Preparing my 'new' 2000 4Runner for a road trip

[daz]

Hi all

I've just purchased a 2000 4Runner SR5 Auto and I'm planning on a 10,000+ mile road trip from September - December this year. I live in Canada and will be towing my 1500lb trailer through Oregon, Nevada, Utah, California (and maybe Arizona).

I've got a friendly retired mechanic who'll do the work for me at reasonable rates, and I can source the parts myself which saves big bucks.

The 4Runner has 192,000km (120,000 miles) on it, and has never had the timing belt done.
So my first question is regarding the water pump: is there any chance that I don't need the one with the bypass hose? How can I tell?
I'm looking at these options from autopartsway.ca

Next up, are there some other things I should look at replacing/doing before I head off? It's just had an oil/filter change, but I guess fuel filter, air filter, spark plugs, O2 sensors, ... are all options. Anything highly recommended?

Finally, should I get a tranny cooler installed for towing? It's a light trailer, but if it will help save my tranny I suppose it's worth it? (Someone told me I should always turn O/D off towing - is that important?)

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give. I'm soooo happy to be in a real 4x4 again after driving a car for the past 12 months!

cheers
Daz

 

[Nunyabiz]

I would do all of the above if this is a new to you vehicle that you have only had a very short time and are going to not just drive but also tow a trailer for 10,000 miles.

I would do a total water pump and all belts change buy the KIT on Ebay it is all OEM parts and cheaper than most any other place.

Toyota TIMING BELT & WATER PUMP KIT Genuine & OEM Parts! 4-Runner/Truck 3.4L V6 | eBay

I "think" that is the kit you need but check it and make certain, they have others cheaper not sure the difference.

I would change the radiator fluid with Toyota Red, you need to anyway when they do the water pump.

Then get a external trans cooler installed, good for towing that far plus your radiator is 12 years old.

Check all brake pads.

Just before you go, do a total fluid change with 100% synthetic for everything.
Engine oil, transmission ATF, and your gear lube.
I use Amsoil for all of the above but Redline is good and probably a couple others just make sure it is 5W30 and actually 100% Synthetic not some "blend" or sorta synthetic.
With synthetic you can go 10,000+ miles without any problems even towing.

I would never tow something that far using regular petroleum oil.

Change the fuel filter, its probably original and full of grunge.

If the spark plugs have never been changed then sounds like a good time to do that also along with wires.

I am sure there are lots of other things also, plus probably a nice little repair kit with just a few odds & ends.

have a nice trip, sounds like it will be great.

 

[imboredeveryday]

mainly all i would worry about on the truck is timming belt, water pump, seals and drive belts, change coolant, add tranny cooler, and fluids if u havent changed them and plugs and wires wouldnt worry about sensors if there is no check engine light on also make sure everything else works and you will be fine

 

[tee-bone]

I would suggest not just adding a tranny cooler; I would either replace the stock radiator or bypass the transmission cooling portion of the stock radiator to avoid the dread "pink milkshake" which you can read about elsewhere in here.

Not sure which one is better - I plan on not bypassing the replaced radiator, but I am in no means an advanced mechanic.

 

[fish0281]

I made a similar trip from Oregon to California to Nevada to Utah to Colorado... all while towing a similar trailer. Here's my input:

- Get a scan gauge or the Torque app for your smart phone (if you have one; you'll also need a bluetooth OBDII reader). That way you can monitor various things on your truck to make sure you don't get stuck somewhere awful.

- Tires. Make sure they are in great shape or it'll be a stressful journey

- Brakes. These trucks aren't the best for towing and they don't really like stopping with 1500 lbs behind them. Make sure to have pads with plenty (80% or more) of life left!

- OD... From what I understand, you only *need* to turn off OD when climbing/descending steep grades. I think it's as much a safety thing as it is a mechanical thing. The OBDII reader will help you keep an eye on transmission (and engine) temps so that you don't cook anything too. The transmission cooler won't hurt if you install it correctly (I'd go in-line with a new radiator).

- Also, consider doing some of the work yourself or atleast sit in on the repairs. 10,000 miles is a long trip and you *might* need to do roadside repairs in a pinch, but hopefully not.

- Enjoy the trip! That is some of the US's most beautiful country and when I did it, I absolutely loved it!

 

[daz]

Thanks for all the feedback. Sounds like I'll be busy in the next few weeks. The reason I'm ordering in Canada rather than eBay is the guaranteed delivery time: shipping from the US can take a couple of weeks!

I'll be doing the complete Timing Belt kit, with water pump, belts, pulleys, thermostat etc. Still need to work out if I need the water pump with the "bypass hose" (I think so). Plus new tires, fuel filter, air filter and complete fluid replacement before I leave.

To clarify: if I replace the radiator (Radiators & Condensers Toyota 4Runner 1996 2.7L 4Cyl. Radiator for Toyota 4Runner 96-00 2.7L 4Cyl. and 96-02 3.4L 6Cyl.) then I might not need to worry about a transmission cooler? (I think that's what you guys mean by "in-line".) Or should I go ahead and do both?

