Retire my 2002 4-Runner??

Hello. A very sad day today because the local mechanic just suggested that I might think of "retiring" my baby - Big Red. Honestly I am devastated but she has just under 300k on the clock and at what point do you stop putting money in? The engine light came on and the codes relate to an engine misfire. I also need a new catalytic convertor i think.
He said he won't know if the coils need replacing until he starts work on it. So top end it would cost $900 if she needs knew coils. Fuel induction service $250, transmission fluid exchange $387.90 spark plugs $779.42 tune-up. I am a single Mum i have to think with my head and not my heart. Please help - any advice would be greatfully received.

 

Do I just go for it and get the parts online and find a cheaper mechanic?? I am British and new in Cali and I don't have a mechanic I trust not to rip me off. If you are female then you pay something extra called Vagina Tax which ibecause apparently if you have a vagina then you have to pay about 20 per cent extra than if you have a penis. So to be clear with my questions, at what point do you stop putting money in when you have a 2002 Toyota 4Runner with 295,673 miles on the clock and you are budget conscious? And should I get the parts online and follow the recommendations on Amazon on your site as to which to buy? My new neighbour is a retired mechanic I am going to pluck up the courage to ask him as he is bound to be more reasonable. And if someone could answer me I would really appreciate it and if i am in the wrong forum please ridirect me. Rant Over.

 

Hi Emma, the choice is really yours to make. I'm emotionally attached to most of my vehicles, and spend money based on that rather than logic sometimes! I'd talk to your neighbor first. Charm him with your accent and take some freshly baked cookies as a bribe! The vagina tax is probably true, and sad. Good luck and keep us updated on your progress. I can't help with mechanic recommendations as I'm in Colorado, but hopefully someone will have suggestions. Where are you located in California? This is the right forum, BTW, but sometimes is takes a little time to get people to chime in.

 

Thanks for getting back to me and I hear you.
But I MUST dash back to the kitchen. Do you assume all women love baking or is there just something particularly homely about me? Quite the opposite, in fact.

 

What part of CA? What was the total estimate w/ coils to get her running again?

 

If a mechanic discusses a "Tune up", he's ripping you off. There's no such thing.

Focus on the problem at hand, the misfire. Forget everything else for now. Not worth the extra money if you have to sell due to the misfire being a head gasket or something very expensive.

Most common misfire issues are simple. Plugs, wires and less likely coil packs.

How old are your plugs? I ran my rig to 200k miles on the ORIGINAL spark plugs and eventually got a misfire. Replaced plugs and wires. Took like 1 hour. Shouldn't be anymore work than that. Could be that simple.

Diagnosing a coil pack is easy, just swap them. If the misfire MOVES to a different cylinder then it's the pack. After swapping, the codes in the ECU needs to be cleared. You can and should get a simple code reader that will clear codes (almost all do for like $30). You clear codes and then run with the swapped coil packs and if the misfire comes back, check the code and the code will tell you if it moved to a new cylinder or not.

Talk to your neighbor. Tell him you want to check the plugs, wires and try swapping the coils and if he could lend you a hand. Being a mechanic, he should understand that on this vehicle, it's a simple request. Just have to remove the air box I think. Pulling the plug where the misfire happened, you will probably know immediately why. Either it will be worn out, wet or black. Worn out?...change plugs and wires. Wet?...might be a bad injector. Black?...burning oil and engine is almost done.

Make sure you use OEM (TOYOTA or TOYOTA Supplier) parts. The market is flooded with cheap Chinese and counterfeit parts. These engines REQUIRE OEM plugs too.

With a little help, I'm sure you can do this.

After figuring out the misfire, consider that this is a 20 year old vehicle and things are simply going to break. While these rigs are a shade tree mechanic's dream, it may slowly feel like a losing battle to you.

 

Oh boy. And that's why some people may not respond to new members here. BTW, I'm not above baking cookies if I think it will help. Good luck.

