What else could possibly go wrong?!

R

rkjohns1

New member
Hi all, in the past 18 months, I've had to repair/replace the following on my '98 2WD Limited, with 244k miles:

Transmission (my fault)
Rear main seal
Power brake booster
Master cylinder
Power steering rack
Engine valve cover gasket
Resealed cam towers
Spark plug seals
Timing belt
Drive belts
Water pump assy
Thermostat
Battery

I'd really like to keep this rig running for another 4-5 years without any further major issues. Any other potential issues I should be looking for? Maybe it's crazy that I invest so much time and money into such an old car, but I absolutely love it!
 
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Most of those items are really not unreasonable or unexpected on a 20 year old truck with 244K miles on it. Transmission should have likely lasted longer but every other item listed is normal maintenance and repair.
 
rkjohns1 said:
Hi all, in the past 18 months, I've had to repair/replace the following on my '98 2WD Limited, with 244k miles:

Transmission (my fault)
Rear main seal
Power brake booster
Master cylinder
Power steering rack
Engine valve cover gasket
Resealed cam towers
Spark plug seals
Timing belt
Drive belts
Water pump assy
Thermostat
Battery

I'd really like to keep this rig running for another 4-5 years without any further major issues. Any other potential issues I should be looking for? Maybe it's crazy that I invest so much time and money into such an old car, but I absolutely love it!
Click to expand...

At least half that stuff was probably due just by normal maintenance intervals. Look at it this way, with ball joints, TREs, and maybe U-joints, you've got a vehicle that will easily go another 150k. Bet you come out saving money compared to a car payment and new car insurance.
 
Transmission (my fault) —> original
Rear main seal —> original
Power brake booster —> original
Master cylinder —> replaced, I think
Power steering rack —> replaced, twice
Engine valve cover gasket —> replaced
Resealed cam towers —> I have a whole new used engine
Spark plug seals —> not sure if I ever replaced mine
Timing belt —> replaced
Drive belts —> replaced
Water pump assy —> replaced
Thermostat —> replaced
Battery —> replaced
Click to expand...

Like others have said, most* of the stuff you listed would of course need to be replaced on any vehicle with 150K miles, especially one with 250K miles.

Personally if you are not doing a build then I would definitely do a cost benefits analysis on having a 250K mile 4Runner as a DD, if that is what you are doing. Just don’t have the expectation things won’t break. 300K is bound be a bit rougher than 250K miles for sure.

I see you are in SD. Are you doing the work yourself or using a shop? If so what shop?

.
 
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So much info on this site. Its a 20 year old vehicle so maintenance has to be expected.
When I bought mine I put $1000 into it to make it road worthy. After that, I made a list of stuff I knew I was going to replace and try to do something every 2 months or so.

Ive thought a few times about a newer truck or something, BUT, the gas mileage would be around the same and I would have a truck payment. Right now, no payments, so what is a little bit of money for maintenance.


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BrianSD_42 said:
Like others have said, most* of the stuff you listed would of course need to be replaced on any vehicle with 150K miles, especially one with 250K miles.

Personally if you are not doing a build then I would definitely do a cost benefits analysis on having a 250K mile 4Runner as a DD, if that is what you are doing. Just don’t have the expectation things won’t break. 300K is bound be a bit rougher than 250K miles for sure.

I see you are in SD. Are you doing the work yourself or using a shop? If so what shop?

.
Click to expand...

I use Emerald Auto Service Center in Vista. After having to re-insert my eyeballs after seeing Carlsbad Toyota's quotes to do the work, I looked for a small independent shop, where the prices are 50% less or more.
 
rkjohns1 said:
Transmission (my fault)
Rear main seal
Power brake booster
Master cylinder
Power steering rack
Engine valve cover gasket
Resealed cam towers
Spark plug seals
Timing belt
Drive belts
Water pump assy
Thermostat
Battery
Click to expand...

That's really nothing. I've had my truck for a year, and put about 8k miles on it. currently it's sitting at 241,000 miles. I've completed the following

lower ball joints (previous owner)
radiator (previous owner)
differential fluids changed
transmission oil changed
timing belt
water pump
rear cooling hoses
spark plug coil pack
spark plugs and wires
replaced some battery wires
upper control arm bushings
lower control arm bushings
front and rear sway bar bushings
steering rack bushings
inner and outer tie rods
both CV axles (common after installing a lift)
extended differential breather
rear inner axle seals (due to clogged diff breather)
rear wheel bearings (while the axles were out)
rear brake shoes/hardware
valve cover gaskets
spark plug seals
pcv valve

All of that and now I've got an oil drip developing, as well as an intermittent power steering rack leak somewhere. I'm hoping this will get to a point where the truck won't need anything for a year, but it is beginning to wear on me a bit
 
thezentree said:
At least half that stuff was probably due just by normal maintenance intervals. Look at it this way, with ball joints, TREs, and maybe U-joints, you've got a vehicle that will easily go another 150k. Bet you come out saving money compared to a car payment and new car insurance.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's my goal, to avoid having another car payment until our '17 4Runner is paid off. The U-joints were replaced by the original owner at 139k miles - actually the dealership performed the work at no cost. Could that have been a recall issue? Regarding ball joints, is there a way to determine if they are needing replacement? Finally, forgive me, but what is the TRE acronym? Thanks!
 
rkjohns1 said:
Hi all, in the past 18 months, I've had to repair/replace the following on my '98 2WD Limited, with 244k miles:

Transmission (my fault)
Rear main seal
Power brake booster
Master cylinder
Power steering rack
Engine valve cover gasket
Resealed cam towers
Spark plug seals
Timing belt
Drive belts
Water pump assy
Thermostat
Battery

I'd really like to keep this rig running for another 4-5 years without any further major issues. Any other potential issues I should be looking for? Maybe it's crazy that I invest so much time and money into such an old car, but I absolutely love it!
Click to expand...

