- Joined
- May 18, 2015
- Threads
- 2
- Messages
- 7
- Location
- Golden, Colorado
- Website
- www.douglasvanbossuyt.com
A few weeks ago I picked up a 1988 4runner DLX wearing some gold/tan paint for $2200. The truck is largely rust-free aside from minor body panel cancer around the wheel wells. This is pretty amazing considering the truck has lived in Colorado its whole life. Total mileage when I picked it up was 154,000. The timing chain and chain guides were done about 10,000 miles ago. I don't have documentation to back that up but everything else the PO told me has been true.
The PO threw in a nearly new Softopper, a huge box of parts, a factory service manual and Haynes manual, and a laundry list of things he thought was wrong with it. He had been driving it with basically no brakes for a year or two. I limped it 30 miles home out of the mountains and back to Golden (WHERE THE WEST LIVES, or so the huge sign in the middle of town tells us). The front calipers were seized, front pads were completely shot, and the brake booster was rusted through. A quick trip to the local parts house and I had the brakes functioning normally again. Next up was a badly leaking clutch master cylinder. Brand new master and slave cylinders were included by the PO. He said he hated to bleed hydraulic systems so I guess his solution was to just keep adding fluid.
The PO had mentioned that occasionally the starter would stick and would need a tap from a long screwdriver. This happened to me while I was waiting in line for emissions testing. They failed me the first time because I had to tap on the starter to get it running. The second time the starter functioned the whole way through. I ended up replacing the starter with a remanufactured unit and did the fuel filter at the same time for good measure.
Now that it's summer (in spite of the rain we are getting here in Golden this week), I have the hard shell off and the softopper on. Basically it's the coolest truck ever. My Subaru is jealous.
Here are a few pictures of the last few weeks:
Up on Lookout Mountain with the Coors plant to the left of my truck.
I LOVE the softopper!
Baby's first time on dirt.
Yesterday I went out with Dan from the Rising Sun 4x4 Club to test my 4runner out in the dirt and rocks for the first time ever. More photos and a video of Dan getting stuck are here at my blog. I would NEVER have thought a bone stock 4runner would be so incredibly capable. Had Dan not been leading the way, I wouldn't have attempted those trails. I have mad respect for Toyota's engineers. This is a truly fine machine.
One "bad" thing happened yesterday though... Dan brought his wife's 1985 4runner with the solid front axle. Now my IFS just doesn't feel as good after having driven his. I guess a SAS project is in my future.
I've ordered up some sliders, tube doors (BECAUSE SUMMER!), and a front tube bumper with a winch platform. My plan is to go exploring this summer with Rising Sun 4x4 Club folks and friends driving non-Toyotas. I'll throw on a winch once the bumper arrives and I'll do some rewiring to have dual batteries. Otherwise, I am not planning to do any major modifications or additions this summer. Next winter, I expect that I will be doing a SAS project, regearing to 4.88:1, throwing in front and rear lockers, and moving up to 33" tires.
The only major outstanding issue that I need to solve with the truck is a somewhat severe front end shake at 50-55 MPH. It happens going straight but is not as bad turning right. Turning left doesn't seem to affect it. I haven't spent the time to search through the forums to find the answer yet but it is on the to-do list for tonight.
A minor issue is a potential lack of power. Other 4runner guys around Denver tell me that I should be able to maintain 55mph on the freeway all the way to Idaho Springs. On the steep sections, I was revving the piss out of the engine in 3rd gear to keep it at 45mph. The PO included a new distributor, new wires, and new spark plugs. Maybe I should put those in.
Another potential lurking problem is a noise that the PO said started 10,000 miles ago right after the timing chain and chain guide were done. At a certain RPM a bit above idle (I don't have a tach... yet), the sound happens. Seems to be worse when the engine first starts up and isn't hot yet but also happens when the engine has been running for a long time. It sounds like a belt squeal but the PO said that when he took it to a shop, they told him it was probably a bearing starting to spin in the engine. He didn't believe them and drove the truck another 10,000 miles without problem. When we get some nice evening weather, I will pull all of the belts off to try and see if the noise is still present. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a worn belt or pulley. Otherwise, ignorance is bliss, right?
One other thing is that I've noticed that the electrical system seems to be very anemic. I can't make the truck crawl in 4Low by only using the starter. I'm told that I should be able to do that. The starter acts like it is barely getting enough voltage or amperage. At some point I'll go through the wiring to identify the problem. My guess is either the battery (about 6 months old) has a plate that is failing or the wiring has some corrosion (maybe the ground?). With plans of winches, CBs, 2 meter radios, ALL OF THE OFF ROAD LIGHTS, and a general desire to never be That Guy on the trail, I already have plans to upgrade the alternator and drop in dual batteries.
This truck is truly great. Why didn't I have one sooner in my life?!
