the most annoying thing about your 3rd generation?

[Badlands]

Whats the most annoying thing about your 3rd generation 4runner?

...mine has to be (as i live in a winter belt) the ice and snow accumulation on the inside/top of the rear hatch. When i open the trunk and i hear the crunching of built up ice near the hinges and top and it limits the full opening of the trunk...its a real PITA!

yours?...

[4runnersurf]

Mine would have to be the cupholder placement in my 98.

[YotaFun]

Whats the most annoying thing about your 3rd generation 4runner?

...mine has to be (as i live in a winter belt) the ice and snow accumulation on the inside/top of the rear hatch. When i open the trunk and i hear the crunching of built up ice near the hinges and top and it limits the full opening of the trunk...its a real PITA!

yours?...


But thats why they invented the roll down rear window!
lol
No in all seriousness that can get annoying.

The oil change!
How many of us have complained about the location of that filter!
I know me and my stepfather curse everytime we do ours.

[YotaFun]

Mine would have to be the cupholder placement in my 98.


I did the 99+ cupholder mod, oh so nice :-D

[4runnersurf]

I'm going to, just haven't had luck finding a 99 around here for a cheap console.

[paddlenbike]

The biggest thing that bothers me is the inability to replace it with something newer that is equally capable.

[4runnersurf]

The biggest thing that bothers me is the inability to replace it with something newer that is equally capable.


Good Point

[Seanz0rz]

where to begin?

cupholders,
Ebrake location (why not on the dash like the taco's or previous gen 4runners?
squeaky rear seat latch (what connects the seatback to the body on the sides, just needs grease)
holding the sun roof controls. (dad's 08 civic is one touch... soo jealous)


im sure i could go on for days about all the little stuff that pisses me off on a day to day basis.

[YotaFun]

The biggest thing that bothers me is the inability to replace it with something newer that is equally capable.


x2



where to begin?

cupholders,
Ebrake location (why not on the dash like the taco's or previous gen 4runners?
squeaky rear seat latch (what connects the seatback to the body on the sides, just needs grease)
holding the sun roof controls. (dad's 08 civic is one touch... soo jealous)


im sure i could go on for days about all the little stuff that pisses me off on a day to day basis.



I like the ebrake location personally, just insurance to have it easily reachable instead of having to reach down under the steering wheel to pull it in case of and emergency.
The sunroof thing, I know!, I am jealous of mom and stepdad, they have one touch open, but I believe they don't have one touch close because of the sunroof size, after a certain length it becomes a safety percaution.

[Badlands]

I don't think my dog would be able to make that jump into the rear window!...getting into the trunk with a lift is hard enough!

but the oil filter would have to be up there on my list!
-B

[Bob98SR5]

I'm going to, just haven't had luck finding a 99 around here for a cheap console.


surf,

i have a complete kit that i am selling for $125 shipped. it has EVERY part you need, including mounts and screws. http://4runners.org/forsale_cupholder.htm if it is not your interior color, you can paint the plastic shell as ive done in my roof console mod http://4runners.org/writeups/centerroof. look at the optional paint instructions

most annoying thing about my 3rd gen is that it has this hissing sound at around 2500 rpm. it does nothing to affect mpg or performance, but its a little exhaust leak somewhere, probably a gasket. ive just had other things to do besides trying to fix it :) but this didnt happen w/ my 99 4runner.

[TroysToy]

...that I drive it to and from work more than on the trail... :(

[20005spd]

oh quit bitching about these oil filters :flipoff: . drop the skidplate and its right there. toyota was even smart enough to place the filter with the hole on the bottom so when you loosen it all the oil drains so when you actually take it off it dosent crap all its oil on your arm. i work on cars and have had much much much worse filters to replace, for example vw filters suck balls.

[Seanz0rz]

yea honestly, besides taking the skid off, oil changes are EASY on this vehicle. try a 4cylinder 95 honda accord, the only way to get to and get leverage on the filter is to be right under it, leaving you with a neck and chest covered in oil!

