First off this is the best board I have seen for getting real help (glad I found it).

I recently purchased an '86 4x4 short box P/U with 187,000miles on a 22R, 5spd. I have a few questions.

1) There is a whining sound that is noticeable at idle (whether clutch is engaged or not) and increases in pitch when in gear and accellerating.

2) Doesn't have power steering but should it require the full force of two arms to turn. If not any suggestions?

3) Temp gauge barely moves from cold and then normally about a quarter of the way up when at a stop, goes back down soon as I start moving.

and finally ...

4) If the tires are out of round would it cause the steering wheel to practically shake out of your hands when you get to about 45mph, if so what would happen if I swapped them to the rear axle (assuming that the rear tires are not out of round also).

Thanks all!
Rick

ANS: Obviously you think it is in trans or drive train since it doesn't
change when you rev it at a stop - the fans tend to make a lot of noise.
Could be the throw out bearing although nois should change as clutch is
depresessed.


ANS: Yeah thats normal --- especially if oversized or agressive tread tires.
Add more air to them. It is not a huge job to convert it to power
steering - if you find a donor in the junk yard. A lot of 4x4 lift the
trucks and convert their steering so they may be a source for parts too.


ANS: sounds like you should replace the thermostat -- it either doesn't have
one or it is stuck open.
would happen if I swapped them to the rear axle (assuming that the rear
tires are not out of round also).

ANS: I'd try the tire swap. Doubt out of round but wheel could be bent
also.could be worn/missing steering stabilizer, worn suspension parts,
loose/bad wheel bearings, if worse when braking then warped rotors, tires
out of balance.

rickburnell wrote:

If it happens when the truck is not moving, it could be: water pump
bearings, belts, alternator, etc.


Depends on the arms ;) But, yes, when standing still, the 4x4 with
large tires can be more difficult to turn. Should be easy at any (i.e.
even 1mph) speed.

Could be: t-stat stuck open, or a common problem I've seen on 22-RE
engines: loose/corroded ground strap to the engine block.

Could be tires, wheels, rotors, etc. Jack up the front of the truck and
inspect each wheel by spinning it; should spin freely, if not, you
should see some sort of wobble or feel some sort of friction as a warped
rotor passes by the brake pads.

Rotating wheels would be a good first-pass diagnostic as well.

good luck!
GTr

rickburnell wrote:

Worn bearings somewhere. Likely this is the cause of the person
selling it - they didn't know what was making that noise. Water pumps
and fan clutches (as suggested by others) are normal, but it may
be the syncros. A mechanic can tell pretty quickly with a stethoscope,
though.

Yes. Such is manual steering, something most people don't remember having
to suffer with. Your arms will get strong soon enough ;)

Most gauges have a resistor/circuit to keep the needle in the middle
range until it is seriously hot, then it climbs - so as to keep idiots
from getting worried when it fluxuates under normal conditions. 90% of
the time, it's this circuit that's gone bad. Most designs are pretty
simple to find details on how to bypass this so that it shows the actual
temperature all the time.

If it's still doing this, it's the thermostat.

No, just out of balance. Most cars with oversize tires throw weights
every few thousand miles and 90% of the time you don't notice it
because you rotate the tires a couple times a year.(normally, that is
- some of us are bad about this)

Thanks for the info and inputs. Guess I got some checking to do. I have a stethoscope,(wife's a medic) so I guess I'll do some listening. I was told that the tires where out of round (okay I'm a trusting fool) and could not be balanced. So I guess I'll have that checked out personally.

Hope none of this turns into a major expense cause I'm already attached to my little "toy".

I know the 4runner was lug centric, were all toyotas. Also, a tire center here says they know about the lug centric problem and they high-speed balance the tires on the vehicle. Will this help?

On the engine whining, the pitch increases whether it is in gear or in neutral when the accelerator is pressed. Supposedly the throw out bearing and clutch pressure plate have been replaced recently.