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Overheating Problem 1990 3.0 Engine

hippie13gcid

New Member
Hello 4Runner owners!
I have encountered a problem and will welcome advice and input about it. This summer I finally drove the 4Runner I bought in winter 18 mo ago or more on a couple long trips and had a problem with overheating both times. First prob was end of july drove 310 mi on a scorching summer day, A/C on full, 106 deg F. Temp ga midscale until downhill last 35 mi then pegged after climbing over a 4.600ft not so steep pass. Then it redlined. No loss of power, No visable steam, Shut off A/C but wouldn't cool down much downhill. Parked for an Hr or so and drove on 18 mi. Ran A/C at highway speed temp midscale, got into stoplights and traffic and up in the red again. Got to my destination and parked for 3-4 hrs. Cold start outside temp down to mid 80's, no prob 18 mi back. Next day same 18 mi trip, 4 hr delay back no prob. A/C ran out not back no difference. Investigated cold next morning. Found burp tank dry with fibrous crud about 1/4 inch deep in bottom. Found something that looked like wet cardboard between the rubber seal and the radiator cap seat. Cleaned that and the burp tank out. had to add half a gallon of water to bring system to full. Saw no crud circulating in fluid when full and up to normal temp. Drove 310 mi home no prob. Drove short trips around town for a mo, no prob. Then loaded it up with camping gear for 2 weeks a month later, Had things checked,B4, oil change fluids, all ok. Drove freeway 325 mi all normal, A/C not needed. Speeds 70-80mph. Parked 2 days. On road again, narrow crooked paved steep mtn pass 55mph limit nothing over 60mph 6,000 ft altitude max 4th gear mostly few times down to third, no rpm over 4,000 no A/C no prob, over pass,down on the flat 3,000 ft altitude another 150 miles or so 80 0f it on nasty ruff dirt road 30mph or so 3rd and 4th gear no prob. sat overnight. Next am 50 mi pretty flat then 26 mi real steep uphill paved narrow road crooked, 4th and third gear mostly, 2500 rpm mostly down to second more than a few times, no rpm over 4,000. And.......Redline on temp again, mile or 3 before I could find a place to get it off the road. Sat and bubbled and steamed for near an hour B4 I dared take the cap off the radiator. boil out evidence around radiator cap and from burp tank outlet. Took a little over a gallon of water to refill what it puked out. Started up and went on. Temp normal. Hit the end of the pavement in a mile or 3, Alltitude there 9,000 ft or so, From there went on what the USFS calls an unimproved road not recommended for travel. 2 wheel tracks, brush and rocks between, wide spot to pass somebody else every mile or 2, High ground clearance 4WD required they say. Ok I got a 4Runner, Good to go. Took it in 2WD Hi range no prob, Ya, some ruff spots down to first gear, 2nd gear most of the time, 3rd in a few spots, 2, 3,000 rpm 20 mph tops for 13 mi....Temp normal. Made camp, stayed 4 days, drove 40 mi to town, replenished supplies and fuel. Drove 60 mi pavement last 20 pretty steep then 18 more on dirt again much steeper, temp normal. Camped again for 3 days. Then 80 mi to town and overnight with a friend then 310 mi home, 2 passes over 5,000 ft and 3 more over 4,000 temp normal no loss of coolant.


Now this 3.0 engine has had all the updates and recalls done and fixed including head gasket replacements back to day one according to my local dealer who did history check. I'm the third owner. I got a good set of maintainence records from the guy who sold it to me showing $1300 worth of new radiator, water pump, timing belt, cooling hoses, Shocks all around, brakes all around, and a couple of steering knuckles at between 206 and 207K miles. It now has 210 K mi. Do you suppose somebody replaced the radiator and hoses and water pump without replacing the thermostat?. Winter is coming and I hardly know where to start. I have diluted the coolant enuf to know it will need new. I plan to check the pressure cap, have the system flushed, and probably replace the thermostat. Any other things I should do? Plan to run 50/50 mix antifreeze good to 40-50 below altho never gets below 10 or 20 below zero here.

