Hey all,
I was just wondering what type of things you all have had to replace on your 4Runner or trucks. It would be interesting to see if there are any trends going on with repairs.

For my '90 4Runner that I have had for a year and a half, I have replaced the following:

O2 sensor
power antennae
front heat/ac blower switch
power steering pump

I need to have the following replaced:

Knock sensor
need rear wiper arm
something wrong with brakes (feels like warped rotor, I think)

Well, would be interesting to see you all's list.
Have fun.
DH6twinotter

 

Have owned ny 89 for about 6 months, replaced; radator, water pump. Added silly cheap stuff I got good deals on, radio faceplate (always chewed up on 1st gens) , installed sunroof, custom rear speaker boxes (again, almost always chewed up on 1st gens), roll bar pad, floor mats, map light.
Will soon do tires, clutch, but having some engine trouble and may go ahead and drop a new engine first... kinda pissed about that one, just did the timing chain.

 

Nothing since I have had my truck but right before I got it the power steering pump died. Oh ya and my Power antenna is also dead. My truck has 96K on it.

 

Seeing that I have had my 4Runner for 8 years now, I have replaced:

Both brakes front and rear
Tires- only once
Shocks
Steering stabilizer
Timing Belt
Head Gasket-TSB
Better Rims
Head Lights-Twice
Drive Belts
Radiator Hoses

The only Repairs I've had done were:

A sensor-can't remember which
Transmission pan-dealership screwed it up and caused transmission to overheat-luckly trans. was not damaged.
Some A/C componants-can't remember which


P.S. If you think your brakes are warped, make sure your lug nuts are properly tighened. Mine had some loose and some real tight and it made me believe that my brakes were warped. Dealership caused.
:pat:

 

I've had mine for a bit over a year now. The only necessary replacements were the inner/outer ring on the rear axle (passenger-side). That's all I can think of here.

Al

 

nothing
knock on wood

 

Let's see how much I can remember I haven't had to have much replaced/repaired in the little over a year that i've had my truck, but some of them ended up being fairly costly :mad:

-Power Steering Gear Box... twice (The original started leaking, had it replaced, the replacement <which was a rebuilt one> was leaking a few days later, had it replaced again with a brand new one and it works perfectly )

-Radiator (once... I started hearing this tapping kind of noise and smelled anti-freeze. Looked under hood, thought I just overfilled the coolant, thought nothing of it, drove home, as i'm pulling in my driveway, my truck overheats, and stalls. Had a nice crack on the front of my radiator, and it was squirting coolant onto my fan which made that tapping sound)

-Tires (within the first couple of weeks of owning it)

-Shocks (3 times :mad: )

-Brakes (New Rotors 3 times, new pads 6 times... hehe no I don't drive with my foot on the brake, or slam on my brakes constantly. When I first got my truck, it needed some work (new tires, shocks, brakes) so I took it to a friend of my dad's who has a shop close to where I live, and he said that he could do all that for me. So I got it all done <including brake pads and new rotors all around> About a week later, my brakes start squeaking really bad. So I take it back to this guy to have him check them out. He tells me that i've been riding my brakes too hard, and my rotors are warped. I ask him if they're under any kind of warranty because they're less than a week old, and he started bitching about it, and said yes. So he replaced the rotors and pads again. And told me that he won't warranty them again if I keep driving like I do <which is very strange, because I like to think that I'm a good driver, and I don't ride the brakes. I slow down way before stop lights and stop signs> And low and behold, a week later <almost to the day> my brakes start squeaking AGAIN. So I take it back to him again, and he gives me his whold song and dance, "Oh you must drive like a maniac, and that's why your brakes are shot again" so I not so kindly told him to F$%# himself and told him he lost all my families business. And As I was getting in my truck to drive to a much better mechanic <a block away > tells me to come back and he'll do the brakes agan at cost. I just ignored him and drove down the street <as he watched me> to the other mechanic. Got my truck back in a few hours, and haven't had a problem with my brakes since

-Starter

-Alternator (hehehe I think I spelled it wrong)

-Battery (only once, i'm hoping I'll leave the lights on, so I have an excuse to get an Optima Red Top )

-Head Lights (replaced with these Sylvania Super Blue headlights, $10 each at Pep Boys, and they're really good)

-Resonator (hehe I wish it had happened a few weeks later, because I could of just taken it out. But it's only a $25 part, so it's not too bad)

-A Couple of cracked belts (I forgot which ones)

-Head Gasket- TSB (Before I bought it)

-Timing Belt (Before I bought it)

That's all I can remember off hand. I need to get my driver side rear window motor replaced also, but i've been putting that off, because I never use that window And the motor is expensive.

