Need help bringing 1995 4Runner back to life.

I just bought a 1995 4Runner 3.0 and looking to bring her back to life. So I took a chance, bought her for $800 and ready to put whatever it takes to get her running again.

The past owner said head gasket blew but the way he described it doesn’t sound like a head gasket. He said the 4Runner was at idle on his property when he heard a pop and saw it starting to smoke so he shut it off. He didn’t try to start it up again and just let it sit for the past 2 years in the same place it died.

I towed it back to my house gave it a good wash and began trouble shooting. The battery was dead dead so I put it on the charger. Once charged all accessories work, the engine cranks but won’t turn over. The battery is 7 years old.

I understand the basics. Fuel, air, spark. So I bought and installed a new battery, new spark plugs, air filter. I added 5 gallons on gas into the tank and still engine cranks but won’t turn over. Any ideas on where to go from here?


https://youtube.com/shorts/ismsMEBBV0o?si=xKyd6bb6D_2CK02J

 

I love it! Does the horn work? Swap horn and fuel pump relay, maybe. Good luck!

 

Gonna have to verify it has fuel pressure and spark. Doesnt sound like its even trying to start/fire up so have to start off on checklist. Check fuses. Id swap efi relay with another of same type, usually have a blower motor or something similar in fuse box.

 

Long Update*

So I got her running. The problem was a fuel pump that wasn’t sending fuel. Definitely a pain in the ass to either drop the fuel tank or what I ending up doing was cut a hole under the back seat. When I put the new fuel pump in I noticed a pin hole leak in the line out of the fuel pump squirting fuel. (See video below and please ignore shitty music, don’t know how to edit out) I tried to patch it but ended up going the cheap and easy route by cutting out the section and adding a rubber fuel line over it clamping it with hose clamps. It ran fine and has been leak free since. Not a permanent fix but good enough till I get money to replace the full piece.

https://youtube.com/shorts/TwLq5Pfw94k?si=czv-MVnRsn-swWsi

She was up and running for 20 mins without any obvious issue. So I took her out for a few mile drive to see what’s next to work on. Right away I noticed the clutch was absolutely trash. Very very poor shifting and the clutch was sticking to the floor. The guy who sold me the car warned me about it but didn’t say it was this bad.

During the drive I noticed a few other things that need fixed. The clutch was getting worse and worse the further I drove getting really really hard to shift into gear with me manually having to lift the clutch pedal back into place.

By the time I pulled back within a block from my house I couldn’t even shift into gear. As I rolled to a stop the engine started to slightly smoke. The Engine gage was showing slightly high but not hot. I turned off the engine and looked under the 4Runner and could see the coolant flowing heavily under the engine. I pushed her back to my house. After it cooled down I refilled the coolant and added K seal head gasket sealer. I ran the engine for 20-30 mins and it didn’t leak and idled great for that time. I increased the RPMs up and down during that time with no issues.

The next day I started it up and when the engine warmed up it began to heavily drop antifreeze again. Im no mechanic but I’m thinking the head gasket blew? No milkshake in the oil, no exhaust bubbles in the antifreeze prior to it leaking everywhere, no blue smoke which is a good sign. The last two head gaskets that went out on me didn’t completely fail like this so not 100% sure if it’s the head gasket but it’s what makes since to me. It’s not ideal, but I have done two other head gaskets so knock on wood feeling somewhat confident that I can do it.

So clutch and head gasket need done before I take it out again. The other thing I noted was a slight grinding noise when driving which the guy I bought it from said it had a suspension issue but unsure what. He said he put a two inch lift on the 4Runner and has noticed it since. You can see in the tires that is wearing heavily on the outside of the tires. The guy thought maybe increase the size of the tires would solve the issue but was unsure and didn’t have the money or time to figure it out. I’m thinking maybe that or he never did an alignment after which is why it was wearing the tire like that. No idea on the grinding sound but makes since to my dumb brain.

So the question I have is before I tear down the engine am I on the right path with the head gasket and clutch? Any other ideas or ideas on the suspension?

 

You said you saw coolant leaking out of the engine bay? Is it leaking from the head? Have you pressure tested it?

 

I don’t have a great view of the heads and the block but the coolant looks like it was running down the block and running off right between where the engine and the transmission meet. It doesn’t look like it’s coming from the radiator and the heater core looks fine. Maybe a water pump but thinking more toward head gasket. I could do a pressure test to confirm but the 3vzfe engine is freaking stupid and not user friendly with spark plug location on the passenger side. All the spark plug have a slight tilt into the engine and most of the plugs require some knuckle or combo of socket extension to get the plugs in just right.

 

Your call. Personally I’d pressure test and confirm the leak site before tearing into it because:
1) It would suck to do the heads and still have the coolant leak afterwards.
2) Something else might break when you’re pulling the heads, you could end up with new problems, and you won’t know for sure if you addressed the original issue.

Let us know how it turns out.

 

Could just be a coolant hose?