Previous radiator replacement kinda bothers me although it is plastic and had many miles.......Maybe this thing has done this to somebody else? Is it a common thing? Does anyone out there know? It was detailed inside and out when I bought it. Looked like a cream puff. Still does pretty much. Has full skid plates underneath and only one of them shows a small dent the size of my thumb. NO evidence of harsh treatment at all on body or interior. Looked to me like a soccer mom groc getter babied wuss wagon when I bought it. I'm 68 yrs old. Not a stranger to a set of wrenches. My 1964 HS auto shop project was a '34 Plymouth coupe. Got an "A". Built a '56 Ford Sedan to a 10.4 sec 1/4 mi street legal 154mph top end hotrod in '65. Raced stock cars on short tracks for 2 yrs late 60's. Bought and maintained a New PU for 30 yrs starting in '71. Restored a '50 Plymouth coupe in the late 80's. Have owned nothing newer than 1980 since. These new computer controlled FI cars confuse the hell outa me. I KNOW no engine needs all that extra plumbing to run properly! so I feel like a fool when I look under the hood of my '90 4 runner. Any advice from those who understand all those useless sensors and controls will be greatly appreciated.
 

rickc5

Our back yard
Staff member
100 Posts
Community Leader
I'm your age and also at a loss when it comes to doing any major repairs to newer computerized vehicles. Too much to mess with. I still do my own oil & filter changes 'cuz I don't trust garages, including my local dealership.

Since you didn't get any indication that the thermostat had been replaced, I'd start with that. The rest of your planned fixes are what I would do too. The new radiator might indicate that there were some sort of cooling system problems that may NOT have been fixed. We once owned a 1964 Ford Falcon with the 260 CI V8, and it would always overheat when we took it on the freeway. We finally got tired of spending money on it & sent it down the road.
 

hippie13gcid

New Member
Thank you rickc5:
Your confidence in my troubleshooting feels right. Although overheating problems can be somewhat generic across all makes and brands I'm not sure that your experience with a '64 Falcon has much if any bearing on a Modern Toyota V6. Back in the day in my experience nearly all Ford V8's would overheat at high rpm and speeds. That '56 Hotrod of mine was a Y block 312 origionally, I machined it to the max and a bit beyond. Bored and sleeved to 352, Stroked, Mickey Thompson rods and pistons, Isky 505 roller cam, 352 heads with 390 stock sodium valves running off GM rocker ball studs. 11.75 to 1 compression. Intake ported and polished, Holley 650 double pumper with 950 jets, 2 lines to tank two electric fuel pumps, Balanced and blueprinted! Mallory dual point ignition. Dyno at 415 HP @ 7,200 rpm. Ya and the stock radiator was of course insufficient. Pretty much solved it's cooling problem by running the radiator from a 5 ton diesel dump truck and no thermostat with an auxiliary electric fan.

I really don't want to have to highly modify this 4 Runner. Ya, I know few folks think the 3.0 V6 is wonderful, and I agree, It's kinda wimpy for the size and weight of the rig. BUT it does awfully well as long as U don't wanna tow something. Ya, the newer 3.4 would be nice but if I going to go to that kind of trouble to swap engines I'm gonna find me a pre 1973 Chevy 4 bolt smallblock and shoehorn it in there. Come to think I just happen to have one sitting in my driveway. 1971 4 bolt 350 last running as a 383 stroker, 325 HP. Needs some work, New valves in it's 194 cast iron heads, Long B4 I do that I gonna see if I can make the wimpy 6 run right. Might need just a thermostat like you say. Might require an auxiliary electric fan, Plenty room for that. An engine running too lean can build a lotta extra heat really don't wanna mess with an FI system that the emissions test boys say passes cleaner than new 3.4 engines. That brings me to ask the question, are there other computer chips available for this engine that might make a difference in power, mileage or other performance? I want to cover all the bases here as I would like to have this 4 Runner be the last car I need to buy in the few years I have left in my life to drive. I have another car I love and is totally reliable but SUX at wilderness adventures. It's also a Toyota. Fun little peanut car. 1978 Celica GT. Got all the ground clearance of a roller skate. It's my "PO Boy" sports car. Froggy and fast on a crooked road, Makes a lotta V6 and some V8's look foolish off stoplights and will smoke $60,000 new so called sports sedans (Whoever heard of a 4 door coupe?) on a crooked mtn road. But it won't haul a camp for 2 weeks up to 9,000 ft on jeep trails and fire roads without major complaints. Hence the 4 Runner.