[Badlands]

dude...gotta disagree with you on that one...owned an '83 Rabbit GTI...and '87 Scirocco...and a '92 Golf GTI.

Changing the oil on those was easy compared to the 4runner.

but thats my 2 cents.
-B

[YotaFun]

I am not saying its hard to change the oil, its just the mess involoved.
I end up parking the truck on a couple of open flattened cardboard boxes so the drive doesn't get covered in oil.

[Vermejo]

Top problems:
-The gas tank hangs below the frame rails
-I hit my head on the sunroof headliner frame over big bumps
-IFS components die young
-Did I mention the gas tank?

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e352/BearJake/Negatives451.jpg

Overall my truck rocks

[YotaFun]

Oh Yeah The Gas Tank.
I do hate that!
Mine has a dent, and hell even my stepdads has a dent from when we went into a huge @$$ pot hole.

[BruceTS]

x2 on gas tank location

[ecchamberlin]

Gas Tank gets hammered big time while wheeling.

As far as the oil filter. It is not too bad until you look at how Toyota placed the filter and filler on the new FJC. So handy. You open the hood and it is right there at the same level as the top of the battery. It even has a cup designed under and around it with a drain hole that has a cap so you don't spill anything. The filler neck has a 4-5 inch extension on it so you cannot miss that either. So nice.

I saw this today when our group was airing up and a really nicely built FJC had his hood opened to get to his battery. Simple things amaze me. Just a better designed engine.

[Mossyrocks]

my gas tank only holds 9 gallons now and the driveshaft weight got hung on the skid. So the weight is now gone and a fuel cell is next on the list.

other than that, I absolutely love 3rd gens.

[4LowLocked]

Mine would be the headlights on my 98 - The beam and brightness suck and I can't wait to change over to the 99+. There are so many times that cars and trucks behind me do a better job lighting the road in front of me than my own headlights

Also, I leave my drivers window open a crack all the time when driving (even in Winter). Water and snow pour in everytime I hit the brakes landing right on the window and door lock controls. I will be installing the Weathertech deflectors as soon as the weather warms up

[20005spd]

i would havta aggree with the gas tank being so low. mine is destroyed. i smashed the tanks skid plate enough to move it into the driveshaft and it broke a grease fitting off. nothing an ez out a new fitting and little cutting of the skid plate to "clearance" it counldnt fix. i have a new mint tank skid plate and plan to use angle iron inside and out to give it the strength it needs.

[Deltron]

Cup holder, dripping window, oil filter, and the plastic in radio mast (I love the up and down though).

[YotaFun]

I got rid of the power mas
T a long time ago. Lol

[DNAhilux]

I used to complain about the oil filter location until i did it a few times and found the easiest way..Now i can have the oil changed in 20min, and actually enjoy changing it due to the ease. Take that Toyota "Express Lube"
I am always paranoid about my gas tank, but not enough to hate the location.
The only thing I do not like is the location of the spare tire. I keep it lubed up, but when it hits -30 here, that thing is not budging.
Other than that I find that I cant imagine driving any other toyota product. I had a 2nd gen, I dislike the 4th gens, I think the FJ cruisers are gay and are only made worse by some of the people who drive them. I really like the <07 tundras and 4th gen taco's prior to their "make-over" but have no need for an empty box.
So really, there are some small nuisances but most can be fixed. It beats driving a yellow offspring of a mini cooper/hummer.

[Mossyrocks]

the deal with water and windows happens with every vehicle Ive ever driven in my life. I have ventshades on the 4runner and they are champs. Ive dented the metal behind them and no give and They have some red paint from passing an exo'd cruiser at tellico where they didnt break.

[4Runner202020]

how about everytime i wash my car the rear window on both sides likes to drip and run all the way down!!! haha just a little one but i sure hate having to re wipe that down lol

[4LowLocked]

the deal with water and windows happens with every vehicle Ive ever driven in my life. I have ventshades on the 4runner and they are champs. Ive dented the metal behind them and no give and They have some red paint from passing an exo'd cruiser at tellico where they didnt break.


