I just bought a 87 runner with a 22re in it from a buddy of mine and it has a few things that i have questions about. 1, the fuel gauge works until it goes below half and drops to empty, now would this be a gauge problem, or inside the tank? 2, when i shift into 5th its like it goes into neutral. is a tranny rebuild in store for me, if so about what is the cost of a rebuild? 3, the rear end is in pretty bad physical shape, does anyone know of a good body shop in the southern cali, san bernardino county area? and 4, when the truck heats up, its stays very low on the temp gauge, is that more likely gauge? other than those 4 things its a very good runner. the engine is running very strong even at 207k. im very happy with it so far and wanna start rebuilding it. thx in advance

1. It's the sender in the tank.

2. The shift seat bushings are most likely shot. Search the tech archives for the directions to replace it. This will cost about $20.

3. Not in SO CAL, so I can't help.

4. Our temp gauges suck... Get an aftermarket one for backup.



Enjoy the 4Runner, and watch out for the SO CAL thieves that like to joy ride them...

You might want to stick a thermometer in the radiator to see it it is actually warming up properly. A bad thermostat can cause the engine to stay cooler than it should.

Dave

would it still be the seat and bushing even tho it goes into the spot where 5th gear should be, but its like 5th gear isnt even there? im thinking i should get the tranny rebuilt anyway since its leaking oil. same with the transfer case. i hope this doesnt cost a fortune. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/baby.gif" alt="" />

If it's only gonna cost $20 to find out, seems like it's worth a try to me, it could enable you to put off the big expense of rebuild.

You can get a complete gasket set for the transmission from Toyota & fix the seals yourself if that $20 fix works.

A rebuild on my wife's Tracker 5 speed just set us back ~ $2500.

Dave

Rebuilds here in N.CA 10yrs ago were running about $1500, if you brought the tranny in. You should be able to find one fairly reasonable from a rig that is being parted out, shouldn't be more than $200 for one w/about 100k on it. Look for a 3rd gen 4cyl. tranny, they are stronger than the 2nd gen, and tend to last longer between rebuilds. If it stays in gear it is unlikely it is the bushings, but then again 5th gear usually isn't the gear that goes bad first either.

When you say feels like it is going into neutral doe you mean the engine revs up, or just no response

? What size tires are on it?

Heh, heh, yeah but back then you could still buy a pretty nice home for 100-150K....

yea thats very true dave. definatly worth a shot. all the other gears are fine till 5th. it revs up as if in neutral. its like if you were to expand the neutral position from left and right and also to where the spot for 5th gear is. this is so hard to explain hahahaha. im pretty sure it isnt a clutch problem if thats where youre leaning towards. i guess another way to try and explain this is if i were stopped and put it in 5th and tried to go, it would just rev up like it was still in neutral. it has 30/950/15s on it. and ill look into that tranny b4 i look into a rebuild. bolts right up correct? thx again for all the help so far.