200,000 mile club, what now?

My 2014 4Runner Trail Edition just joined the 200k mile club. What maintenance needs to be done at this point? I already change the oil every 5,000 miles, had the full 120k maintenance work, flushed the transmission. It runs great, and I don’t trust the local Toyota dealership (the car always seems to need thousands of dollars in work that no other shop recommends). What REALLY needs to be done to keep it going another 100k or so?

 

I would say keep doing what you have been doing, and shouldn't have any issues going another 100K

 

Tell us what maintenance items you’ve done

 

My Y2K 3rd gen received oil changes every 5k, front/rear & xfer case changes every 15k….and timing belt every 60k. Stuck to the script, she got well past 350k and still going strong before I sold her.

Parts that I’ve replaced during ownership included:

• X6 timing belts
• One alternator
• One water pump
• One coil assembly
• X2 brake sets
• X1 shocks (factory)
• One battery
• One side rear glass (thief stole all my RC gear $$$ )
• X3 sets of tires

Here’s the engine bay just before cleaning at 360k

 

Just keep on with schedule items, coolant, ps fluid would be good ones to do. Every 10k oil changes with any brand of synthetic is fine your engine will outlast ownership

 

Go over your suspension parts. If they are original, they are on their way out.
If you haven't touched the serpentine belt, change it along with the pulleys . Take a look at the tensioner while you there.
Go over the hoses in your engine bay, coolant etc and change if brittle or soft. Replace your radiator cap with a new OEM one. Keep an eye on engine mounts and transmission mounts.
If you are on original TPMS, they will start going out soon as well. If 1 goes, change all 4.
I am about to reach 200k soon as well.

 

Replace the alternator brushes ($20). Very easy job. At 200k miles, they're almost completely worn down and are about to leave you stranded. It's a silent killer kind of thing. Doing this preventively will save you from buying a whole alternator, which can go way past 300k miles. The brushes are the typical failure point for these alternators.

 

6 timing belts? That seems like a lot, but I’m no expert.

 

I am assuming you have to remove the alternator to do this.Also I am sure they are aftermarket because I don't think Toyota sells alternator parts like that.
Why not just replace the alternator and have complete piece of mind if you already have put in the work to remove it. I do have this on my things to do list.

 

I agree with the regular maintenance. My last car before my now Toyota 4Runner was a 2004 Pathfinder. The transmission finally gave up and would only go into reverse, 1st and 2nd gears, so I sold her to a junkyard for $580 with over 325,000 miles on her. I only did regular maintenance on her myself. Thought about rebuilding the transmission but decided not to. If it was a 4x4 I probably would have. She still looked almost new like inside and out. I expect my 4Runner to last longer than that. I think it also depends on how you treat them when you drive being a major part of the longevity of a vehicle.

Rest in peace Pathfinder! Our last trip together up in the North Carolina Mountains.

 

Always loved the Thruxton. It's a piece of art. Had the RS for a short time. Was a hoot to ride.

 

As similar as these all look, I assume there's only a few manufacturers who make these brush assemblies.

I'm speaking from my own experience. In about 1.5 million miles of driving Toyotas, I've never had an alternator fail due to anything but worn brushes. I began replacing them preventively around 1992, when my dealership parts guy suggested it. I neglected my 2001 a few years ago, and they failed around 220k I think. Had to buy a reman alternator at that point since nobody carries the brush kits (I get them online now).

As for peace of mind, the only way to get that replacing the alternator is to buy new OEM. Those are probably $400+ today. Remanufactured ones are a crap shoot. As for the work involved, it is what it is. Never has been that big of a job in my experience. I know that for me personally, I would always replace the brushes preventively if possible.

 

I actually did budget for an OEM alternator. I figured a new one would last me another 200k so in the long run it evens out .
Got link for replacement brushes?

 

When I replaced the original belt at 100k I discovered the replacement (dealership factory replacement) belt was a good 0.050” thinner, like a good 25% thinner! No way am I gonna go near 100k on a thinner belt. The DOHC engine, while not a zero-interference design, could still have $$$ damage if a belt goes. After spending a full weekend changing out the original belt I got the process down to 1/2 day…and two beers.

 

radiator fluid flush / replace, it gets acidic over time and eats things up

 

When the original alternator went on my rig I replaced it with a manufactured one (I was on a trip at the time), surprisingly that alternator lasted until I sold the 4Runner some 20,000 miles later…just didn’t have it in me to do a rebuild at the time.

 

Agree. Mine is the 05 carb'd model. They had the better looking tank than what came after 08 with the fuel-injected models. I almost bought a newer Thruxton but decided to wait and get an MV Agusta Superveloce.

 

Oh Man! I tell everyone, MV Augusta is in the business of making paintings not motorcycles.
That Italian temperament with drop dead looks. My first litre class was the F4. A 05 I think. It had a mind of its own and the worst riding position of any 1000cc I had ever owned but man I could look at it all day. I stopped romancing the Italians and started loving the Japanese after I bought the Honda Blackbird CBR1100XX . Then everything changed when the first Gen Hayabusa came. I had a red and black 05 and then the orange and black 08 Gen 2.

 

Agree on this one.

 

Show us what she looks like....

 

Yes, some of the MV Agustas' are works of art but some lately can look pretty gaudy. I am currently driving what should have been my Superveloce - it is my 4runner. I had just saved up enough to get one and my car finally gave up. I put all of that money on my current car and started saving again. Need another 6 months to a year and I will finally pull the trigger. I've got two other Ducati's and have never had one problem with them for over 12 years. Same with the Thruxton.

 

Give your radiator face and AC condenser a nice good cleaning with compressed air and/or water. There are various options for tools available for this job! https://www.4runners.com/threads/how-to-replace-or-deep-clean-5th-gen-4runner-radiator.42895

My 2014 crossed 200k last year. I'm looking forward to the next 200k!

 

This is from a quick search on Olathe Toyota’s website. It’s technically called a brush holder.



The part looks like this

 

Trouble with pic.

 

Oh, I was under the impression it would be like fan brushes/fins. So it's this little motor.
And this is the part that is prone to failing over the years? I did find the part, and it's OEM, so you are correct, it is replaceable without getting a new alternator.

 

Just start over with the factory maintenance schedule book.

 

Yeah, it’s a holder with two spring-loaded brushes in it. It’s not a motor. It’s held on by two screws. You can find YouTube videos on how to do it.