Info please. Not needing to install a lift kit, Not gonna do any serious rock crawling. I've been up to 9,000 ft above sea level on some godawful jeep tracks this last trip in the OR. Cascades without ever getting into 4WD. Ya, the underbody skid plates came in handy in a place or 2. but had plenty traction 2WD. My dead daddy had a favorite saying about 4WD (He never owned one)......"If U go to the woods with a 2WD and get stuck.....anybody comes along with a 4WD can pull U out. U go into the woods with a 4WD and get stuck anybody comes along with a D-8 Cat can pull U out" The first part not always true, I been stuck with 2WD a time or two when 4WD folks with bald tires couldn't pull me out. On the other hand I've pulled out a dozen or so stuck 4WD rigs with a 2WD Pu truck. So I put NASTY tires on my 4 Runner and if I gonna do something chancy I go 4WD which is easy with shift on the fly. Better to stop and look first. Somma my family including Dad have experience with WW2 6X6 and Halftracks. Uncle Dewey modified a WW2 3/4 ton halftrack with D-4 Cat high cleat metal tracks on the back and fat wide 36X16 farm tires on the front. Wasn't fast or road legal but it would climb walls! Yep Stock WW2 flathead inline 6, 96 hp. Gears and traction rule, HP spins and slides.

Enuf tales. Maybe the group enjoys somma them. Will appreciate input about the 4 Runner overheating.
 

tbplus10

Moderator
Staff member
1000 Posts
Community Leader
I've had a lot of experience with the 3.0 engines, hence my severe dislike for them.
One thing I found out about them is even after the head gaskets are replaced they always return to their old overheating ways given time.
I had a 92 4runner that got 4 sets of head gaskets in 3 years and a total of 97k miles, if I hadn't been stationed in Italy at the time and could've gotten either another motor and parts or a decent late model American spec 4Runner that one wouldve been gone.
Try a compression test to see if the head gasket issue is coming back.
After doing a couple engine swaps on trucks and 4runners I found a GM marine 4.3 is the best candidate for these trucks. Fits perfectly, aftermarket has mfgrd instal kits to do the swap, and the marine version is easy to calibrate and get rid of many sensors and other pesky items. The 4.3 also has a few more horses than the 3.4, is cheaper to purchase, and cheaper to hop up.
 

hippie13gcid

New Member
TKS tbplus10: Good point about the compression test. I will be sure to check that.