Most of my older cars had deeper channels along the edge of the room and I never had a prob with water coming in with the intensity that it does on the 4Runner.

Funny story though about the vent shades - i used to drive a tracker/sidekick. One summer when it was 34deg out (celsius) with the roof off, my clear shade broke off on the highway (well a piece of it) as i rolled the window up. Because it was clear, I couldnt even see where it went. I get a call the next day from the provincial police that someone has complained that I threw a huge sheet of ice at them. Who knows what crack they were smoking to think a huge sheet of ice could come from a convertible car in the middle of a july in a heat wave. The cop just laughed when I explained it to him. Told me they were even thinking the other guy must have been on some weird stuff to make that up

[Seanz0rz]

how about everytime i wash my car the rear window on both sides likes to drip and run all the way down!!! haha just a little one but i sure hate having to re wipe that down lol
OMG YOU TOO??!?!?!?1 i HATE THAT!!!! drives me insane.

[YotaFun]

how about everytime i wash my car the rear window on both sides likes to drip and run all the way down!!! haha just a little one but i sure hate having to re wipe that down lol


X3!!!!
Mine Drips right down the middle!

[MillerPKA]

yeah i started using an electric blower for the first drying then hitting it with a towell, those channels get blown dry in a hurry and i don't have to worry about it right after.

my vote is for the insanely idiotic cupholders in the dash, the driver side one broke off on me when it was holding some damn hot coffee go figure. i wish i had the money to convert to the newer center, but no cash after the snorkel :(

[d0ubledown]

my biggest gripe is the steering wheel. toyota is infamous for poor leather quality on the steering wheels. good thing lots on the used market to replace it with. dont mind the filter...body lift helps there. gas tank is a non issue..thats what skids are for. ;) if anything the rear lca brackets is usually what hangs me up. usual creaks & rattles here n there from being a DD/WW

other than that...shes a champ.

[20005spd]

gas tank is a non issue..thats what skids are for. ;)
stock gas tank skid does absolutely nothing, do you have a custom skid?

[MillerPKA]

good thing lots on the used market to replace it with

it seems i'm not in touch with the right folks, could you steer me in the right direction? the top of mine is down through foam and into bear metal innards. how much am i looking at?

[4runnerchevy]

The most annoying thing is that everyone here has one. It is hard to relate! Maybe I should build one.

[YotaFun]

good thing lots on the used market to replace it with

it seems i'm not in touch with the right folks, could you steer me in the right direction? the top of mine is down through foam and into bear metal innards. how much am i looking at?




x2, mine is starting to fade....
And last time that happen on my olds I was just about to hit foam...

[slosurfer]

The most annoying thing is that everyone here has one. It is hard to relate! Maybe I should build one.


:spit: :lol: x's 2 :flipoff:

[garrett]

for those wondering about the steering wheel leather replacement, heres what i did....

http://www.yotatech.com/f2/3rd-gen-replacement-leather-steering-wheel-cover-pic-heavy-71250/

sorry the pictures are no longer hosted, i'll see if i can find them somewhere.

[DNAhilux]

I have a wheelskin cover in two-tone and sewed it over the stock leather. Its been on a year or so and it is in still great condition and at 35 bucks it was a good price.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e266/4RunnerDNA/bikeo/CIMG1323.jpg
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e266/4RunnerDNA/bikeo/CIMG1325.jpg
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e266/4RunnerDNA/bikeo/CIMG1328.jpg

[97kurt]

Only four gripes.

#1 Rear drum brakes
#2 96/97 head lights
#3 bad leather / cracked leather seats
#4 did I mention rear drum brakes?

[YotaFun]

Only four gripes.

#1 Rear drum brakes
#2 96/97 head lights
#3 bad leather / cracked leather seats
#4 did I mention rear drum brakes?


Oh yeah, the rear drums.
lets not go there....

[Mossyrocks]

Only four gripes.

#1 Rear drum brakes
#2 96/97 head lights
#3 bad leather / cracked leather seats
#4 did I mention rear drum brakes?


