Advice on a 90-91 22re 4runner

[rionorte]

I'm coming from a Land Cruiser background. Most and if not all of my noob mechanical skills come IH8MUD - which is a plethora of info and members that are tempered to my liking. :sombrero:

So my 4runner knowledge = 0. So bear with the ignorance.

There is a early 2nd generation 4runner in the neighborhood that I have been eyeing for awhile. I got a chance to talk to the owner this morning and she seemed ready to sell but offered no price. She just asked me what I was willing to pay for it. I did not offer a price yet since no disposable cash at this point.

The little info I can get this morning:

This was bought new by the owner.
The 90 4r is 4wd/22re with a manual transmission with 300K miles.

Maintenance and upkeep was not discussed since it was a passing conversation. Only thing she mentioned was that she would not daily drive it to Los Angeles - 40 miles one way. She has 2 other vehilcles to use - an early 100 Land Cruiser and a 1st generation RAV4. She mentioned the RAV4 having close to 300k miles also.

The owner states the A/C could be better. Surface rust underneath - mostly suspension stuff. Exterior paint is original - faded and typical age stuff. Missing Driver side mirror.

How much would this 2nd generation cost if sold private party with unverified maintenance done and 300k mileage?

What should I look for with this model - 22re, manual transmission, independent suspension, manual locking hubs, and mechanicals etc.?

Any sites similar to IH8MUD for 4runners? Friendly and informative.

If I can get a good price ($1000 :victory I would not hesitate since there a plenty of Toyota forums and shops to resource repairs.

Thanks.

 

[rionorte]

I would DD (3x/week) this to Los Angeles and making it a offroad camping truck - no Alaska to the to the southern tip of S America planned at this point. No hard core wheeling. My goal is to make it reliable to the above duties. Thanks for any info.

 

[Soobarubin]

I'm not familiar with the newer Runners, but I do know the RE is almost bulletproof!
Try http://www.toyota-4runner.org/ for more info man!
Good luck!

-Jaren

 

[corax]

Agreed on the 22RE reliability, though at this mileage you'd want to take a good look at the timing chain guides. The originals were just plastic and would break after awhile which allowed the timing chain to eat away at the water pump casting in the timing cover spilling coolant into the oil pan if it wasn't caught soon enough. The aftermarket guides are steel-backed and don't have this problem. These engines aren't really quiet, so a little bit of rattle (think valve noise) is OK. Louder noises might be reason to suspect something else is going on. Even if something is going on with the engine, rebuilds aren't that expensive if you can change it yourself. Being a 4cyl, the acceleration may be a little underwhelming, but engine swaps abound if you want more power (I almost got my Supra swap Cali Smog Ref certified, but they closed all the stations just before my final appt due to the budget crisis and then I moved)

The front end is the same on all 4wd from '86-'95 so there will be good parts interchange on that -F diff, control arms, torsion springs, etc. If it has auto locking hubs, you may want to change over to manual locking hubs for simplicity and strength - not difficult if you can yank the parts from a junkyard (check the local Pick-A-Parts, I know there are about a dozen around LA and the IE). '90 was the first year for rear coils which tend to sag over time, but that's an easy fix and reason to upgrade with new springs. For added beef in the back, you can get DOM trailing arms and if you lift it you may need a new . . . damn, the term escapes me at the moment, the arm that locates the axle side to side.

Speaking of axles, this will have the same 8" rear that Toyota's been using since the late 70's with a 7.5" front (all the same from '86-'95). Oh yeah, being a 4 cyl, you may get 4.56 or 4.88 gears as standard - if it's the 4.88 gears you supposedly won't be able to use aft mkt gears in the rear center section due to a different ring gear thickness (supposedly, as in everyone seems to repeat that statement). Use this guide to see which gears were in there from new. That just means you have another opportunity to justify an upgrade, like modifying the rear axle housing a slight bit and fitting an e-locker in there.

I could probably go on for awhile, anything specific you need to know yet?

 

[rionorte]

Agreed on the 22RE reliability, though at this mileage you'd want to take a good look at the timing chain guides. The originals were just plastic and would break after awhile which allowed the timing chain to eat away at the water pump casting in the timing cover spilling coolant into the oil pan if it wasn't caught soon enough. The aftermarket guides are steel-backed and don't have this problem. These engines aren't really quiet, so a little bit of rattle (think valve noise) is OK. Louder noises might be reason to suspect something else is going on. Even if something is going on with the engine, rebuilds aren't that expensive if you can change it yourself. Being a 4cyl, the acceleration may be a little underwhelming, but engine swaps abound if you want more power (I almost got my Supra swap Cali Smog Ref certified, but they closed all the stations just before my final appt due to the budget crisis and then I moved)

...
I could probably go on for awhile, anything specific you need to know yet?

