Towing with a late 90's 4runner

[mjk]

Capacity on these vehicles is 5k. I've heard that at around 3.5k, they struggle.

I am looking at boats that will be a bit under 2k, fully loaded.

Does anyone have any experience with towing a load of this size? I'd hope that the 3.4L would handle it well.

Thanks.

 

[Astro14]

3.4 is a far better towing choice than my 1990 3.0, which struggles with a rooftop carrier on the highway. The 3.0 will crawl all day at low speed, but high RPM power just isn't its thing. What you've heard makes perfect sense to me. The 4,000# vehicle is OK, it's going to be power/drag limited. If you've got the A340 trans, consider a temp gauge, they're known to get warm when used hard. The locking converter unlocks under heavy throttle, so the heat builds...Ask me how I know...

 

[cchase]

Just remember to keep in mind that a 2000 lb boat will likely have an 8000 lb trailer, too.

 

[FZ1]

It's no problem. That's a body on frame vehicle.

 

[supton]

I take it that you have not bought the 4Runner yet? When I was looking at these it was recommended to replace the radiator and/or run an external ATF cooler. The stock radiator can fail, mixing ATF and coolant together. Very bad. If you are shopping, and the ad says "recent ATF flush" or "new radiator" then it's not a good sign.

Most of the stuff I saw online also indicated the above: 3,500lb is probably a good limit in reality, and bypass the factory in-radiator cooler with something more substantial. Keep an ear on the engine, you can tell when it's not running the convertor locked; running in D rather than OD may help, depending upon where you are (so as to avoid any hunting). Watch out for rust.

 

[mjk]

Originally Posted By: cchase
Just remember to keep in mind that a 2000 lb boat will likely have an 8000 lb trailer, too.


Total weight of boat/trailer is 2000lb.

900 lb dry hull. 300lb trailer. 300lb 90hp 2 stroke. Adding 400 plus lbs for accessories and fuel.

And yes, I am shopping. Don't currently own.

 

[95busa]

Lock out OD. No OD=happy transmission

 

[nwjones18]

I would say a 2000lb trailer would be no problem. I would lock out o/d if i was on anything but perfectly flat roads.

 

[cchase]

Originally Posted By: mjk
Originally Posted By: cchase
Just remember to keep in mind that a 2000 lb boat will likely have an 8000 lb trailer, too.


Total weight of boat/trailer is 2000lb.

900 lb dry hull. 300lb trailer. 300lb 90hp 2 stroke. Adding 400 plus lbs for accessories and fuel.

And yes, I am shopping. Don't currently own.


It sounds like you're actually thinking about this all, so I think you should be more than okay.

Also, you highlighted my obvious typo referring to an 8000 lb trailer. I meant 800, not that it matters since you were counting the trailer in your 2000 lb estimate...

 

[meep]

that will be a very comfortable combination. engine will have plenty of power.

Lock out OD = Great advice. Even with the TC staying locked on level ground, OD generates more heat in my tundra when towing a large load.

I think the only weaknesses I'd ponder would be to make sure the exh valves on the v6 are in good adjustment. 'yota had a few issues with them back in that era, and tow loads can make it a bit more important.

Good combo, no worries.

 

[quint]

I towed my 2400 lb (including trailer) boat with a 1995 4Runner 3.0, and it was horrific. Handled great, braking was fine, absolutely no power at all. Towed from Cincinnati to Tennessee many times a year, which is a fairly hilly drive. My foot was flat on the floor practically from the minute I left the driveway until I got to the lake, and that is no exaggeration.

Many, many miles of towing with that poor truck. Reliable as can be, but slow, slow, slow on the hills pulling that boat. I towed a 1500 lb camper up to Michigan a few times and it was not much of a problem (relatively speaking), but that was a much flatter drive.

Had a decent sized aux transmission cooler and changed the fluid fairly often. Towed usually with the OD on, but since it was hunting between 2-3 most of the time (pulling the boat), OD was never really engaged much anyway.

I drove my friend's 1997 4Runner with a 3.4 and it was marginally better. Wasnt towing with it, just driving it around town. It felt like a slightly peppier version of the 3.0. Which is like saying "a slightly nicer person than Charles Manson".

They are great 4-wheeling vehicles, they will go anywhere and do it well, they are well built, and pretty reliable even with lots of miles on them. But towing is not their strong point. Unless you are in a very flat area, you might consider other trucks. Just my opinion, based on my experience.

 

[mjk]

Having a real hard time locating the 4runner I want, thus...