And just a heads up, if any of you ever need to get any work done in Escondido California. NEVER take any of your cars or truck to Jones Brothers Brakes (They're the guys who screwed up my brakes so much, not to mention when they installed my shocks they didn't tighten half the bolts, or use most of the bushings). When I can't do work myself on my truck, I take mine to Escondido Auto Tech. They're a great shop, and they're honest, and they'll tell you straight out what's going on.

-Braden

 

have a 2001 tacoma and have had to replace rear bumper and brackets-four wheeling sorta took it off somehow, and had to replace the stock coils and add some more springs in the back for some reason, but now it seems to be more somewhat like it should be, hah.

 

I'll try to remember the repairs. The mods are another subject.

Engine stuff:
Head Gasket (recall)
Timing Belt
Accessory Belts
Radiator and Hoses
Two Batteries
O2 Sensor

Suspension stuff:
Shocks (more of a mod than repair)
Rear Springs (same)
Steering Stabilizer (ordered, not in yet)
Two sets of tires
One third set of rotors and many sets of pads, drum shoes only once or twice.

Body/Interior:
Rust fixed under rear doors at front of rear wheelwells and top of tailgate.
Some door weatherstripping
Power antenna replaced once (broken again - I bought a fixed mast assembly to put on - maybe next week)
Factory CD Player quit (Aftermarket unit going in)
Rear window switch
Rear window power motor
Lock cores (all are pretty shot, not fixed yet - expensive :cry: )
Cup holder tray (not strong enough for daily use with heavy stainless mugs full of java)
Speedo Head - broke at 41K miles. New one has about 70K on it.
Two sets of Headlight Bulbs (once for repair - once for mod)
Misc. Interior/Exterior Bulbs
Console Armrest

I think that's it.

I bought the vehicle in May of 1995 with 14K miles on it. It now has about 111K. Never garaged and driven daily.

 

I've had my 89 since 1998

It has been very reliable mechanically and the only replacements have been

Front brake pads
Resurface front rotors
valve cover gasket
muffler
replaced pass side CV boot because I tore it on a rock

Of course in the normal maintenance it has its tuneups and oil changes.

 

I have only had my 91 sr5 v6 manual tranny 4runner for about 3 months. It needed tires when I got it. Got Dayton All Terrains- nice ride, and much! quieter than the Dayton MudRunners 31/10.5's that were on it. Also, I went to 235's and the runner feels much more adequately powered. I thought it was working pretty hard to turn the 31's. Other needs- front boots cracked, 1st gear pops out. I replaced the whole front cv axles last week on both sides rather than just replace the boots. They were $70 each rebuilt, pretty cheap. Next i need to address the first gear problem. My initial estimates to repair the tranny are in the $1500 range. From what I have been told, they need to pull the whole tranny and transfer box and tear down the tranny to visually inspect the gears and synchro type parts. Who is best to go to for a job like this- dealer, transmission specialists, or a private garage that does some of everything. I have heard that some single garage guys can do this work at a much lower price but are they generally reliable with this type of work? Seems kind of specialized to me. Two other things I keep hearing about are the timing belt and the head gasket on this site. There is a sticker under the hood that would enter the date the timing belt was replaced, but there is no entry. The motor is at 146000 miles. How do you know if it needs to be replaced. Are there any forewarnings or ways to inspect the belt? Also the head gasket recall should probably be checked. How do you find out if this procedure has previously been performed. Vin number? Where do you check. I love this Toyota- it drives like a new vehicle with 146,000 miles. I prefer driving it to my 2000 Tahoe with 60000 miles. Even with no 1st gear. I have gotten pretty used to that. Good luck runners, and any feedback on some of these points would be appreciated.
jimber

 

Drivers side cv-axle because the boot tore and I didn't catch it right away.

 

Hey all!
Well, there doesn't seem to be any trends with any maintenance issues. I reckon that's good! It looks like a lot of us with 3VZ-E engines have had our head gaskets recalled (not me though) and a few of us have had our power antennae replaced. Looks like most of us has done our timing belt too. I forgot about that myself. Mine was done about 4 months before I got my truck. Nice sticker right on the front cover.

jimber00--If your timing belt hasn't already been replaced, I would go ahead and do it. If it does bust while your engine is running it won't do any damage since it is a belt. Your engine will just shut down. Don't take my word for it though, somebody please correct me if I'm wrong. As far as your head gasket goes, call a Toyota dealer and give them your VIN number. They should be able to see. I'd try several just to make sure. From what I understand, all '91 have the recall. The dealer may be able to give you some info about your timing belt too.