Oh and also this is my first post to the forum. Hopefully I didn't miss something in the n00b FAQ.
And for those who actually scrolled all the way down here, this is the video of Dan getting his 4runner stuck. His wife is going to be jealous that she didn't come along to play in the dirt when she sees this!
The PO threw in a nearly new Softopper, a huge box of parts, a factory service manual and Haynes manual, and a laundry list of things he thought was wrong with it. He had been driving it with basically no brakes for a year or two. I limped it 30 miles home out of the mountains and back to Golden (WHERE THE WEST LIVES, or so the huge sign in the middle of town tells us). The front calipers were seized, front pads were completely shot, and the brake booster was rusted through. A quick trip to the local parts house and I had the brakes functioning normally again. Next up was a badly leaking clutch master cylinder. Brand new master and slave cylinders were included by the PO. He said he hated to bleed hydraulic systems so I guess his solution was to just keep adding fluid.
The PO had mentioned that occasionally the starter would stick and would need a tap from a long screwdriver. This happened to me while I was waiting in line for emissions testing. They failed me the first time because I had to tap on the starter to get it running. The second time the starter functioned the whole way through. I ended up replacing the starter with a remanufactured unit and did the fuel filter at the same time for good measure.
Now that it's summer (in spite of the rain we are getting here in Golden this week), I have the hard shell off and the softopper on. Basically it's the coolest truck ever. My Subaru is jealous.
Here are a few pictures of the last few weeks:
Up on Lookout Mountain with the Coors plant to the left of my truck.
I LOVE the softopper!
Baby's first time on dirt.
Yesterday I went out with Dan from the Rising Sun 4x4 Club to test my 4runner out in the dirt and rocks for the first time ever. More photos and a video of Dan getting stuck are here at my blog. I would NEVER have thought a bone stock 4runner would be so incredibly capable. Had Dan not been leading the way, I wouldn't have attempted those trails. I have mad respect for Toyota's engineers. This is a truly fine machine.
One "bad" thing happened yesterday though... Dan brought his wife's 1985 4runner with the solid front axle. Now my IFS just doesn't feel as good after having driven his. I guess a SAS project is in my future.
I've ordered up some sliders, tube doors (BECAUSE SUMMER!), and a front tube bumper with a winch platform. My plan is to go exploring this summer with Rising Sun 4x4 Club folks and friends driving non-Toyotas. I'll throw on a winch once the bumper arrives and I'll do some rewiring to have dual batteries. Otherwise, I am not planning to do any major modifications or additions this summer. Next winter, I expect that I will be doing a SAS project, regearing to 4.88:1, throwing in front and rear lockers, and moving up to 33" tires.
The only major outstanding issue that I need to solve with the truck is a somewhat severe front end shake at 50-55 MPH. It happens going straight but is not as bad turning right. Turning left doesn't seem to affect it. I haven't spent the time to search through the forums to find the answer yet but it is on the to-do list for tonight.
A minor issue is a potential lack of power. Other 4runner guys around Denver tell me that I should be able to maintain 55mph on the freeway all the way to Idaho Springs. On the steep sections, I was revving the piss out of the engine in 3rd gear to keep it at 45mph. The PO included a new distributor, new wires, and new spark plugs. Maybe I should put those in.
Another potential lurking problem is a noise that the PO said started 10,000 miles ago right after the timing chain and chain guide were done. At a certain RPM a bit above idle (I don't have a tach... yet), the sound happens. Seems to be worse when the engine first starts up and isn't hot yet but also happens when the engine has been running for a long time. It sounds like a belt squeal but the PO said that when he took it to a shop, they told him it was probably a bearing starting to spin in the engine. He didn't believe them and drove the truck another 10,000 miles without problem. When we get some nice evening weather, I will pull all of the belts off to try and see if the noise is still present. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a worn belt or pulley. Otherwise, ignorance is bliss, right?
One other thing is that I've noticed that the electrical system seems to be very anemic. I can't make the truck crawl in 4Low by only using the starter. I'm told that I should be able to do that. The starter acts like it is barely getting enough voltage or amperage. At some point I'll go through the wiring to identify the problem. My guess is either the battery (about 6 months old) has a plate that is failing or the wiring has some corrosion (maybe the ground?). With plans of winches, CBs, 2 meter radios, ALL OF THE OFF ROAD LIGHTS, and a general desire to never be That Guy on the trail, I already have plans to upgrade the alternator and drop in dual batteries.
This truck is truly great. Why didn't I have one sooner in my life?!
Oh and also this is my first post to the forum. Hopefully I didn't miss something in the n00b FAQ.
And for those who actually scrolled all the way down here, this is the video of Dan getting his 4runner stuck. His wife is going to be jealous that she didn't come along to play in the dirt when she sees this!
