Chilton's Manual - '89-'96 and '97-'00???

Err, what's the deal with Chilton's repair manuals for 4Runners? I just went to buy my first manual for my "new" 4Runner and saw that Chilton's has one for the 4Runner, etc., covering 1989-1996 models and another covering 1997-2000 models. I wasn't sure if these were for non-US market vehicles, a typo, or what. It seems really odd to include one year of a new generation in a repair manual.

I went with a Hayne's, instead, but I am curious about this.

Dean

 

Get the Toyota Service Manual. Haynes and Chilton's are generic guides and not worth it.

The TOYOTA service manuals are like $10 on ebay for a download...or if you hunt there are links out on the web that you can get it for free.

 

I'll get a proper service manual at some point. For now, I want something to chuck in the car. The service manual is something like 1200 pages!

 

I have this Chilton 4runner service manual given to me as a gift when I bought my first vehicle. A little secret- Chilton was bought by the people who make the Haynes service manual and I suspect that the service manuals are almost the exactly same apart from the cover. These service manuals are for the US.

If you plan on doing any work beyond basic jobs get the Toyota one. The Chilton is great if you want to replace parts that wear out like the engine, brakes, and engine oil change. But for parts that weren't expected to be replaced or wear out in an intervals- it is useless.

It didn't have anything about the vacuum switching valve (VSV) that controls the 4wd system even though it is a common failure that I would include if I made a service manual. The manual helped me some when I needed to fix the rear hatch handle, but it wasn't detailed and youtube was still the mvp in that case. It also doesn't even acknowledge the digital clock, something that I still want to fix. It is not helpful for trouble shooting either.

For obscure parts it is also pretty spars. So yeah, if your doing basic work its fine. But if you want to fix uncommon issues or go into detail get the Toyota service manual.