Now about the GM motor swaps. I'm an american boy. My world of GM engines is old school. That is measured in Cubic inches NOT in Liters. So if you can please convert for me. Liters is pretty much gobbetlygook to me. I know 3.4 is larger than 3.0. I also know that 4.3 is larger than both. I also know that if it was manufactured and specified in Liters instead of cubic inches I would rather not waste my time shoehorning it into my 4 Runner. GM engines newer than 1972 are radically detuned and seriously deficient as to compression and HP from the older ones. I also know that GM smallblock V8's from 1955 to present day,in their many displacements measure the same by outside volume and size and sit on the same mounts. 265 cu in to 400cu in.......all same block. Now I just happen to have a riteous and nasty 350 Cu in 4 bolt mainbearing engine needing a bit of a rebuild sitting in the driveway. Back in the day folks put GM smallblocks like this under the hood of the old Toyota Land Cruisers with little or no mods. Now a 350 GM V8 bored 30 over to 383 is what in Liters? HUH? 6 or seven? Light the wheels on fire on an old FJ cruiser. Now look! if I gonna go to all the trouble to pull a motor and modify my '90 3.0 4 Runner. I'm not looking to go any less than 300 HP. Ya, and carbureted and without computer too! Maybe even old school distributor with OMG! ignition points. Oh ya! U see, I done massaged that 350 GM V8 all these yrs since it was new in 1971. Ran it all those years in a one ton 2WD PU truck. Improved it as things wore out. First valve job I replaced the cam with a mild RV power grind and installed HD rockers and double valve springs. Only rebuilt the orig rochester 650 carb once. Tried a Holly when that wore out. That SUCKED! I mean sucked gas like no tomorrow and lousier performance. Shitcanned that real quick. Got wise. bought a BIG NASTY Carter 800 CFM Thermoquad. Made it work, not without some trouble on the stock intake manifold. Next rebuild I bored it out .30 over, bought it a more agressive cam. kept the double spring valves in the stock cast iron 194 heads put in a set of semi balanced pistons, replaced the intake with an Edelbrock street eliminator manifold and replaced the 2,3/4 exaust headers with 3, 1/4 pipes and way too loud short 18" mufflers. Now it sings sweet but draws attention especially when wound up to 6,000 rpm. Rebuilder didn't dyno it but estimated it produced 325 HP at 6,000. I didn't argue. it sure felt like it did. I rode around with a 12 ft heavy ass cab over camper on it most of the time. Smoked a lotta so called fast Camaros, firebirds, Mustangs off stoplights with it while weighing up to 10,000 lb GVW. It sits in the driveway, needing head work Old PU pretty well thrashed. Engine not so much. Only 80K on it since rebuild. good teardown and valve job, and there U go, 325HP once more!

So tell me there is a better more powerful GM engine to swap into 4 Runner? Ya, 4 runner gonna need the 12 inch clutch. goes with the 325 HP. Don't tell me any FI computer controlled, electronic ignition detuned low compression engine gonna be better. I know better.
 

tbplus10

Moderator
Staff member
1000 Posts
Community Leader
The 4.3l 90 Dec engine is 262 ci.
Essentially the original small block motor minus #3 and #6 cylinders.
The enges share the same 4.4 bore and 9.025 deck height 1.94 intake valves and 1.50 exhaust.
Factory hp rating for the different versions from 1984 to 2013 run from 130 on the low end to 165 on the high end, this a factory rating.
The engine gained popularity with marine and circle track racers in the mid 80's due its shared design with the 350 and ability to use many internal and external parts from that engine.
With a performance build using aftermarket parts 300 to 350 up is easily obtainable.
And it uses standard GM transmissions.
Carb kits are available over the counter for the engine.
Weight is comparable to Toyotas 3.4 or 3.0 but a bit less than the 350, also length is a closer fit that leaves the radiator in a factory position ewhich can't be done with the 350.
Older landcruisers had longer noses due to the length of the I6, this isn't the case on a 4 runner.
Add to the fact all that added up will only shorten the lifespan of the t case, trans, and axles unless you swap them too. Been there and done that, not cheap or easy.
My present 99 Tacoma runs the 3.4 which is a great swap candidate for a 4runner. Mine has in the neighborhood of 465hp, with a modified supercharger, s/s headers, blueprinted heads, larger injectors, ported and polished intake, 7th and 8th injectors in the intake plenum for extra fuel and alcohol/water mix, all to the tune of almost $9k. I'd drop the 4.3 in before I went this route again, save money by doing that.
A 350 doesnt fit well under these hoods, besides space constraints they almost always suffer from overheating, pushing the engine back for clearance in the front creates heat issues and clearance problems in the cab and off sets the frt to rr balance a lot. And creates a need for axle swaps which increases build costs.
I have an 87 in the yard right now with a 350 swap, its been so cut up by the previous owner to correct swap issues that my next step is to cut off the body and tube out parts of the frame to create a buggy just to salvage something of it.
 

