Super slow 95 4Runner

[santanvalleydirt]

Hey everybody, new here to this forum.

I've seen a lot of posts over the years asking about this, but answers are completely off the board and I'm not sure what to do. I just bought a 95 4Runner with a manual transmission. It has 143,000 miles, but the engine was just rebuilt and many of the other parts were replaced including the clutch. The previous owner had just put on a large set of Mud Claw tires on it, too. I took it to emissions and it didn't pass, so I went to get the cat changed but the shop told me that it was brand new and highly unlikely to be the problem. So they changed the O2 sensor, and adjusted the timing. It passed emissions with flying colors. But driving it more I'm finding out this thing is just a DOG. For the last 3 years, I've been driving a Prius. and let me tell you, my 4Runner eats Prius dust. Its infuriating. I can't get out of people's way, speeding up onto the freeway and trying to match the speed limit before I'm actually IN traffic is basically impossible. I'm afraid to make lefts in traffic because I'm worried it won't speed up fast enough to get me out of the way. When lined up with basically any other vehicle at a stop light, I can't outrun it. No matter what it kind of car the other one is.

Another major problem is when I'm on the freeway, hitting about 80mph with my foot all the way down on the gas, sometimes the engine will just bog down and I'll slow to like 65 mph with my foot still all the way down. I've been able to fix it a couple times by dropping to 4th gear, riding for a minute, and then putting it back in 5th and then it goes right back to 80mph. Any suggestions? Sorry for the crazy long post.


TL;DR - 4Runner with lots of new parts going slower than a tortoise with glue instead of feet.

 

[02SE]

The previous owner had just put on a large set of Mud Claw tires on it, too.

How big are those tires? They could be a major factor to your problem.

I had a '93 SR5 extra cab 4wd truck with the 3VZE, and manual trans. Even when brand new and completely stock, it was not fast.

At any rate, without driving your 4Runner, it's impossible to say whether what you are experiencing is normal or not.

Maybe have an experienced Toyota Tech that has experience in driveability issues, and is familiar with your model drive it, and give you his opinion.

 

[santanvalleydirt]

How big are those tires? They could be a major factor to your problem.

I had a '93 SR5 extra cab 4wd truck with the 3VZE, and manual trans. Even when brand new and completely stock, it was not fast.

At any rate, without driving your 4Runner, it's impossible to say whether what you are experiencing is normal or not.

Maybe have an experienced Toyota Tech that has experience in driveability issues, and is familiar with your model drive it, and give you his opinion.

I'll have to check and get back to you on that, but they are pretty big. They stick out on the sides farther than the body does when you are looking at it from behind. Would it really cause it to slow that much? I'm not looking for a speed racer or anything, but I would figure a v6 would at least get me out of people's way.

 

[02SE]

Well, the 2nd gen 4Runner is fairly heavy to begin with, and the 3VZE is not a powerful engine, especially when compared to most of the engines of today.

IIRC, the 0-60 MPH time for a stock 2nd gen 4Runner with the V6 and manual trans., was in the 14 second range. That is pretty slow by today's standards.

Yes, bigger and heavier tires will slow it down even more, and hurt MPG.

If the headgaskets have been changed and are in good condition, and the engine runs well, it should be reliable. But being fast or getting good gas mileage, are not to be expected.

 

[santanvalleydirt]

Well, the 2nd gen 4Runner is fairly heavy to begin with, and the 3VZE is not a powerful engine, especially when compared to most of the engines of today.

IIRC, the 0-60 MPH time for a stock 2nd gen 4Runner with the V6 and manual trans., was in the 14 second range. That is pretty slow by today's standards.

Yes, bigger and heavier tires will slow it down even more, and hurt MPG.

If the headgaskets have been changed and are in good condition, and the engine runs well, it should be reliable. But being fast or getting good gas mileage, are not to be expected.

It feels like a good 40 seconds to get to 60mph. It's seriously a slow mofo. The mileage is decent, though, haven't noticed anything there.

 

[02SE]

Well, if it were me, I'd check the compression to make sure the engine is producing all the power it possibly can. Minimum acceptable compression for the 3VZ-E is 142 PSI.

 

[KidVermicious]

I agree, oversize tires have a lot to do with your sluggish power. Big tires weigh more, and they're bigger around, which means a taller final drive ratio. Both spell doom for the relatively weak early Yota motors.

But let me ask you, how far are you taking the RPM before you shift? 3VZE peak torque is at 3500 RPM, peak horsepower is at 4800 RPM. I'm not saying you gotta wind out the motor, but hold your shift until you get past 3500 and you'll notice a much better kick at the next gear.

 

[santanvalleydirt]

I agree, oversize tires have a lot to do with your sluggish power. Big tires weigh more, and they're bigger around, which means a taller final drive ratio. Both spell doom for the relatively weak early Yota motors.

But let me ask you, how far are you taking the RPM before you shift? 3VZE peak torque is at 3500 RPM, peak horsepower is at 4800 RPM. I'm not saying you gotta wind out the motor, but hold your shift until you get past 3500 and you'll notice a much better kick at the next gear.

I take it to about 3500-3800. One time I purposefully took it to 4000 to see if that changed anything, as soon as I hit it, the speed went down dramatically, as if I had hit a wall.

 

[santanvalleydirt]

Well, if it were me, I'd check the compression to make sure the engine is producing all the power it possibly can. Minimum acceptable compression for the 3VZ-E is 142 PSI.

I'd be mad if it was the compression. That whole engine has been rebuilt with all new parts.

 

[santanvalleydirt]

Well, if it were me, I'd check the compression to make sure the engine is producing all the power it possibly can. Minimum acceptable compression for the 3VZ-E is 142 PSI.

Just to bring this post back, I've been driving it daily and it is no longer having issues. I did not change anything or fix anything, the problem hasn't affected me since. I no longer lose power at high speeds. I think it's a bit strange that it just disappeared, but figured I'd add that onto here.