1990 Toyota 4Runner SR5 review from North America

I took a chance buying this since vehicle since it had been sitting, it wasn't running and the previous owner thought it needed a clutch. I paid $400.

I replaced the battery and the engine fired up. The problem with the clutch was that the slave cylinder was seized, which is part of the hydraulic clutch system and is mounted near the starter on the bellhouse. I freed up the cylinder myself which was no cost but it leaked so I bought a new one for $25.

I replaced the timing chain twice because I bought cheap parts the first time.

The timing chain was rattling/ticking when I got the truck. I had to address the problem when coolant and oil started leaking everywhere. Here's what I think happened. The timing chain was replaced sometime before I bought the thing and plastic chain guides were installed. The guide broke then the chain started slapping against the inside of the timing cover (the groves on the cover were about 1/4" deep) this eventually caused the seal on that side of the timing cover to break loose and start to leak. The water pump and oil pump are both mounted on the timing cover so both oil and coolant started to leak.

The first time I replaced the timing chain I used a cheap parts store timing kit which is never a good idea because they give you plastic chain guides and a cheap tensioner. It was ticking again within a few months. Keep in mind this job takes 6-8 hours for a backyard mechanic like myself.

The second time I replaced the timing chain I researched on the internet and found a timing kit that included a metal guide, a Japanese tensioner and I was able to get a new timing cover, water pump and oil pump as well even though they didn't need replacing.

The rad leaked a little.

The rear doors were rusted out.

The rear window didn't work which made the tailgate useless.

At one point the starter came loose. When I went to tighten it up I found that 1 of the bolt holes was mostly stripped so I bought a really long bolt and threaded it through the back of the "tab" that the bolt goes through. It never gave me trouble after that.

The water bump belt snapped and the thing overheated. This didn't seem to do any damage though and I replaced the belt.

For some reason one of the rear brake started to pulse. This caused an interesting problem. The pulsing in the rear drum caused the automatic tensioner to slowly tighten the brakes until they were on all the time. I replaced the brake shoes, then the drum and I changed all the springs on the side that was causing the problem and it went away.

The 22re engine in these are almost indestructible other than the timing chain. If you spend some cash you can buy a double row chain that will last forever but I didn't think it was worth it.

The 22re is not a fast or powerful engine but it's definitely adequate.

Overall the 4runer was great in the snow and off-road.

Gas mileage averaged about 19MPG city and 25MPG highway.

Mileage dropped to about 16MPG when I left it in 4x4 when all the roads were snow covered in the winter.

The seats are comfortable. It's somewhat hard to get into the back seat but not the worst.

I also used this truck to bull a small travel trailer and a snowmachine trailer. It towed okay but it accelerated very slowly.

Considering the mileage and age of the vehicle it ran very well for the two years that I had it.

Sadly I was in a car accident last month. The other driver was at fault and the insurance company wrote it off. I did not take the first offer that the insurance company gave me and after negotiating for awhile I was able to get a $3000 settlement.