Toyota 4Runner Maintenance and Repair

ggoins · February 2006

Thanks for the post on the sulphur smell..sounds as if Toyota corrected the issue with the TSB in 2004. Any followup or current owners of 05 06 having this same issue?

agnosto · February 2006

No issue with my 2006 4Runner LTD V8 4WD ... as the TSB states it should only affect 2003 and 2004 model 4Runners.

nippononly · February 2006

Now there's a question I have never considered! Doesn't it work the same way as the fronts? Slide out the old insert, slide the new one in?

If it's something different, tell me! I have an '00 as well! :-)

nippononly · February 2006

If you're SURE you're not leaking it, then you know what that means! There's only two ways it can "get out".

My guess with a drop in level that small is you actually ARE leaking it, and you will need to look other places to find it. You've checked hoses, especially the heater hoses at the firewall connections with the age of your truck? Also the water inlet. And of course, the water pump itself for seeping.

wds1 · February 2006

I am possibly considering a 4-Runner purchase this year. I have always been a Honda owner. My research tells me the 4-Runner would be a reliable choice. What are your overall feelings for the 4-Runner in regard to reliability, quality of fit and finish, and overall satisfaction of Toyota as a company? Also, I am interested in anyone who has been involved in a wreck in the 4-Runner. Crash test results are important to me. I am really interested in the opinions of Toyota owners. My feelings for Honda have not been great, as of late. Thanks for your help!

ggoins · February 2006

I own a 97 4Runner 2 WD and am going to buy an 06 4Runner 4WD. The Runner is stable in winds and on slick pavements. Maintence costs are low except for electric which can be high. The interior has excellent workmanship. I have put 60K miles in all terrain and have not a problem. Mileage is 22 MPG combined. The vehicle now has 130K on a V6 engine. Gonna be hard to let go of it.

agnosto · February 2006

I am one of the experienced buyers for over 15 years trading new Toyotas and they have never have failed me. I once had an 05 Odyssey what a piece ohhh junk... I got rid of it after one year of issues for a beauty 2006 Sienna LTD fully loaded... never ever again ~~HONDA~~...

The 2006 4Runner LTD V8 4WD that I just bought is so well built and feels so solid and reliable and... it is an amazing vehicle (as an FYI I used to own a 1999 4Runner LTD V6 4WD).

robg4 · February 2006

A drunk ran into the back of our 4-runner while stopped at a light. It totalled her car. It only messed up one side of our bumper and bent the muffler some.

The 06 Runner is sensational IMO. My wife rarely lets me drive it she likes it so much. The cabin is comfortable and loaded. Very stout feeling when driving it. A nononsence type that has looks to go with it. IMO the optional 17" wheels are worth getting. Your clearance is better as well as control.

I have had a Tercel, Corolla, and we still have our Camry. I would be scared to go with any other make. I have had too much reliability to risk changing.

I had test driven a Pilot and thought it was OK. But the Runner does not seem as tight as the Pilot and much more sturdy.

john130 · February 2006

will a rear drive line from 1986 toyota short wheel base fit a 1986 4Runner?

drex1 · February 2006

I own both 1999 and 2003 4Runners. I use exactly as the owner's manual and repair manual recommends.

Spiders - Lithium base chassis grease NLGI No.2
Slide Yokes - Molybdenum disulfide lithium base grease

Drex

qualityman · February 2006

I've got a squeaky noise coming from the front bezel of the radio. A slight push with a finger and the noise can be reproduced and/or heightened. I'm thinking that if the radio is removed then I could do something to eliminate the noise where the front face of the radio contacts the mounting area. Does anyone know how the radio has to be removed so this can be accomplished. Thanks in advance for any help that can be provided.:surprise:

