What to inspect before buying a used 07 Sport V6 4WD?

[cmpcmp123]

Don't let the "squeaky wheel" effect of the internet let you think that these vehicles are problematic

Martinjmpr, I'm trying to keep this in mind! The sample represented here is highly skewed towards people having an issue and finding this forum to ask about it. Got to keep in mind that there were more than a half million 4th gens produced and most of the owners aren't members here. Still, I just found the blown head gasket threads and starting second guessing myself again!

I just found a ASE technician on my local craigslist that works independently but worked for 7 years at a toyota dealership. Hopefully I can get him to come with me to check it out. If not, I guess the dealership is the best option?

 

[JB.]

I am not cranky at all......

Yeah, sorry, not trying to be @#$.

Just didn't want the OP to think it was rampant.

I admit, though, given the high expense engineered into the repair, it should have been engineered to a much lower failure rate.

 

[diz]

I have to agree with Martinjmpr. Though I have little experience with the 4Runner so far, there is actual data that supports the assertion that these are pretty reliable vehicles, that's why I just bought one. For example, trade-in quality index, which gathers information about drivetrain problems at trade-in time. According to their data, Toyota across the board is strong compared to other manufacturers, and 4Runner is strong among the Toyotas.

Trade-In Quality Index - Toyota

Another interesting thing I found - the price of the Toyota extended warranty is not very high. The Gold warranty that they offered me, 5 years/60k miles, was $1k. The vehicle I was buying was 6 years old with 80k miles. That means they are betting there won't be $1k (at least $1k of Toyota cost) of covered issues between now and the time the vehicle hits 140k miles. Having had two prior SUVs lose transmissions before 140k miles, I find that to be a good sign. And in your case, if transfer cases were a common problem, warranties probably wouldn't be that cheap at that high mileage.

But that's just my thought process, I'm far from expert. I do like the 4Runner so far though!

 

[cmpcmp123]

Well, my dad just looked it over with a independent mechanic who works for a toyota dealership and the 4LO does not work They tried turning the wheel and engaging it multiple times. I've read that you can tap the transfer case with a rubber hammer? Could that work? Hopefully the guy is cool with me taking a hammer to his transfer case! Any other ideas?

If I can't get it into 4LO I don't think I will get it. I don't do a lot of off-roading but I planned to with this new car. I'd imagine everyone here would say 4LO is usefull? Currently I use 4LO for pulling my friends cars out of the snow, seems pretty useful for that.

To repair a 4LO actuator would be at least $1500 from what I'm seeing?

 

[03_4x4Runner]

Well, my dad just looked it over with a independent mechanic who works for a toyota dealership and the 4LO does not work They tried turning the wheel and engaging it multiple times. I've read that you can tap the transfer case with a rubber hammer? Could that work? Hopefully the guy is cool with me taking a hammer to his transfer case! Any other ideas?

If I can't get it into 4LO I don't think I will get it. I don't do a lot of off-roading but I planned to with this new car. I'd imagine everyone here would say 4LO is usefull? Currently I use 4LO for pulling my friends cars out of the snow, seems pretty useful for that.

To repair a 4LO actuator would be at least $1500 from what I'm seeing?

I see you are in Utah. There is a lot of great off road there. 4lo is essential there.
I think it is more like $2500 at a dealer to fix it. Negotiate the price to reflect this repair.

 

[NuclearN8]

Well, my dad just looked it over with a independent mechanic who works for a toyota dealership and the 4LO does not work They tried turning the wheel and engaging it multiple times. I've read that you can tap the transfer case with a rubber hammer? Could that work? Hopefully the guy is cool with me taking a hammer to his transfer case! Any other ideas?

If I can't get it into 4LO I don't think I will get it. I don't do a lot of off-roading but I planned to with this new car. I'd imagine everyone here would say 4LO is usefull? Currently I use 4LO for pulling my friends cars out of the snow, seems pretty useful for that.

To repair a 4LO actuator would be at least $1500 from what I'm seeing?

I just had the 4Lo actuator in the transfer case replaced under warranty on my wife's 2007,warranty pricing on parts and labor came to just shy of 2K. As you could imagine customer pay would be more... probably in the ballpark of 2500-3000 depending on the stealership, I mean dealership.

