No leaks, great condition, fading paint on roof/hood, 4WD works great, starts right up, 235,000 miles, original transmission (fluids changed twice since 2009), newer engine (PO replaced the 3A motor with a 3A-S, a higher compression motor), always run with synthetic oil or synthetic blend since 2009. I usually get around 30 mpg, but I've seen 35 in summer hwy driving.
I've had this car since Oct. 2009 and I've done a lot to keep it running properly (See full details below). Most notably, this car has a new timing belt, Toyota OEM t-stat, water pump, master cylinder, brake hoses, 5-spoke alloy wheels, Weber 32/36 carb, EGR system delete, fuel pressure regulator, Alpine CD system with Ipod capability, Alpine speakers, front passenger side axle, all 4 shocks/struts. I'm probably forgetting some things, but specifics are all below (I've kept very detailed notes). All told, I've probably put about $2500 into this car since I bought it.
The only disclosure I have here is that I recently failed the Portland Oregon area smog test. I know I can tweak the timing to get her to pass (I've done this before), but I don't want to mess with it. Also, the oil level drops between oil changes so I fear that the piston rings may be getting worn. I performed a compression test on it in 2009 and things looked great - very high measurements (see below).
I'd like to get $1800 for the complete package. Please PM me if you're interested in kicking the tires.
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Existing condition upon purchase: Newish tires, rough idle, difficulty starting, severely cracked windshield, failed rack and pinion boot on passenger side, poor window open/close operation, poor climate control knob movement, improper engine timing, poor handling associated with bad springs/shocks, failed front passenger side CV joint and blown CV boot, low engine power, tape player radio only gets AM stations.
DATE MILEAGE MAINTENANCE OPERATION
10/17/09 224,500 Change oil with 4 quarts of fully synthetic Valvoline 10W-30, cleaned choke linkage to remedy hard starting condition
10/18/09 224,500 Cleaned and lubricated all window tracks and door locks, cleaned all door jams, re-secured muffler to rubber mounting ring.
10/20/09 224,550 Compression check: Cylinders 1-4: 185, 195, 185, 190 PSI, respectively.
10/24/09 224,550 Installed new rear body panels that house speakers. Installed new speakers. Service and clean choke mechanism once again. Filled all 4 tires to 35 PSI.
11/7/09 224,774 Inspect ignition timing - running at ~4 degrees BTDC. Set timing to ~10 degrees BTDC without vacuum advance disconnected per factory recommendation.
11/8/09 224,785 Set idle at 800 RPM per factory recommendation. Install new springs on throttle rocker to achieve better idle performance.
11/16/09 225,100 Removed dash and lubricate all climate control cables (smooth operation now possible!), set engine idle speed at 900 RPM, affirmative check for smooth engine idling.
11/17/09 225,100 Check vacuum advance diaphragm. Check oil (level slightly less than last check on 10-17-09).
12/17/09 225,800 Install new Alpine CD Player and replace front speakers with new "S-Type" Alpine 4" speakers. Fuel economy upon fill-up: 30.3 mpg with mixed hwy and city driving.
1/3/10 226,060 Install new Alpine 5.25" speakers in the rear cargo area. Vacuum all interior, wash exterior.
8/20/10 227,900 Change oil with 4.0 quarts of synthetic blend (Valvoline Duralife 10W-30). Installed new lock cylinder on drivers side (old one stopped working). Topped off coolant. (This was in preparation for a long road trip around Oregon).
8/30/10 228,700 Replaced front passenger axle that was bad (added LOTS of grease to CV joints), replaced steering rod boot that was blown, added weather stripping to drivers side door to reduce wind noise on hwy driving. Hwy fuel economy is ~29 mpg. Exhaust smells rich - next project should be to install a new carburetor and fuel pressure regulator to improve fuel economy and simplify fuel delivery system.
9/5/10 228,750 Changed transmission gear oil. Note: Transmission filler bolt has been rounded off. Need to weld another, deep nut to this to allow future transmission fluid changes.
9/10/10 228,800 Cleaned interior, attempted to clean seats with carpet cleaner/shampoo - decent results.
12/1/10 229,700 Installed a Weber 32/36 carburetor (carb was fully cleaned before installation). Set idle to 800 RPM. Adjust choke operation for proper cold starting. Tuned the fuel mixture to achieve proper mix for best combustion and fuel economy.
12/16/10 229,800 Created and installed new shifter boots (transmission + 4WD knob)
1/2/11 230,060 Set timing to 5 deg BTDC to pass OR emissions test with new carb. Afterwards, I re-set the timing to 10 degrees BTDC to reduce threat of burning the exhaust valves. Topped off brake fluid reservoir with DOT-3 synthetic fluid. Avg fuel economy is ~26 mpg (still exploring ways to optimize this since the new carb should improve MPG).