qualityman · February 2006

At times I'll get a sound like 2 x 4 boards banging together in the back cargo area. I'm not sure if its within or outside the truck. I've looked and tightened just about everything visible. Currently I'm waiting to get the sound to sustain long enough to take it to the dealer.
The sound can be eliminated or minimized at times by opening and slamming the rear hatch door closed. This however doesn't make a whole of lot sense because of the electronic latch, unless the latch isn't closing as tightly as it should or doesn't remain tight over time. (The dealer's service rep. said its not the rear hatch.) Anyone else have or had this problem? Any suggestions. :sick:

canddmeyer · February 2006

You're going to hate this. If you are still in your 3yr/36month warranty, I'd recommend taking it in. I had my radio replaced at 1100 miles because it failed to power on. There are 10 steps to removal, but I don't have any diagrams except for the last 3 steps. The dealer accidentally left me a page from their shop manual.

1) Remove instrument panel finish plate
2) Remove instrument panel finish plate sub-assy lower
3) Remove instrument cluster finish panel sub-assy
4) Remove console upper rear panel sub-assy
5) Remove console panel sub-assy upper
6) Remove air conditioning control assy
7) Remove instrument cluster finish panel sub-assy center
8) Remove radio receiver assembly w/bracket (2 bolts)
9) Remove radio bracket No. 1 (4 screws)
10) Remove radio bracket No. 2 (4 screws)

Sounds to me like one of these 10 items is loose. Last but not least, you'd think with all this redundancy that nothing would squeek !?

paranavs · March 2006

Thanks for the reply.
Could you also post the brand name of the grease you use and where it is available? Like AutoZone, Pepboys?

Is it synthetic?

dadeo7432 · March 2006

Do you Tow? This sounds exactly like what happened to my 2003 V-8 4Runner SR5. Toyota told us we had a defective torque converter. Apparently the lining inside the torque converter goes bad and it slips roughly until the torque converter locks up under gentle acceleration. Problem never occured under hard acceleration and it disappeared when taking foot off gas.

Toyota dropped a new transmission in our 4Runner. The problem recurred in the second transmission within 24 hours -- believe it or not! Toyota told the dealer to try a synthetic transmission fluid and flush the new transmission. Problem went away.

However, the same week Toyota put the second transmission into the car they had to put a third catalytic converter in.

What I learned from this: Toyota quality is just a bad as everyone else.

My suspicion is that something is really wrong here, the service manager admitted seeing our transmission problem in 5 previous 4Runners and Sequoias with the same engine.

My theory is that the 5 speed transmission is not really up to the tow rating Toyota posted for this car. We decided to buy a SUV with a 8,000lb tow rating... a Durango that has a 70,000 mile warranty, a larger engine and a tow/haul mode on the transmission. No, I don't have a theory about why our 4Runner ended up with 3 catalytic converters in only 48,000 miles.

We were very disappointed with this vehicle. :lemon: The main reason I bought Toyota was it's tow rating and reliablity ratings. :mad:

dadeo7432 · March 2006

Maybe cause they did like we did. We gave up on Toyota! We traded ours in for a used 05 Dodge Durango ! For about $5,000 less than we paid Toyota in 2003, we now have an SUV with a "real" third row seat, a DVD player, satilite radio and navigation system, 2,500 more lbs towing rating and one additional liter in engine size.

Or maybe Toyota really did fix the problem.... NOT! Well at least not in ours. Our vibration started again within 24 hours of the second transmission installation.

dadeo7432 · March 2006

I've had only two problems with our 4Runner. Only two, but very extensive transmission and catalytic problems. A 2003 V-8. Enough to make me think about whether the monthly payment was really worth it. It wasn't.

I used CR as the main basis for buying the 4Runner. Something I'd never done before, something I will never do again. CR's ratings of the Toyota 4Runner, esp the positive review of the 03 V8 was important in deciding to buy the V8 vs the V6. Now I think there is something wrong with CR's ratings. I suspect that there is some sort of self selection bias. They survey CR customers only. I wonder how that affects their results. I know I will never buy another Toyota. More expensive and no more reliable than anyone else.

ggoins · March 2006

Has the problem repeated in 04-06 v-8 4Runners? anybody....anybody....=)

nedzel · March 2006

No transmission or cat converter problems on my 03 V8. I've got ~40k miles on it. The problems that I've had are as follows:

1. On very cold mornings I do get some piston-slap noise for about 30 seconds on cold startups. It's annoying, but harmless.

