Where should I begin?

[daprotege5]

I currently have 135k miles, I know the transmission was flushed at 106k at Toyota came up on service records. I myself have changed both knock sensors and had to tighten a hub bolt that was loose on the front passenger side. Other than that has ran and towed great. Oh and power steering rack I told was leaking but no wet spots.
The car came from nj as the original paperwork was in the car. It was painted 4 years ago as well as changed the front grill.
So far from what I’ve inspected a lot of parts are rusty as hell.
I plan to mildly off-road in sand or mud when it’s rained too much.
As far as suspension it’s my first off road vehicle and I know the basics but need assistance as to what direction to start in.

Am I safe to take off roading on the oem setup?? Obviously not gunning it through shit but going through sand and mild mud

 

[Bluesky 07]

I currently have 135k miles, I know the transmission was flushed at 106k at Toyota came up on service records. I myself have changed both knock sensors and had to tighten a hub bolt that was loose on the front passenger side. Other than that has ran and towed great. Oh and power steering rack I told was leaking but no wet spots.
The car came from nj as the original paperwork was in the car. It was painted 4 years ago as well as changed the front grill.
So far from what I’ve inspected a lot of parts are rusty as hell.
I plan to mildly off-road in sand or mud when it’s rained too much.
As far as suspension it’s my first off road vehicle and I know the basics but need assistance as to what direction to start in.

Am I safe to take off roading on the oem setup?? Obviously not gunning it through shit but going through sand and mild mud

Absolutely. This video shows a trip I did in my '07 Sport on the stock X-REAS suspension with well over 100K miles at the time. I've since upgraded but if you've got 4WD and some common sense, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how capable a stock 4th Gen is off the pavement.

 

[Syr4RinNC]

I think it depends - If it is mud and sand - you may be okay as is.

Having a good set of all terrain or mud tires will likely help. If the suspension is all over the place then upgrading will help, but I would try as is first. If you need a lift or more clearance that would help

I think first plan is how to get yourself out if stuck - going with others, maxtrax, winch

beyond tires and suspension - youre looking at how much ground clearance you have, if youre hitting front or rear bumper, if you need better recovery points

 

[Pilotmatt]

The truck is what it is at this point. Down the road you’ll end up replacing struts, tires, bits and pieces that we’re out over time and mileage. That’s to be said for any car though.

As far as the rust I would get under there with two or three cans of rust converter and spray down what you can.

I bought an 03 out of Jersey and it was far along in the frame rust process. Every year I would get under and spray rust converter and then under coding. That helps but you really need to descale it with abrasion if you can.

I bought mine with 99,000 miles and sold it with 150,000 and never had a hiccup. But eventually the rest one in the common tailgate area and I sold it. I bought a 2017 four years ago and every year I spray rust converter or under coding as needed just to stay ahead of the game. I plan to keep my truck for the next 15 to 20 years. Minnesota uses a lot of salt so we’ll see how that goes.

It’s a 4runner. Use it.

 

[Bluesky 07]

About frame rust, something you can do very easily and inexpensively is extend your a/c drain tube so condensation drips clear of the frame. I love Toyotas and my 4R, but I have no idea what they were thinking when they placed the tube so that it drips directly onto a frame that's rusting right out from under a lot of trucks.