Have always had Tahoes in the back of my mind. Both the 5.7 and 5.3, depending on pricing. The late 90's Tahoes around here are dirt cheap.

I am looking at a 99 LT this morning. 126k. Has only seen 2 MN winters; owner retired in 2000, and it has been in southern states, or garaged since then. In fact, it has only seen about 5k/year in recent years. Owner likes to turn a wrench, and is very able to talk about automotive stuff. Knows all about the intake manifold issues, etc. Tranny/gear fluids all replaced at 50k, and again at 100k. Newer water pump. Obviously, as clean a body as you are going to find in MN. He is at 3500.00.

There is a 5.3 (2001) that I want to look at as well. 160k, and 4400.00. Of the 2 engines, I've enjoyed driving the 5.3 more - they are sooo torquey. I know the ride was significantly refined, when they moved to that style in 2000.

Thoughts?

 

[rslifkin]

The 5.3 will definitely make more power and will probably get better mpg too.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: rslifkin
The 5.3 will definitely make more power and will probably get better mpg too.


More than likely true. As long as you aren't towing a HUGE load the 5.3 can easily handle it. Look for a truck with the 3.73 gears, most of them have a tow package from the factory. Very nice extra coolers and such already fitted.

The Yota can do it too, it's all up to the driver. I just like a bigger vehicle to tow with for stability's sake...

 

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
I just like a bigger vehicle to tow with for stability's sake...


Bigger is definitely better when towing, within reason. I've pulled my Jeep on a car trailer (~6300lbs loaded) behind an E-450 box truck (24' overall length) with a V10, and other than a slight power decrease, you could hardly even tell it was back there. A few months later, I pulled another identical Jeep on an identical trailer behind my Jeep (~6300 lbs trailer weight, max tow rating is 6500). It did it ok, but it felt like I was pulling it with a lawn tractor (stable doing 60 and pulled hills just fine in 3rd with the TC locked, but you could tell the trailer was heavier than the tow rig and could push it a good bit, stopping 11k lbs sucked too).

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: rslifkin
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
I just like a bigger vehicle to tow with for stability's sake...


Bigger is definitely better when towing, within reason. I've pulled my Jeep on a car trailer (~6300lbs loaded) behind an E-450 box truck (24' overall length) with a V10, and other than a slight power decrease, you could hardly even tell it was back there. A few months later, I pulled another identical Jeep on an identical trailer behind my Jeep (~6300 lbs trailer weight, max tow rating is 6500). It did it ok, but it felt like I was pulling it with a lawn tractor (stable doing 60 and pulled hills just fine in 3rd with the TC locked, but you could tell the trailer was heavier than the tow rig and could push it a good bit, stopping 11k lbs sucked too).


Totally agreed.

Many moons ago I had a Sidekick and had to tow building materials 100 miles across the state to a job site. We used a huge double axle trailer that weighed almost 2200 pounds BEFORE we loaded it with carpet, tile, adhesives, etc. It was super heavy.

But we kept to the back roads and drove carefully and made it work out of necessity. The only time it gave me a challenge was on a dirt road, the trailer tried to push me into a ditch!

 

[meep]

the tahoes are nice vehicles in their own right, though overkill for a 2,000lb boat. call it 2300 with fuel and gear.

I had a 97 pathfinder... think it was a 3.0? 3.3? -- used to pull a 2500lb pop-up with it. this is probably a comparable situation. It was fine, though the pathfinder was undersprung and underdamped in the tail to tow much more than a basketball. it needed to spin up to 4k on steep grades but was comfortable to steer and stop. The trailer did rattle the rear end around a lot.

We later had a 3.3L town and country. Despite having 1/2 the tow rating of the p'finder, it towed 3 times as well. Power was about the same, but the stability from the wider and longer wheelbase was noticeable. And the van had leaf springs, which IMO tow better than coils.

I think the 4runner would be comparable to my old nissan. practical and usable for the weight you are thinking of (2k loaded) if this is just weekend warrior use. If you plan on racing or tnmt fishing or other out-of-town use and pulling it cross-country regularly, that might warrant a bit more oomph.

...just rambling...

 

[02SE]

Late '90's is a 3rd gen 4Runner, which was made from model year '96 to '02. The V6 versions were rated to tow 5k lbs.

My Sister has been pulling a boat that W/trailer weighs right at 5k lbs, for years. This is mostly in the Mountains of Utah. So real Mountains, along with some high elevations.

Her '01 V6 4wd 4Runner is all stock, with the exception of some slightly oversized 265/75R16 Michelin LTX M/S2 tires. The 4Runner is well maintained, and has no issues while towing.