ok so my dumb a** rolled my 4runner tonight off roading and im screwed. does anyone know what i tell my insurance? or if my car will start again? it was a very slow roll and didnt even break any windows. it just dented most of the panels and me and my buddies pushed it upright and then towed it to my friends house. is there anything i should do before trying to start it? oil leaked all over the place. is the engine totalled? i really need some advice on this one.. thanks

 

pictures would probably help- visualize the leaks... and how bad the damage is.

 

dont have any pics.... damage is very minimal i just wanna know if i should start the car after it has been upside down? im about to check the oil to see if there is enough to start the car

 

make sure there is the proper amount of fluids before trying to restart it.

 

From what ive seen of other guys that roll their rigs, if you didnt do a nose dive and crush the front of your runner then after you clean it up, it should start......now as for the damage to the body panels..... insurance may not cover it when using it for rock climbing
but i don't know glad your okay tho....

 

well i just checked the oil and there definately isnt enough so in the morning im gonna get a few quarts... is that all i should do or should i check anything else?

 

Where is the oil leaking from? I would also pull the spark plugs out to see if there is any oil inside. Sorry to hear about the roll, most of the time they are unexpected When I rolled mine last year it rolled a few times and landed right on the tires, the engine was still running and I drove it home the next day.

 

if insurance covers it, its going to be a comprehensive claim meaning your insurance rates will go up, if you even have thsi coverage, and your truck will be totalled.....

as for the fluids, jsut top them off, vehicles start up after a roll, unless there is some rollover switch, i dotn think the toyotas have them ,but when this happened to my old ford it tripped the switch

 

the only thing i am worried about starting it is if there is a leak in the block? i cant see how this could happen because of how slow i was going... but how else do you explain the huge loss of oil? it was on its top for about ten minutes so the oil had a lot of time to drain.

 

You're engine isn't totalled, it just needs a little love. Pull the plugs & clean them. With the plugs out, turn the engine by hand and spray quick start in the cylinders- this should help clean out the oil. Install you cleaned plugs, check your fluids and fire it up. After you're confident it's running OK, change the oil.

 

The biggest problem is oil draining into the cylinders and combustion chamber while the truck was on its top. That oil won't compress when the engine is cranked over or started, which will cause major damage. So the best thing to do is take the plugs out and crank the engine over by hand a few revolutions of the crank to be sure any oil on top of the pistons gets pushed out the spark plug holes.

Then check all your fluids and top off if necessary, and try to start it.

 

What year 4runner was it?
Any more details about the roll? climbing steep hill or sidehilling a trail?

 

valkyrie said a mouthful...best advice to follow

 

it is a 97 4wd with rear e-locker. exactly what happened: i went to climb this grass hill that was obviously out of my league and was very steep but not very tall (8 feet~) i went up but high centered the vehicle. then i put it in reverse and my hitch reciever dug into the ground and stopped me from going any further backwards. it was dark and i couldnt see what was next to me so i just tried to turn the wheel to the right like an idiot and it rolled down the small hill onto the roof where it stopped (so it was a half roll). then my buddies came and pushed it upright. no windows broken but there is quite a bit of body damage (sorry no pics now maybe tommorow) and the right fender rubs when turning. so my next step is to clean the plugs and turn the crank manually to clean out the cylinders. i really dont know how to turn the crank (im thinking there is a bolt that i use a ratchet to move?) any help on this one would be much appreciated.

 

use a breaker bar and a socket on the middle bolt on the crank pulley.

 

You don't need to crank it by hand, just take all the plugs out, disconnect the coil and crank it with the starter. Watch out for any oil that may spray out the plug holes.

 

Also have a good critical look around in the engine compt for anything that looks out of place. Most especially be sure the battery hasn't moved. Check to make sure the fan won't rub the radiator, stuff like that. Shouldn't be much wrong with such a gentle roll.

 

NO PROBLEM. and now you can Cut the roof off too.

The only thing I did was pop the spark plugs out and crack it over a few times. (This will squirt any oil out of the cylinders IF there is any.. and will prevent a hydro lock)

Cant be as bad as this !

 

I agree, but why bother disconnecting the coil?? It's not going to fire without plugs...

 

BEcause if it squirts atomized fuel out of the spark plug holes and one of the wires makes a spark, you can get you eyebrows singed.