New '90 SR5 owner, couple questions for the gurus

[jfwhite]

Hi everyone, my name is James, and I’m from Brooklyn, NYC. I’ve been modding subies for years and years but I’ve always wanted a yota and the right opportunity just came up. I’m the new owner of a ‘90 SR5 and I’ve got a few questions. Hopefully I’m not repeating anything covered in a FAQ.

For the most part, the new truck is in really nice shape. I bought it from a guy who owned it the last 17 years / 90k miles, and he did a lot of maintenance. Just about everything works, including the 4x4 stuff and AC. It does need a few small things, and I’d appreciate a little input from everyone. Here’s a couple pics from when I bought it:

First issue is the exhaust is totally rotted out. The cat and front o2 are original and seem to still be good. Is it worth replacing behind the cat w/ a kit off ebay, or am I best off just buying pipe / cat / muffler separately and putting something together myself. I’m getting about 17-18 mpg w/ a 5spd on stock tires, does that sound about right?

The ebrake cable has rusted and snapped. Should I get a new cable or jerry-rig this one together?

The power antenna is still working but seems a little noisy. Honestly never had a car with a functioning power antenna, should I just lube this with wd40 or wait for it to die and get something I can mount in the cab?

Finally, the last time the tbelt was changed was 12 years ago, at 73k. The truck now has 143k on it. How soon do I need to replace this again? Is it safe to wait a few months?

Thanks guys!

 

[85+92]

change the Tbelt for sure

buy a new ebrake cable cheap easy and Ebrakes are good

the antenna you can get a new mast I put a remote slim one behind my apillar inside my 90 4runner

the exhaust depends on your wallet if you can afford a nice aftermarket to that but if you get just get a walker setup from your local parts store

 

[toyminator]

If you have to pass smog tests where you live make sure you cat still has all the stuff inside it. Otherise just replace with the muffler/tailpipe kit.

The ebrake probably broke because the mechanisn siexed up at the rear brak drums - common problem. make sure you clean that up and just replace the cable. repair is a waste of time because it will probably just break somewhere else.

I'd use a silicone spray on the antenna. WD40 is alcohol based and will evaporate quickly.

Timing belts are usually good for 100-120k miles. As long as all the other stuff like water pump, tensioner pulleys etc were repalced when the 1st time you should be good for a while.

The 3.0 engines are notorious for blown head gaskets so keep a close eye on the engine temps.

Oh, and ditch those gay looking running boards.

If you ever need a source for used parts that are shippable there is a guy on Marlin Crawlers forum who sells stuff at resonable prices. Here is a link. http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=39620.0

 

[pappy]

Gentleman, where are your manners? A newbie comes on board and you promptly just start answering questions without a proper greeting! Shame on you.

JFWHITE, welcome to our little slice of MUD <- offical and proper way to welcome new folks.

As far as parts. You have two choices for the ebrake cable. Boneyard, or dealer. If you ever need dealer parts, especially junk that will clean out your wallet, or worse, bank account, you need to be familiar with CruiserDan here at MUD. He runs the parts department at a dealer in New Mexico and sells to MUDDERS at 25% off list. Ya, there are others out there, but Dan is a true cruiser head and a walking Toyota parts encyclopedia. You should be able to find him under the Vendor's tab, American Toyota.

If the antenna is anything like other Toyota masts, it can be replaced very easily.

Also, as others derived from your post, based on the timing belt, you have a V6 engine. Sometimes it's best to say that up front so we don't start answering questions as if you have the finest gas engine Toyota ever made, the mighty 22RE.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

Your mileage sounds about right for the v-6. Consider a cat back bolt on exhaust, specifically stock Toyota. Look out for spreading rust around the tailpipe. Treat it with POR-15 or another rust inhibiting paint.

 

[85+92]

granted OE is bester...but most parts stores should be able to get ALL the ebrake cables...and FYI most off-road events require some sort of e/parking brake

 

[Hilux]

Corrosion: Take care of your truck, and it'll take care of you...

That chrome thing on the front fender will more than likely trap any salt that accrues... So will the places the plastic covers on the running boards.

Have a look at the under side of those and you'll take them off... Toyota only chromed one side.


I'd wash that thing religiously in the winter and try my best to use only hot water...

Then I'd get a garden prayer and fill it with some type of oil and periodically spray the under carriage...


Also, body seams. Those are IMO the hardest and most complex places to fix. So $$$ cha ching if you have to have it done.

I'd get on the corrosion, and stay it as best I could. The cab looks fine so far, and since beds are easier to obtain and swap I consider their importance secondary...


Good luck...

And some things you should know about the V6... When you do the T belt, you do the water pump since it works off the belt. It's recommended you change 3 things when you do a belt job; The belt, the pump and the tensioner... You do these things b/c of the complexity of the job and there's no use going in there 3x. Like doing a rear main when you put a clutch in... When in Rome...

And you should always, at the vary least, use a Toyota OEM belt since the QC is the highest.
Water pumps too, but since "Toyota parts" and "inexpensive" don't go together I can see it getting overlooked... The belt, no. Never!

FWIW, all the stock parts, plugs, wires, caps, water pumps, etc. are the highest quality... If you need parts, call a guy on here named "CDan" Or "Cruiser Dan". He's got a line on parts nobody can beat...

And IIRC, orders over $100 the shipping is free.

 

[Hilux]

oh, and.... nanny-nanny boo-boo! to you!

 

[jfwhite]

haha, yes, gay running boards definitely need to go. You should have seen the cap that came with this thing when I bought it!

Appreciate the words of wisdom so far. Rust is definitely an issue on this truck (as it is for anything 20 years old and in the NE) but I don't think I'm going to worry about it until the spring. After the winter, plan is to remove cab and bed, por15 the frame, cut out the rust around the wheel arches and install a set of plastic flares. That's the plan anyway.

The cat can't be doing much after 20 years and 145k, I think I'm going to just cut it out and sell for scrap. I do have one more smog test but I bet it will pass even without a cat. I have the last 7 tests the truck's been through and its barely even registered on the test equipment.

Looks like I should make a little list and get in touch with CruiserDan.

 

[Tools R Us]

...
And IIRC, orders over $100 the shipping is free.

Unfortunately this is no longer true, but Dan is a great parts source. Best bet is to call, PM is much slower.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/ih8mud-com-vendor-marketplace/17873-getting-cruiserdan.html