 

Holy Jesus Christ on earth thank you SO MUCH negusm. I literally couldn't have got better advice. Beyond helpful and I am so grateful.
I know you are right which is what sucks. Sort out the misfire and then sell her. However denial is not a river in Egypt so i needed to hear that. Thank you for the encouragement. She is smogged until November but I would feel shitty selling it to someone without telling them they need a new cat so probably need to knock 1 grand off the sale price. Ugh this sucks.
Cory I didn't mean to be snarky and I apologize. I am just genuinely really fucking upset that I have to sell my 4Runner we have been through some gnarly times together there is nothing she can't do and she never let me down. Also as I said I am British and we are also a sarcastic bunch of twots.
And calm down Cactus love.

 

Sorry Emma, I over-reacted. I'm still fuming over some bad news from this morning and may be a touch snappy.

 

Ahhhh no worries Cactus. I was getting ready for a fight with you (I am not proud of that) and unleash the beast so thank you
for diffusing it by being gracious about it. I am sorry you had some bad news I hope it works out. I am genuinely grateful for the help and advice.

 

What?!

Where are you located? Heck I'll do the work myself, I've helped plenty on another forum (Tacoma).

I had just under 300k miles on my 4Runner and got rid of it for $16k, because 300k miles is nothing to an older Toyota.

You either need to find a new mechanic, or start doing things yourself. These things are super easy to work on.

 

oh god REALLY? But I will definitely need a new cat and that is expensive
I do understand the fundamentals of a combustion engine (anything electrical is beyond me) I can do basic stuff like change the ignition coil but I am thinking replacing coils is beyond my skill set.
I live in Ojai which is between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.

 

I have done minor stuff from watching Youtube videos i will look it up and look at the process. I am not too shabby with a wrench. But will go and stalk my neighbour wish me luck. Fortune favours the bold my friends.

 

Sorry one more question where is the best place to get the parts from am I better going online?

 

Ok update. Because I am sure you are on tenterhooks. My neighbour not there so left him a note. Will go and check on plugs and wires and will visit NAPA in town depending on the outcome (I am taking advise about no dodgy parts from China.)
I am never going to get to lift her and get some sweet wheels and rims which are the mods i wanted to do. In another lifetime Big Red.
Thank you for all the advice and welcoming me into the bosom of the Toyota 4-runner forum

 

I don't think you owe me an apology, unless something got edited.

 

Sorry for the pain today Emma. I’m trying to help my daughter through some issues on her FJ and she got hit hard with the tax you mentioned. She’s also down in SoCal, Pasadena, and her rig is at a shop right now. If it comes out good I’ll share the shop with you, if the “tax” is high I’ll try another. Once we fall in love with our vehicles they are like a pet or family member. I just can’t get rid of mine until they are toast.

 

I’m just going to leave this here.

 

Hilarious Silverslug. So near yet so far. I like your dog I have some of those. And also a pig.
Thank you Henry - I have a feeling that your daughter clearly has you there to help her navigate the vagina tax so she will be ok. It really makes me livid and I seriously looked in to starting a garage with female only mechanics. Oh god I feel a rant coming on. Is it just me and Kanye who are low-key losing it at the moment?
So I managed to get the air hood off but honestly getting those spark plugs out on my own is a bit of a gamble i am better supervised I tend to plunge into things with abandon and then regret it.
ANYWAY i have gone rogue and ordered two ignition coil packs which will arrive tomorrow hold onto your hats folks things are about to get wild. Going to change out those bad boys and see what's what.
Toodle-pip

 

I don't even have a 2002 4Runner, and this thread is worth it just for the entertainment value.

Hoping for the best @BigRed2002. Wish I had some input that would help. I do have a 2003 Tacoma, which shares some Toyota DNA...

 

I know all about that shitty tax. My momgets it all the time too. Shame on them. Dirty bastards.

You can do this! A tool is cheaper than the price of labor, and so many auto parts stores now will install stuff or loan you the tools for free also. Keep the truck. My 99 went through all of that little stuff failing all at the same time at around 225k miles. Even if you put $3k into it, it is still cheaper than buying something else that might be about to need some of the same repairs. Just know the truck is at that age where dumb stuff is going to wear out and quit, plan accordingly with a couple bills in savings to cover it and put a million miles on Big Red.

