outdoorfever

i think you guys forgot to mention alternator and starter? make sure those parts are good to go, cuase no matter how good that other stuff works, without those two, nothin' is gonna happen.
I know how you feel, i get worried, especially with all the clicking, but listen to these guys, they know. good luck, have fun, be safe

slow_xc_star

[QUOTE=gwhayduke]I agree. There is a hose on top of the air intake, close to the TB. Remove that hose, get some spray throttle body cleaner and spray the heck out of it while the engine is running.QUOTE]

what is this throttle body cleaner called and where do i get it?

gwhayduke

Actually I used spray carb cleaner but Gadget says I'll screw up my throttle position sensor with it...Which again doesn't make sense to me since the TPS is on the outside of the TB and I only spray on the inside. Still...Maybe he knows something I don't. I would suspect you can get it at any auto parts store...Checker/Kragen, Autozone, or Pepboys.

Carb cleaner seemed to work though. It's mostly toluene which is a great solvent for the stuff that builds up in your idle air bypass, intake plenum and also the TB butterfly. My idle jumped about 400 rpm after re-assembling it. Don't let it get on your paint or any plastic...it's the same solvent they use in automitive type paints.

AgRunner06

Just buy TB cleaner to be on the safe side. They have it at any auto parts store.

Here's a write-up: http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/mainte...throttle_body/

Gabe

WTF??? If you regularly maintain your vehicle (not just oil changes) 99.9%of the time your 3.0 will see you there and back safely. Iv'e never once thought "oh I can't go becuase she won't make it". If that is the case, you know you are not maintaining your vehicle properly then of course you should be worried that it will leave your A$$ stranded on the road. Me, I take care of my baby and she takes care of me. Sand, snow, rain, mud you name it--I am fully confident in my 4-runners capability. Just finished the Pismo run 400+ miles round trip in 90 degree weather with AC blasting averaging 78MPH....and I'm alive to tell about it!

slow_xc_star

I know what you mean. I know that these rigs are awesome but I just got mine last year and once in awhile she acts up and does some weird things. I have no clue how well the previous owner(s) took care of her. I've done quite a bit to keep my 4Runner up and running and in good shape and I still have plans for her. Currently, my 4Runner is in the shop getting the transmission checked out just because I do not know how long ago it was serviced. No major probs...I am just doing some preventive maintenance.

outdoorfever

WTF??? If you regularly maintain your vehicle (not just oil changes) 99.9%of the time your 3.0 will see you there and back safely. Iv'e never once thought "oh I can't go becuase she won't make it". If that is the case, you know you are not maintaining your vehicle properly then of course you should be worried that it will leave your A$$ stranded on the road. Me, I take care of my baby and she takes care of me. Sand, snow, rain, mud you name it--I am fully confident in my 4-runners capability. Just finished the Pismo run 400+ miles round trip in 90 degree weather with AC blasting averaging 78MPH....and I'm alive to tell about it!
__________________

here is the problem with that. I have never riden in any other 2nd gen 4runners, thus not really knowing how well it should be running. as far as i am concerned its the best running one out there, or the worst running one out there. however i can tell you that there is no way i could drive that far, in that heat with the a/c on and going that mph. no way. I always have doubts simply because 'i dont know'

does that make sense? i am only 21 and this is the only car i have ever owned. its difficult to judge the performance of something when you dont have anything else to judge it upon. help me if you know what i am sayin.

anthony1

iTrader: (1)

I drive about 100 mile just to go wheeling...one way....

98 Joes

It is difficult to compare how your rig runs in comparison to others without a basis for the comparison. But, most vehicles that have been maintained and are in good mechanical condition should run about the same. There shouldn't be any odd noises or other indications that it's not right (rods knocking, valve clatter, rough idle, smoking from anywhere, steam escaping). As far as the stuff like starters and alternators is concerned, it's a crap shoot unless you tear them down for an annual inspection. And none of us are probably going to do that. So, how do I base the condition of a vehicle when I'm thinking of buying one. I look at some simple things. look inside the oil cap. Is it cruddy and has alot of carbon from not having the oild changed often enough? Are the tires enenly worn and not bald? Is the interior clean, vacumned and well taken care of? There's many more things you can look at to get an idea of condition. OK, so my thought here is if the stuff I see is well cared for, I can assume that the rest of vehicle is in decent shape also.

Same principals apply to determining if your rig can make the trip to wherever you want to go. If you bought a well maintained vehicle to begin with and you have taken care of it, there is no reason to shy away from a trip. Nothing is going to guarantee that everything will work perfectly everytime. But if you have no troubles with it normally, chances are good you won't have trouble with it on a trip. I don't think that driving 500 miles on the highway makes it any more likely to breakdown, than driving 500 miles over a months time in town.

As I said in an earlier post, I have no problem taking my rig skiing in the winter, a 180 mile round trip, anytime I feel like it and my 4Runner has 188,000 on it.

