Can anyone recommend a good physical book for service and repairs?

Hey 4Runner fam,

can anyone recommend a good repair manual for a 1990 4Runner? I'm not mechanically savvy, but I'd like to be!
Thanks in advance

 

Probably start with your gen's Haynes manual. And to supplement, the Four Wheelers' Bible. Both can be found on Amazon or your Buy 'N Large or other super mega store of your choice.

 

Just picked up a copy of Haynes on Amazon. Thank you for the suggestion!

 

I would get the Toyota service manual. I own the Chilton (Chilton is owned by Haynes so I bet they are similar) one for my 4runner and it is pretty much useless. It has a lot of advanced information at a glance, and then falls apart when you actually need it. For example it shows you how to change your diff oil and take your engine apart. Yet when I take a closer look it doesn't tell me the torque specs for the drain plug on the diff, and it doesn't tell me the valve clearance on my engine.

Its Youtube/forums or the Toyota Service manual, that is it. Nothing else seems to provide the detail that I could get for free off the internet.

 

Haynes manual absolutely has all of those torque or clearance values at each chapter introduction, usually at the bottom of the page. @rabidvajer to supplement @Trekker's recommendation though, absolutely find a copy of the Toyota Factory Service Manual. There are free copies all over the place, most convenient one Ive found was in a sticky post at T4R.org. Just search for it there and it'll pop up. May well find it here too I just havent yet.

 

Here you go. http://web.archive.org/web/20100718...nr/Toyota.4Runner.1990.1995/files/repair.html

And if you wish to buy the books, try Ebay or here. http://www.autorepairmanuals.biz/page/842533?page_5450101=2

 

Get the Toyota Factory Service Manuals (FSM). They are the quintessential example of how any owner/service manual should be written and documented. They are a very great example and a pleasure to use when diagnosing problems with all of the relevant and much needed reference information right on the page you are often looking at. I have yet to see another publication by another automotive manufacture top what Toyota has done with there FSM's.

 

I second atgparker on the Toyota FSM. I found FSMs for my '93 on eBay. I spent about $100 in total.. $50 for each volume. They've already proven themselves more than worth it.

 

I bought a licensed printing from themotorbookstore.com for $155.95. Not cheap, but it was great having my hands on a genuine print of the manual.

 

I'm all for the factory service manuals. In fact I purchase along with my new vehicles.