hippie13gcid

New Member
Wahat? 262 is better than 383? U Kidding? OK! Now FIRST all I want to do is get my little 3 liter wimp running to factory spec. IF it cann't or Won't.......I gonna yard out the Unwilling and wimpy and overcompesate In the best NaSTY FASHION. If I hafta pull an engine I gonna go Nasty as I have available. Ya that means whether it will fit easily or not. It won't be no Low compression 80's GM V8 or V6 that goes in there. Oh Yeah they sit on the same mounts Yota 3.0 makes maybe 160 Hp I could live with that if it didn't gimme no problems. Now if I choose to replace with GM I have many chioces and none better than pre 1973 smallblock 4 bolt mainbearing engines dating from 1955 to 1972. Oh yeah, the ones with compression ratios over 7-1. Ya, 11- one and 194 fuelley heads, stock. So Now U know. I have a one owner 350 4 bolt crank, 194 heads last running a few yrs ago. Refurbishing it will cost less than buying a junkyard 3.4 to power the 4 runner. Ya so I will find someone talented in welding mods. I;m not nexcessarily happy with all this FI and electronically controlled pardon the expression.......shit! I got a 300 Hp GM V8 needing less bucks to rebuild and install than any rebuild or correction toyota can dream of. We once had a carburetor..........Last days of that it had 27 vaccumn hoses on it. ya I got one on a 78 Celica. sorry to say
Now I'v have seen on the web folks putting Lexus V8/s into '70's celicas. too bad they couldn't find any really hot motors to drop in there. U get where I'm going Here? I would rather find a cure for my 3.0 problems than replace an engine. If I hafta yard out or rebuild an engine I'm gonna do it in a royal manner. Not gonna replace a 3.0 with a 3.4.....Neither will it be repaced with some kinda small turbo quick to fail engine. The one ton PU truck the '71 chevy V8 350 cu in engine came with was mine from the showroom, Modified and improved since. 275 factory HP. 325Hp last build. Could be 600 Hp next if I choose. Drop it into the 4 Runner if Toyota can't make more reliable engine. Will need a chevy 12' clutch, Axles and transfer might suffer some. the Old FJ cruisers could handle all chevy smallblocks.......Maybe I try 1990 tech?
 

tbplus10

Moderator
Staff member
1000 Posts
Community Leader
FJ cruisers had a longer hood and more stout axles.
Have you checked the heater system?
I know it was summer and assume you weren't using the heater, but I've had problems before with the HVAC controls and valve allowing coolant to cycle through the heater core, I had a leak in the heater core once that was causing air bubbles and high temps, not actually overheating yet but high temps from bubbles in the system.
 

hippie13gcid

New Member
Yes, tbplus10: I do enjoy your input. And yes I know the FJ Has longer space between the firewall and radiator. And yes I know the FJ axles in the late 60's and early 70's were rated at One ton with leaf springs to match. And I do know that a 4 runner isn't built as herkey. As a matter of fact I consider my '90 3.0 SR5 Manual tranny to be a bit of a wuss wagon. Yep, Glorified station wagon. BUT! it's a toyota, And it beats hell outa any other SUV it's size and weight I might have bought for $2000. I'm not seriously contemplating shoehorning any other engine into it . I't's not performing that badly.
Ya, about the heater. I bought the thing in Feb almost 2 yr ago now and it gets cold here in S. Idaho. Heater takes a while to produce defrost or meaningful heat. Start it up, frost all over it, scrape glass, and drive it 30 mi run heat full blast and it will defrost the windshield, throw some heat inside, Maybe U be warm in 30 mi but Temp ga will still read dead cold. Run the heater when it boils in summer? I have done that with other cars.......Like a 1950 sedan, Not expect to do that with a 1990 car. Kinda acts like it got no thermostat in it. Best way to prevent boil over is to run the cooling system under pressure doncha know? Ya, my 350 cu in chevy V8 got a 4 row metal radiator under a 14 lb cap. Runs pretty good with a 190 thermostat in it, does better with a 160 deg stat. What I see on the cap of the plastic radiator of the 4Runner puzzles me, If my magnifying glass reads correctly it sez decimal 4. Now I wonder if that is 4/10 of a pound or 4/10 of some metric measure that should never have been allowed into the USA. The problems of the world were made and measured in Miles, Feet, and Inches, they cannot be corrected in Kilometers, meters and centimeters. The largest consumer nation in the world measures in
feet and inches. Back in the 60's the USA should have told the world "If U wanna sell yer products here make the bolts our size" But NO, some politically correct Bozo accepted the metric system for imports. Suddenly every toolbox in the whole damn country had to increase size by half to service what then was mostly substandard metric junk. And USA manufacturers of cars and tools lowered their standards to match the cheap imports. Strange that the ratchet drives that the metric sockets fit on were still US Standard 1/4".......3/8".......1/2"......square drives now wasn't it? Sure sell more tools just don't make it expensive enuf for a revolt! All these yrs later I still need both SAE and metric tools. Totally UN-necessary bullstuff! Finding a replacement bolt can be a nightmare.

