Re-built V6
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YotaZach85
New member
As long as the rebuild was done right he should be good. How many miles are on the truck? If its an auto I would change the radiator but thats about it.
brian2sun
Elite Member
That's pretty low mileage for the engine to need to be rebuilt. That might mean it was abused/neglected. I just got mine rebuilt at 205K and I maintained it well, but most of those 205K miles were very hard miles because I live in the mountains. I equate mine to a 350-400K engine with all the climbing mountain passes and hard accelerating I've done to it (besides the wheeling). But if that's a city truck you're thinking about, I would pass personally. They probably never changed the fluids in it and the tranny or something is next (at least that would be my thought). It could be a great truck, but to mee the risk is higher.
silverghost
New member
I would say if there are no leaks, fluids are clean and it runs good at idle and on the highway, it should be ok. Nothing is a sure thing, but these rigs are good vehicles.
4RunnerMD
New member
Hey I'm the guy my friend was referring to in the top post. I've been reading this site since I got my 98 SR5 in 2006 but have never posted til now.
I ended up bringing my master mechanic friend to check out the rebuilt 2000 SR5 and he gave it the ok and I ended up purchasing it yesterday. I'm pretty excited and think it looks, drives, and generally feels a whole lot nicer than my 98, which I'm now selling. The 98 has 169k mi on it and my mechanic friend told me the poor acceleration I experience was probably the beginning of head gasket problems. 2000 drives like new. Looking forward to giving this one the mods and upgrades the 98 never got.
I wanted to post some pics of old and new one. 98 is charcoal and 2000 is silver.
I ended up bringing my master mechanic friend to check out the rebuilt 2000 SR5 and he gave it the ok and I ended up purchasing it yesterday. I'm pretty excited and think it looks, drives, and generally feels a whole lot nicer than my 98, which I'm now selling. The 98 has 169k mi on it and my mechanic friend told me the poor acceleration I experience was probably the beginning of head gasket problems. 2000 drives like new. Looking forward to giving this one the mods and upgrades the 98 never got.
I wanted to post some pics of old and new one. 98 is charcoal and 2000 is silver.
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4RunnerMD
New member
Yeah I'm bringing back to the machine shop on wednesday before I go out of town so they can open it back up and correct a valve that had too large of a gap and was making a ticking sound when the engine was running. I will have them replace all fluids and use that as my starting point.
4RunnerMD
New member
I was wondering if anyone thought that the somewhat rough idle I experience when the engine is cold would be fixed when the valve issue I mentioned above is fixed.
I like this truck much better than my 98. I'm still a little apprehensive about the rebuilt engine but I've already purchased the truck. Thanks for any info you could provide.
I like this truck much better than my 98. I'm still a little apprehensive about the rebuilt engine but I've already purchased the truck. Thanks for any info you could provide.
MrBobDobalina
New member
Ask your mechanic to perfor a compression check on the engine....I am sure if a valve is out of spec, it could make for a rough idle. Could also be a vacuum leak of some sort....Does it drive smooth after 5 minutes or so of being on?? You can also perform a compression check and leak down check to your other 4runner to know if you have a bad head gasket among other engine issues...
There are a ton of 5-speed on the craigslist around the DMV right now...trust me...that is all I've been finding. Many of them looks nice. Check it out.
4RunnerMD
New member
I finally sold the 98 this past Saturday. I took 3400 which I'm ok with. It was a great truck while it lasted, now it will be the new owners problem, I mean source of enjoyment.
The 2000 with the rebuilt v6 is running solid after the valve issue was fixed to spec, an oil change, new brake rotors, pads and one new caliper. I just ordered a new antenna mast to replace the broken one from ebay for $20. One issue that stands out to me is the difference in gas mileage from the 98 to the 2000. While I haven't yet actually measured and averaged out my MPG's on this truck, I feel like I can actually watch the gas gauge go down on my 20 mile drive to and from work everyday on I95. I am ordering a ScanGauge2 to be able to actually see what's going on. I also plan on cleaning the MAF, replacing(?) the 02 sensor, and cleaning the throttle body after I run this Gumout fuel injector cleaner through the gas tank tomorrow. I also just put in the K&N Air Filter which I think is helping a little bit, as the old Denso filter was extremely dirty. Any other advice would be appreciated.
