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How long will it last me?


mkiv808
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I have a 1999.5 SE 4x4. 111,500 miles. Don't know if I want to sell it or keep it. I'll admit I've been looking at some older 4Runners. Tempting to pick one up. Are they really that much more reliable than the Path?

 

Only problems are:

 

Loose exhaust

2 bad 02 sensors

 

Plan on getting the exhaust fixed, don't really care about the 02 sensors at the moment.

 

There is a very slow coolant leak. If it's a head gasket issue, I'll be selling it sooner than later. There are no outward signs of a gasket problem though. I'm going to get it pressure tested this week.

 

The tranny shifts a *little* hard. It's inconsistent though, and seems to happen regardless of gear. Sometimes you don't feel it at all, sometimes you feel it a little. It's not a violent jerking, like my buddy's old 91 Accord used to have when shifting. Would a fluid replacement be helpful in that matter?

 

Other than that, will be doing timing belt and water pump too. Possibly coolant hoses and drive belt if I decide to keep it. I would also do a tranny fluid change. Car is due for new spark plugs, but it drives fine and idles very smoothly.

 

Car was previously owned by a mom until 99,000 miles. She took it to her longtime family mechanic. Heck, he could've had the timing belt done, but I'd never know since it wouldn't be in Nissan's systems. All I did was change the oil and oil filter every 3000 miles or less, new tires, and new air filter when I got it.

 

So how long could this thing realistically last me?

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115,000 miles, and it should have the tranny fluid flushed and filled. Check it to see if there's any signs of it being brown, or smelling burnt. It should be a nice red colour.

 

Also, the O2 sensors in those things are NOTORIOUS for going out. Pezzy (also a 99.5 owner) just replaced her 4th. You'll want to get those fixed, as they're probably killing your gas mileage, not to mention, they cause the truck to run a little strange at times.

 

The 4Runner, is no more reliable than a Pathfinder.....they're both good for a lot of miles, properly maintained. Put a few dollars into your truck, and she'll keep you happy for a long time.

 

Make sure that timing belt gets done if you're not sure when/if it's been done. It's a pricey job if you take it somewhere to get done, but cheaper than an engine. ;)

Edited by Simon
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Forever if you let it nickle and dime you to death! I cringe when a nissan is in that state. I was actually feeling sorry for you having this truck until i noticed you have a corvett too, then I started hating you real fast! Nissans can be expensive if someone lets them get to that state and the lady who owned it didnt take good care of it, nor drive it good, and the mechanic couldnt have been worth a flip unless she didnt let him do the stuff to it that he wanted to. I have heard and experienced many problems with flushing trannys that the bad fluid is literally holding them together.

 

In short, I would honestly sell it to get out from under it to avoid further losses and get one that checks out fine. That many miles isnt something that you have to stay away form, that many problems on the other hand is somthing to stay away form though

 

EDIT: About the timing belt thing, I dont think that the vg33e is a interference enging. I could be wrong but I think I asked befor and was told its fine

Edited by 4x4le
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Hi there, welcome to the board...

 

As Simon said, the O2 sensors on these are fun, just when you think you got em, 2 more go. :D But I should be good for a while - I've done all 4.

 

The tranny flush might help your shifting -- also, I know mine is a bit reluctant to switch up gears sometimes, but I am also used to a 5 speed, and waiting for the truck to decide its time to finally change is annoying sometimes... (oh, you wanna go fast now? well, okay, I suppose I can do that... hmmm... *gear change*)

 

Our trucks are pretty reliable, I think you can expect to be able to put many more miles on your engine if you take care of it.

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EDIT: About the timing belt thing, I dont think that the vg33e is a interference enging. I could be wrong but I think I asked befor and was told its fine

Incorrect sir. The VG33, and VG30, which it's based upon, ARE interference engines. Break the timing belt, and 99.9% of the time you bend or break valves. Timing belt on our vehicles is a MUST.

 

The only Pathfinder without that issue (North American, anyways) is the ones with the VQ35, as they use a chain instead of a belt.

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Exhaust and O2 sensors are cheap and easy fixes. How does the tranny fluid look? Find out where that coolant is going, and go from there.

 

Do you have any maintenance records? If not, I'd change out all the fluids, spark plugs, and timing belt.

Edited by rpn453
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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, my mechanic, who does stuff pretty cheap for me, did a few things:

 

- Exhaust welded

- Timing belt/water pump/thermostat

- Found the coolant leak and fixed it - intake manifold gasket

 

For $700 cash.

 

He said he wouldn't recommend flushing the auto tranny, as sometimes that causes more problems than it's worth. The tranny doesn't shift badly at all, the slightly hesitant gear change is intermittant and doesn't happen all that often.

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Fuel filter you can do on your own if you want. But your mechanic sounds like an honest guy for that $600 in work.

Yeah, he'd probably charge very little for it. It's winter time, I don't really feel like getting under the car. ;)

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