What do you think? (answers may influence a purchase - speak wisely ;) )

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babyfood1217

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Threads
12
Messages
30
Location
Whitewater, WI (S. Central/S. Eastern part of the
So I found another 4Rnr on Craigslist...

http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/car/302712480.html

Called the kid up, asked a few questions, forgot to ask a few, but the jist of what I do know about it is...

-1986 4Rnr
-22re motor
-152,xxx miles
-shifts fine *
-4wd engages/operates smoothly **
-idles/run fine ***
-stock suspension
-32" tires
-steering is fine - big tires rub at full lock (no lift, old springs, no sh*t)
-clutch is a little soft from the start, but seems to work better after being used a bit

I don't know how much rust is on the body/frame. Obviously a little is fine, but tons of rust/rot is no good (at least for me.) Don't know how the brakes are, if the exhaust is decent, how the vehicle heats up. This thing will be more of a daily driver for a while, so tons of work needing to be done is really not desirable for me. Now my questions for you all...

* - He said when in Reverse, it really chugs and runs poorly (but only at lower speeds. Up the RPM's and it works better). I thought idle was perhaps low, but that would affect forward gears as well, and those seem to be ok. Would there be anything, other than tranny issues, that would make a vehicle work poorly in Reverse but not in the forward gears?

** - He said he can "hear the driveshaft." To me that sounds like u-joint problems. If it is, no biggie, I can replace those. But what else would make a person hear a driveshaft??

*** - He said he recently turned down the idle speed because it was running a little high. Now in my experience, when idle speed needs adjusting, it's either because something needs attending to, or something else was done to the motor to necessitate a change. Thoughts?

Obviously, being able to look at the truck in person and give a little test drive will provide some more insight, but I'm really strapped for dough right now, and if this truck really isn't worth what he's asking, I'd like to know so I can either offer less, or pass it up.

I appreciate any and all responses, because I really want a decent platform to start my replacement with.

Thanks all.

-Chris
 
My thoughts are that he probably doesn't know where the fuel filter is, they suck on 22re's. It could be a driveshaft U-joint, but make sure it's not the pinion bearing in the rear, they can cause a very similar vibration to a u-joint. It would be worth it to take it to a good toyota mechanic and have them give it a real good lookover, compression test, test drive, and pull codes. The truck will throw codes, and the check engine light will turn off, but the codes will still be there. I've done this many times and even if I had to pay the guy 50 bucks to look at the truck for an hour or two, it potentially saved me thousands of dollars in mechanic work, or hundreds in parts and a lot of my time/having my vehicle down. Has it sat for a long time? If you look at it take a screwdriver with you and put the metal end up to the frame and give the handle a swift whack. Do it all over the frame, if it is soft, your screwdriver will dent it, or even go right through. If you feel comfortable with it, pull the interior panels by the back seats, and in the cargo area to look for rust. You'll find some, almost guarenteed, but youll have a better idea of how bad it is.
 
Haha, that's kind of funny, I had an 89 4Runner with a set of 33's and those same exact ugly wheels on it. That Runner does look pretty clean though, I bet it needs a fuel filter. Wierd that it's parked in front of a NAPA and it has problems :rolleyes: , no wonder I always get the wrong part when I order from my local NAPA, they don't even know their own trucks :lol: .
 
I think it is strange that this thing has been posted for almost two months and it still isn't sold.The kid has obviously been tampering with it(you never turn on the idle adjustment on a computer controlled vehicle to correct idle problems).The driveshaft noise is probably worn slip yoke on driveshaft i have run into that often enough,all though the other guy is right when he said it could be pinion bearing they will make a singing noise most pronounced under load.if it is pinion bearing it would be better than driveshaft since you can get a used third member cheaper than rebuilding a driveshaft.Sounds like a project to me that the kid gave up on.Could be a good project although you would be better off in the long run spending a little more and getting one that is running and operateing properly from the get go.I know that personally I have spent so much on PROJECT vehicles that I could have went out and bought one that was already in good mechanical condition and than spent the money on goodies like tires and lift kits.
 
Well hopefully I'll at least get a chance to take a look at it this weekend. The kid who is selling it kind of wierds me out. Call him up today to see if I can ride out and meet him to look at the truck. "Well, I gotta work." Alright, maybe this weekend I can see it right? "Well, if it's not sold by Sunday I'm gonna give it to a buddy." WTF?! Woudn't you try to be a little cooperative if it meant a potential exchange of money rather than a gift to a friend? Anyhoo, I'm gonna try to see it this weekend and check some things out.

As for the NAPA thing, ha get this. My girlfriend works at NAPA and has for the past 5 years. Totally schools me on auto-mechanical stuff. Built up a '98 YJ with skyjacker 4.5", 33's and discos, not geared and locked yet, but high-flow intake, dynomax exhaust (I believe), new headers, and a few other tidbits. As soon as she gets finished putting the new motor in her 1984 VW rabbit, the search for lockers will begin. Girl is a dream, and she doesn't mess around with the NAPA. Knows what she's doing, and has most definitely helped me out quite a bit keeping my replacement ('90 jeep XJ) operating. She's a keeper.

Wish me luck on that 4rnr. I'm itching to get another.

-Chris
 
i would buy it just because i know how bullet p. these rigs are. The fuel im sure is a easy fix dont stress over that(fuel filter maybe). These rigs are known to have the front bearing go out in front of the tranny. Ive been running on this probelem for 30 thousand miles. It will make noise in the front and may have a little slack or rough feeling in the tranny. Easy fix new bearing(90 bucks):cheers:
 
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