Originally Posted by slow_xc_star

so i might have to take this 150 mile trip north soon. I am scerd to drive my second gen 170k mile 4Runner. i do not drive it much out of my town. maybe once or twice a month i drive it 50 miles to another city. about a week ago i drove on the interstate at about 70 for probably 15 miles...first time i have done that, usually its no more than 60 to wherever i go. Part of this trip is on the interstate so about 70 miles will be going 65mph. Think it will be ok? i have not had any probs with my truck while driving, but a couple times when i stop at a light it died or my rpms would idle really low like 3-5 hundred and then jump a little and die. or i stop somewhere and turn off my engine and when i leave it will start up and the rpms will jump and then die immediatley or they will just jump really low for 5 seconds and then die...its weird

Originally Posted by carose725

i drove mine on a 350 mile trip two weekends in a row to go camping even towing a bass tracker fishing boat. Ran fine the whole way. If your worried do yourself and your truck a favor (TUNER UP). Fresh oil & filter, New plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotor button, fuel filter, air filter, pcv valve, and posibly o2 sensor if you dont mind spending a few bucks. then reset your ecu. U should notice a nice change in your engine quality. I did all that when i got mine, and could definately tell a good change. Then drive her anywhere you want.

Originally Posted by ken.vs.ryu

do you recommend i get all the spares from the dealer?

Originally Posted by 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.

Originally Posted by 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.

Originally Posted by 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!
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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.