Just bought a 97 4Runner auto, 120k miles (absolute creampuff) to keep me busy tinkering. Changed all the fluids, plugs, and filters, did a ton of detail and even more cleaning on it, then someone keyed the side.....

Anyway, several questions....my fuel mileage was 20mpg on the hiway trip home, 65 avg, looks like around town mpg is gonna be in the 16-17range. Is this normal for a stock 2WD auto V6 Runner?
I was wondering if replacing both O2 sensors and cleaning the MAF wires would benefit the fuel mileage. It purrs like a kitten, can't even feel it idling!

Second, it feels just a tad bit squirrely on the hiway, a little loose in the steering, and a slight crosswind will push you over half a lane if your not paying attention.

Shocks, this thing rides like it has NO suspension. It has Monroe sensatracs in the rear, and if I hit a bump it feels like the back end jumps sideways 6".

Any advice or commentary would be appreciated
Thanks

mpg sounds about right. Check for loose parts and shocks. Something is amiss.

I think it would be a waste of money to replace the MAF, but you should probably clean it. Take the sensor out of the intake tube and use a spray-on electronic cleaner with Q-tips to wipe down the wires. The tip of it will look like a burned-out small light bulb - it's supposed to look like that. That's actually only part of the sensor. The difficult but more important part to clean is way down in the sensor tube which you can only reach with a Q-tip. The sensor wire is fragile, so be careful.

With that many miles, it's probably a good idea to replace both O2 sensors. They have a slower response as they age. There's an article here that talks more about those:
http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/4Runner/tech/O2_Sensor/

Also you should make sure that the previous owner replaced the engine's timing belt. If you can't verify that it was done, you might consider having it done or do it yourself. See this article for more info: http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/maintenance/timing_belt/


Just get an alignment and tell the tech to particularly inspect for any play in the tie rod joints or the inner ball joint. If there's a lot of play, they won't be able to align it anyway. All those joints have worn out faster for me due to larger tires, but still it would seem to me that stock vehicles would have to replace those occasionally too.


Doesn't sound like the shocks are performing well for your vehicle. Make sure they're not broken or disconnected. Also make sure both swaybars are present and connected. The stock endlinks are known to bend.

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