Advice from the gurus

[Claimjumper]

Hi all, let me introduce myself. My name is Chris, I live in Boise and I am 42. I currently own an 89 toyota extracab and I am looking at buying a 4runner for desert use. I sold my '88 samurai last week after realizing that I needed something bigger for the family (and getting sick of the 50 mph top speed). Today I came across a '92 4runner with a 5spd and 22RE. It is cheap and in good general condition and has AC, plus it is all manual, like no power windows, door locks or anything, unlike the others out there I have seen. What do ya'll think about it? I know about the 3.0 head gasket issues and most of them I see have pretty high mileage in my price range. I will want to upgrade the bumpers, give it a little lift and run 31x10.50s. Most of the driving I do is longer distance and I am hoping the 22RE will get decent mileage while getting me there. I may want to do a gearing change as first seems a little high and the bigger tires won't help the power issue. I know from my past experience that I need more gas and spare tires. The roads out here are so ****ty that I don't need to be able to go very fast. My Pickup came from my work and it has made many, many trips out into the Owyhee Desert of Idaho/Oregon in all conditions so I am confident in the 4runners longevity. Opinions?

 

[Cackalak Han]

What is your budget? 22RE's are great, but they do get bogged down when you start stacking on the weight. IMO, you should at least get a 3.4L V6 (3rd Gen 4Runners). It will haul your family and gear, plus 32" tires with ease. It's also a very reliable engine.

I've seen some 3rd Gen's go for around $5-6k with around 120k miles. But that 92 with the 22RE should satisfy your needs, too.

 

[Claimjumper]

My budget is cheap. This 4runner is pretty clean and only 2200$. I figure another 1000 for tires, cheap lift and I should be good. I drove a 3.4 and I loved it, but here in Idaho they are expensive, and honestly I don't want a payment. Nobodys job is very secure right now...Heck I have been driving a samurai with a lift and stock motor, nothing will ever feel underpowered to me now!

 

[Poorboyota26]

I have a 1st gen 4 runner. They suck on long trips and in the hills. The 22re is so stinkin slow and you get tired of it pretty fast. The 2nd gens have 900# on the 1st gens so it's even worse.

My .02: Get a 2nd gen with a blown 3.0 you can get them clean in good shape for 500 or less. get a 3.4 out of a later model. swap it in. The 3.0 has the same block as the 3.4 and the motor mounts and trans. are the same. You can get a wire harness modified to the 3.4 computer for pretty cheap I know a guy that does em for 150. You will love the power and still get 18 MPG's with bumpers and extra fuel. while still hitting your $2200 mark.

500 for 4 runner
1500 for motor/ecu/autotrans.
200 for misc.
1000 for tires (with the 3.4 you don't even have to change gears for 31's)
= LOTS of fun

 

[Claimjumper]

Thanks for the advice poorboyota. I will look into the 3.4 conversion for sure.

 

[ntsqd]

hum, Patch (as I call it) has a 22R (CARB!) and while it no speed demon it gets me there. I'm on 33-10.50's and 4.88's with a tall bed shell. Last two combined driving tanks (85 mile commute + around town) netted me 18.7 and 18.9 mpg. I wouldn't get to excited about a 3.4 swap. For me it's usually the journey.

 

[Claimjumper]

Nice! Well I bought the 4runner. Turns out it has s W56 trans that was replaced at 100,000 miles (cost the owner 2850.00 according to the receipt in the glovebox). I am planning on some OME springs in the rear and a ball joint spacer for the front, plus a set of 31x10.50 all terrains for now. A header and mild cam are in the works as well.

 

[Cackalak Han]

Congrats! Do cams and header work make a big difference?

 

[DaveInDenver]

Congrats! Do cams and header work make a big difference?

The stock late 22R-E manifold is pretty good and headers don't make a huge performance difference. Most people put them on because the original manifold cracks. Mild cams do help a bit and are worth it. If the stock manifold is still sound I would save my money.

On the original post, the rumors of slow 22R-E are not complete urban legend. They are slow compared to modern V8 lux-o trucks. But they get the job done. My truck is easily 1/2 a ton or more heavier than your 4Runner and the snail's pace doesn't bother me. On commutes it does the speed limit, what more can you ask? My $0.02 is that driving them daily forces you to chill. You ain't passing anyone except the Westfalias, so put on some tunes and bounce home secretly smug knowing that your rolling tetanus experiment will still be running years after all those uber complex new cars have been Cash-For-Clunkered back to Mother Earth.

 

[Claimjumper]

The stock late 22R-E manifold is pretty good and headers don't make a huge performance difference. Most people put them on because the original manifold cracks. Mild cams do help a bit and are worth it. If the stock manifold is still sound I would save my money.

On the original post, the rumors of slow 22R-E are not complete urban legend. They are slow compared to modern V8 lux-o trucks. But they get the job done. My truck is easily 1/2 a ton or more heavier than your 4Runner and the snail's pace doesn't bother me. On commutes it does the speed limit, what more can you ask? My $0.02 is that driving them daily forces you to chill. You ain't passing anyone except the Westfalias, so put on some tunes and bounce home secretly smug knowing that your rolling tetanus experiment will still be running years after all those uber complex new cars have been Cash-For-Clunkered back to Mother Earth.

That is some funny stuff right there. After the samurai nothing feels slow, with my bigger tires it would barely go 60 (and no way uphill). through my job doing archaeology I have had many trips into the Owyhee desert in southern idaho for up to 12 day camping trips. We always need to bring water and gas for these kinds of trips so our 89 toyota with a 22RE and an automatic ends up getting pretty much overloaded (especially with 3 spares!). Still it always makes it in and out and does things that we are afraid to do with our rented SUVs. Hence the 22RE 4runner, and yes this one has a cracked exhaust manifold. Any ideas on Bumper sources? both ends are pretty f'd up and I want something sturdy but not overkill.

 

[Cackalak Han]

Not sure how much you're looking to spend on bumpers, but try a local fab shop. I have a guy around me that builds buggies and sliders. He said just a tube front bumper would be maybe $400? Seemed reasonable. I know ARB's are double that.