about lab testing all the time, I'm certain some searching there could find you a company that does that sort of thing.

4. It's not uncommon for the shifter assembly to start to crap out. Get a new one from a wrecker. I've seen threads of people swapping a new on in and I think it's tricky but not difficult.

5. I recall a thread about a guy who had this problem and spent tonnes of money at the stealership on the sunroof drainage... and it didn't fix the problem.

He eventually figured out it's some seal in the cowl that was toast, and siliconed it together.

I realize that's incredibly unspecific, but some searching may turn up.

 

[AuSeeker]

Hi all! So I’m new to 4runners but not new to cars by any means. I’m an engineering student and have been messing with cars for years, building engines etc. I recently purchased a 2005 v6 runner and love the truck to death. It has 215k on the clock and no real issues. However I have noticed a few things and want some insight on whether this is “normal” t4r behavior or something else.

1. When going down an incline and tapping the brakes the truck sometimes harshly downshifts and then when coming back to level ground hard shifts back to a higher gear. 99% of the time it shifts butter smooth

2. Brake pedal buzzing from the hydro pump…is this supposed to happen on and off through out a drive or just when you fire the truck up? Mine seems to buzz periodically especially when using the brakes.

3. Windex smell from exhaust under hard accel??? Seen other posts about this but no real conclusion???

4. Gear shifter being harder to push into 5th gear lockout (4) then any of the other gears? I suspect that the previous owners kids got some Cheerios down there and gummed it up. I had the console apart for a head unit and got a look down there.

5. The only actual “problem”, I have water soaking into my drivers carpet after it rains. Not creating a puddle but enough to make the carpet damp and smelly. I’ve pulled the carpet back and had buddies shoot water all over the truck with no luck. Also cleaned the sun roof drains with no luck. I see a lot of posts about pass floor dampness but nothing about drivers. Only clue is a slight drip drip sound I can hear with the AC on and a gurgle from the heater core from time to time. I’ve tested the HG and they are fine, so all that may be unrelated but who knows. It’s hard to tell if the dripping noise isn’t just the condenser dripping outside the truck. This may require a visit to a dealer to sort out but we’ll see.

Thanks I’m advance for any insight!

2. The way the ABS/brake booster normally works is when you first turn the ignition switch/start the engine the booster runs for approximately 10+/- seconds and then again every 3 to 4 depressions of the brake pedal because the pressure in the booster system drops with every depression of the brake pedal so after 3 or 4 times the pressure needs to be built up again.

If your brake works as above then it's all normal, if the booster motor (buzzing) runs much longer than 10+/- seconds or comes on with only 1 or 2 depressions of the brake pedal then you may have a issue with the booster pump/accumulator, or if the booster motor make more than a slight buzzing noise then the motor may need replacing or rebuilding/new brushes, usually most buy a rebuilt motor and send the old motor back as a "core".

3. I think is normal but I have never heard it as a "windex" smell but instead a rotten egg smell which is the catalytic converter doing it's job.

Are you sure the smell is not a rotten egg smell, if not the only other thing I can think of would be possibly coolant burning, which could be a symptom of a bad head gasket, I say this because you also mentioned a gurgling noise from the heater core which is another possible symptom of a bad head gasket.

4. As mentioned check topics on "sticky shifter", but also maybe even better to check "floppy shifter" topics since after a while the sticky shifter becomes the floppy shifter problem.

 

[baby#yota]

1. Yeah, ATF as mentioned. Make sure it's Toyota WS. Yeah there's some other specific fluids that work... but you're trying to trace down a problem so don't introduce new variables. It might take several drain/fill cycles until it's entirely/mostly new WS fluid.

2. No comment, beyond my knowledge

3. Hmm, I'd suggest a coolant and oil sample get lab tested for cross contamination and exhaust gases. There's litmus tests available for the coolant, but nothing will be as sensitive as a lab. Bob is the Oil Guy forum talks about lab testing all the time, I'm certain some searching there could find you a company that does that sort of thing.