There are two 4th gen 4R's in our house and we've never used it on either one. I only "use" 4Lo to exercise it monthly (now) to prevent it from not working in the future should I need it in an emergency. BUT why buy a used car where it doesn't work?... you can surely find one that is does. I'd say pass unless she is going to drop the price $2500.

 

[youngr]

Whatever one you buy I would also recommend checking the "secret compartment" in the glove box.... After a 8 months of ownership and thanks to this site I discovered mine came with a free GPS and some 4runner related paperwork.

 

[AusTex4x4Sport]

It's easy.

While driving (under 60mph but I'd recommend around 20-30 or so) turn the dial from 2wd to 4hi. There are two lights on the dash that will flash, one is a yellow one showing the 4 wheels with an 'x' the middle, the other is a green one with an "o" in the middle. They should flash for a few seconds (might be as long as 10 - 15 seconds) but then the yellow light should go off and the green light should go solid. This shows that you are in 4wd, Hi range, center diff unlocked (that is, the center diff is operating.)

Next, while still moving, push the Center Diff Lock (CDL) button to the left of the steering wheel. Again, both the green and yellow lights should flash but after a few seconds the green one should go out and the yellow one should be solid. Note that your ABS and VSC lights will also be on as the center diff lock disables these functions. If you are on pavement, try to do this on a straight road as doing a lot of turning with the center diff locked is not good for the transfer case or axles.

Once you've verified that the Center Diff Lock (CDL) works, push it again, again the green and yellow dash lights will flash and then the yellow one should go out and the green one should stay illuminated. The ABS and VSC lights should also go off.

Next, come to a complete STOP. Put the transmission in NEUTRAL, and turn the dial to 4 lo. The lights will again flash and next to the green light there should be a green display that says "4 LO" on the dash. If the CDL is UNLOCKED, you can drive as long as you want to in 4 lo, just remember your speed will be cut in half compared to 4 HI. You can test the CDL in 4 LO if you want to, but from what I've seen, the CDL either works or it doesn't, so if it works in 4 HI, it will work in 4 LO.

Finally, come to a complete STOP again, and again put the transmission in NEUTRAL. Switch the dial back to 2 HI. The lights should flash for a few seconds and then go off.

If you try to switch the T-case to 4 LO and you get an annoying beeping, it's either because you forgot to put the transmission in NEUTRAL, or there is something wrong with the system.

I know the above looks complicated, but it's really not. Shouldn't take you more than a couple of minutes on a test drive. If the 4wd system is not working, my recommendation is to pass on the vehicle unless you get it WRITTEN into the sales contract that the dealership will fix it. It's an expensive fix!

EDITED TO ADD: My experience with the ADD and electronic T-case is that it doesn't like to change from 2wd to 4wd when the engine is "under load." So it helps to take your foot off the gas pedal for a few seconds to let the system switch to either 2wd or 4wd.

Note that it's also possible to shift into 2wd or 4wd when the vehicle is stopped and the transmission is in Park.

Unfortunately, I found this forum after my recent (2 weeks ago) purchase of an 06 Sport 4WD V6, and did the test described above the other evening. Went into 4Hi just fine with all of the lights showing as stated, including the CDL. Then, went into 4Lo as described and it seemed to work fine. The problem(s) showed when I tried to go back to "normal". Although all of the indicator lights went out on the dash, the Runner stayed engaged in 4LO. Now, when I put the switch into 4LO, the 4LO light flashes and when I put it into gear, it styarts beeping, which stopos after I stop and take the switch out of 4LO. Repeated alternatives were attempted to no avail and the Runner went back to the selling dealer (a VW dealer) on a flatbed the next day; the good news is that it is evidently covered under their "certified" program meaning I have a 3 month, 3,000 mile powertrain warranty. Now they're trying to see if they can figure it out, but are telling me they'll probably end up sending it to the Toyota dealer for the fix(es). So, I'm commuting with a brand new VW Passat loaner car while they figure out what the Runner needs to get back in shape.

Any other drive-train tests I should subject it to before the warranty runs out in a couple of months?

Thanks to all for the great information in this forum.