2002 TOYOTA 4RUNNER Engine Problems

FIRST, THE MOTOR BLEW FOR NO REASON AT 152,000 MILES. I REBUILT THE CAR AND HAD A NEW MOTOR PUT IN. I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE RUSTING FRAME ISSUE, HOWEVER, AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE WITH A LOVELY NEW REBUILT MOTOR FOR ABOUT ONE YEAR, THE FRAME ROTTED BEYOND REPAIR CAUSING THE POWER STEERING TO GO OUT. I DON'T DRIVE MUCH, SO THERE WAS NO EXCESSIVE EXPOSURE TO SALT. THE CAR WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. IT WAS AN EXCEPTIONALLY COLD DAY. I STARTED THE VEHICLE AND FOUND THE POWER STEERING FLUID HAD FROZEN AND LOST ALL THE FLUID AS A RESULT OF THE STEERING RACK BEING RUSTED AND WEAKENED. THE REPAIR SHOP TOLD ME THAT THE FRAME AND ROCKER PANELS ARE SEVERELY COMPROMISED TOO BADLY TO BOTHER FIXING THE STEERING RACK. THE CAR IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE.

4 WHEEL DRIVE WOULD NOT WORK. VCS LITES AND CHECK ENGINE LITES ON. CAR ENGINE FILLED WITH BLACK SMOKE AND WAS TOWED TO REPAIR SHOP. DETAILS: DROVE ON FREEWAY AND LOST TRACTION AND THAN ON SHOULDER WITH ABOVE PROBLEM. DIFFERENTIAL REPAIRED. TWO DAYS LATER LITES ON AGAIN AND OIL LEAK. *TR

I WAS TRYING TO PASS A CAR DOING A LITTLE OVER 55 MPH AND HEARD A LOUD BANG NOISE. I PULLED OVER AND STOP THE AS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON AND THERE WAS OIL WAS POURING OUT FROM UNDERNEATH THE MOTOR. THE OIL SERVICE WAS KEPT UP TO DATE AND WAS JUST CHANGED. THE CAR WAS TOWED AND THE ENGINE HAD THROWN A ROD. MOTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACE. (AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH THIS SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH 4 RUNNER ENGINES WHEN THEY REACH 75000 MLES OR MORE. I AM NOT ALONE IN THIS PROBLEM.) I WAS LUCKY THAT I DIDN'T GET INTO AN ACCIDENT AND THAT I WASN'T ON THE EXPRESSWAY IN CHICAGO. I HAVE EMAILED TOYOTA. *TR

MY 2002 TOYOTA 4RUNNER HAS A FAULTY THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR (PART # 89452-35030) THAT CAUSES LOSS OF POWER WHILE DRIVING (AT ALL SPEEDS). *JB THIS LOSS OF POWER IS VERY DANGEROUS AS THE CAR WILL BE DRIVING ALONG AT A STABLE SPEED AND THEN SUDDENLY JUST START SLOWING DOWN EVEN THOUGH MY FOOT STAYS ON THE GAS PEDAL. THIS LOSS OF SPEED PUTS ME AT SERIOUS RISK TO BE REAR-ENDED BY A CAR BEHIND ME OR POTENTIALLY GET HIT FROM THE SIDE AS I AM CROSSING AN INTERSECTION. MY MECHANICS AND I HAVE DIAGNOSED THE TPS AS THE ISSUE. THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM (THERE ARE MULTIPLE FORUMS ON THE WEB ABOUT THIS). HERE ARE SOME OF THEM BELOW: HTTP://WWW.YOTATECH.COM/F2/THROTTLE-BODY-SENSOR-89452-35030-A-239929/ HTTP://WWW.TTORA.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=16753 HTTP://WWW.TTORA.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=13283 HTTP://WWW.TOYOTA-4RUNNER.ORG/3RD-GEN-T4RS/118506-THROTTLE-POSITION-SENSOR.HTML PLEASE GET TOYOTA TO ISSUE A RECALL FOR THIS PART. IT IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO GET DEALT WITH BEFORE THERE ARE MORE SERIOUS INCIDENTS. THANKS.

COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER ON ACCELERATION IF TIRES SPIN...MORE THAN ONE CLOSE CALL! HAPPENING SINCE VEHICLE WAS NEW. *TR