JZiggy's "Grown Up" 4Runner Build
- Thread starter JZiggy
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JZiggy
Senior Member
Wanted to try out a PCV catch can to see what all the hype was about. Commence bracket fabbing. Used some basic 5/16" ID fuel hose. Will drive around for a while and see if anything shows up in there.
The only bummer is I had to take out my little basket to fit the can. I mostly just had a quart of oil in there that followed me around and I never used anyway. Never ended up cooking any meals in it
The only bummer is I had to take out my little basket to fit the can. I mostly just had a quart of oil in there that followed me around and I never used anyway. Never ended up cooking any meals in it
weekendclimber
New member
Wanted to try out a PCV catch can to see what all the hype was about. Commence bracket fabbing. Used some basic 5/16" ID fuel hose. Will drive around for a while and see if anything shows up in there.
The only bummer is I had to take out my little basket to fit the can. I mostly just had a quart of oil in there that followed me around and I never used anyway. Never ended up cooking any meals in it
Great, now I want to label everything in the engine bay!! :rockthrow:
JZiggy
Senior Member
It's an e-fan! Here's my little writeup about it.
Update: I measured the fan running at battery voltage (engine not running) and got 2775 RPM. I imagine with alternator juice that number would be a bit higher. I figured inquiring minds would want to know!
Wanted to share a story of this e-fan being a useful mod this weekend. We were sitting in the 90* sun in a parking lot, idling with the AC on, waiting for something. I watched my scangauge engine temp creep up from 184F to 192F. Now my engine temp basically NEVER goes above 184F unless it's a slow 4LO uphill climb in the sun. I hit the fan button and in a few minutes the engine temp had dropped back to 184F. Nice
JZiggy
Senior Member
In the spirit of "Thermal Management Month" aka July in Atlanta I have two more nifty mods to share.
I sprung for some LLumar window tint by Glass Tiger over in Lilburn. They did a super nice job. I got some 35% CTX on the front door windows and transparent AIR80 film on the rear windows. These ceramic films really block out the heat, its quite amazing. Driving around in the full sun 80+F I sometimes can't even keep the AC on because it freezes me out! Road trip travel is much improved as my left arm doesn't get cooked through the clear window. The 35% tint is a little lighter than the back factory tint and is a good compromise on visibility.
I also snagged a short ARB awning to pull out when we're out at the lake or camping. Took a little tinkering to get the brackets just right but I'm happy with them. 4x4x1/4" Al6061 angle and some 3/8" hard plastic spacers to lift it out of the way of the passenger door. I put some end-feed t-slot nuts to allow me to use button head bolts for a clear finish rather than a stud and nut sticking out the top. And when I want to take it off the platform will just be smooth again.
Edit -- also forgot to mention that I did the 01-02 tail light upgrade!
2nd Edit -- upgraded the plastic spacer to aluminum. Also screwed it to the main brackets so its one piece. This also gave me an opportunity to overdrill a few holes for more adjustment clearance.
I sprung for some LLumar window tint by Glass Tiger over in Lilburn. They did a super nice job. I got some 35% CTX on the front door windows and transparent AIR80 film on the rear windows. These ceramic films really block out the heat, its quite amazing. Driving around in the full sun 80+F I sometimes can't even keep the AC on because it freezes me out! Road trip travel is much improved as my left arm doesn't get cooked through the clear window. The 35% tint is a little lighter than the back factory tint and is a good compromise on visibility.
I also snagged a short ARB awning to pull out when we're out at the lake or camping. Took a little tinkering to get the brackets just right but I'm happy with them. 4x4x1/4" Al6061 angle and some 3/8" hard plastic spacers to lift it out of the way of the passenger door. I put some end-feed t-slot nuts to allow me to use button head bolts for a clear finish rather than a stud and nut sticking out the top. And when I want to take it off the platform will just be smooth again.
Edit -- also forgot to mention that I did the 01-02 tail light upgrade!
2nd Edit -- upgraded the plastic spacer to aluminum. Also screwed it to the main brackets so its one piece. This also gave me an opportunity to overdrill a few holes for more adjustment clearance.
Last edited:
JZiggy
Senior Member
where you get the sticker? I'm about to get this and put it on the back.
There's a guy on Mud who makes them. I'll PM you his email address.
JZiggy
Senior Member
265k miles. Oil change and other PM stuff.
Air filter foam has caught a lot of crap in ~5000 miles. I find a wash in warm soapy water, rinse, and then a rinse with rubbing alcohol gets it nice and clean. Let it dry a bit and then reoil lightly.
The PCV catch can has been on for about 1500 miles and it caught an ounce of fuel-ish smelling oil stuff. Nice to see it's doing it's job and also nice to see that the crankcase isn't really generating much in the way of deposits.
Air filter foam has caught a lot of crap in ~5000 miles. I find a wash in warm soapy water, rinse, and then a rinse with rubbing alcohol gets it nice and clean. Let it dry a bit and then reoil lightly.
The PCV catch can has been on for about 1500 miles and it caught an ounce of fuel-ish smelling oil stuff. Nice to see it's doing it's job and also nice to see that the crankcase isn't really generating much in the way of deposits.
JZiggy
Senior Member
On a recent camping trip sleeping in the 4Runner I realized it's a bummer having to find the keys and turn on the ignition to be able to roll the main windows up and down. I wanted to create a mod that would let me change the truck into "camping mode" where the windows can be operated at all times. But I also wanted to be able to get out of "camping mode" easily.
Following the thought processes in this power window modification thread I decides to use a switch to bridge the always-on and key-on 12V sources for the power windows. Wiring diagrams are in that thread if you're interested.
Found the fuse block by the driver's left foot and pulled it out. Had to disconnect one or two things to get it to move much.
Looking for the 1C connector on the back which goes to the power window circuit
This guy right here. The 14ga blue wire is the always-on power and the 18ga blue-red is key-on power. I put vampire taps onto those wires where the arrows are shown and wired them to a simple 2-prong connector.
Built a switch and harness to connect to the two tapped wires. This is a window lock switch from a 1st gen 4Runner. I added a fuse holder for a couple of reasons. This switch bypasses a relay which is normally used to control the power to the windows. I was unsure if this would be a high current operation and if the switch would handle it happily.
Turns out that a 5A fuse is sufficient if only one window is run at a time. Once two are engaged the 5A pops. A 10A fuse allows me to run two at once which I normally won't do anyway so now I know that we're running in a <10A scenario.
When the switch is pressed inward it opens the circuit putting the truck in "normal mode". When pressed outward it closes the circuit and we're in "camping mode".
Following the thought processes in this power window modification thread I decides to use a switch to bridge the always-on and key-on 12V sources for the power windows. Wiring diagrams are in that thread if you're interested.
Found the fuse block by the driver's left foot and pulled it out. Had to disconnect one or two things to get it to move much.
Looking for the 1C connector on the back which goes to the power window circuit
This guy right here. The 14ga blue wire is the always-on power and the 18ga blue-red is key-on power. I put vampire taps onto those wires where the arrows are shown and wired them to a simple 2-prong connector.
Built a switch and harness to connect to the two tapped wires. This is a window lock switch from a 1st gen 4Runner. I added a fuse holder for a couple of reasons. This switch bypasses a relay which is normally used to control the power to the windows. I was unsure if this would be a high current operation and if the switch would handle it happily.
Turns out that a 5A fuse is sufficient if only one window is run at a time. Once two are engaged the 5A pops. A 10A fuse allows me to run two at once which I normally won't do anyway so now I know that we're running in a <10A scenario.
When the switch is pressed inward it opens the circuit putting the truck in "normal mode". When pressed outward it closes the circuit and we're in "camping mode".
Hey! I just picked up a hilux overhead console with the compass pack and the Subaru compass pack to swap them out, is there any way youd be able to help with the wiring??
Toyota Hilux Surf, 4Runner Inclinometer Tilt Altimeter Gauge VZN185, KZN185 | eBay
98 Subaru Forester Impreza Altimeter Dash Compass Gauge Thermometer Barometer B for sale online | eBay
Toyota Hilux Surf, 4Runner Inclinometer Tilt Altimeter Gauge VZN185, KZN185 | eBay
98 Subaru Forester Impreza Altimeter Dash Compass Gauge Thermometer Barometer B for sale online | eBay
JZiggy
Senior Member
I'm afraid I may not be much help. The wiring I used is in my notes somewhere but I just got it off of other online sources.
JZiggy
Senior Member
265,8xx miles
Prompted by a bit of laggy cruise control response I wanted to make sure my throttle cables were in good condition. Thanks to this old, informative thread on throttle cable adjustment I was also prompted to check on the condition of my throttle cable bumper thingymajig located where the throttle cable connects to the gas pedal -- thanks [MENTION=168172]sleepydad[/MENTION] for pointing that out. Sure enough, mine was pretty blown out:
I replaced this throttle cable with OEM, was fortunate to find a new one that had been sitting on the shelf on eBay for about $40. The new bumper looks like it would be a tricky thing to replicate especially since it is designed to pop onto the plastic clip. While I was at it I removed the front throttle cable (cruise module to throttle plate) and lubed it up with PJ-1 cable lube and a clamp-on cable luber. Clock springs on the throttle and in the cruise module got a spritz of silicone dry lube. Barrel connection ends got a dab of silicone grease.
Since I was looking at it too I pulled the gas pedal out. It's a very simple mechanism. Pulled the pivot out and regreased with silicone grease.
After everything was reinstalled and connected I attempted to adjust the cables to remove some slack. First attempt caused a high idle. I backed off the front cable a touch and now it seems good. Proof will be next time I can try out the cruise and see if it stays on track!
Prompted by a bit of laggy cruise control response I wanted to make sure my throttle cables were in good condition. Thanks to this old, informative thread on throttle cable adjustment I was also prompted to check on the condition of my throttle cable bumper thingymajig located where the throttle cable connects to the gas pedal -- thanks [MENTION=168172]sleepydad[/MENTION] for pointing that out. Sure enough, mine was pretty blown out:
I replaced this throttle cable with OEM, was fortunate to find a new one that had been sitting on the shelf on eBay for about $40. The new bumper looks like it would be a tricky thing to replicate especially since it is designed to pop onto the plastic clip. While I was at it I removed the front throttle cable (cruise module to throttle plate) and lubed it up with PJ-1 cable lube and a clamp-on cable luber. Clock springs on the throttle and in the cruise module got a spritz of silicone dry lube. Barrel connection ends got a dab of silicone grease.
Since I was looking at it too I pulled the gas pedal out. It's a very simple mechanism. Pulled the pivot out and regreased with silicone grease.
After everything was reinstalled and connected I attempted to adjust the cables to remove some slack. First attempt caused a high idle. I backed off the front cable a touch and now it seems good. Proof will be next time I can try out the cruise and see if it stays on track!
JZiggy
Senior Member
Update: adjusting the cables did indeed tighten up the cruise control. On a modest hill it overshoots about 1mph at most rather than 4mph or more. Just better!!
Side note, this PJ-1 cable lube works really well and smells exactly like cinnamon red hots. Was not expecting that!
Side note, this PJ-1 cable lube works really well and smells exactly like cinnamon red hots. Was not expecting that!
JZiggy
Senior Member
A possible exhaust related vibe has been showing up when under load at 2500 rpm or so. Hard to pinpoint. I noticed on parts diagrams that the 3RZs with autos got an exhaust damper just in front of the muffler. Thought I'd try adding on in the approximate location and see if it changes stuff.
T4topher
Member
A possible exhaust related vibe has been showing up when under load at 2500 rpm or so. Hard to pinpoint. I noticed on parts diagrams that the 3RZs with autos got an exhaust damper just in front of the muffler. Thought I'd try adding on in the approximate location and see if it changes stuff.
When I had a 3rz auto Tacoma I noticed a really loud rattling noise one day and there was a ubolt style clamp like that on my exhaust just loose. Couldn’t figure out what it was for or if it was original/aftermarket but it seems like that might of been what it was for.
JZiggy
Senior Member
270k miles, mini update
Diff oil change. I like frequent changes with 80W-90 to keep stuff clean. Normal amounts of fuzzies on the drain plug
Air filter foam cleaned as well. After about 6k it's ready for a soapy bath.
After some long road trips my copilot complained of heat on the passenger floor. I've noticed that side of the trans tunnel gets warmer than other places too. Duh -- the catalytic converter is right underneath! I pulled up the carpet and layed down some Noico which should help with insulation & reflection and maybe even block some of the exhaust sound.
Diff oil change. I like frequent changes with 80W-90 to keep stuff clean. Normal amounts of fuzzies on the drain plug
Air filter foam cleaned as well. After about 6k it's ready for a soapy bath.
After some long road trips my copilot complained of heat on the passenger floor. I've noticed that side of the trans tunnel gets warmer than other places too. Duh -- the catalytic converter is right underneath! I pulled up the carpet and layed down some Noico which should help with insulation & reflection and maybe even block some of the exhaust sound.
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