1986 pickup xtra cab - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

toyocsd01 · 02-28-2005, 08:59 PM

Today I saw a guy driving an 86 xtra cab 4wd. I approached him and asked how much he wanted for the truck. He said he was actually going to sell it in about a week because he is getting a 97. He threw a price of $1000 dollars which is pretty low. I owned an 87 single cab previously. I sat in the seat to feel the throtle response, brakes and clutch. I also shifted through the gears and they all felt fine. I know that my 87 had a rough idle while cold and then straightened up once it warmed up. Some type of choke charb problem. He said it had no problem starting up and it was idling fine. I checked the frame and there was no major rust. The truck has almost 200000 but he said the engine was a couple years old, the 4wd was good and he had replaced the transmission last year. I am going to look at the truck again to chek tye 4wd and take a better look under the hood and want to know what else you guys would suggest checking out more closely. By the way it is a 22r. I think that it is a good buy. It does not have any suspension mods on it. Seems clean for an 86 with tipical rust along the bed. Tailgate was not as rusted as most.
thanks for any suggestions

crazycruzer · 02-28-2005, 09:26 PM

A lot of time when people buy used cars/trucks they forget to check the condition of the oil. The condition of the oil can tell you a lot about the engine, unless it was just changed. Also, check the compression. This will tell you how much longer you will have on the engine before rebuilding/swapping. DMV's sometime will give you a print out of the car history. Good luck.

toyocsd01 · 02-28-2005, 09:43 PM

Thanks for the oil tip. What is the best way to check compression. Do i take it to a shop? Or is there a way to tell otherwise.
thanks

nofear4189 · 03-01-2005, 03:57 PM

theres a meter (cant remember the actual name) that you can buy at any parts store or a place like that. IT has a round guage and a hose. You take out the plugs and insert it's end into the hole where the plug was, and crank over the motor and itll read out a number, and match that number to what its supposed to be, and there you have it. If your number is alot lower than what its supposed to be, it might be time for a rebuild.

-Adam-

crazycruzer · 03-02-2005, 02:25 AM

I believe it's called engine compression gauge? Should run you about $20 bucks or so. Make sure you unplug one spark plug at a time and disconnect the coil so that the engine doesn't start when you're cranking over to get the compression.