Was this a good deal on a 1995 4 RUNNER ?

[rumme]

Craigslist purchase :

1995 toyota 4 runner - V6 -4w.d. automatic -155,000 miles . air works great , power sunroof , towing hitch / no bad body damage , top cargo rack , side running boards , leather seats, engine is clean as a pin

negatives :

some fading scratchs on outside paint { but nothing to bad}

two front bucket leather seats have fading/tears/wear , but I will put new seat covers over them

rear window doesnt work properly , all the time, I will try to clean the contacts on the relay switch

I called toyota and gave them the VIN # , and they told me my model did not have the head gasket recall/problem, but it had the steering rod recall and that my vehichle had been broought in and repaired in 2006.

Got the 4runner for $2200 .

can anyone tell me where the child safety switch is located ?

 

[ChoochCharlie]

At 155k, it probably already had the head gasket done. Mine went bad at 92k.
I think you payed a fair price for the age and condition.

Safety switch, on the rear door?

 

[rumme]

the safety switch that keeps the rear window from operating , is on the back inside of the tailgate ?

I replaced the rear brake shoes today...they were only $15 a set. Front pads still have some life on em. tommorrow im gonna pull the rear windo relay and try to clean the contacts and see if it makes the rear window work properly.

at 155,000 miles, im thinking I may go ahead and do a oil change and add 1 can of Engine Restore , and also replace the fuel filter.

I called toyota and they told me my mdoel did not have the head gasket problem/recall...but it did have the steering rod problem, and mine was fixed on 2006 by toyota warranty.

can someone tell me, how many RPMS should I read when im doing 60 mph on the highway ? Sometimes it feels like it may not be shifting properly { its a automatic} . Am I suppose to keep the overdrive button on at all times ?

 

[rumme]

WOW....looks like the toyota angels have been looking out for me.

The rear tailgate would not function. The latch seemed broken. I took it apart and it was just a slipped cable...fixed it for free..

the rear window just needed the relay contacts sanded...fixed it for nothing..

rear brake shoes were $15..

the truck was idling way to high ..around 1600 rpms...I screwed the idling screw all the way in, and it now idles at 1000 rpm.

ordered 2 front seat covers for $20....

I only payed $2200 for this truck. So far, everything seems to now function properly, except the front windshield washer sprayer .

 

[run4yota]

2200 is a fair price.. lemme see if i can help with the questions

child saftey switch for the rear window.. never seen or heard of one. but the the side window safety switch is on the driverside arm rest. for future reference if your window isnt working properly the first thing to check is the wiper. i cant tell you how many of my 4runner buddies had "inopperable window" only to find out it was that the rear wiper just wasnt up ALL the way (even a smidgen down and it will disable the window)

engine idleing high.. most likely a pcv valve, very common and simple fix. the engine should be idling around 750 warmed up @ 1600 i'd say you have a bad pcv valve and maybe a few vaccum leaks (simple fix maybe 15-20 dollars total price)

pull the plugs and check them.. reference the #6 (rear driver side) and #1 (front passenger side) with the rest. two common problems with the v6 3.0 is the 6cly blowing head gasket (antifreeze residue will be all over the plug) and #1 cly has tendancy to wear the riings faster than the other cyl's. if the plugs show signs of engine damage get ready for a rebuild (but take in mind that it's a yota.. i drove mine with 2 dead cyl, and a head gasket leak for almost 10k miles ha ha and even a 400 mile road trip)

i'd also do a timing belt check and antifreeze too. a well mantained yota can go forever (i had 300k on mine before it went) i have several manuals so feel free to ask if you need a writeup on any maintainence or repair issues you have.

as far as the high rpms go.. your prob around 4k at 60mph sometimes right... then after a while and sometimes in between it will kick down to around 3k... this is yet another VERY common issue that is easly resolved with the yota v6. toyota built in a temp sensor that is wired into the ecu on the auto trannies that stops the trans from shifting into overdrive when the engine is cold. (it's for emissions so the cat with warm up faster) the causes of the engine not reaching operating temp properly are countless, but here are the most common. check the thermostat. it's only three easy accessed nuts and it's off. only 10 for a new one.. jus replace it (good idea for all used vehices) if the problem persitsts then check your antifreeze level, low level can create airbubbles in the cooling system where the sensors are and it takes longer for the sensors get to NOT (Normal Operation Temperature). if new thermo and proper antifreeze level does not fix it then try turning the heater slightly and see if this helps. i found that my heater control valve was was clogged from "stop leak" and by turning on the heater on slightly it forced more coolant past the sensors and the engine warmed up and shifted into overdrive within a few blocks. lemme kno if these dont help, i'll see if i can help diagnose it with you via a series of questions.

i bought my 4runner for 1900 in about the exact condition as you are describing and i had the exact problems you are having ha ha but i fixed them all, and i can tell you that the 4runner is a very reliable vehicle once you work the bugs out of her and keep up the maintainence.

 

[rumme]

run4yota..thansk for the reply/help..

kelly bluebook says my toyota in good condition, with 155,000 miles is worth about $4500...

mine has the powers sunroof , towing package , side running boards , cargo rack on top and is 4w.d. V6 automatic ..even the air conditioner blows cold air.

it took me about 5 hours to put on new back brake shoes for $15..and I repaired the rear window and rear tailgate for free.

I turned the idle screw in all the way , and it is now idling around 1000 rpms...should the idle screw be all the way in normally , to idle correctly ?

the motor sounds good and is very clean. I may pull one of the spark plugs and see if it looks good, if it does, I wont fool around with the other spark plugs.

 

[OCMike]

Awesome price ya got there. I paid quite a bit more for mine with the same mileage, but I'm in Cali and needed a truck ASAP. Didn't have time to wait and shop around.