Q:
"My Check Engine light is on. What's the problem?"
A:
The Check Engine light comes on for a variety of reasons, all related to the EFI system. Get the factory service manual or a good aftermarket one, and it will describe how to get more detailed trouble codes from the EFI computer. Don't spend any money on parts until you do this.

Q:
"My Overdrive Off indicator light is flashing. What's this all about?"
A:
Your electronically controlled transmission has detected a problem. Like the previous question, a good service manual will tell you how to retrieve the extended codes and begin troubleshooting.

Q:
"I wanna buy a Toyota. Know of any for sale? How much should I pay?" or "I am thinking of buying a 19xx Toyota for $nnnn. Is this a good price?"
A:
I can't and won't answer that. Even if I did know of a Toyota for sale somewhere, chances are its where I live near Seattle, and not near you. Your local market determines the market price, factoring in supply, demand, condition of the vehicle, phase of moon, and so forth. I have no way of telling if a price is a good one in your area. The various "blue books" are a good starting point. Some are even online, such as the Kelly Blue Book. The easiest way is to simply open your local paper and see for what price people are willing to sell them.

Q:
Variations of: "I was interested in purchasing a 4Runner. How does the 4Runner compare to the Honda Passport, Nissan Pathfinder & Jeep Cherokee Limited in overall categories. Which car is safer? Which comes with better features? Which one will last me the longest? Which one is better in tough weather? blah blah blah..."
A:
I don't mean to sound cranky, but do your own research. I don't really know all that much about 4Runners, let alone all the others. I'm a fan of the 4Runner, but there are a lot of other good SUV's out there, and some of them are better for some purposes than the 4Runner. For example, if you wanna frequently tow a 5000lb boat hundreds of miles, you're better off getting a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a V8. The various 4x4 magazines usually do a SUV shootout each year, so look for these articles at your library, and they can do a much better comparative review than I can. The 4Runner's main strengths, in my opinion, are its general toughness, reliability, low maintenance, and relative availability (vs. other imports) of performance-enhancing aftermarket products.

Q:
"How can I make my engine more powerful?"
A:
Biggest bang for the buck (assuming your engine is already maintained well and tuned) is usually an exhaust header, which may or may not be legal to install in your part of the world. Further freeing up the exhaust flow helps too, i.e. larger exhaust tubing, free-flowing muffler and catalytic converter, etc. Improving intake breathing is said to help too. This can be accomplished with performance carburetors (on 22R models), various high-performance air cleaners, intake manifolds, and so forth. Higher-performance camshafts are available from a variety of sources too. Order the catalogs on the Parts Sources page for a bunch of other ideas.

Q:
"My engine pings a lot. Why?"
A:
This seems to be common, especially on the 22RE motor. The biggest culprit is using gasoline with octance ratings below what Toyota recommends (check your owner's manual). I've noticed some brands of spark plugs seem to aggravate the problem. Your timing might be too far advanced. You might just have to live with it. If anyone else has more information on this, please let me know.

Q:
"Whats the grinding noise I hear when I crank my steering wheel to one direction or the other?"
A:
Your truck has 4 steering stops which prevent the wheels from turning beyond a certain point. There are plastic caps on these. They tend to wear all the way through, so you get some metal-to-metal contact at extremes of steering. The caps are expensive (as plastic caps go), but they are easily replaced. A lot of people simply grease the area regularly.

Another cause of noise like this is the tires rubbing against the flexible panels in the wheelwell that (try to) prevent mud from splashing through the wheelwells into the engine bay.

Q:
"I've got an early 3.0L V6 and I've blown my head gasket. It was very expensive to fix. Is this common?"
A:
Yes. Toyota has redesigned the V6 head gasket, and the new ones are supposedly much better. Unsubstantiated rumor has it Toyota is aware of the problem, and they will reimburse you for the cost of fixing it if you yell loud enough to the right people. I recently (10/17/96) heard from a Toyota technician:

Hey, I just recieved a notice at work, Toyota is going to cover head gaskets on all 88-94 3.0 V6's for 8 years or 100,000 miles, all owners will be notified and even if one is beyond the "time" frame, it covers it for 1 year after you get a notice, regardless of mileaage, all repairs will be taken care of if already done, there will be a 1-800 number to call for reimbursement.

I've seen two different phone numbers for this: 1-800-404-7636 or 1-800-331-4331.

Also check out the The Toyota V6 Head Gasket Problem page.

Q:
"I've heard that the 4Runner rolls easily. Is this true?"
A:
I've not heard anything that leads me to believe a 4Runner rolls any easier than any other SUV. If anyone out there has heard differently, please let me know the source, and I'll add it here.

