AuSeeker
Elite Member
It does appear to be the main frame but it's impossible to tell the actual condition from that photo, I would request the seller to send you a good photo of that area.
will be buying my 1st 4runner, what to look for?
- Thread starter firebirdguy
- Start date
It does appear to be the main frame but it's impossible to tell the actual condition from that photo, I would request the seller to send you a good photo of that area.
firebirdguy
Member
heres a better pic of that area & showing more. its in the dark with a flash being used which shows a lot of rust staining or discoloration, looks to be solid though metal though. & a pic of the front rad support area looks pretty good too compared to some ive seen. hoping its all solid when i go see it.
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firebirdguy
Member
AuSeeker
Elite Member
Defintely looks better in these photos but still has a lot of visible rust, hopefully it now to bad but still looks like it's worth checking out, I would take a big screwdriver and hammer with me to do some solid tapping on the more rusty areas to see how solid it truely is, also these frame tend to also rust badly on the inside of the frame, if you could pick up an inexpensive camera snake/borescope,endoscope to run inside the frame to really get a good idea of the frame's condition would be money well spent, IMHO, they have some that can work with most smart phone now, make sure you get on that has a light source to see better, these are also a good tools to have for maintenance and troubleshooting on any vehicle.
https://www.google.com/search?q=sna...1.69i57j0l5.9091j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
https://www.google.com/search?q=sna...1.69i57j0l5.9091j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
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firebirdguy
Member
yes i agree it has some visible rust, but it looks to hopefully just be "surface rust" under the flaking paint areas. i dint see any real pitting or severe rust scaling etc like in the other pics of the 2nd one i was asking about, that one was terrible & enough to scare me away.
still cant believe toyota had such a problem coating these frames properly this late into the 4th generation. but if this one is still solid & mostly just surface rust i think i will seriously consider it if all else checks out ok. going to look at it tomorrow with my fingers crossed!
still cant believe toyota had such a problem coating these frames properly this late into the 4th generation. but if this one is still solid & mostly just surface rust i think i will seriously consider it if all else checks out ok. going to look at it tomorrow with my fingers crossed!
firebirdguy
Member
thanks, lots of good info there.
firebirdguy
Member
update on #3 4runner. i went to look at the 4runner & the frame looked much better in person than the pics posted, that area i was concerned with was just the factory coating flaking off with surface rust on the bare metal, no pitting or scaling at all, frame was still thick & intact everywhere beside surface rust on all the welds & other parts like the rear diff etc. & the rims had numerous big spots of the paint flaked off & heavy pitting/corrosion in those spots, never seen that on 4th gen sport rims, thought they were a polished aluminum & clear coated.
if it was just based on the frame & interior i would have bought it.. but, after inspecting the frame & a quick overview of the body & interior i popped the hood to check the normal things, had a brand new mobil 1 oil filter & at first looked like clean new oil... i noticed the coolant overflow jug had nice red coolant in it but it was down about 1", checked the dip stick & cap & saw some signs of milky oil, that was enough to make me pass for now.
not worth asking the owner what it was & getting the "oh i never noticed that" excuse. he was a asian guy that didnt speak english & had his friend interpreting, he said the oil was just changed & never had any problems. it may have been the low coolant was from it getting sucked into the engine from a bad head gasket or cracked head etc. either way, i didnt want to take a chance & buy it.
if it was just based on the frame & interior i would have bought it.. but, after inspecting the frame & a quick overview of the body & interior i popped the hood to check the normal things, had a brand new mobil 1 oil filter & at first looked like clean new oil... i noticed the coolant overflow jug had nice red coolant in it but it was down about 1", checked the dip stick & cap & saw some signs of milky oil, that was enough to make me pass for now.
not worth asking the owner what it was & getting the "oh i never noticed that" excuse. he was a asian guy that didnt speak english & had his friend interpreting, he said the oil was just changed & never had any problems. it may have been the low coolant was from it getting sucked into the engine from a bad head gasket or cracked head etc. either way, i didnt want to take a chance & buy it.
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villaphoto
New member
I know from experience that the low coolant was more than likely caused by a weeping radiator. Check the right hand bottom side of whatever 4runner you're looking at for a pink stain.
That being said, it's a pretty easy job and you can grab a new radiator off ebay for like $50.
That being said, it's a pretty easy job and you can grab a new radiator off ebay for like $50.
firebirdguy
Member
yes i checked the radiator & it was bone dry, no signs of any pink residue or staining. i have since read about a milky yellow sludge under the oil cap on these v6 engines & that may have been what it was... but i decided to pass for now at the asking price, i have never seen anything like that on any other vehicle.
plus the 4runner had all of 2 or 3 service history records at toyota.com from 2009, no ther records & owner had none either. hard to discuss details like that when they don't speak english! too risky IMO.
plus the 4runner had all of 2 or 3 service history records at toyota.com from 2009, no ther records & owner had none either. hard to discuss details like that when they don't speak english! too risky IMO.
