Toyota 4 runner

[saur1]

I need a suggestion here.
I have a 1998 Toytoa 4 runner, SR5, V4, with 130,000 Kms on it. This is a Canadian vehicle. I have owned this for ajust over an year now. Before buyihg I did plenty of research and read many reviews and all of them were like 9 on a scale of 10.
But within this year I had two problmes, first it was the rear oxygen censor, and recently it was the starter. And also I have a faint leak of the water pump, which I can live with by adding collants regularly.
But is this normal to have these kinds of repairs, That's what my mechanic tells me.
What would you suggest , to keep this truck, or change it. Otherwise I really like this truck, for its year and the miles, the body holds perfect, for a V4 it packs enought power on Low 4 wheel, with rear diff lock, to help me off road easily.
Your suggestion really counts.
Thanks

[joegrang]

As vehicles age these things will pop up. Regular maintenance and care goes a long way to keep major things from going bad. For toyotas, most of the construction is solid parts that are used on a regular basis like the starter, altenator, battery etc will eventually go and need to be replaced O2 sensors are usually pretty good for the entire life of the car. Maybe u just got a bad one to start with. One thing to note is that 4 runners hold their value really well so if u wanna sell u'll still get a decent price for it. But with a rating of 9/10 I would keep it and and just keep up with the minor repairs and maintenance maybe if it were getting to 8-10 yrs maybe time to sell as major engine comps. will start to degrade. BTW is it a daily driver of do u only use it once a week? it would be best to drive it a little every 2-3 days

[joegrang]

also was the 100K done on time like t-belt and stuff water pump leaks may indicate that it's time for a new water pump which is also normal if it has never been changed b4

[saur1]

Hi joegrang
Thanks for the info, I was getting really worried, but with you advice I think I will keep it, as for the T-belt, I am lucky as the V4's, which is what I have, its a Timing Chain. So I don;t have to worry about that.
Thanks

[Madmax]

Timing chain needs to change at one point as well. I would suggest close to 175 000 KM/ 200 000KM.

Also it's not a V-4 it's a L-4.

[94gs_r]

My 91 4Runner required almost no repairs other than the starter, which I fixed for $5 worth of parts. This does not count normal maintenance. That was up until it got to 300K.

Then the thermostat went which lead to a new timing belt and water pump. But the thing runs like it's brand new with only a little bit of valve noise. And I think I might need to replace the rear main seal but as I haven't spent that much on it, this is just a minor setback.

Very reliable vehicle, keep it.

[saur1]

Thanks again for the info. It is reliable no doubt as I have no other problems with this truck.
But My starter change cost me almost 300 canadian with the part costing me 240 CAD.
I never worked with starters, so I didn't want to take a chance to replace it myself.

[94gs_r]

The starters on the 4Runners require the replacement of the contacts periodically. These cost ~$5. The only problem is the thing is a bitch to try and maneuver out and then getting it back in is twice as aggravating.
As it costs so much to replace the entire unit is almost worth the trouble.