2. Around 2000 miles on the odo, I started to get a driveline noise while on the highway going 60-65 mph. It went away after a couple thousand miles.

3. The drivers seat started to squeak. Dealer fixed it with a shot of grease.

That's it. Overall, I'm very pleased. YMMV.

As for the fellow with the Durango, I wish you well. I hope your experience is better than that of my two friends with Durangos.

gostros · March 2006

300 miles on mine. no sulfur smell here, neither inside nor outside of the vehicle.

ggoins · March 2006

thanks for the list....1st year of the change was the 03...a few bugs to work out I guess...

agnosto · March 2006

No issues with my "beast" 2006 Toyota 4Runner V8 4WD with less than 1000 miles so far...

I used to own a piece oh junk 05 Odyssey (1st year generation model... and after 1 year of issues, oh boy am I glad I got rid of it, ~~never ever again HONDAs~~) and traded it in for a 2006 Sienna and have no issue so far...

My point is, ~~besides the fact that HONDAs are cheaply made~~, as a rule never risk to buy first year generation of any make...

tribster · March 2006

I have a 05 Toyota 4Runner with 4K miles. It pulls to the right when starting from a stoplight under normal load. And, it pulls to the left when coming to a stop (normal breaking). The steering wheel seems overly soft at center. I have to constantly adjust it to make the car go straight. It seems to be better at highway speeds but in city driving it is very annoying. I have taken it to the dealer twice and they claim there is nothing wrong with it. Right! The dealer mechanic said that the 4Runners only use one rear wheel to propel the car forward (no positraction or something) I dont buy it I think he is full of it. What can I do? Please help.

nedzel · March 2006

Mine doesn't pull in any direction. The truck does have poor on-center feel. It wanders about a good bit and can be tiring on a windy day. I believe that is endemic to the vehicle. In other words, they all do that and I don't think there really is much you can do.

If you find a really good alignment shop, it may be possible to improve it.

canddmeyer · March 2006

Tribster, if your 4Runner pulls at any speed, then search the internet for the Hunter9700. They have a list of shops that have this machine. The machine will match balance all 4 tires & wheels and give a specific recommendation for placement. This should cure your pulling issues. My selling dealer finally used this on my vehicle after I brought it in the SECOND time for pulling to the right. I've been problem free for 20,000 miles now.

If your 4Runner only pulls starting and braking, then I dunno. My steering, like yours, was overly sensitive, but as the vehicle accumulated more mileage my steering improved. Don't have a clue as to why, although I suspect the tires were breaking in. I have Dunflops, but I've got Revo's on order. In prior threads, Michelin Cross-Terrain equipped vehicles had the happiest owners, but aftermarket Revo owners claim the best traction.

biglatka · March 2006

Well, you're in the minority then, both on Toyotas and CR. Although no auto manufacturer or automobile is perfect, I've found, and others on other forums including this one, are of the opinion that their Toyota is a most trouble free vehicle, especially when comparing it to other makes (read the owner review comments and ratings in Edmunds). I've owned Toyotas for the past twenty odd years now and completely agree with the high marks CR always gives them. Funny thing, the Dodge Durango has been found to be rife with problems. I sincerely wish you luck with it.