Victor

We did a 5000 mile road trip last summer in the 4Runner when it had 145k miles on it. Just got back from a 2000 mile roadtrip this last weekend and it has 160k on it now. Guess what - we're going on another road trip next weekend. Don't worry about the engine so much - check the fluids, belts, tires, and lube the chassis and go. For all its lack of power the 2nd gen ispretty comfortable

outdoorfever

ok so Gabe. or anyone. I have extreme knocking in my 4runner and i know its been covered many times. a lot of ppl say its just the motor. is there something i can do to help the knocking other than higher octane? and i have a grease gun but i could never had the right size fitting for my chassis zerks. what size are they. thanks.

and btw, when i speak of high mileage trips, i am not speaking of 150-300 miles. heck i drove over 1000 miles in about 3 days a few months ago and i wasnt worried. its just a long drive and a lot of patience. oh and i guess hills worry me sometimes. but i know on none of those trips or longer destinations, my a/c is on a minimal amount of time. any suggestions? gabe it sounds like you have a great running 4runner as well as you do Turtle. thanks for the help.

gwhayduke

Suggestions...
1. Change you fuel filter. About 3 years ago, the 4runner had problems getting up the hills on one trip. I bought a filter, and had it installed before the trip home...Lots more power.

2. Pinging can come from a couple of sources on an unmodified 3.0...carbon depostis and incorrect ignition timing. Do a search on the seafoam treatment and see if it works for you. Instead, you could put a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil in the gas tank. But doe the FF change first.

The get a timing light...and check the timing. I think timing should be set at 10 degrees BTDC but I have mine at 12 degrees and have had it as high as 13 or 14. You might set it to stock and see if that takes care of the problem. You cannot set the timing correctly without jumpering the OBD.

Post back and let us know how you're doing.

Sea Trout

Just drove my 91 xcab 4x4 across canada and back....over 16000 kms in 3-4 months without a problem.....230000 kms on the ol coyote now

CoedNaked

Whatever you do - don't let your anxiety for vehicle failure on an older/higher mileage vehicle alter your lifestyle (within financial reasoning of course) - ESPECIALLY with a Toyota. If you have this anxiety b/c you have reason to believe there is the potential for engine failure get to know a good mechanic and/or dealership who knows Toyota's and get your rig checked out and maintained regularly there. Take care of it and it will take care of you - but again - dont let this ruin your life. A vehicle is supposed to take you places. I have 290,000 km's (180,000 miles) on my Toyota car and it has never let me down once on highway or city miles. I have it serviced at a local dealership that my mom works at and where we of course trust the mechanics because they know their stuff!

williemon

I look at it this way, worst case, tranny goes south at a stop light, rear gears break due to the tranny jumping in and out of gear, and when it goes out compleatly, engine rpms fly high and you throw a rod. So that could cost a bit to get fixed, but not near as much as the cost of a newer 4 runner with only 40k miles on it.

If you dont want to get stranded in your 4 runner, then rent a car for the trip. Anyway, just keep rpms low and think, slow and easy. I find myself thinking that way now and I dont even go 70mph anymore. Mostly its up to 60 and thats it. Saves on gas. I used to drive it 75 to 80, but that sucks gas, and with the price of gas now, every bit saved helps. I know how you feel. I feel that if something breaks on a trip, then it would have done so anyway in town. Its just the issue of being a lot of miles from your town and getting stranded.

gwhayduke

Back when I was a boy, Dad and I worked on every car we owned and a few that belonged to friends...'28 Pontiac, '31 Pontiac, '59 MGA '59 Mark IX Jauar, '63 Buick Invicta Wagon, '66 Mustang, '69 Buick Sportwagon, and a '73 Pontiac Catalina Wagon. That's where I learned what my 4Runner should sound like and how it should behave. There are a lot of commonalities between vehicles. So something you learn on one vehicle many times can be either directly applied or transposed for another vehicle. Of course there are some things that are specialized for one vehicle, but that's rare.

Expand your body of knowledge. Ask friends to evaluate your 4Runner based upon their experiences. Ask questions here. Maintain it and repair it. But don't allow your fears about your 4Runner dictate what you can and can't do. It came from the factory with a lot of reliability built in. And many of the critical components like brakes, ECU, waterpump and alternator fail soft...In other words, they let you know something is going bad before they stop altogether.

Prepare as best you can, then get out of town and enjoy yourself.

Scofco

Just got back from a 5500km (3500 mile) round trip. No problems to report other than an alternator crapping out on me. ( $360! )

Dublin

OMG I can't believe anyone would be worried about their daily driver. Maintain and service your vehical regularly, that will normally give you a heads up tp problems. Sure somthing could go wrong, so could it with a new vehical. Every week I travel a least 500 to 600 miles and once a week a 210 mile drive (round trip). I've never even thought of the 178,000 miles on the rig, and have always run my Toyotas' beyond 250,000. when in doubt take it to your local wrench and ask him. My 2 cents.

outdoorfever

I was just thinking about you lastnight Scofco(meaning hadnt seen you on the site in forever)...those alternators suck. Where did you drive to?

Scofco

About 200 miles from home the alternator started to go. It finally had enough about 1200 miles later Luckily it happened right outside of a large city, so I managed to limp into town. At first they couldn't find a proper alternator, but they finally tracked one down at Napa. Napa was closed because it was Sunday, so I had to camp out in the shop parking lot for 25 hrs! Oiy!

I did a nice loop from Whitehorse, through Grande Prairie, down to Edmonton then Banff for an overnighter, then over to Calgary and back up through Edmonton to Whitehorse.

I couldn't have asked for better weather. Apparently I caught an indian summer, it was awesome!

Thanks for thinking of me. I can give you my home number if you want to talk... more privately

J/K

I hate seeing my truck like this: