Spoiler alert: The vehicle itself isn’t my main hobby. I just got it to support my main hobby, so this isn’t going to be a sexy build for those interested in armor and big tires. Mostly a place to ask dumb questions that don’t deserve their own thread. I do like tinkering and have some little mods done/planned that I haven't seen around much so if you are into such things, take a peek.
About me: Prior to this vehicle, I hadn’t done so much as change my own oil. I did take Auto Shop in 10th grade and I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands and fixing things. Prior to the 4Runner, I owned a 2000 Civic (stolen) and a 2006 Focus. Chose the 4-runner after taking the Focus into a whole bunch of places that a Focus was never built to go to. Enter 4Runner.
About the truck: Bought it in early 2018 with 216K miles, by now it’s up to 236K. It’s a 1999 Limited with the multimode shifter. V6, No rear locker. Lived in Cali so the frame is in great shape rust-wise. The goal was never to take it too far out of stock. I just wanted an off-road capable vehicle that could take me all the places I wanted to go for my photography, and also get it into shape as a sleeper so I can easily stay mobile on trips and be able to get out of camp before sunrise without having to take the time to break down tents, etc.
Issues and to-do:
-4WD: The truck had the dreaded blinking 4WD signal when I got it. Perhaps unwisely, I looked a little online and gambled on the problem being a $40 switch. Turns out I was half right. Two of the switches were bad but there was also a bad wire in the TC actuator harness which caused intermittent loss of connection and made the issue very difficult to track down. Eventually I was able to trace it, pop open the actuator and resolder the wires to all the timing contacts. Problem solved? The blinking light is gone, but the truck still usually doesn’t like going into MM/AWD on the fly. I usually have to stop and pop it into reverse for it to lock in. I can hear one pop down below when I press the shifter button (I’m assuming that’s the TC) but then usually have to wait until shifting into R for the second pop (ADD?). Current prescription is getting the system some good exercise before I go digging around the ADD.
Fuel Gauge: This seems to be a known issue. At some point in the last year or so, the fuel gauge went haywire and now reads either completely full (usually when the tank is mostly empty) or way below E (when it’s full). Checked the my VIN against the TSB on this matter and it looks like I’m in for both the dash unit and the fuel send unit. To my understanding, this must be done by Toyota (for odo reasons) and costs about $400. I pulled the Low Fuel bulb because it wasn’t doing any good and I got tired of it blinking at me and now I just go off the odometer.
Ignition lock: the keyway on the ignition sticks a fair amount of the time, and won't let me start the car. Feels like it steering-locked but it's not. So far I've been able to reliably fix it by shoving in the key for my dad's old Highlander, wiggling it, the using my own key again to start.
Sun roof leaks sometimes. Will probably fix with caulk
Trans cooler: I’d like to get this bad boy milkshake-proofed sooner than later
Tundra Brakes: The stock ones are warped and it turns into a massage chair every time I have to brake from speed. I’m thinking the 199s.
Drawers/rear platform: coming soon
In-Dash navigation/receiver. Would like to have GPS available in spots without cell coverage. My cassette adapter is also starting to fail and it seems silly to be buying another in 2019/2020.
Minutia/cosmetics:
-Center mirror was very loose. I jammed a piece of zip tie in there and now it holds it’s position.
-Dash Drive indicator out: Replaced. Is it dimmer than all the other lights for everyone else?
-Climate control: Backlight bulbs were fried and it’s gone haywire. Replaced the bulbs but still need to get it running reliably. I've heard that going over the joints with a soldering iron can help?
-Driver seat Lumbar support motor is dead. Apparently you can’t buy these anymore?
-Driver seat control knobs: The controls are bare pegs at the moment. My OCD is taking hold.
-Multiple cleanings: Smelled like dog and cigs when I got it. The first carpet cleaner I tried smelled worse than dog and cigs. I borrowed an upholstery mini-steamvac from my parents and vacuumed all carpets and the headliner with it. Smells neutral now. Rug also showed signs of cigs and dog. Multiple cleanings have mostly but not entirely remedied this. Old stains are mostly gone now though.
-Clock was dead. I tried the tooth surgery fix a few times but it would always last for a day or two and then fade away again. I think the issue was somewhere other than the plug contacts, because pressure on the screen (and not the contacts) seemed to change its behavior. Ended up buying a replacement on ebay.
Mini-Mods: (more info forthcoming)
Plasti-dipped badges: wanted to fit in with the cool kids.
Pass-thru Power bank and integrated console USB ports.
High-contrast TC shifter