Consumer Reports takes no advertising money from manufacturers, and they buy their cars independently. Can that be said for other auto testing magazines? I'm sorry for the trouble with your Toyota, but can all those people CR surveyed be wrong or did they just make it up when they highly rated their 4Runners??

silverhawk · March 2006

Hi, My 2000 4Runner's antenna goes up and down but the motor keeps running after the antenna comes up or goes down. It does stop after a minute or so. But, it's annoying and I don't want to make the problem worse if I keep using the radio. I cleaned the antenna but it still happens. Is this fixable by me? I need a step-by-step though. Thanks in advance for any and all advice.

tribster · March 2006

Thanks Nedezel and Canddmeyer for your quick responses. I think Ill look up Hunter9700 to see if there is one nearby. According to the manual, wheel alignments are covered till 12K miles. Too bad I have to shell out money to get this done on my own. The dealer (mechanic) where I bought the 4R is very incompetent. The mechanic was practically having a shouting match with me because he thought I was wrong and he was right. Talk about customer service My 5K service is coming up soon. Guess where I wont be taking my car. Thanks guys for your input. Ill let you know what I find out.

canddmeyer · March 2006

I hope the info helps. I'm going on the premise you might have some kind of tire issue. Hopefully you don't have an out of round wheel, steering system issue, brake issue, or once again, an alignment issue.

When the next generation 4Runner debuted in 2003, several owners posted about wheels having to be replaced, while a few complained about steering issues. I recommend searching the 4Runner forum with 'steering' as your search word. There are 10 pages to review.

You might try another dealer, especially if you can find one with the Hunter equipment. Last but not least, you can escalate to Toyota or grudgingly fork out the $$$ on your own to see if the Hunter 9700 will cure your 4Runner. Good luck.

bula3 · March 2006

I bought my 1999 sr5 new. It has 73000 miles at the present. I had front rotors resurfaced twice already. I was informed that the next time it will have to be replaced. Do you think that the rotors could be defective in material?

ggoins · March 2006

I have a 1997 SR5 with 135K. no problems with rotors...could it be a terrain issue? commute car etc....

agnosto · March 2006

Well, there is always a chance the rotors to be of defective material, but I believe the issue is with excessive/improper torquing of wheel lug nuts... make sure the torque setting is correct to avoid any chance of over torque...

canddmeyer · March 2006

Followup. My original reply was meant to advise using the StraightTrak equipment by Hunter, which is what my dealer used to correct my alignment. The GSP9700 is a balancer. The StraightTrak is for alignment. Hopefully you caught this on Hunter's website. Sorry if I led you astray.

nedzel · March 2006

If you've gotten 73,000 miles out of your rotors then you're doing great. Defective? No, absolutely not. Resurfacing the rotors is basically taking material off them. After doing that once or twice, the rotors are too thin to meet specifications.

73,000 is excellent life out of a set of rotors.

Mr_Shiftright · March 2006

I agree, 73K on rotors is outstanding.

yalker · March 2006

Has anyone purchased the Service Agreement?

My dealership offered me 7yr/75k for $760. Seems like a pretty good deal and am tempted to purchase it...

Mr_Shiftright · March 2006

Be sure to read over the 'exclusions'.

yalker · March 2006

The finance shark told me its a bumper to bumper deal (minus normal wear and tear paint/uphostry/fluids/hoses/breaks/belts) with 24 hour road side assistance.

The crazy thing he told me is that I could have work performed at a mom and pop shop and they can directly bill Toyota for the work.

Thing I would get it for is things like all the computers/electronics that seem to set you back a grand everytime something happens to them.

Am I nuts? I have always steered WAY clear of extended warranties.

Mr_Shiftright · March 2006

Well STILL read the exclusions. This isn't a warranty actually, it's an insurance policy. They are betting your car doesn't break down, you are betting it does. The exclusions give them better odds, so they are worth a read.

vinramdiesel · March 2006

I have a friend that has a 2003 Toyota Corolla S she changed brands of gas no more problem

nippononly · March 2006

on a set of rotors is great? Is that because it's a truck? On a car that would stink. My old 4Runner's rotors went way longer than that. On my current one (2000 V-6 4WD) the rotors are the originals at 67K, no problems so far, no warping.

