PennSilverTaco's BS thread!

2004 Toyota 4Runner SR5

The first picture (rear) was taken with my Nikon D5600 and the second was taken with my iPhone; This is because my camera batteries died and I'd forgotten to bring extras...


September 25th, 2019:

Doylestown, Pennsylvania

 

Loving this tread!! Keep up the great work!!

 

September 25th, 2019:

Doylestown, Pennsylvania

 

Thanks! I am probably going to sort all of the pictures into separate threads by generation.

 

September 25th, 2019:

Doylestown, Pennsylvania

 

Is Doylestown big? I’m running my trains from there now. I have four tracks set up two of which are around twenty foot long. I can really get them up to speed....I have Pa roots....

 

You mean model trains purchased in Doylestown? Doylestown Borough's estimated population as of 2018 is just under 8,300 people. It is really like a small city.

 

August 6th, 2019:

Doylestown, Pennsylvania

 

I remember reading various articles about then-new 4Runner in 2009, and I know for a fact that a 2.7L/4-speed auto 2WD model was available in the SR5 trim. These seem to be relatively rare (especially in my home area of Southeast Pennsylvania where pretty much every new SUV sold is 4WD/AWD). I'm pretty sure I've never seen one in person, and I haven't been able to find one for sale online.

Obviously, if I ever bought a 4Runner it would be a 4x4, but I was just curious if anyone owned one of these or had seen one. I love photographing obscure/unique Toyota vehicles for my photo collection.

 

Wasn't aware of this. Just looked it up - 2010 model year only.
I wonder if it's so rare as to be worth something... or completely worthless?

Edit - Just found a review on Edmunds from someone who bought one.

https://www.edmunds.com/toyota/4runner/2010/consumer-reviews/review-198741715/

 

Yeah pre facelift you could get a 4 cylinder 2WD, I didn’t realize it was 2010 only. I’ve only ever heard of 1 person claiming to have had one.

 

That thing had to be a dog...I had a 2nd Gen 4x4 4cyl and that thing was painfully slow. One of the biggest mistakes I ever made in car buying...

 

The V6 in the 2nd Gen was painfully slow!

 

Yea a 4 cylinder 4runner would be pathetic

 

Plenty of 2WD models out there in states that don't get snow. He's talking about a 2.7L 4 cyl. model.

 

1st Gens are hard to come by because the vast majority of those seem to have been used up the early 2000s. Most rusted and ended up being scrapped. However, I still see more 1st Gen T4Rs than 2nd Gens these days.

4th and 5th Gens are a dime a dozen in my area, so much so that I rarely take pictures of just any 2003-present T4R I see these days. Beige, silver, and white seem to, unfortunately, be the most popular colors on the 4th Gens, with black also being fairly common. 3rd Gens are still fairly common too, but nowhere near as common as the newer ones. When I see a 3rd Gen in a parking lot, I take pictures whenever possible. However, it would seem dull neutral colors were also popular on the 3rd Gen.

5th Gens are just as popular as the Prius in my area (Southeast Pennsylvania), even the TRD PRO! They are so popular that I rarely stop to take pictures anymore.

 

One of my theories as to why there are so few 3rd Gen T4Rs is the choice of engines. The 22RE was actually more reliable than the 3.0L V6 in my opinion, but wayyy underpowered for such a large vehicle, even with a 5-speed handshaker and low diff gearing. The 22RE is at least bulletproof.

The 3.0L did not offer much of an improvement in the way of power, again even in stick shift forum with lower gearing. On top of that, it had reliability issues.

My dad has always loved Toyotas, but two of the reasons he bought an S-10 Blazer instead of a T4R in 1993 were the engine and the price. The Blazer had a 200hp 4.3L V6 and was easily $5,000-$6,000 cheaper than a comparably equipped 4Runner. Also, the 4.3L isn’t known for munching head gaskets at 130K!

My dad really had his heart set on the the new-for-1996 3rd Gen T4R, specifically the Limited. However, the Limited had an MSRP of over thirty grand ($32K if I remember correctly), and no dealer within 50 miles of our house would sell below sticker. My dad ended up getting the also new-for-1996 Nissan Pathfinder below sticker, and not only was that Pathy a great vehicle, but it holds the record for longest time my parents ever kept a vehicle (purchased new in May 1996 and traded for my Tacoma in September 2009).

 

So my theory as to the lack of presence in the 2nd Gen community (at least in my area) consists of three things:

• A mediocre V6 that kept it from being competitive.
• High price tag for a loaded example.
• Toyota’s infamous rust issues.

 

That said, the 2nd Gen T4R is a good-looking rig in my opinion. The fit and finish, and overall build quality, is quite good (At least until rust sets in).

 

2nd gen by far the best look and body style of the bunch.. change coolant, do your heads, engine will last 350k miles.. keep the rig clean and rust free it’s a great truck.. modest sized suv fused to a Toyota truck chassis. Top 5 all time SUVs easily..

 

The reason why the 3.0 was plagued by overheating issues is because Toyota, for whatever reason, chose to route the exhaust back behind the cylinder heads. This is why the two rear cylinders are where the BHG occurs. The solution is simple but expensive. Headers do away with this and also give a nice little HP bump.

 

How much does the exhaust re route and headers cost? Anyone in SoCal you know does this work?? Thx!!

 

Like I said, it ain't cheap! www.lceperformance.com

 

What about if being "unsafe"?

 

Unsafe? Never heard that- perhaps it can be unsafe if driven like a madman would drive??

 

I thought long and hard after that “unsafe” comment...

Back in the day the government bureaucrats would say the earliest T4Rs were prone to flip over. They nuked Ford Bronco IIs and Suzuki Samurais too.

The most notable case with the Bronco II was in the early 1990s when some racehorse jockey flipped his Bronco II while driving drunk, became a quadriplegic as a result of his injuries, and ended up in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. The keyword there is driving drunk! It’s one of those “play stupid games, win stupid prizes” situations; SUVs handle differently than cars and are easier to flip, but if you drive them responsibly, you should be fine. Remember the “Esuvee” ad campaign?

 

Also, you have a 2WD...

Does your rig have a locking rear or LSD, or just an open rear?

 

I guess my biggest grievance would be the lack of power. My aunt had an early 1990s example with a 5-speed stick, when she lived in Colorado (she actually bought it from John Elway’s dealership), and it was still slow as hell in her opinion.

I once saw a 1992ish T4R 2WD for sale on Ebay maybe 15 years ago, and it had rims from either a 2000-2006 Tundra or a 2001-2004 Tacoma, and a small block Chevy under the hood.

I once a 1987 Toyota 2WD pickup at a car show that had a modern Lexus V8 shoehorned under the hood with room to spare (as in plenty of room for A/C components, though this particular truck did not have A/C; pictures later). I would not mind a 4.7L-powered 2nd Gen T4R!

 

So, the 5th Gen T4Rs have the same engine as the 2nd Tacos, right? Is there any reason a 6-speed from a 2nd Gen Tacoma wouldn't fit?

Just another fantasy of mine, right up there with putting a 5.7L in a 5th Gen...

 

I don't see why you couldn't fit it in there. I'm sure you'd have to do some fabrication for r a cross-member and pedal assembly.

I'm pretty satisfied with the 4.0, but I think it would rule with a 4.6 out of a GX. That would probably be a fairly simple swap.