Q:
"What is the average lifetime expectancy of a Toyota 4x4?"
A:
I can't really answer that, and if I did, you'd complain to me if yours lasted less. With that in mind, let me say that Toyotas in general are somewhat legendary for their longevity. The 22RE motor is particularly durable. I've owned three vehicles with the 20R-series motors. One was a '76 Celica with a 20R engine. I wrecked it when it had 140,000 miles on it. Another was a '79 2WD pickup, also with a 20R. I sold it just a few years ago and it had over 150,000 miles on it. My current ride is a 1987 4Runner with a 22RE motor. It has over 135,000 miles on it. It still runs and looks great, and I intend to keep it for a long time yet. I never did any major engine repairs on any of these vehicles, except for a couple of clutches on the pickup. Your experiences may vary. My experience is that if you change their oil on schedule and do other regular maintenance, they last forever.

Q:
"My 4Runner looks like it is 'dragging its butt.' Why is this? How do i fix it?"
A:
Well, there's a couple of reasons: On 1st-generation 4Runners (1984-1989), the front fender is cut higher than the rear fender, so even if the truck is perfectly level, the rear end appears a little low. Also, on these 4Runners, Toyota used the same springs on the rear as they did on the pickup trucks, but the 4Runner is heavier in the rear, which compresses the springs more. On later model 4Runners with coil-sprung rears, this is usually only a problem when carrying a load or towing.

Fortunately, there's a variety of ways to fix it: The first way doesn't cost anything: Simply lower the front end to compensate. Do this by adjusting the front torsion bars (on 1986-newer 4Runners). Another inexpensive way to fix this is to add lift blocks between the rear springs and the axle (on a 1984-1989). Extended-height spring seats are available for 2nd generation 4Runners. Yet another way to cure this problem (I've done this on my own truck) is to use extended rear spring shackles. You can also install add-a-leafs, though they tend to stiffen an already stiff ride. You could replace the rear springs altogether for a pair with more height. Hi-pressure gas shocks will also raise the rear a bit.

Q:
"What are the biggest tires I can put on without an expensive suspension lift?"
A:
It depends on why you want taller tires. If you want to look cool, slap on a set of 31x10.50's and have fun. If you want better off-highway ability, read on. I suggest you keep your stock tire size unless you want to spend a lot of money to do the job correctly. Let me explain: (I'll put this monologue on the suspension page when I finish it, but for now, I'll rant and rave right here.)

Ask yourself: "Why do I want bigger tires?" All tall tires buy you is some additional clearance. On a Toyota, clearance isn't usually the weak link in off-highway ability, unless you spend a lot of time in deep mud, deeply rutted roads, or deep snow. Even if you do spend a lot of time in "deep doodoo" the money is arguably better spent elsewhere. Here's several reasons:

* You'll lose low-end torque, because you'll effectively change the gear ratio. Each rev of the engine will turn the wheel the same number of degrees as before, but since the radius is greater, you'll turn more circumference. To circumvent this problem, you gotta change your axle gears. If you've got the toyota 31" option (which is pretty cool - wish i had it!) and an automatic transmission, you probably have the toyota 4.87 gears. Unfortunately, the diff case used in that gearset is different than the others, so you'll need a whole new differental (two of em, maybe), plus gears. Otherwise, you probably have 4.10 gears if your truck is a manual, 4.30 if its an auto. It starts getting real expensive then to do it right, maybe $1000 or more. If you've got the 4cyl (like me), your 4runner is already too under-powered to get out of its own way. Taller tires will aggravate the problem unless you regear your axles.

* For the reason above (unless you put on the new axle gears), your speedometer will read low.

* Bigger tires are heavier, and the weight is all unsprung, so it will beat your suspension harder, and make for a rougher ride. This can be mitigated by going with lighter aluminum wheels, but thats expensive. I think its probably also rougher on the brakes.

* Wider tires cause a little wandering on the pavement, and increase your rolling resistance and wind resistance. You'll pay for this at the gas pump.* Your wife, girlfriend, whatever, will complain that its harder to get into the truck. Don't underestimate the grief this could cause you.

* Your center of gravity will be higher, making you less stable in turns, unless you get tires that are somewhat wider, in which case you'll need fender flares to keep from looking really silly, especially in the rain. They aren't real cheap.

* You won't usually get any extra traction, except in situations where you'd otherwise be high-centered, which is pretty hard to do. The open differentials on Toyotas is the largest impediment to traction, not the clearance, which is already best in its class. Most people want the taller tires because they think they'll get more off-highway traction. The truth is, if traction is your goal, get a traction diff for the rear (posi or locker) and keep the stock tires. Check out the axles page for more information on traction differentials.

Or, if you prefer, get a winch. In fact, a lot of people recommend getting a winch first, because a locker tends to only get you further into the muck where you get REALLY stuck and then really wish you had that winch...

In summary, if you're like me and not made of money, I'd spend the money in getting a winch and lockers at both ends. Then you can spend a lot of time pulling out your friends with tall tires and open diffs. If you really want tall tires, you'll need to spend some money to regear the axles. And if you're going to go through the trouble and expense of regearing your axles, you might as well gear 'em for really tall tires, and then you'll need an expensive lift to clear 'em. :) With all that in mind, I understand that 31x10.50 is the largest size that will generally fit without rubbing other parts of your truck.