Thanks for the replies and also the link (Jarren).

Keith, I'm looking for info that will help me look for common problems with this specific model or tell tale signs to walk away from this truck due to high cost to make it reliable. A good example of info I'm looking for I quoted from your post.

I want to at least not have to fix something major the minute after buying it - a good period of honeymoon and then address the major preventive maintenance (time to save up).

Major = repair/rebuild/replace = 2-3x the value of the truck.

It will probably be stock for awhile (if I buy it) and I will focus on making it Toyota reliable for 3-4 day outdoor trips like exploring Death Valley.

Thanks again.

I will also scour the 4runner forums for additional info and appreciate the advice given here.

 

[PirateMcGee]

post up a video (w/sound) of the motor running, check the tires for alignment, check the frame and wheel wells for rust, listen for bearing noise in the tranny. These are really simple rigs with not a whole lot to go wrong and if it does they are dirt cheap to fix. Check that the auto hubs engage (though you'll want to swap them for aisins anyways). Also the 4cyl's only came with 4.10 gears fyi.

Really thats about it

 

[mattafact]

I sold my 91 4runner 2dr with a 22re, some rust, and about 195k for $2800 a few months ago. It ran absolutely perfect, had about $2k worth of stereo in it, new OEM clutch, and no AC (but a block heater).

I miss that 4runner so much. PM me if you decide to pass on it.

 

[rionorte]

I sold my 91 4runner 2dr with a 22re, some rust, and about 195k for $2800 a few months ago. It ran absolutely perfect, had about $2k worth of stereo in it, new OEM clutch, and no AC (but a block heater).

I miss that 4runner so much. PM me if you decide to pass on it.

LOL! You want to get rid of the 80 already!

Okay I'll let you know. But, the owner is/was not actively selling and SEEMed to be only interested in selling it to someone in the neighborhood. - which gives me time :victory:.

Regardless, if I decide to pass on it, I'll let her know you're interested. Or for that matter for everybody, the truck is in the market.

Matt, since you have experience with these trucks (22re), can you shed some stuff to look for? Just like we advise people in search of 80s - headgaskets, birfs, PHH, etc.

Thanks

 

[randito]

That drivetrain, 22re & W56, is probably the best out there if you consider longevity and how common and inexpensive replacements are. That being said, 300k miles is a lot even for a Toyota. If everything is original, it's probably pretty tired. As said before, the timing chains and guides do need to be replaced every 75k miles (I think), but many people push them much farther before failure. 22re's are also known to occasionally blow headgaskets, but not as common of a problem as the 3VZE or 1FZ.

I think at this point, the most important thing to consider with these older vehicles is maintenance and cosmetics, especially rust. Since 2 of the possible seller's vehicles have made it to 300k miles, it sounds like they been taken care of and if that's the case, I think that you'll be fortunate to get the 4runner for less than $2000, but buy from an original owner is a plus. Also, the 22re 2nd gen 4runners are much less common than the V6 and are therefore more in demand. Good luck.

Oh also, check out yotatech.com for more than you'd ever want to know about these vehicles.

 

[rionorte]

Longevity, common, and inexpensive are what attracted about the old school Toyotas. It looks like the timing chain is one I definetly bring up to negotiate the price. Thanks for the link.

That drivetrain, 22re & W56, is probably the best out there if you consider longevity and how common and inexpensive replacements are. That being said, 300k miles is a lot even for a Toyota. If everything is original, it's probably pretty tired. As said before, the timing chains and guides do need to be replaced every 75k miles (I think), but many people push them much farther before failure. 22re's are also known to occasionally blow headgaskets, but not as common of a problem as the 3VZE or 1FZ.

I think at this point, the most important thing to consider with these older vehicles is maintenance and cosmetics, especially rust. Since 2 of the possible seller's vehicles have made it to 300k miles, it sounds like they been taken care of and if that's the case, I think that you'll be fortunate to get the 4runner for less than $2000, but buy from an original owner is a plus. Also, the 22re 2nd gen 4runners are much less common than the V6 and are therefore more in demand. Good luck.

Oh also, check out yotatech.com for more than you'd ever want to know about these vehicles.

 

[PirateMcGee]

other than the timing chain these trucks really are issue free...........you don't have to worry about headgaskets, the differential, the tranny, etc. They really are one of the toughest vehicles ever produced. Largely due to the fact that they don't have gobs of power but are built as if they did.