new owner, old truck

Jul 28, 2004 2 Replies

Hey folks, New to this group, just bought a 1991 4Runner with the nice alloy wheels, air cond., automatic tranny and 127k miles.



I'm looking for input on trouble spots / reliability issues and such. Is there a great website somewhere or can you guys give me a rundown? I know that I have power steering fluid leaking, is this common?



More questions to follow. Thanks, Chris


On Tue, 27 Jul 2004 20:48:22 -0500, "Chris D'Agnolo" went like:

Issues depend on what engine you have. The V6, "3VZE", commonly had had head gasket problems and would leak coolant into the #6 cylinder. With your low mileage this could be a concern IF it hasn't been taken care of already. The 4cyl engine was a lot more reliable.

Leaky power steering gear boxes were sometimes a problem. Spray everything off in that area and check all the hose fittings. Check for cracked hoses also. Some of the gear boxes had bad seals and would develop leaks prematurely.

I don't care for the auto tranny. It siphons off too much power from a fairly meek engine. My 4cyl. 4 Runner with the 5 spd can generally leave a 6cyl/ auto in the dust.

Having said that you have a quality truck that is quite capable off road and should last a long time with proper maintainence.

great websites:

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also, for general techinfo check out

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he deals with 1st gen (84-89) 4cyls mainly, but much does carry over to the 2nd gen (90-95)

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