Hi all,
I recently bought a '98 2wd, 4 cyl, almost perfect Runner that was listed as a '97 v-6 with a blown motor. It sounded horrible and loud, and shook terribly when trying to drive it. I was so sure it needed a motor (admittedly no great feat fooling me!), I bought one listed for $700, so I could limit my downtime.
After getting the vehicle and motor to my friend's shop, it took my friend @ 15 seconds to tell me the motor was running great, but that the exhaust was blown just under the manifold, and also that the front u-joint took a direct hit from something...yehaaawwwww! The combination of the two, the loud noise and the wobbling caused by the u-joint, made his dopey mechanic think the motor was toast. $40 for welding the exhaust, $20 for the u-joint, and a big tip for my friend, and I own this beauty for 2 Geezels! Very good deal for me.
I think I have a buyer for the motor as well, so I won't have to eat my mistake. Although, having a nice replacement motor around ready to go would be nice.
I recently bought a '98 2wd, 4 cyl, almost perfect Runner that was listed as a '97 v-6 with a blown motor. It sounded horrible and loud, and shook terribly when trying to drive it. I was so sure it needed a motor (admittedly no great feat fooling me!), I bought one listed for $700, so I could limit my downtime.
After getting the vehicle and motor to my friend's shop, it took my friend @ 15 seconds to tell me the motor was running great, but that the exhaust was blown just under the manifold, and also that the front u-joint took a direct hit from something...yehaaawwwww! The combination of the two, the loud noise and the wobbling caused by the u-joint, made his dopey mechanic think the motor was toast. $40 for welding the exhaust, $20 for the u-joint, and a big tip for my friend, and I own this beauty for 2 Geezels! Very good deal for me.
I think I have a buyer for the motor as well, so I won't have to eat my mistake. Although, having a nice replacement motor around ready to go would be nice.
Keep the motor. Build it up, and have it ready to drop in when needed. $700 is cheap for a good spare motor! All you need now is a transfer case, straight axle, and good fabricator, and your set!