 

First of all, WHAT CODES did you get? Post the code numbers here. This may require going to Autozone\Napa\Advanced and asking them to do a free scan. Or get a cheap OBD2 scanner from Amazon.

Those computer codes will clue us in. We don't even know if the guy you originally took it to had the right codes.

When working, make notes, take pictures before you disassemble!

Do you know what cylinder the misfire was in? Pull that plug first and post pictures here.

I do NOT recommend buying parts before you know what's wrong. Throwing parts at a problem is throwing money at it. Not an efficient use of funds. Also GOOD coil packs are NOT cheap. A working 20 year old TOYOTA coil pack is worth MORE than a new non-toyota coil pack.

NAPA now sells mostly Chinese stuff. I recommend discount online TOYOTA dealers to be 100% certain you are getting good parts.

 

I get virtually all my Toyota parts at a dealership. Most will discount the price by 20% if you ask, and exchanging an incorrect part is much easier than shipping back and forth. And developing a relationship with a real person at a real dealership can pay dividends later.

 

I swear by McGeorge Online Toyota Parts.

Also...why do you think you need a CAT?

The AF sensors on these are NOTORIOUS for being picky. I get the sensor error saying my CAT isn't working, and I reset it with my scanner. Then it goes 6 months before it trips again. TOYOTA CATs are really good. A replacement aftermarket CAT is going to have 1/3 the material in it and will fail after a year.

 

All good info. here, good to see folks jumping in to help. I really like this forum.

 

I was told by a group of professional mechanics I worked with to beat on the cat once a year or so. I did that on my 2 87's (when I had them) once a year or so. Never had a bbit of trouble out of them. I usually did it during the spring drive shaft lube. Much easier on te 4Runner than the pickup...

Of course, same guys told me te best thing to do to them would be to take them off, stick a big screwdriver into them, and swirl it around. Then, dump all the inside stuff out, and put them back on. I never went that far, but I beat on them with a rubber mallet, or a ball peen if I'm feeling particularly obnoxious that day. Something about breaking the bedding up so the CAT works better. There is a noticeable difference in the scent of the exhaust afterwards, especially during a cold start.

Just my experience, is all.
Pat☺

 

I usually get my parts from RockAuto: https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/toyota,2002,4runner
Denso coils $52/each x 6 ~$312 or go with API for $60/set of all 6.
Spark plugs I'm an NGK fan, so $5.89 x 6 ~ $36 and they're right under the coils.
Transmission fluid get Valvoline MaxLife at $6.43/quart ~ $39. Just drain and fill it back up.
Shipping + Tax and your Total parts would be about $140 w/API coils to $450 w/Denso coils.
If you're saying everything I just listed (coils being Denso) + Labor would be $900 then that sounds fair. The 4Runner is worth that investment.
Your cats' would need to be CARB compliant, so $400 each x2 plus install.

 

Ok well I wish I had continued reading your advice on here instead of rushing off to NAPA . On an old bicycle as well (and halfway through my expedition to NAPA i realized the previous owner must have been popping wheelies on it because the seat was at a really awkward angle and it really hurt my front-bottom. Good times.)
My neighbour is away. Booooooo! But I am the proud owner of Guangzhou's finest ignition coils. God help me. I know this is a really bad idea but time is of the essence. Please don't make me feel bad about myself.
I know I keep saying it but I am really grateful for the advice and friendliness.

 

Ok re-reading all the advice I am going with Bikeric's suggestion and get some API ones and return the other ones. Thank you!

 

ok first of all, sorry for any weirdness from my end but I might have been partaking in the Devil's Lettuce when I sent them.
Update: I got a reader and the codes are P0303,306, 420 and O2 sensor. I looked them up and i think 3 are misfiring but if i got the order right not on the same bank.
I actually have enough advice from you guys to proceed. And if it all goes to shit then I am coming for all of you. Jokes.