Thoughts on this 4Runner

Hey guys -

I made a post a while back about a 2nd gen 4Runner that my boss owns. I didn't want to resurrect that thread because Connor replied a lot in it, and well....it makes me sad. My boss let me take it for a few days yesterday. I have driven it around a bit, and it drives really well. Definitely seems to be pretty nice for it's age. It is a 1995 4Runner with a 22re engine and a manual transmission. It has 244,600 miles on it! Clutch was replaced at 180,000. There are several oil leaks that I can see (which I would expect for a vehicle this age - not like my Tundra which has sprung two oil leaks in it's 74,000 miles), but nothing appears to really be dripping onto the ground.

Definitely needs a little love, but seems to be pretty solid. Only one spot on the body that has some surface rust back near the driver's side rear wheel. Undercarriage only has surface rust except for the tailpipe. Compression test looks good. Each cylinder was with the range of 150 +/- 3 psi after 4 cranks.

Anyway here are a couple of pics. Thinking of getting this for my son to learn to drive in. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

I think it is a great truck for the kid. The fact you're buying from a seller you know helps to justify the higher miles... at least it's your boss and not some beat-the-shit-out-of-it douchebag. You are going to have maintenance at that age truck no matter what, but it seems you expect that too. My only concern for the 22re @~250k is was the timing chain ever done? (I have one btw for that motor, mine blew up @246k milesb before I got to change it.

 

Bump for more thoughts from the morning crew.

 

I have a 92'. Mine was 3.0 I did the 3.4 swap on. However several buddies with the 22re. Depending on price I would grab it. 22re manuals are famous for a reason and depending on your knowledge level pulling that engine and rebuilding it is easy. Plus it's white......

 

The main issue with the timing chain is the plastic guides that eventually wear out. The chain itself is stout. It shouldn't need replacing at this stage. I've got ~235K miles on mine. Doesn't leak at all. All I've ever done is replace the alternator and the idler pulley. You can run 33/10s on the stock rims without a lift. I did for years. I added a ball joint spacer for a little more clearance. I also swapped gears and front axle from a '93 with the factory 4.88 gears. Look for axle code G144. W56 trans is pretty much bulletproof behind the 22RE.

 

A solid vehicle from a trusted source. If it's a reasonable price, that would be a great first vehicle for a kid to drive.... and learn to drive a stick. Shoot, he might be the only one of his classmates that can drive one.

 

My goal is to have all of our kids learn to drive a manual. My oldest daughter (who is 17), drives a 2001 Nissan Xterra with a manual. Hoping to teach my boy and my younger daughter as well.

 

These are the last gen of 4Runners that had a tailgate. Before they went to a minivan hatch!
Real trucks have tailgates!
One other thing is get yourself some vacuum line and replace all the small rubber lines on the engine. After all this time they start to get hard and crack.

 

That's awesome. More kids should be learning how. I personally think that learning to drive a stick makes you a better safer driver. You are more in-tune with the vehicle. It's too bad that it's getting so hard to find a newer vehicle with a MT.

 

Loved my 95’. Took it everywhere and it never let me down. Sold it with 289,000 miles 5 years ago and I still see it driving around. All I ever did was routine maintenance and a timing belt

 

Ok, so the boss doesn't recall the timing chain ever being done. He purchased the 4Runner with about 140K on the clock. In doing some research, it looks like a fairly substantial job to replace it, and is often accompanied by removal of the head (although I have read that it can be done with the head left on. I am wondering if I decide to buy this, and am going to dig in that far to replace the timing chain anyway, should I just yank the whole engine and rebuild it? 245K is a lot of miles.

Not sure what I am going to do. I spoke a bit with my boss and I think I might be able to get it for about $800-$900. Would be a great learning experience for myself and my son. I am not a stranger to working on vehicles and engines, but haven't ever tore into a Toyota engine before. My son won't be driving for another 2.5 years or so, so I would have some time to get things in order.

Just thinking out loud here.

 

For that price DO IT! Learning experience and you get an awesome truck you learn everything about. I'm telling you now it's worth it and yotatech.com will have all the info you need. White, 22re, MT from a friend at that price don't come around often if hardly ever.

 

Just to show you I don't speak without experience.

 

God I wish I had a shop like that.

 

That’s almost 400,000km! Hell ya! I say go for it! I’m sure you and your son will enjoy this nice 4Runner together