Question about durability and the 4.0L

Not exactly a tacoma question, but I figure close enough since it's a common engine.

Is 250k miles a level of mileage where a 4.0L might have issues?

I'm looking at picking up an older FJ cruiser to build into a trail rig, and I've found one that looks like a good candidate (even already has a Warn plate bumper on the front), but it's got a history of "fleet use" and 254k miles on a 2007. It's the same engine that's in my 2010 PreRunner, but I'm still under 70k miles after 11 years of owning the truck, so I don't really have a reference for what to maybe expect from an engine with 3-4 times that much use on it.

I'm not so much worried about suspension/driveline issues since I'll likely be looking to lift it (so replacing the suspension isn't an added expense), and maybe put on air-lockers in front and back (so worn diffs aren't a deal-breaker). I'm mainly trying to avoid spending $30+k on a vehicle just to bounce it off of rocks and trees.

 

From what I’ve read and know about these engines, they are pretty solid, but it really comes down to routine maintenance. Some guys have over 300k on their engines with no issues on this forum. It really just depends on how it was treated during those 250k

 

My work truck has a 4.0 in it and it has 368,000 on it. If the oil and air filter are changed on time these engines will easily hit 250k

 

Who used an FJ as a fleet vehicle?!

If it was a fleet vehicle, there's a chance there was a lot of idle time put on the motor. Not the end of the world though.

 

All depends on how well it was taken care of AND price.

 

As others have said it it was maintained properly at 250k it will definitely still have some life left. I reckon you could make it to 350k fairly easily. Other things to look out for if it’s a 4x4, see if transfer case and diff fluids had been changed at the correct intervals. Car fax?

 

The fleet vehicle history tag can sometimes be triggered by a personal lease. That can usually be clarified by looking at the Carfax and see if the first owner was exactly 24, 36 or 48 months in time.

 

the issues pop up within the first 100k

 

No idea who the previous owners were, and probably couldn't find out. It does have one accident (haven't looked into the details) on its record, which may account for the bumper being replaced, but it's a clean title so I'm not too worried about that for a crawler that'll be used mainly in mountains with some desert driving, and probably highway use to get to/from the trails, although I could probably fit it with a hitch/brake controller and tow it with my tacoma if I have to.

 

I've gotta check the carfax to see what the accident is all about anyway.

 

On a tangent, are Warn plate bumpers decent? I've only looked around for Tacoma armor in the past, and mostly looked at custom fabricator shops, I've got a US Offroad "stealth" winch bumper on my Tacoma that I'm very happy with, but would definitely be looking to go to a full off-road bumper on whatever I go with to build out for trails, and it seems like there's a bigger "brand name" aftermarket supply for the FJs (I've found multiple brands of sliders that can be basically bought retail for the FJ, can't remember seeing one for the Tacoma).

 

My company had a fleet of FJs for industrial security staff to drive around the company grounds (much of it being unpaved). They replaced a fleet of XJ Cherokees.

@bmgreene have you seen the vehicle in person? Check for leaks - timing cover, rear main seal, valve cover, steering rack... All these leaks can occur well before 250k but ignored for a long time, especially if had just fleet maintenance (i.e. Jiffy Lube every 6 months). Go to the FJ subforum to look at FJ-specific issues to watch for, like inner fender cracking.

 

Only seen the listing on the truecar app so far, it's on a lot halfway across town and I've been laid up with some health hassles the last few weeks. Could a main seal leak be small enough to be ignored? The only time I've had a mechanic say I had a main seal leak (not in a toyota), it turned out to actually be the oil pan, timing cover, valve cover and 2-3 other gaskets around the engine leaking with one of them letting go so bad suddenly that I ended up leaving most of my oil on the freeway one night.

I'll take a look at the FJ issues, but something like a cracked fender liner probably won't be a dealbreaker for me on this particular build. There's one available that's pretty much already built and under 100k miles, but it's listed at $30k, and I'm not looking to have that much money invested into a trail truck; I'll be a lot less bothered knocking around a $13k truck with $5k in mods (mainly suspension/armor), the fact that the lower price tag will save me probably $300/year on plates (and maybe a bit on insurance as well) doesn't hurt either.

 

I always crack up when these questions are asked. It’s a crap shoot. A well maintained 4.0L can last 10,000 miles and fail or 500,000 miles totally neglected. Take peak under the oil cap. If it was me a shiny valve train with no sludge means the oil was changed often. If it’s dirty I’d walk away.

 

Definitely do this. When I met with the previous owner of my 08, the first thing I did was look under the oil filler cap with a flashlight. Luckily for me it was was so shiny and clean.

Over the years I’ve been on TW, the most common issues with the 4.0 seem to be leaking valve cover gaskets and timing covers. Proper maintenance will keep these trucks running for many miles.