1/13/11 230,200 Full tune up: new cap, rotor, spark plugs and spark plug wires. Engine timing: 10 deg BTDC without vacuum advance removed and capped off and ~20 deg BTDC with vacuum advance connected to manifold vacuum ("gas filter" port on manifold). Install newly hand sewn shifter boot, clean and reinstall center console.
1/17/11 230,230 Install new passenger turn signal lens, new driver side headlight, new passenger side headlight bezel, fixed floppy sun visor on both sides, install new factory clips to affix front grill, install new plastic interior rear lift gate cover.
2/5/11 230,315 Install front passenger quarter panel to replace old dented panel, ensure that headlights are angled properly, tightened intake/exhaust manifold, install new driver side rear turn signal lens, install new rear lift gate struts, install new bulbs in nearly all front lights.
Experiencing better fuel economy since utilizing manifold vacuum for Weber carburetor.
3/28/11 230,942 Installed new Toyota OEM timing belt, new Toyota OEM water pump, new Toyota OEM thermostat. Cleaned and checked the movement of the timing belt tensioner pulley (makes a little noise, but still spins smoothly). Installed new front main seal (crankshaft oil seal). Installed new timing belt cover gasket.
Drained and flushed coolant system with fresh water. Changed the oil with 4 quarts of 10w-30 fully Synthetic Mobil 1 oil. Used a "gold" oil filter from NAPA. Changed out the heater hose that was rotted/broken.
5/2/11 231,100 Install starter motor from a junkyard T4WD. It is not OEM Toyota, but appears to be relatively new. (Fuel economy check: 34 mpg with approx. 70% freeway driving).
8/4/11 232,370 Install new crank shaft pulley and connect power steering belt (power steering is back!). Rotated all four tires - Note: excessive wear on inside of the front tires; adjust camber and alignment soon. Painted wheels a flat white - also painted center caps. Refueled: 32 mpg with 50/50 city and hwy driving. Checked oil level: still full - the new crankshaft seal seems to have eliminated the small oil leak. Vacuumed interior. Installed pet partition to confine dog hair to the cargo area! Second time adding brake fluid to the master cylinder - investigate this.
8/26/11 232,600 Installed new front rotors, checked front brake pads. Front brake pads: 10mm (recommended no less than 3mm - plenty of time before they will need to be replaced). Inspected brake master cylinder. Brake pedal is relatively soft - explore new rear drum wheel cylinders and adjust the shoes to be closer to firm up the brake pedal.
Installed all new valve stem seals to address the small amount of blue smoke that was noticed upon initial start-up. This repair has fully addressed the blue smoke issue at startup.
10/16/11 233,164 Changed the oil with 4 quarts of 5w-30 fully Synthetic Valvoline motor oil. Used a "gold" oil filter from NAPA. Topped off washer fluid. No leaks detected.
5/27/12 233,891 BRAKES: Installed new brake master cylinder, installed new front and rear brake hoses. SUSPENSION: installed new front struts, installed new rear shocks. Lubricated door hinges/lift-gate struts. Found and addressed vacuum leak at EGR delete plate and at vacuum advance port on intake manifold.
6/26/12 233,923 Confirmed that vacuum leaks found on 5/27/12 were addressed properly Installed additional paper gaskets at EGR delete plate and vacuum advance port on intake manifold, tightened all bolts at the carb.
7/7/12 234,008 Installed new gasket between exhaust header and exhaust down pipe, greased and tightened bolts at the exhaust connection. Checked all carburetor jets (still clean).
7/24/12 234,119 Installed a brand new EMPI axle on front passenger side. This was done to address slight wobble when turning to the left (loading front passenger wheel)
8/3/12 234,455 Installed new distributor oil seal to address the slow oil leak No oil leakage observed since installation. Washed exterior, vacuumed interior, Cleaned and treated tires and exterior plastic trim, readjusted the fast idle setting on the carb. Confirmed that idle is set to 800 RPM as per factory spec.
8/9/12 234,623 Re-set carbeuretor fuel mixture screw to proper setting, adjusted engine timing to Approx. 23˚ BTDC. Note: Engine spec recommends timing to be set to ~10˚ BTDC, but much more power is available when timing is set to ~23˚ BTDC. (Drove to high altitude on Mt. St. Helens with excellent performance and average of 31 mpg.)
10/3/12 234,833 Removed steering wheel and re-angled it to address the offset that was present when I originally purchased the vehicle. Disabled annoying buzzer that tells you if your keys are left in the ignition (but doesn’t tell you if you left your lights on). Added oil. The level was low, but no leaks have been detected.
10/28/12 235,022 Drained all transmission fluid and replaced with hypoid gear oil SAE80W-90 per FSM spec. Transmission shifts more smoothly now.
FUTURE MAINTENANCE PLANS: Install new blower motor (or lubricate existing blower motor). Remove roof liner and clean with bleach or some other detergent, remove seat covers and wash them many times, clean seatbelt return mechanism. Noticed that oil level was low, but no leaks have been detected. Possibly time to service the piston rings, valves, etc.