...more of just a status update than any question. I'm loving the new 4r with the exception of the fuel economy issues.
The 2000 with the rebuilt v6 is running solid after the valve issue was fixed to spec, an oil change, new brake rotors, pads and one new caliper. I just ordered a new antenna mast to replace the broken one from ebay for $20. One issue that stands out to me is the difference in gas mileage from the 98 to the 2000. While I haven't yet actually measured and averaged out my MPG's on this truck, I feel like I can actually watch the gas gauge go down on my 20 mile drive to and from work everyday on I95. I am ordering a ScanGauge2 to be able to actually see what's going on. I also plan on cleaning the MAF, replacing(?) the 02 sensor, and cleaning the throttle body after I run this Gumout fuel injector cleaner through the gas tank tomorrow. I also just put in the K&N Air Filter which I think is helping a little bit, as the old Denso filter was extremely dirty. Any other advice would be appreciated.
...more of just a status update than any question. I'm loving the new 4r with the exception of the fuel economy issues.
BrianSD_42
New member
Edit: apparently this purchase already happened. So best of luck. At least you have a friend who is a mechanic which means you are a lot better off than most of us.
RE: fuel gauge - calculate based on a full tank to full tank. the fuel gauges are screwy on these trucks. But don't expect too much on the MPGs. 15,16,17,18,19 are all totally normal MPGs. If you still have engine problems than the low MPGs could be an indicator.
For anyone else in a similar situation:
I would be VERY cautious about this. If the engine has been properly rebuilt then it should have a warranty statement or receipt of work. I am going through a head/gasket issue right now and will be repairing the truck for chunk of $$. In my case the vehicle never got hot and after the fix, I am keeping it as a DD until Sept then as a 2nd car / camping vehicle. I plan to never sell it, period. If I was unsure of this I would just go the cheap route like most people do.
It is pretty common with engine issues like cracked heads or valve issues, to simply go for the CHEAP FIX & then SELL IT, taking the cash for ones next vehicle. This happens all the time!
The worst part is you won't be able to tell. Unless you are shown the work receipt for the rebuild, you won't know what parts were used. Did they go with remanu heads? valve job? did they use OEM gasket kit or go for the cheap chinese EBAY kit? There are a lot of questions. IMO if someone is selling any car that was rebuilt in last 10,000 miles I would assume they expect issues in near future and didn't want to deal with the hassle.
They probably did the 40,000 mile fix vs. the 100,000 mile fix.
:frog:
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4RunnerMD
New member
Some clarification regarding my new truck (which I have now owned for a month): I never saw a work receipt for the rebuild, but it was obvious to my co-worker (the master mechanic) that the engine was indeed rebuilt. He could tell by examining the engine closely. Also, I bought this truck from a kid whose father is a mechanic at a shop nearby and he is the one who had his friend rebuilt the engine for his son. The son drove the truck with the rebuilt engine for 10,000 miles, so it WAS his intention to have the truck last for the long-term. When the engine was rebuilt, the machine shop who did the rebuild incorrectly spec'd a valve gap which resulted in a ticking sound. That is the problem I just had fixed and now the engine seems to be running smoothly but seems a little heavy on the gas. Anyway, I'm happy with the truck so far and I'm just doing everything I can at this point to maximize fuel economy.
'Mods' for this month include buying a scangauge2 so I can keep a better eye on engine stats and I think that's pretty much it.
Also the truck looks pretty cool with the black wheels. LOOGIT THEM!!!
BrianSD_42
New member
this is why I am afraid to go the rebuilt route. I am redoing my heads this week and it is going to cost a sh$toad of cash.
4RunnerMD
New member
What did you end up doing?
BrianSD_42
New member
bought 2 new aftermarket (whole) heads. $600 per side. add toyota gaskets and labor for a total price $2700.
I had a cracked head. see my build thread for details and links.
I had a cracked head. see my build thread for details and links.