4. It's not uncommon for the shifter assembly to start to crap out. Get a new one from a wrecker. I've seen threads of people swapping a new on in and I think it's tricky but not difficult.

5. I recall a thread about a guy who had this problem and spent tonnes of money at the stealership on the sunroof drainage... and it didn't fix the problem.

He eventually figured out it's some seal in the cowl that was toast, and siliconed it together.

I realize that's incredibly unspecific, but some searching may turn up.

The previous owner told me the ATF was changed at 175k but I have no proof of that. I’ve had bad experiences with changing tranny fluid once it’s gone to long and have gotten paranoid about it. But I agree a lab test may be in order for the trucks coolant. I love the thing to death and hope I can get a few years out of it before I have to build a motor for it. I’ve had to rebuild a motor for Every. Single. Car. ive owned. It’s almost comical, so I hope this one breaks the cycle.

 

[4r-4ever]

you are overthinking it. if the owner says it was replaced at 175k, then believe it. you don't want to rebuild that engine unless there's really a problem. my 4runner is at 150k miles now. i've owned it since new and i can say by experience, that truck can last me upto 300k miles or maybe another 10 years. i'm just worried about the frame if it will last another 10 years. just check your frame for rust and frame holes. tap it with a hammer if it is starting to flake.

The previous owner told me the ATF was changed at 175k but I have no proof of that. I’ve had bad experiences with changing tranny fluid once it’s gone to long and have gotten paranoid about it. But I agree a lab test may be in order for the trucks coolant. I love the thing to death and hope I can get a few years out of it before I have to build a motor for it. I’ve had to rebuild a motor for Every. Single. Car. ive owned. It’s almost comical, so I hope this one breaks the cycle.

 

[4r-4ever]

to answer your question.

1. When going down an incline and tapping the brakes the truck sometimes harshly downshifts and then when coming back to level ground hard shifts back to a higher gear. 99% of the time it shifts butter smooth --> totally normal it downshifts going downhill when pressing the brake. - could be just a solenoid problem with the hardshift.

2. Brake pedal buzzing from the hydro pump…is this supposed to happen on and off through out a drive or just when you fire the truck up? Mine seems to buzz periodically especially when using the brakes. --> yes, it's normal when you turn on the key, press the brake or anything else.

3. Windex smell from exhaust under hard accel??? Seen other posts about this but no real conclusion??? -->> could this be just the gas?

4. Gear shifter being harder to push into 5th gear lockout (4) then any of the other gears? I suspect that the previous owners kids got some Cheerios down there and gummed it up. I had the console apart for a head unit and got a look down there. -->> could be just the cable. you might want to just check the cable for breakage or something.

5. The only actual “problem”, I have water soaking into my drivers carpet after it rains. Not creating a puddle but enough to make the carpet damp and smelly. I’ve pulled the carpet back and had buddies shoot water all over the truck with no luck. Also cleaned the sun roof drains with no luck. I see a lot of posts about pass floor dampness but nothing about drivers. Only clue is a slight drip drip sound I can hear with the AC on and a gurgle from the heater core from time to time. I’ve tested the HG and they are fine, so all that may be unrelated but who knows. It’s hard to tell if the dripping noise isn’t just the condenser dripping outside the truck. This may require a visit to a dealer to sort out but we’ll see. -->> could this be a heater core leak or ac water leak?

 

[Dan6789]

5. I had a pretty bad leak that resulted in water pooling on drivers side floor. It was leaking from around the windshield. At the very top corner of the glassthere was a bit of rust bubbles. Take off the plastic cover on the A pillar and you may see wet all along the windshield frame..From there it dripped down beside the dash and into the kick panel then onto the floor. It had been leaking long before I bought it and there are now pin holes in the floor. I sealed it up with some clear silicone around the top of the windshield seal until it is time to replace the glass and fix it properly.

 

[baby#yota]

you are overthinking it. if the owner says it was replaced at 175k, then believe it. you don't want to rebuild that engine unless there's really a problem. my 4runner is at 150k miles now. i've owned it since new and i can say by experience, that truck can last me upto 300k miles or maybe another 10 years. i'm just worried about the frame if it will last another 10 years. just check your frame for rust and frame holes. tap it with a hammer if it is starting to flake.