Mr_Shiftright · March 2006

On modern cars with the mickey mouse rotors they put on most of them, yeah, I think 73K is outstanding for the average driver, I really do.

agnosto · March 2006

I agree, I used to have an 1999 4Runner LTD V6 4WD and I had to replace the original rotors around 10k miles and the 2nd time at around 25k miles... so now I hope with my 2006 4Runner LTD V8 4WD to get at least 50-70k miles on the first original set of rotors.

iwangs04 · March 2006

Hi all,
I have an electrical problem on my 95 4runner. Whenever I press the brake or turn the signal light or use any instrument that has to do with electric/power, the voltage/battery meter does a quick drop or a jump to low. When it happens, the CD player would stop working for a few seconds.
This problem has been happening for couple months now. At first, it was less noticeable, until I found out when the CD player stopped playing. I have checked the battery cables & cleaned them. The problem goes a way for a few days. So each time I adjust/tighten the terminal cable (positive side), the problem is temporarily fixed.
The problem has grown bigger and become a big concern. At times while driving, the engine light and rear ABS light flash on when brake pedal is pressed. Another issue that at times when the ignition switch is turned to ACC (from ON to shut off the engine), the power is loss or the power is so weak that the clock is dim and the radio cant even operate, because of insufficient power. And likewise when the ignition switch is turned to ON, engine not running, the power is no there or the lights on the dash board do not come on. If the key is left in the ON position, the power/lights on the dashboard will come on in a few seconds.
The strange thing is that it does not happen consistently or continually. For example, if I press the brake-pedal several times within second intervals, the problem is only occurred on the first press. The subsequent press seems to be minimal affected. Its intermittent/sporadic problem with short circuit or perhaps a bad relay.
I took the car to a Toyota dealer other day. Dealer tested the battery and alternator system, they are all ok. Also checked wiring and related parts, connections are ok and found no wires worn creating short circuit. I was able to show them the problems, but they were unable to duplicate during the test and cant find the root cause.

Any helpful insights and suggestions to fix this problem are much appreciated.
WANGS04

jsteiner43 · March 2006

I have a 1991 4runner with the 3.0 v6. The engine runs great an i have no problems with the truck. It also has only 91000 miles but is getting only 14 mpg. I bought the truck last November and since that time I have changed the spark plugs, fuel and air filters, and took it to a shop and had the mechanic check for any codes or problems. Is this just the mileage that this truck should get or is something wrong with the truck that doesn't throw up a code? Any help would be appreciated.

nippononly · March 2006

if your driving is mostly short trips in town, and if you have the larger 31x10.50 tires, it is highly likely you would only get 14-15 mpg.

I was at around 16-17 mpg in mine, which was a stick-shift 4WD, and I mostly drove on weekends/longer trips.

iwangs: sure sounds like a short or a bad ground. Do you have any aftermarket stuff installed?

jsteiner43 · March 2006

you are right about the driving and the tires, it also has four wheel drive. as far as aftermarket stuff goes it is completely stock, even the original cassette player. maybe you are right about the mileage, just seems like it would get better mpg than that. thanks

ggoins · March 2006

I would replace the battery, cables and connnectors.

nippononly · March 2006

Oh, in that case, I am sure there is nothing out of the ordinary. There was a period of two weeks or so when I had to lend my car to someone else, and used only my 4Runner for daily driving - short commute, local errands, lots of short trips - and the mileage was abysmal. I had to fill up like two or three times and never got more than about 15.5 mpg, with a low of around 14.5 as I recall.

Mine was a 4WD, V-6, stick shift, 1990 model with the same powertrain as yours.

I traded up to a 2000 last year - whew, what a difference the 3.4 makes in available power, especially on the highway and at altitude! Does several points better for running fuel economy too - I'm averaging about 19.5 mpg.

treitz1 · March 2006

I have a 1995 4 Runner. Diagnostic Code 71, shows EGR problem. Can I fix this myself? I don't want to sink a lot of repair money into this car, which runs good, but has 140k miles on it. Any thoughts? Thanks. tom

Toyota 4Runner Maintenance and Repair

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