I thought about the Tundra brake upgrade, but it doesn't sound cheap. Brakes are still in pretty good shape.

Thanks again
Daz

 

[highcountry]

Daz, if you get a new radiator, you have averted the strawberry milkshake for at least 75K miles. The cooler would help keep the trans healthy towing the trailer though.

Also, it would be smart to change the oil about halfway through your trip.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[kball]

So my first question is regarding the water pump: is there any chance that I don't need the one with the bypass hose? How can I tell?

As far as I know all 4runners have the bypass on the waterpump because they all have the oil cooler which is what that bypass goes to.

 

[Drcoffee]

Whoa big fella. If it were me, I wouldn't take this vehicle on a 10,000 mile road trip until I had put 2000 miles on it locally. Its amzing what POs have done to hide expensive problems before putting them up for sale. You could be in the desert when the rear axle seals go out and then you'll be at the mercy of Bubba and Billy-Bob who will be your new mechanics. Hey , do you remember the movie Vacation with Chevy Chase. Funny as heck when the mechanics took him for everything he had. Anyway, you're a brave man for taking any new/used vehicle on a mountain based road trip in the heat of the summer.

This sounds so familiar. I'm going to have to look back because this happened with another member here and it was an I told you so moment. Found it/them:

-oil-change-before-roadtrip.html

-roadtrip-worse-possible-thing-happens.html

This truck could be a real jem and I hope it is, but it could also cost you twice what you paid to get it fixed on this road trip.

 

[86SupraMKII]

I wouldn't put synthetic in the rear diff unless you have the revisioned axel seals and have a new breather plug. I changed the fluid in mine to full synthetic and they almost instantly started leaking. Just swap fluids there and check breather plug for now or you'll have a big mess on your hands.

 

[Nunyabiz]

I wouldn't put synthetic in the rear diff unless you have the revisioned axel seals and have a new breather plug. I changed the fluid in mine to full synthetic and they almost instantly started leaking. Just swap fluids there and check breather plug for now or you'll have a big mess on your hands.

That is not necessarily true, only reason you would get a leak after putting in synthetic is if you already had a leak in the first place.
The clean oil just cleaned the gunk that was stopping up the leaks that were already there.

My truck had 150,000+ miles on it when I got it and I changed all fluids to synthetic in the first week, not a single drop from anywhere.

 

[86SupraMKII]

Yes, but in my case my breather plug was not working. As sometimes with old seals / condition they may leak with synthetic over base as the molecules are smaller. Depends on the situation, but I'd hate to have them leak on the guy with out first checking this stuff out. Mine weren't leaking before I changed my fluid and were running fine on regular oil. Not to say I'm not a firm believer in synthetic fluids! Cause I'm all for them! I would say run regular in the axel until he returns then swap it out. As for the other components I wouldnt be scared to put synthetic in right away (especially the engine).

 

[daz]

Whoa big fella. If it were me, I wouldn't take this vehicle on a 10,000 mile road trip until I had put 2000 miles on it locally. Its amzing what POs have done to hide expensive problems before putting them up for sale. ... Anyway, you're a brave man for taking any new/used vehicle on a mountain based road trip in the heat of the summer.

This truck could be a real jem and I hope it is, but it could also cost you twice what you paid to get it fixed on this road trip.

Thanks for the advice: I'll be doing about 1000 miles locally before I head off in September.

I probably should have mentioned that I actually swapped my Subaru Outback for the 4Runner with a very trusted friend, and I know that he hasn't had any issues with it for the past 2 years. It's been treated well, regular maintenance was done, but he avoided the big stuff like Timing Belt.

That's not to say that something couldn't happen soon, which is why I'm doing a bunch of preventative maintenance.
So far I've got ordered:
- Contitech Timing Belt component kit: belt, pulleys, water pump, gaskets
- Thermostat
- Performance Radiator
- Long Tru-Cool Universal Transmission Cooler (18000lb GVW)

Planning:
- Fuel filter
- Air filter
- Complete fluid replacement (coolant, transmission, engine oil, transfer case, diffs) with high quality fluids (Toyota Red, synthetics)
- Bluetooth OBDII gadget and app to monitor temps

Thanks again for all of your advice. I'll send some pics of 4Runner + Boler + Bikes when I'm ready to hit the road.
Daz

 

[btot588]

Im using this advice for my 4runner I got with 160k miles

 

[Mark_BC]

I read this all before realising it was 4 years old. Good advice. Mine has 299,999.99 km on it and I just replaced the radiator. The fluids were all fine. i should have asked for the old radiator back to see if there was corrosion in it. I got the shop to do it because I am so busy.

I always turn OD on and off depending on the slope I am driving, up or down. Going down a hill I turn OD off to save the brakes, get a little engine braking there. On hills I turn OD off to get a lower gear. In town I have OD off to help with starting and stopping all the time at traffic lights. I only have OD on when cruising down a flat freeway.

 

[SpidermanGeek]

14 replies and no mention of Lower Ball Joints? lol. #ImShocked

 

[xdnvrskinx]

Right^^^ at least check the LBJ!!