Alright guys got a quick question, searched and read what I could find on the matter, but now im here. The truck is a 98 4runner with 151k on the clock. Its in the shop just getting a general look over for things wrong. One I know is the O2 sensor which im being told by the shop that its 172 dollars which is pretty much what I found. Then theres crap like wipers, ect. The one thats getting to me is the timing belt. Truck runs fine but I have no history on it, and I think the guy I bought it from said he changed it. Well Ill prob be more safe than sorry and go ahead and do it. Now what the shop is telling me is that the kit he gets is the belt, pullys, and water pump. He says he cant find any sign of it being changed like bolt wear around the area. His kit is roughly 600 dollars (where im worried) and all the kits I can buy online are 110 or so, but have no water pump. The question is, do I have to change the water pump at the same time, or is this just some added protection? Im very mechanically inclided and can do the work myself if I can find a how-to to have a quick look over. But if the water pump and all should be done at the same time I may just leave it there and let him do the painfully expensive work. Any help would be appreciated.
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awdjunkies
New member
Water pump should always be done at the same time the TB is being done, Why not? you are already in there working on it. Now, if you are mechanically inclined, why not look over these TUTORIALS( http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/69744-tutorial-documentation-reference.html ) and see if you can do all the work yourself and save a few hundred dollars..
Here ya go (Timing Belt): http://www.toy4x4.net/timing_belt/index.htm
http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/maintenance/timing_belt/
Here ya go (Timing Belt): http://www.toy4x4.net/timing_belt/index.htm
http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/maintenance/timing_belt/
jmt2404
New member
Yeah I'm 78.3% sure he is full of it and tryin to take you for what your worth. Ask him to show you the kit with the timing belt and PULLEYS and then maybe believe him. I would do the work yourself and save aTONNNN of money. no need to replace pulleys unless they are chewed up from gettin taken on and off with chain wrenches.
Check the top of your timing cover for a sticker. It usually tells you the last time the TB was changed. And yes I would change the water pump too its an easy job. I am not super mechanically inclined and did it by my self a few times.
Check the top of your timing cover for a sticker. It usually tells you the last time the TB was changed. And yes I would change the water pump too its an easy job. I am not super mechanically inclined and did it by my self a few times.
T4R_Finally
New member
I'd be curious to know how he knows the O2 sensor needs replacing vs. it not being something else like a bad CAT? I just bought my 3rd gen last week and had a check engine light come on twice on my 5 hour drive home (previous owner claims it never happened before) - both times it threw a P0420 code which means Catalytic Deficiency. I cleared it both times and a few days later it came back. I'm hoping it's just a bad O2 sensor but I wouldn't bet my life on it. But I found an OEM (Denso), new in box, sensor online for $62.30 shipped. I'll get it tomorrow and swap it out and hope the CEL doesn't come back on.
As for your timing belt, at that mileage, if you don't have any history and can't get any, you should probably go ahead and do it. I think it's supposed to be done at 90k or something like that. And it's basically common practice to replace the water pump while you are in there since those will always fail eventually and so why pay for or do the labor twice?
I don't know how "inclined" you are but the O2 sensor is a piece of cake to do yourself and you can definitely buy one cheaper on your own. Not sure about the timing belt and water pump but I don't think I'd do it on my own. But that's just me. I can change oil, replace spark plugs, and might venture into a few other things, but I don't usually trust myself to go further than that.
There will always be crap like wipers and such. First things I bought, the day after I got mine home, was throw new wiper blades on, dropped in a K&N filter, and had to replace a rear brake light bulb.
As for your timing belt, at that mileage, if you don't have any history and can't get any, you should probably go ahead and do it. I think it's supposed to be done at 90k or something like that. And it's basically common practice to replace the water pump while you are in there since those will always fail eventually and so why pay for or do the labor twice?
I don't know how "inclined" you are but the O2 sensor is a piece of cake to do yourself and you can definitely buy one cheaper on your own. Not sure about the timing belt and water pump but I don't think I'd do it on my own. But that's just me. I can change oil, replace spark plugs, and might venture into a few other things, but I don't usually trust myself to go further than that.
There will always be crap like wipers and such. First things I bought, the day after I got mine home, was throw new wiper blades on, dropped in a K&N filter, and had to replace a rear brake light bulb.
Thanks for the input guys. Just went up to the shop and talked to him and got all the prices. 176 for the sensor (dont know how he knows but if its not it I will not be charged) and 396 for the waterpump and timing belt kit. If the pulleys dont need changing he will knock off some of the price on that to. So I told him to go ahead, cause looking at my schedule I really dont have time to change them. Owning your own buisness is good in some aspects, but you work all the time. He went through the entire truck and said everything is still tight and no wear at all on suspension parts and its very sound, so besides this little bit of money its been a good investment. Once its back time to start the lifting process.
jmt2404
New member
396 sounds a little high still. If he does say he did replace the pulleys ask him for the old ones just to keep him honest. My guess is he is talking about the idler pulley and the tensioner pulley. you can get both for 160 at autozone. 50 for the belt and 89 for the water pump. how much for the labor to do everything?
I have had real bad experiences with meechanic and don't trust any of them. I just caution everyone to be careful and do your research before paying a rediculous price for a mechanic.
I have had real bad experiences with meechanic and don't trust any of them. I just caution everyone to be careful and do your research before paying a rediculous price for a mechanic.
Im in a small town so theres only a couple here to choose from. One uses the cheapest parts he can find to keep the price down, and some people here dont talk to highly of him. This guy I use uses only US made products so there always higher from what im seeing, and he has a very good reputation around here of the work quality, and customer satifaction. Hes the one here that everyone says if you dont mind a little more price to let him do the work. All parts that he changes will be put in the back of the truck since im paying for new stuff. No reason he should keep my old.