Oh yeah, the rear drums.
lets not go there....


Ill go there, watch this educational video about drum brakes

http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f35/mossyrocks/?action=view&current=4runner16001.flv

[YotaFun]

Only four gripes.

#1 Rear drum brakes
#2 96/97 head lights
#3 bad leather / cracked leather seats
#4 did I mention rear drum brakes?


Oh yeah, the rear drums.
lets not go there....


Ill go there, watch this educational video about drum brakes

http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f35/mossyrocks/?action=view&current=4runner16001.flv


WOO HOO!!!
Thats def stress relief!

[Mossyrocks]

I had been wanting to do that for a long time, oh and those had 30k on them, and nothing wrong with them. could have sold them but that was just so much more worth it.

[d0ubledown]

gas tank is a non issue..thats what skids are for. ;)
stock gas tank skid does absolutely nothing, do you have a custom skid?


mine has done lots. ive rested most of the rear end weight of the vehicle on it...no harm done. sure it now resembles a crinkled raisin, but its still there, and the tank is still unharmed.






good thing lots on the used market to replace it with

it seems i'm not in touch with the right folks, could you steer me in the right direction? the top of mine is down through foam and into bear metal innards. how much am i looking at?


i got mine of another member at tof...lots of runners parting out lately. mine was just over $100. it was wheel only, no airbag etc. im sure itd be relatively the same price at wreckers etc.

[p nut]

I wish it had a timing chain.

[cplvc]

That plastic clutch pedal bushing.

[DHC6twinotter]

Me not owning one.

[20005spd]

That plastic clutch pedal bushing.
omg i forgot all about that. the bushing in mine was not even there when i bought my truck i had to replace the clutch pedal it was so worn.

[Erich_870]

- The dead digital clock.
- The seat belts that wont retract when it gets cold.
- The lower section of the hitch.
- The angle and location of the oil filter.
- Cali dual cat exhaust :spank:

I like the location of the E-brake. You can actually use it when your in a tight situation and need power and braking at the same time. The old dash style on my 87 was worthless.

Erich

[habanero]

Walking up to ask if some people with a minivan stuck in the parking lot needed help only to find they were already planning to use my hitch with their come-along to pull it out. At least ask!

Broken seat mount that's impossible to get to without drilling a hole from the underside of the truck, far as I can see.
Oil filter placement and angle.
Rear seatbelts that don't retract coupled with kids that forget to make sure they're in the truck=lots of dents.
Mileage could stand to be better coupled with larger gas tank
Uncomfortable seats, especially on long drives
Tinfoil bumpers

I've got that Cali exhaust too....

[surf4runner]

- seat belts that wont retract ...
-... location of the oil filter.

my 2 main issues.

all my toyotas have had poor retraction on the belts, its become habit now :shake:

[04 Rocko Taco]

This thread! Just kidding guys. I dont own a 3rd gen 4runner, so I suppose thats the most annoying thing about mine...

As far as my Taco.... its 2WD.

Keep it up fellas.

[Chaplain]

Mine would have to be the cupholder placement in my 98.


I did the 99+ cupholder mod, oh so nice :-D

WHAT! I missed the memo on that mod please forward I hate my cup holders.

[Chaplain]

This thread.
LOL!

[YotaFun]

Mine would have to be the cupholder placement in my 98.


I did the 99+ cupholder mod, oh so nice :-D

WHAT! I missed the memo on that mod please forward I hate my cup holders.


I am out of town rght now, and on my POS laptop, when I get home I will get you the links to both the mod w/rear heat and the mod w/o rear heat (some models came with and some didn't and it makes the mod a little harder if it did.)

[Chaplain]

I just went for a drive and was quickly reminded of my least favorite. Its the steering wheel (4 & 8 o'clock spokes), have any of you guys changed yours out?

[Bob98SR5]

Mine would have to be the cupholder placement in my 98.