The engines might last 300k+ miles, but the rest of the 4Runner will age faster. In the foreseeable future you're also going to encounter:

  • Front & Rear Suspension
  • Sway bar bushings and end links
  • Rear axle seals leaking (change the breather!)
  • Warped front rotors

As long as you are spending less on repairs then you would on a car payment, you're doing ok.
 
gamefreakgc said:
The engines might last 300k+ miles, but the rest of the 4Runner will age faster. In the foreseeable future you're also going to encounter:

  • Front & Rear Suspension
  • Sway bar bushings and end links
  • Rear axle seals leaking (change the breather!)
  • Warped front rotors

As long as you are spending less on repairs then you would on a car payment, you're doing ok.
Click to expand...

Based on the maintenance records I have, the rear suspension was replaced during the recall (187k); both rear axle seals were replaced at 186k; and front rotors replaced at 125k.

So things to keep an eye on - front suspension, sway bar bushings and end links, and the breather. Maintenance costs have been about $142/month since purchasing the vehicle, so I think I'm still okay vs. having a newer car payment.
 
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Well, if you get the mod bug things are going to get a lot more expensive. I have 2 3rd Gens now, a 2000 and 1998. I bought my 98 with the intention of modding the shit out of it. I bought it for $6500, with 130k on the odometer. I've since poured probably 9k+ in tires, maintenance items like radiator, balljoints, rear wheel bearing and seals, and a valve cover job and all the aftermarket stuff like bumpers, winch, skid plates, rock rails and other shit. But, it's money well-spent since it's still more affordable than buying a new rig and this 3rd Gen is now more trail-worthy than any stock 5th Gen.
 
I have a 99 limited with 208k on the clock. I picked it up about 8 years ago with 100k. I had trans rebuilt due to the previous own had the strawberry milkskake and dumped it. I bought it and about 500 miles later, no go. After that, just a tps sensor and brake booster. Doing leg pressses in stop n go traffic started to get annoying after a while.

Although my suspension really needs a complete overhaul. Still all original including the ball joints. Oh I just dropped in a new rad, due to it starting to run hot. Still running the original TB and WP. No fluids leaks.
 
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mtbtim said:
Well, if you get the mod bug things are going to get a lot more expensive. I have 2 3rd Gens now, a 2000 and 1998. I bought my 98 with the intention of modding the shit out of it. I bought it for $6500, with 130k on the odometer. I've since poured probably 9k+ in tires, maintenance items like radiator, balljoints, rear wheel bearing and seals, and a valve cover job and all the aftermarket stuff like bumpers, winch, skid plates, rock rails and other shit. But, it's money well-spent since it's still more affordable than buying a new rig and this 3rd Gen is now more trail-worthy than any stock 5th Gen.
Click to expand...

Awesome!

As for me, I don't think I'll be getting the mod bug anytime soon. My rig is for commuting to work, hauling the kids/dogs around, and lugging my surfboards to the beach. I do have visions of short surf trips down to baja with the family, but that ain't happening for awhile (kids are 3 and 1).
 
rkjohns1 said:
Hi all, in the past 18 months, I've had to repair/replace the following on my '98 2WD Limited, with 244k miles:

Transmission (my fault)
Rear main seal
Power brake booster
Master cylinder
Power steering rack
Engine valve cover gasket
Resealed cam towers
Spark plug seals
Timing belt
Drive belts
Water pump assy
Thermostat
Battery

I'd really like to keep this rig running for another 4-5 years without any further major issues. Any other potential issues I should be looking for? Maybe it's crazy that I invest so much time and money into such an old car, but I absolutely love it!
Click to expand...

I'll offer a little story to brighten your situation.

My brother in law bought a 3rd gen with the intention of using it strictly as a hunting/off-road machine. He didn't want to spend what a new side-by-side costs so he bought an older truck. He knows the previous owner well and purchased the truck eyes wide open in running/driving condition and a known history at 312,000 miles.

That was 6 months ago. During the coarse of getting the truck up to date, one thing led to another and he decided to take the old engine out and have it rebuilt using nothing but OE parts. Then the same with the steering and suspension. Then the transfer case. Then the axles. When that list was complete he was backing it out of the garage when the transmission let go. So then he did the transmission. As soon as that was done he took it on a test drive - hit the freeway and got a check engine light: catalytic converter. So now he redoes the exhaust.

Long story short: in the last 6 months he has dumped $16,000 into a 20 year old truck. I expect him to keep it until it dies or he does - whichever comes first.
 
rkjohns1 said:
Based on the maintenance records I have, the rear suspension was replaced during the recall (187k); both rear axle seals were replaced at 186k; and front rotors replaced at 125k.

So things to keep an eye on - front suspension, sway bar bushings and end links, and the breather. Maintenance costs have been about $142/month since purchasing the vehicle, so I think I'm still okay vs. having a newer car payment.
Click to expand...

That's a good way to look it.

Once upon a time I had a Dodge 2500 diesel that between repairs and maintenance cost me $1 per MILE to drive, not counting purchase price, insurance, registration or fuel!

Every time I got in that truck SOMETHING broke. :flame:
 
rkjohns1 said:
Yes, that's my goal, to avoid having another car payment until our '17 4Runner is paid off. The U-joints were replaced by the original owner at 139k miles - actually the dealership performed the work at no cost. Could that have been a recall issue? Regarding ball joints, is there a way to determine if they are needing replacement? Finally, forgive me, but what is the TRE acronym? Thanks!
Click to expand...

I didn't notice anyone mention it, TRE is Tie Rod End.
 
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