I’m lucky in this case because my frame is damn near rust free. The only thing and ONLY thing that had rust was the gas tank skid plate and very minor surface rust here and there. It’s a from the Pacific Northwest so no salt. Now she’s in new England so fluidfilm is going to be my new best friend

 

[baby#yota]

to answer your question.

1. When going down an incline and tapping the brakes the truck sometimes harshly downshifts and then when coming back to level ground hard shifts back to a higher gear. 99% of the time it shifts butter smooth --> totally normal it downshifts going downhill when pressing the brake. - could be just a solenoid problem with the hardshift.

2. Brake pedal buzzing from the hydro pump…is this supposed to happen on and off through out a drive or just when you fire the truck up? Mine seems to buzz periodically especially when using the brakes. --> yes, it's normal when you turn on the key, press the brake or anything else.

3. Windex smell from exhaust under hard accel??? Seen other posts about this but no real conclusion??? -->> could this be just the gas?

4. Gear shifter being harder to push into 5th gear lockout (4) then any of the other gears? I suspect that the previous owners kids got some Cheerios down there and gummed it up. I had the console apart for a head unit and got a look down there. -->> could be just the cable. you might want to just check the cable for breakage or something.

5. The only actual “problem”, I have water soaking into my drivers carpet after it rains. Not creating a puddle but enough to make the carpet damp and smelly. I’ve pulled the carpet back and had buddies shoot water all over the truck with no luck. Also cleaned the sun roof drains with no luck. I see a lot of posts about pass floor dampness but nothing about drivers. Only clue is a slight drip drip sound I can hear with the AC on and a gurgle from the heater core from time to time. I’ve tested the HG and they are fine, so all that may be unrelated but who knows. It’s hard to tell if the dripping noise isn’t just the condenser dripping outside the truck. This may require a visit to a dealer to sort out but we’ll see. -->> could this be a heater core leak or ac water leak?

So here’s my latest thoughts on the water leak. The carpet seemed to get wet on and off over the past weeks. I only noticed it recently when I pulled the floor mats up. I went though and cleaned the plugged drains, pulled a bunch of interior trim off and really looked for this leak like a madman. I didn’t find anything wrong besides the drains. However I may have fooled myself into thinking my problem was still there. I never completely dried the carpet, and the weather techs never really gave it airflow…..SOOOO it’s possible that I did fix the leak when I cleaned the drains. It rained like mad here the other day and no water..none on the carpet. I pulled the old nasty pad out, dried it over night and for 2 days it’s stayed completely dry, so we’ll see if it’s really fixed or not.

 

[baby#yota]

I should put out there that I’ve been driving strictly stick shift cars and trucks for almost 10 years, with the odd rental car being an automatic. It is possible that I am just being over sensitive to my trannys shifting behavior, but we’ll see. Seems to shift smooth as butter if I’m easy on the gas and if I really start to drive it hard it will shift “firmer” than usual. But like I said I’m probably being overly sensitive. The only thing that makes me skeptical about the shifting being “normal” is that I can’t always replicate the hard shifting and hard downshifting on hills. Sometimes it shifts all nice and smooth on an incline and other times it shifts like it just got a 50 shot of nitros. But I’ll tell you what, hauling a heavy trailer and it didn’t skip a beat. So ide reason that if I really had a tranny problem pulling 2000lbs of wood around should have made it more noticeable.

 

[Bluesky 07]

Re: the water leak, have you seen this post? Seems to fit your symptoms.

 

[baby#yota]

Re: the water leak, have you seen this post? Seems to fit your symptoms.

Thanks man, I’m going to check that out later today

 

[Pilotmatt]

The windex smell. Im guessing your rear window is open…cause its a 4runner!

Thats exhsust back drafting into your car. Some people turn the exhaust to port out the side.

Check your sunroof lip with it open. There are drain holes that may be clogged. Clean and make sure water goes in there…i dont know where they exit though.

All others above have led you well!