Worst Case Scenario!

[Illestreker]

Past few days I've been doing as much research as possible on 3rd Gen 4runners. I'm looking to buy one with 175k or less miles, when I find the right deal and I will be making sure I check VIN's as well as go through all the lists of things to check out on them before committing to a purchase. Once I buy one I know I cant resist and will dump some money into it making it more trail worthy.

I know they have a great reputation for reliability and lasting a very long time 250k+ miles. But with all that said... What if I had engine failure or transmission failure sooner. Are good used engines and or trannys vastly available and cheap? Would it be just a "drop in" sorta thing? Or would it be easier and cheaper to source a block and it all rebuilt.

Obviously this is the worst case scenario and I dont expect it to happen but anything is possible and I need to know my options if I did happen so I'm not potentially surprised.

I've never bought a truck/car this old with this high of miles so knowing that i'm gonna get a truck for $5-8K and drop another $2-4K in fun parts starts to make my stomach a little woozy when I think about the "what if".

Please share your thoughts and advice.

 

[tx4r3g]

from what I have read on here you are better off with a used engine or trans. yes it could be a straight out swap. as long as you stick with the same generation. putting money into a rig with high miles on it is just a risk you have to make. I understand where you are coming from mine has 210k on it and I feel the same way. thing is I know the. maintance history of minemy parents owned it since she was a year old with less than 20k on it. they gave her to me with 190k on her. I figure what the heck. spend the money. have fun driver her till the wheels fall off. rebuild her and when my 9 year old turns 16 give it to him

 

[brian2sun]

The 3.4 is a very expensive motor to rebuild with good quality parts. If you get cheap parts, it can be rebuilt for top and bottom for a little over $2k. However, with good parts, it's more like $3-3500. With OEM parts, you're looking at $4k+ for a full rebuild. So, it's just not very cost effective to rebuild these engines IMO. Especially when you can score a fairly low mileage donor for so much less. I put a donor with 123K in my truck and it runs perfectly. You just need to know where/who the motor is coming from and/or get a warranty with it.

I got my donor motor from a friend on here (who bought it out of the classifieds on here). I met the original owner, got all the service records and I could tell by his other vehicles that he knew how to take care of his vehicles. He rolled his 4runner so it was totalled, but he even had a video of the motor running fine after the wreck.

 

[Illestreker]

The 3.4 is a very expensive motor to rebuild with good quality parts. If you get cheap parts, it can be rebuilt for top and bottom for a little over $2k. However, with good parts, it's more like $3-3500. With OEM parts, you're looking at $4k+ for a full rebuild. So, it's just not very cost effective to rebuild these engines IMO. Especially when you can score a fairly low mileage donor for so much less. I put a donor with 123K in my truck and it runs perfectly. You just need to know where/who the motor is coming from and/or get a warranty with it.

I got my donor motor from a friend on here (who bought it out of the classifieds on here). I met the original owner, got all the service records and I could tell by his other vehicles that he knew how to take care of his vehicles. He rolled his 4runner so it was totalled, but he even had a video of the motor running fine after the wreck.

I had a feeling it would be cheaper and easier to buy a used complete engine rather than rebuilding it. Your situation resulted in the best scenario of knowing where the engine came from, meet the guy, and get history reports. But 9/10 times it wont be that way. I searched car-part and there are a lot for a very fair prices with low miles 50-150k. But theres really no way of knowing anything about them. Except sometimes they have running videos or do compression tests on them.

 

[brian2sun]

I had a feeling it would be cheaper and easier to buy a used complete engine rather than rebuilding it. Your situation resulted in the best scenario of knowing where the engine came from, meet the guy, and get history reports. But 9/10 times it wont be that way. I searched car-part and there are a lot for a very fair prices with low miles 50-150k. But theres really no way of knowing anything about them. Except sometimes they have running videos or do compression tests on them.

Yeah, I definitely got the best of what was out there at the time. Lots of salvage yards do provide 90 day - 1 year warranties though. Even with a 90 day, most major issues will be apparent in that time (i.e. head gaskets/head/valve issues, engine bearings, etc..). It's good that you're thinking that far ahead, but remember these trucks are very reliable. Just don't buy one from a teenager or a single woman. No offense to the 4runner ladies on here.. I'm just saying, you'll have better odds buying a truck from a family with a nice house, good jobs, etc.. or retired couples.

 

[nissanh]

It is always best to find good used parts than "rebuilding" toyota parts. They last longer than rebuilt parts.

I got my truck with 176 K miles and now it is about 190K. All I replaced is the rear drive shaft and T-belt/water pump kit as the major repairs!

Where are you in Houston?

Check these before buying it

A) Engine: while engine is running, pull the dip stick and rev the engine to about 2-3 K range. You should NOT see any visible smoke or oil drops flying off.

B) WHILE ENGINE IS COLD (COLD and not WARM), remove the radiator cap. Make sure there is coolant up to the top. Start the engine and watch for any bubbles for 2-3 minutes. If you see bubbles, leaky head gasket.

C) Test drive and check ALL gears while engine is hot.

D) Check the condition of the air filter. If it is bad, that means the seller didn't took good care of the truck


E) Check for corrosion underneath (Corroded chassis - Show us all to tall you the condition of it)

 

[Illestreker]

Thanks for the list, its will definitely be helpful on my hunt for a quality 4runner. I'm in Katy west side of Houston.

 

[masphx]

It is always best to find good used parts than "rebuilding" toyota parts. They last longer than rebuilt parts.

I got my truck with 176 K miles and now it is about 190K. All I replaced is the rear drive shaft and T-belt/water pump kit as the major repairs!

Where are you in Houston?

Check these before buying it

A) Engine: while engine is running, pull the dip stick and rev the engine to about 2-3 K range. You should NOT see any visible smoke or oil drops flying off.

B) WHILE ENGINE IS COLD (COLD and not WARM), remove the radiator cap. Make sure there is coolant up to the top. Start the engine and watch for any bubbles for 2-3 minutes. If you see bubbles, leaky head gasket.

C) Test drive and check ALL gears while engine is hot.

D) Check the condition of the air filter. If it is bad, that means the seller didn't took good care of the truck


E) Check for corrosion underneath (Corroded chassis - Show us all to tall you the condition of it)

Those are good tips.

 

[hungryeddy]

MAKE SURE, you check that the vins match on all the panels (doors, fenders, windows even have them), if one is missing or painted over you can question the seller about any funny business. The engine's vin is kinda hard to see without a mirror and flashlight so be prepared.

Sad to say I was so caught up on having a beautiful truck in front of me that I forgot to check this stuff. My driver side doors are not stock as well as the fender. Its proof that vin checks don't prove squat since no history of accidents on both instavin and car fax.

Either way, I'm not too worried about it due to the fact that they're finally starting to appear more at the self serve yards and most jobs I can do myself or mostly myself. Used over rebuilt is the route I would go since there are probably a lot more 3rd gens out there that will last 250k+ than those that will crap out sooner out there.