But I digress. I have dealt with bubbles in the heater system of my '78 toyota Celica, Ya the 20R, Done the blown headgasket trip with it. Don't have those symptoms in the 4Runner. No Bubbles, in the heater, No constant loss of coolant, No coolant in the oil, No change in oil level over 30K mi. No foam on oil, No smell of coolant on the dipstick. No smell of coolant in the exhaust. No water showing in the tailpipe. I have a compression ga, but so much crap attached to the 3.0 that gonna be a major job to get at and remove 6 spark plugs to test. Like most V engines half easy other side ruff to get at. Now V8 engines can run with a weak cyl or 2 and not show much loss. But a 6 is another story. Even minor losses can create an imbalance in a 6 at idle or higher rpm that will be instantly noticeable. Now the 3.0 in the 4Runner won't rattle a wine glass off the top of the engine at idle. I don't really suspect a weak cylinder. It's got a tach and I wind it up. I stick my foot in it! No hesitation, no flat spots, FI screams a little bit when I exceed 3,500 rpm but I do that regularly, Ya red line 5,000, Does no good to exceed that pwr increase is done at around 4,700 rpm might as well shift. No, won't ever make a win off a stoplight against a golf cart. Not a fan of the 5 speed tranny ratios either. First is too low, the jump to second is too tall to allow starting from a dead stop in second. Third works well but won't pull outa less than 30 mph if acceleration required without a downshift. 4th is good for light acceleration around town on flat ground if over 30 mph. and is totally necessary on any little 3% highway grade if speed drops below 60 mph in 5th. 5Th is strictly overdrive. Better shift down if U wanna pass. Maybe to third if U under 60 mph. Kinda a bringdown from my '78 celica, That little 20R sucker winds to 5,000 in instants and provides useable power to 6,000 or a bit more, I seldom have to stuff it into 4th to climb 6% grades over 5 miles long and stay above 60mph. It's gear ratios are tighter without the rpm loss I notice between the 4 runner gears. It goes much faster in the lowest gears. first in the Celica @ 5,000 rpm= 26mph. first in the 4Runner @ 5,000 rpm = 15 mph. Celica will do almost 70mph in second if pushed to the wall..........4Runner in second protests at 40. Third in the 4Runner is good for about 60mph, the Celica will do near 80. Now I have not pushed the 4Runner to top end in 4th or 5th. Had it to 90 mph in 5th, little over 80 in 4th, Runs smoothe 4,000 rpm plus, 80mph in 5th on a flat road rpm is a little under 3,400. 80 mph on same road in Celica 3,300 rpm. Ya I know, Celica lighter. Weighs 2,700 lb empty, 4 runner 4,250 empty. Celica 96 HP. 4Runner 160 hp. Celica aerodynamic, 4 Runner a box on wheels. Aerodynamics of a poorly thrown brick at freeway speeds. I understand that. I stomp hell outa the Celica and get 27.5 mpg highway. I try to drive for mileage in the 4Runner and best I've done is 18.4 mpg.

