How many miles on the Xterra? Good truck? There's one at a local used lot with 77k miles on it and a Florida carfax
Picked up a 2003 Toyota 4Runner V6!
- Thread starter Turbo Actual
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It had 216k miles. The previous owner didn’t do a good job of maintaining it. But when I bought it I put a lot of work into it. I also knew all the common issues they had. Personally I would recommend 2011-2015 model years. 2005-2010 model years suffered from SMOD (faulty radiators that mix coolant with the transmission fluid) and timing chain tensioner failures due to incorrectly dyed chain teeth that cut into the tensioners. I did not have to deal with those issues because I bypassed the radiator when I bought it and the timing chain was silent. You’ll know the tensioners are failing if you hear a whine at start up and when accelerating. Otherwise the 4.0 V6 and 5 speed auto are pretty bulletproof. They’re actually pretty fun to drive, definitely more sportier feeling steering and throttle response wise than my 4Runner.
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The A340E or AW30-40LE as it's called in some applications, is pretty durable. Usually the first sign of excess wear is the torque convertor lock-up clutches.
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Little road force balance action…Should drive nice and smooth now. Had a little shimmy at higher speeds. Here’s some pics of the engine bay and undercarriage. All I have left to do is a coolant flush and a transmission drain and fill. Then I’ll hit the front rotors next.
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I glad you decided to do a transmission drain/fill. It’s only 1/3 of the fluid. If it were mine, I would do the drain/fill and include 1/4 bottle of lubeguard red total (partial dose). My son bought a high mileage 2019 4R and it shifted fine. But we did 2 drain-fills this way, the second with the lubeguard, and it transformed the vehicle night and day. Maxlife ATF is a solid win in these trucks.
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Thinking I’ll pick up some Maxlife ATF and the Lubeguard protectant. Seems like a good combo and is highly regarded. Thanks! It already shifts smooth so we’ll see how much it improves.
Congrats!! Beautiful truck, great deal too!
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Little engine bay wipe down with some P&S Dynamic dressing. Nice banana scent and doesn’t leave everything slimy or greasy.
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Sold the 4Runner for this! Just kidding...We had a 2017 Lamborghini Aventador come into the shop today. We usually get Ferraris in, but this was a nice change.
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Quick little wipe down with some P&S Absolute rinse-less wash and some P&S Dynamic on the interior. The interior doesn’t look bad for being over 20 years old. I’m getting some seat cover for Christmas. 
I ran Amsoil XL in my beloved 15 Tacoma 95% of the time. This was with 137K. 5500-6500 oci.
While you're doing all this detailing, flush the brake fluid.
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All the fluids have been serviced now. She’s in tip top shape fluid wise.
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My 2013 Tacoma V6 looked very similar to yours. My 4Runner has some varnish build up. I’m hoping some more OCI’s with Valvoline Restore and Protect will clean some of it up.
I’m using Valvoline Restore and Protect in a 01 F150. At 1100 I was shocked how dirty the oil was.
What did you decide for the transmission and does it shift differently now?
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I went with Toyota T-IV transmission fluid. No difference in shifting noticed.
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Picked up a Dual DCPA723W radio from Crutch-field for Christmas. I got the ready harness option so it comes pre wired by them. A LOT has to come off to get the radio out. Had to bypass the factory amplifier which was hidden in the cargo hold on the passenger side as well. Took about 2-3 hours in total. Hardest part was aligning the radio so it would fit “decently” with the aftermarket dash kit. It doesn’t look too bad…I’m just glad I can listen to my own music now.
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That factory amp was probably tuned for that vehicle and that fabric. I see it also drove a generously sized sub. If I recall, the SQ of my 2006 was surprisingly tepid for all the features. That amp was likely receiving full volume at all times with a separate volume control signal from the HU- pretty advanced stuff, but also a pain to modify, which you experienced.
It’d be neat to retain that sub, though it probably only works well within very specific tuning profile.
It’d be neat to retain that sub, though it probably only works well within very specific tuning profile.