TheDurk
Elite Member
Uhh...for our trucks, imported parts are OEM and are usually better that anything US-made. Mituboshi (OEM) timing belt is better than Gates, and Aisin (OEM) makes the best WP out there. And so on....
You really want to only use Denso (OEM) sensors, too. Anything else tends to cause problems.
Forgot to reply after getting my truck out of the shop. Got the oil changed, water pump, timing belt, O2 sensor, and new wipers on the truck. Well a little info on what I found out since the truck came back running 100 times better. The previous owner had some work done i.e the water pump and timing belt by a garage up in the city. They bought some crappy parts to make the job cheaper and faster. 1st off they stripped 3 bolts that had to be replaced, 2nd they cross threaded one of the bolts on a pulley, and 3rd which is why it is running better now is that they used the wrong timing belt. They used one that was a tooth off so the timing was shot. To me I never noticed because I didnt drive it before that work was done, but before and after my work is a night and day difference. Kind glad after seeing what they dealt with im kinda glad I took it to a shop than rather do it myself.
Now that all the maitenance is done, time to go to lift, wheels and tires.
Now that all the maitenance is done, time to go to lift, wheels and tires.
awdjunkies
New member
glad to hear that you were smart enough to have the maintenance performed BEFORE you started to tinker with aftermarket goodies. :banana::banana:
T4R_Finally
New member
pin, noticed your post about US made parts. Any idea what brand sensor he put in there? Did he say it was throwing a particular code to indicate the sensor needed replacing? I don't know from experience, but when I was researching O2 sensors here, I saw a lot of chatter about using ONLY Denso sensors as others, like Bosch, don't "play well" on these trucks - and they are more expensive if you know where to buy the Densos.
Do you have any history on the radiator or know if the truck has a separate tranny cooler installed? If it's the original radiator with integrated tranny cooler, you might want to start looking into replacing it. Search and read up on "pink milkshake". I'm putting a new rad in mine first of the year.
Do you have any history on the radiator or know if the truck has a separate tranny cooler installed? If it's the original radiator with integrated tranny cooler, you might want to start looking into replacing it. Search and read up on "pink milkshake". I'm putting a new rad in mine first of the year.
Nelsonmd
New member
Wow, that's kind of an important point. Glad your shop was actually able to diagnose this correctly instead of just replacing stuff left and right.
What I pulled up on the web with the part number it is a standard perfomance O2 sensor. So far no problems. And as for the pink milkshake im going to look today to see if thats been done. If not ill get a tranny cooler on the way.
T4R_Finally
New member
Wasn't recommending a tranny cooler. Read up and make your own decision. I'm just going to replace the rad. I don't have any heavy duty cooling needs, so I figure the stock rad made it 11 years, so putting a new one in should be all I need to prevent the shake.
T4R_Finally
New member
It's out there pin, but I hear you on searching and finding stuff. There is a thread on the first page with a discussion about a B&M super cooler install, read through that if you haven't already. A heavy duty cooler is good to have if you do a lot of driving in areas where the heat is extreme. And that is compounded if you are putting a heavy load on the transmission, like climbing hills, wheeling around, or towing something. If none of that is you, then you may decide you don't need it.
The T4R has a tranny cooler but it's integrated into the radiator. Good design idea but the problem is these trucks can outlast a lot of parts. So, when the radiator gets old and starts to degrade, what separates the radiator coolant and the tranny fluid can corrode and cause the fluids to mix (pink milkshake). That will start running coolant into your transmission and it can ruin it and cost you a lot of money. So, the options I've seen are to just replace the radiator with one of the same design and keep driving. Or, keep the radiator and reroute the transmission fluid to a separate cooler. The potential issue there, though, is that the separate cooler needs air flowing through it to work well. So, if you find yourself in a lot of traffic or do a lot of slow driving, is it really cooling well enough. You can install a tranny cooler for about half the cost of a new radiator but the radiator won't break the bank like a busted transmission will.
The other option, that doesn't do anything re. the milkshake problem, is to add a tranny cooler to the current radiator setup, where the tranny fluid gets cooled by the radiator but also by the extra cooler. That's a great setup for people that want extreme protection for extreme conditions, but, in my opinion, is overkill if the milkshake is your main concern.
So, that's why I decided to just replace what's already there with a new Koyo radiator.
The T4R has a tranny cooler but it's integrated into the radiator. Good design idea but the problem is these trucks can outlast a lot of parts. So, when the radiator gets old and starts to degrade, what separates the radiator coolant and the tranny fluid can corrode and cause the fluids to mix (pink milkshake). That will start running coolant into your transmission and it can ruin it and cost you a lot of money. So, the options I've seen are to just replace the radiator with one of the same design and keep driving. Or, keep the radiator and reroute the transmission fluid to a separate cooler. The potential issue there, though, is that the separate cooler needs air flowing through it to work well. So, if you find yourself in a lot of traffic or do a lot of slow driving, is it really cooling well enough. You can install a tranny cooler for about half the cost of a new radiator but the radiator won't break the bank like a busted transmission will.
The other option, that doesn't do anything re. the milkshake problem, is to add a tranny cooler to the current radiator setup, where the tranny fluid gets cooled by the radiator but also by the extra cooler. That's a great setup for people that want extreme protection for extreme conditions, but, in my opinion, is overkill if the milkshake is your main concern.
So, that's why I decided to just replace what's already there with a new Koyo radiator.