I did the 99+ cupholder mod, oh so nice :-D

WHAT! I missed the memo on that mod please forward I hate my cup holders.


www.4runners.org/writeups/cupholder

i have one for sale. link at the top of the page

[Seanz0rz]

yea i was insistant on getting a 98+ because i hated the 96/97 steering wheel.

[YotaFun]

I can stand the steering wheel.
I haven't had issues yet.
I was just on a freakin 6+ hour trip with it.
No issues really in the long haul that I can think of.
I will get back to you on my 6+ hour trip home

[20005spd]

my seatbelts are lazy to retract also. im pretty sure any manufacter replaces seatbelts under warranty for lifetime. i know nissan does replace them under warranty for lifetime since i work for them and do it all the time. and i dont wanna here anyone complain about these oil filters anymore. go work on cars for a living and let me see what you have to say about the 3.4s oil filter then :flipoff:

[YotaFun]

It's not as areo Dynamic as a Ferrari....
Joking of course.
But still.
Today on my nice 5 1/2 hour trip back (I kept it over 80 most of the time so I COULD TRY TO CUT THROUGH THE FREAKIN WIND!!!!!)
Every5 freakin seconds i was turning the wheel to get it to stay in the lane, freakin truckers where having a blast with there trailers too...
Got blown into the other lane at one point...
Rant done, stupid I know but I had to share lol!

Still though, I can't really say much more.
One thing I did notice is even with the vent closed man it got hot in that truck.
I don't know why but heat really likes to flow in...
Maybe it's just me...

[neliconcept]

It's not as areo Dynamic as a Ferrari....
Joking of course.
But still.
Today on my nice 5 1/2 hour trip back (I kept it over 80 most of the time so I COULD TRY TO CUT THROUGH THE FREAKIN WIND!!!!!)
Every5 freakin seconds i was turning the wheel to get it to stay in the lane, freakin truckers where having a blast with there trailers too...
Got blown into the other lane at one point...
Rant done, stupid I know but I had to share lol!

Still though, I can't really say much more.
One thing I did notice is even with the vent closed man it got hot in that truck.
I don't know why but heat really likes to flow in...
Maybe it's just me...


how do you think i feel out here in colorado near wyoming (freakin 60mph gusts like almost every other day)

irritating

[YotaFun]

i know exactly how you feel lol
it is irritating

[Mossyrocks]

Id take a 3rd gen over any vehicle ever made though.

[neliconcept]

Id take a 3rd gen over any vehicle ever made though.


i agree, even though Jeeps have it all as far as out of the dealership, id still take a non locked 3rd gen over a rubi any day.

[YotaFun]

Id take a 3rd gen over any vehicle ever made though.




Id take a 3rd gen over any vehicle ever made though.


i agree, even though Jeeps have it all as far as out of the dealership, id still take a non locked 3rd gen over a rubi any day.


x3

[97kurt]

Only four gripes.

#1 Rear drum brakes
#2 96/97 head lights
#3 bad leather / cracked leather seats
#4 did I mention rear drum brakes?


Oh yeah, the rear drums.
lets not go there....


Oh boy... I hate to cross post but here is my recent drum brake issue. Probably costed me several hundred in gas. At least it had a happy ending. (no sledge hammers involved) Link here (http://ttora.com/forum/showthread.php?t=93360)

[Lee]

how expensive and work intensive they are to sas is my answer :(

[p nut]

One thing I did notice is even with the vent closed man it got hot in that truck.
I don't know why but heat really likes to flow in...
Maybe it's just me...


Why didn't you turn the temp knob to cold? There will always be a bit of flow into the cabin even with the vent closed.

[YotaFun]

That the thing, I have, I still feel warmth in the cab, hell I even have the sunroof cracked to get the heat out.
Temp gauge on dash reads normal, so I anin't burning up the engine

[Deltron]

I just finished changing my spark plugs. I would have to say that the one on the drivers side closest to the firewall IMO is very annoying.

[Seanz0rz]

haha, try a triton v10 in a superduty... the last 4 or 5 are impossible to get to.

