New Owner - Seeking Pro Tips

Hey everyone,
Just wanted to introduce myself as the proud new owner of a 2004 Toyota 4Runner SR5 with the V8. She's got approximately 132k miles on the clock and I'll be bringing her home tomorrow.

My initial "to-do" list involves a general canvas of all systems. The previous owner verified the timing belt was done at 100k miles, which is a big relief. However, they also noted some issues with the #6 cylinder, specifically a mechanical valve ticking type noise. Other than that, I observed what looks like an oil pan gasket that might need attention and some typical frame rust spots that I plan to cut out and repair properly.

Beyond the usual fluid checks/drain & fills and filter replacements (air, oil, cabin), are there any other common issues or specific items I should be looking out for on these V8 4th Gens, especially given the mileage?

Thanks in advance for any insights!

 

Welcome.

What you have is a great relatively low mileage vehicle. I drove an 06 v8 SR5 4WD and my wife drive an 03 V8 SR5 2WD for many years. Is your a 4WD or 2WD?

What you do not have is a TRD - as your title suggests. TRD is Toyota Racing Development and is a relatively new moniker for 4Runners. There are a few different TRD models in the 5th gen lineup. Namely TRD Pro, TRD Off Road and TRD Sport. The first 2 mentioned have a locking Rear Diff. The latter is a homoligation of the 5th gen limited and SR5.

Regarding the engine issue. Any idea of it is the valves or the cylinder? Rod knock would be the cylinder. Often this is louder at startup and quiets down after several minutes as the cylinders expand in their bore. If it is valve clatter, you would want to figure out what is causing the issue like a bad rocker, lifter, valve spring etc.. it's been a while since I owned a 4th gen v8 so I dont remember exactly how the engine is configured.

Good decision to look it over in detail once you get it. Fluid changes are a good idea and pretty easy to do.

 

Good catch! Correct def not a TRD - but it is 4WD. I would describe it as much more of a valve clatter accompanied by a rough idle type of vibration. I'm not in an urgent situation to repair and want to diagnose it fully. It will be serving as a 3rd vehicle and used to pull a boat to and from the dock (when it's fixed of course) which is less than 3 miles round trip, so hoping to keep the miles down and extend its usable life.

 

The v8 prior to 05 has a bit simpler valvetrain. Something about VVT-i. Should make it easier to work on. Am when I fixed a cam seal leak in the 06, I had to bolt the cams together on each side and lift them out together. I recall it being a massive pain.

The factory service manual is out here floating on the internet. You should locate it and download it. Will be worth it's weight in gold to you.

 

Welcome from Wisconsin!

 

Welcome

 

Welcome

 

welcome

 

Welcome from Arizona!

 

Check your exhaust manifolds for cracking. Apparently its common, although fingers crossed i'm at 260k and mine are fine. BUT, you'd probably hear a noticeable exhaust leak, which it doesn't sound like you have. And your mileage is low... but just something to keep an eye on.

Throw some photos up, how bad is the rust you plan on cutting out and replacing with fresh metal?

 

Welcome..

 

Still working to learn the ins and outs of this forum @gkomo so apologies if I didn't tag you right. Thanks for the tip - I'm going to start the diagnostic process tomorrow morning, it's been a day...

Getting feedback from friends in the trade that say it sounds like rod bearings. I took a video earlier I need to figure out how to post.

As far as rust on frame, it's more than I would like but I knew what I was signing up for but now that it's in my driveway I'm wondering how sound my judgement is. I'd say the worst is driver side beside the fuel tank - I won't know until I drop the tank, just going by what I can feel and I hope I'm wrong. And a 6x4 patch just ahead of the driver door - looks like the passenger wore the same.

There are 2 places passenger side maybe a 6x4 inch patch would do on the inboard side ahead of and behind the passenger and a of 3x3 near the bottom of the passenger door. I'll double check those sizes and locations in the AM.

And the rear near the hitch doesn't look rusted through but it's starting to show roughness. I'm researching products I can apply once wire wheeled and maybe coat with POR 15 to try and contain whatever is in the realm of possible.

If y'all know any rust treatment tricks or previous posts here I would love to read over them.