2001 toyota 4runner -question for those in the know

[hrjaw]

I figured I would ask the toyota folks this question. Right Now I have a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee but I have the opportunity to purchase a 2001 4runner - 3.4 sr5. I have always liked this body style, and i love the fact that the rear window slides down into the gate and the sunroof will be nice too. (yes, i know, the important stuff). the truck is in excellent shape, no dents dings, etc. it does need a transmission, and has approx. 130,000 miles. it seems to have pretty much all the options except leather, which I prefer not to have. the owner said it has a center diff lock. he is pretty firm on the price of $1,500. What do you guys think? worth pulling the trigger? new tires, new bilstein shocks and struts, front and rear diff had a new fluid change, etc.

 

[7wt]

$1500? I am sure you mean $15,000 don't you?

 

[98roamer]

No question. I don't think he is right about the "center diff lock" but still even with the price of a new installed tranny, that's a good deal.

 

[hrjaw]

$1500? I am sure you mean $15,000 don't you?

no, $1,500. it does need a tranny and has 130,000 miles.

 

[woodeye]

Are you kidding me, buy it. Find out what they used the truck for becauce
abuse is the first thing that comes to mind with a tranny that has only 130k
on it. I have 02 that had 70k on that I bought last JUly for under 12k w/ an
auto loaded except for leather. Even if its a 2wd thats a buy and I just saw
a tranny on Boston CL for $250 and no CL killers to be found any where.:hehe:

Good luck
Woody

 

[hrjaw]

No question. I don't think he is right about the "center diff lock" but still even with the price of a new installed tranny, that's a good deal.

I wasn't sure about the center diff as well, but he keeps insisting it has one. stupid question - how can I check if it has one?

 

[hrjaw]

Are you kidding me, buy it. Find out what they used the truck for becauce
abuse is the first thing that comes to mind with a tranny that has only 130k
on it. I have 02 that had 70k on that I bought last JUly for under 12k w/ an
auto loaded except for leather. Even if its a 2wd thats a buy and I just saw
a tranny on Boston CL for $250 and no CL killers to be found any where.:hehe:

Good luck
Woody

i thought it was a good price as well woody. he said he used it for work, on the road a lot. can you give me a link to that tranny as I am going to need one soon (hopefully if this actually pans out)

 

[Bighead]

Yes it has a center diff lock switch...all part of the multi-mode 4WD system on the 01-02s.

 

[woodeye]

Its for a 4.0 but don't know what the differance is?

http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/pts/1146093668.html

try any CL go to auto parts and type in Toyota

Woody

 

[hrjaw]

Its for a 4.0 but don't know what the differance is?

http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/pts/1146093668.html

try any CL go to auto parts and type in Toyota

Woody

Thank you!

 

[laxtoy]

first, is it a manual or auto? i replaced the manual in my 3.4l taco at 150,000 miles due to burnt bearings, and it is not all that uncommon to see them go for bad bearings and synchros. i drive about 75% heavy city traffic, so that, some heavy loads and off road use i am sure were contributors, as well as not knowing the vehicle's history for the first 100,000 miles. it cost me $300 for a used r150 (make sure you get the year right, the 89-94 trucks also had the r150, but set up for a passenger side drop on the transfer case), then another $500 for a new rear main seal, front and rear input shaft seals, a clutch kit, and fluids, did the swap in about 8 hours. if it's an auto, you're looking at a significantly higher price tag to get them rebuilt and possibly for a replacement. i would still agree, $1500 is a screaming deal

 

[hrjaw]

to answer some questions, it is an automatic. i did some digging around on ttora.com and ih8mud.com. it seems that some of the 01 and 02 4runners had transmission issues that hit right around this kind of mileage, so it seems that this one was a victim of the same issue. looking at it today after my nephews b-day party. i will keep you posted.

 

[hrjaw]

Follow up - I ended up buying the 4runner as it was immaculate. honestly, it looked like it was right off of the showroom floor. now the bad news is that the transmission is indeed shot. disconnected the solenoid harness to see if we could manually shift it and nothing. it does not shift at all and in fact the truck did not move an inch.

so my question is, are all 4runner transmissions interchangeable? if not, what years can I work with.

thanks for all the help,
Roger

 

[ttora4runner]

I would assume any on the 96-02 4runner v6 auto transmissions would work.

Pics.

 

[seanz0rz]

01 and 02 use the same transmission and had problems, like you have found out.

99 and 00 have a different transmission, with a similar available AWD/4WD transfercase (thats your locking center differential)

96-98 may have the same trans as the later 99-00, but im not exactly sure on that.

if all you want to do is a direct bolt up, i HIGHLY recommend you stay with an 01-02 trans. it will be a direct swap, nothing to worry about other than the potential for it to fail later in life. do some research over at ultimateyota and see what you can come up with. yotatech is another site, but often times good tech gets replaced by bad opinions.

if you want to swap to a 99-00 transmission/tcase, you will need to find one, and i seriously doubt the wiring is the same, so the ECT module will also have to be swapped, and probably the wiring harness too.

you got a KILLER deal, so replacing that transmission is NOTHING!!! if you lived on this side id help you, but you should have no trouble finding people at ultimate yota that are in your area and willing to lend a helping hand.

hope the shameless plug for another website wont get me in trouble, but i think a more 3rd gen 4runner specific site would really help in this very specific situation.