Now, let's talk about the 4Runner in 4WD. I don't find a need to use it much. The owner's manual sez I should drive it in 4WD once a mo at least 10 miles to keep the oil in the transfer case stirred up and such. So I do. But when I go to the woods I tend to drive around in 2WD hi range. Oh yeah, steep, nasty, unimproved, 2 wheel tracks, not recommended for travel, High clearance, 4WD recommended. Ya I go there......In 2WD. Yep, 2nd and third gear, hour and a half to go 13 mi. Rocks to negotiate the size of my 31" tires. Low gear onto and offa somma those. Thanks for the skid plates, Toyota. I did an experiment once. Drove 180 mi on backroads in 4WD hi range. Not needed, but didit. Damn thing gets over 20mpg in 4WD Hi range in second and third gear avg 30 mph. 3,000 rpm on the tach......... now 3,000 on the tach on the freeway, 2WD High range, gets me 18.4mpg? I have tested 4WD low range a couple of times. for a few yards or so, climb up a cutbank or over a log, It's overkill. Oh yeah works great! first gear in 4WD low might make 3 MPH. Ya, mine's a '90. Solid axle in front gone in 85. Ok not planning on rock crawling in Moab. It's tall enuf already, I won't be lifting it. A month or so after I got it we got about 8 inches of snow. Had bald tires on it then. I put it in 4WD and went to an empty parking lot. Stomped the Hell outa it and did all I could to try to make it spin. Was Ice under that snow, individual wheels spun and grabbed for a few seconds, then the whole thing hooked up. Owner's manual sez nothing but it acts like it got positrack in the rear axle and the transfer case. options were available in 90 and likely came with the full set of underbody skid plates it has. Damn! If I could just figure out the overheating problem!

Ya, I like it. Underpowered as it is. Loaded with wussy electric locks and windows and mirrors as it is.........It's got some useful stuff too. Running boards and mudflaps are GREAT! Rear mount spare tire =Excellent! Class A hitch, Useless........Wouldn't tow a sick whore off a piss pot! I'm used to a one ton PU that would legally tow 4 tons off the rear bumper. Up a 6% grade at 80mph. 4Runner? no, not a tow car for anything bigger than a couple kids on an inner tube on a snowy parking lot.

Truck? only in the broadest of terms. Seems like these days anything with body on frame construction is called a truck. ALL CARS used to be that way. Used to be 2WD RWD was normal. Manual transmission was standard. Then the big downgrade hit us.....Unibody cars, Throw away auto trannys, Front WD with all those boot and CV joint failures. Who said newer is better? 4WD used to be made for and used by those who absolutely had to go where maybe a horse wouldn't go. Now every soccer mom thinks she needs 4 WD to go get dog food when it rains. Of course she never heard of a clutch.....she got the latest 9 speed auto tranny that costs more to replace than a 5 bedroom house cost her granparent's. Foopid, ain't it?

Ask me why I bought a 30 yr old Celica for $800. U suppose I didit because depreciation is no longer a factor? Ya Partly, Mostly I wanted a froggy little car that was low maintenance and high reliability. OK, now ask me why I bought a 25 yr old 4Runner for $2,000. Same reasons........Depreciation no longer a factor. Reliability factor excellent. More room and better off road capability for camping and fishing........Will I push it to it's max?.......Seldom........will, it serve me better off road than the Celica? Certainly! I took that Celica where 4WD feared to tread and it lived to drive home. Now I have the 4Runner and don't need to abuse my ride to go those places. I also keep the Celica to play road games with so called "Sports Sedans' and other turbocharged fools who think their front drive and AWD traction controlled money pits can outrun a 30 yr old RWD piloted by a trained race driver on an extremely crooked mtn road. Few places I can do that now without being arrested. Thankfully the Celica only does 114mph. Don't think I can afford a ticket for more than that. Old days different story. HS hotrod did 154. Used Oldsmobile I bought in 1970 did 135. Used Norton motorcycle I bought in 1974 did 160. Kinda nice now to let 4Runner cruise control drive me down the freeway at 80mph. Damn I must be getting old!
 

toyotafan

Toyota Truck Club Founder
Staff member
1000 Posts
I'm enjoying reading this thread. I was born in Boise and spent a lot of time camping in either northern Idaho south of Sandpoint, eastern Washington and the Wa Cascades. So I can envision the places you're talking about going.

However I got lost in your last response. Did you check the heater core for leak? 30 minutes seems excessive to get adequate heat to defrost.
 

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