Well, have fun! This has been interesting.
DH6twinotter

 

Yep- power antenna too
Head gasket- two Toy-Stealers in town said it wasn't covered and then when it finally blew I took it to a third dealer and they took care of it for me, go figure...
Lost the radiator last summer 'wheeling in Colorado. It was a defective weld at the outlet and couldn't be re-welded. It was a blessing in disguise becauese the guys at CW radiator in Frisco see this problem all the time with the 2nd gens and hooked me up with a heavy duty radiator and a lo-temp thermostat that immediately gave me better low-end perf.
Replaced the sagged-out rear springs with PP 1" coils and added an Air Lift kit with remote compressor for a total lift of 2.5" and leveled everything quite nicely (I can add air for an additional 1-2" of lift if needed). With the Edelbrock IAS shocks it is smoth on the road and firms up in the rough stuff.
Replaced the steering stabilizer this past week with an OME only to find out that I'd been driving for who knows how long with a blown stock unit. That OME is one BIG sucker!
Ditched the Bridgestones for BFG AT/KO's and so far love 'em- buy them at Sears on sale- it seems to be the best price around. I paid $118 ea for my 32x11.5x15's.
Engine- other than the usual tune-up stuff, I replaced my battery with an Orbital battery from NAPA. Same as the Red-Top but I figured if it ever needed replacing I could find a NAPA dealer quicker than an Optima dealer if I was out in the boonies.

 

well i have had my truck for a year now nothing has to be replaced only sounds i have is when i reverse it i get a sound from my rear drum breaks

 

I've had my 91 4Runner since it was new and I had to replace the following (excluding stuff like tires, oil filter, air filter) over the past 158,000 miles:

- Head Gasket

- Power antenna

- Power steering hose (not the pump). I used some stop leak stuff for the pump a couple years ago after getting the hose replaced because I had a slight leak. It supposedly treats the gaskets and seals. Since doing that, the leak has not reappeared

- Timing belt twice at 60K and 120K

- Starter

- Alternator

- Shocks

- Rear springs

- Muffler twice

- Battery twice

- Brake pads

- Miscellaneous fasteners:
- Round "button pops" for door panels
- Clips for front grille

I've been fortunate not to have any body rust, but I do have some rust on my the left side of the rear bumber.

 

Let's see,
I bought my truck about 16 months ago, and i have put the following into it since then:

Timing belt replacement
Radiator
Thermostat
Intake kit (no more silencers for me)
headlights
Transmission (still working on regaining my 4wd ability)
tires
Need an O2 sensor
Body rot is quite annoying
Rear hatch switch going wacky (Rear Door light keeps turning on and off when i hit bump in the road)
Fog lights(PIAA 520 Yellow beam)
Front brakes
Distributer cap, rotor and wires
Spark plugs (Bosch Platinum +4)


Interior:
Seperate System battery
3 amplifiers
3 way crossover
Alpine head unit
Alpine processor
Custom kick panels in front to hold 6 1/2" speakers
2 12" subs
Custom overhead pods to hold 6 1/2" speakers in rear
Auxilary power outlets (AC power outlet to be coming soon)
Custom switches for neons and accesories


I guess I'll see what the future has to offer.....4Runnin' till the day i die!

 

2 more points for power antannae!

I forgot about a couple more things. I had to replace my ingnition switch. I also need to get new lock sylinders for the doors and tail gates. The dealer wants an arm and a leg for those things. I can live with it for now.

Well, have fun.
DH6twinotter

 

Hey DH6twinotter,

Why do you need to get new locks? Is it because it's hard to turn the key? If so, you might want to try picking up something lik Lock-Ease by AGS. It's graphited lock fluid--you spray it in and it dries leaving graphite. It'll make the locks feel like new. You can pick up a bottle at Home Depot for a few bucks.

If there's something else wrong with them, you might try a locksmith to get your locks changed. I actually got mine done for free because NTB lost my key when I dropped it off for new tires a few years back. I know they didn't go to the dealer, and I'm sure it's cheaper. I haven't had any problems with them (and it's been about 4 years).

 

My passenger door has a broken key in it and my tail gate is pretty particular on how far in I put my key. Usually take a few tries to get the key to turn. Lots of wiggling and pulling in and out. :mad: The driver's door works fairly good. If you think that stuff at Home Depot will work, I might try it. I'll just have to figure out how to get the key out.

Well, have fun.
DH6twinotter