[YotaFun]

Oh i figured out why my truck was getting so hot, the cord was binding every time i switched to cold, so a little lube and its good.

[20005spd]

I just finished changing my spark plugs. I would have to say that the one on the drivers side closest to the firewall IMO is very annoying.
wow you guys really need to see what else is out there before you knock stuff like this. how bout pulling intake manifolds off to change spark plugs? the 3.4 is fun motor to work on.

[fenrisx]

The fact mine is stock is pretty annoying.

The auto open sunroof is nice, but having to hold it to close it sucks. Not necessarily because I have to hold it the entire time, but the fact it's so slow.

There's not really that much that bothers me about it right now..

[YotaFun]

There tons of things people love and hate about there vehicles.
If someone can prove me wrong and show me a vehicle that does everything we want it to please show me lol!
I don't think there is....

[MasterWIII]

That a supercharger is too expensive right now...

Actually something not generation specific...how things are connected with those annoying plastic clips, i.e. fender flares. My rear passenger side flare has two broken ones right now. On the fix-it list...

[dontdo_that]

the cheap plastic that scratches really easily that the whole center console area, shifter area and ebrake area is made out of. That stuff can be a bitch to clean!

[Ric]

I think the only thing I find annoying is that it doesnt get wheeled enough :(
Im pretty happy with it, I knew that toyota make great, reliable stuff, they havent let me down yet.

[MTL_4runner]

My vote for the main thing I would change about my 3rd gen.....Toyota, please don't ever go back to making engines with iron blocks and aluminum cylinder heads!!! Thank God they fixed that on the 4.0L motor now so no more souls need to suffer blown head gaskets. After doing the brake and suspension upgrades, no major complaints on my 3rd gen except for the useless spring board cup holders they give you.

[thmpr]

The front windows squeking during operation and the rattle noise it makes when closing the doors.

[BruceTS]

That when I press the cruise control button, my 4Runner can't seem to find it's way home without my assistance....












Oh wait it's not an autopilot :headscratch:

[Seanz0rz]

actually, speaking of cruise control, mine downshifts EVERY hill i get to. its far too sensitive and twitchy.

[garrett]

mine stays in whatever gear i put it in :flipoff:

[YotaFun]

actually, speaking of cruise control, mine downshifts EVERY hill i get to. its far too sensitive and twitchy.


Depends on the hill for me, sean it might be your tires size and gearing that is causeing it to be too tocuhy

[QSVeilside]

1. 4000 + lb vehicle with a 180 crank hp rating on the 3.4L which translates to a 10 second 0-60 = Trouble merging, accelerating onto freeways, etc. Supercharger fixed that problem - 308 crank hp 6 second 0-60.

2. Body roll/Swaying on every turn. Addco sway bars and Bilstein shocks fixed that problem

3. 13MPG. Lightened the truck 200+ lbs and over 32 lbs of rotational mass. Improved MPG. I have a lead foot and choose NOT to fix that problem.

4. Sluggish shifts. Placed shims in the valve body - fixed that problem. Downshifts chirp the tires and break loose on the slightest turns.

5. Narrow wheels that sit far inside the fender flares. Volk 16x8" negative 20 offset 3.5" backspacing fixed that problem.

6. 4000 lb vehicle with front rotors and rear drums = terrible braking. Lightened the wheels 22 lbs rotational weight. Lightened the rotors by 2 lbs roational weight. Brembo rotors, goodrich stainless brakelines, and keeping the rear drums consistently in line fixed that problem.

I'm not gonna b!tch about problems and not attempt to fix them. Next question is why did I buy a 4runner? Convenience of going to costco and loading the rear along with 4 golf bags. I didn't try to build a race car. I made this underpowered boat a pleasure to drive on a daily basis.

[Seanz0rz]

actually, speaking of cruise control, mine downshifts EVERY hill i get to. its far too sensitive and twitchy.


Depends on the hill for me, sean it might be your tires size and gearing that is causeing it to be too tocuhy


it definately got worse after the tires, BUT it was still bad when i had stock 265/70r16 on there.