1997 Toyota 4Runner Noises, loss of power and gas mileage

I'm the 2nd owner- got all my service records when I purchased the vehicle 1.5 yrs ago. Impeccable maintenance from previous owner- truck ran like a dream.

Within the last 4 months, the 4 runner has gained some weird symptoms.

The check engine light came on & I had it read by a tech at an auto-parts store. They said it was an o2 sensor. But the light went off and hasn't been back on other than for a gas-cap issue.

It went from 280 miles to the tank to 220. We have a clean air filter and recent oil change.

I notice VERY little difference between Drive and Overdrive on the tachometer-- it used to be a large difference. Also gas mileage between Drive and Overdrive is not different.

Today the car made a very weird noise going uphill- as if something had come off the bottom and was slowly dragging against the asphalt. I got out and looked, nothing hanging under the car or stuck in the chassis/carriage.


Due to financial restrictions (recently lost my job) I haven't been that great about tune-ups, or replacing spark plugs, scheduled maint. Etc.

I try to do as much work on it as I can myself- tho my tools and skills are limited.


What are my quick and cheap steps to rule out something small?

I don't want to go to the dealership as I'm sure they'll tell me I need 100 things done that aren't urgent. With very little $$ to spend here, I need to go through the cheap stuff first to see if that solves the problem.


Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks.