Replaced my valve cover gaskets (including half moons and cam shaft plugs), spark plug seal gaskets, coils, wires, and plugs. Went with Felo / NGK and not disappointed! Truck pulls better, smoother and already getting into the 23mpg range (before 20 was best I could manage).

Wish it was a but cleaner in there, but I suspect previous owner pushed oil changes way too far.

Thanks Timmy for the awesome videos! They were super helpful especially for this job. Pretty straight forward, and attention to detail and patience wins the day! ~6hrs from disconnecting battery to cranking her back up!

1997 SR5 3.4 6 cyl RWD 255k.


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Well you're right, the directions show them the other way. Now that I looked at them again. I actually didn't have the directions with me when I did it, so I just put them on the way that looked right to me. :facepalm:

I'm not sure if there's any performance or reliability difference or not, but I can report that they seem to work fine in the configuration shown. So unless there's some serious safety hazard that's now in play, I'll leave them as they are.

The gun took me about 4 or 5 compressions on the rivets. So not too bad. About the same as what I'd seen in one of the videos I watched. First time I'd ever used a rivet gun so I can't complain.

I'm still at the point where I read instructions and watch videos multiple times before I even touch a tool and that stuck out to me. Otherwise I'm sure I would've installed them the same way. But they're pretty awesome, aren't they!

Absolutely! Yes, I definitely recommend them. They make the prop rod feel like some sort of vestige that's been along for the ride in some form or another since the horse and buggy days. With these, I feel like I've at least made it into the 20th century. Maybe even the 21st.

I'd be interested to hear @4Runner4Leon 's rationale on the orientation to find out if it actually makes any difference. I can't imagine that it does but there's probably some simple rule of thumb from Mech Eng. that applies to parts like these.

Thank you, and I couldn't agree more - once you get used to having the struts open the hood by themselves, it's such a shock to actually have to lift a hood!

And yes, it typically takes 5 or so squeezes of the rivet gun to pop a rivet, so that is normal.

The orientation of the struts does matter, in a subtle way. The struts will function, and will exert the same force regardless of orientation. But, the damping that takes place at the last 1" of travel to slow down the hood relies on a small quantity of oil inside the strut. We want the oil to be towards the bottom of the tube, not the top, to be effective. So that's why we want the tube end to be on top, and the rod end to be on the bottom .

Good news is that you can easily flip the struts - we show you in the instructions how to disengage the c-clip to remove the struts. Easy peasy!

Ahhh, I see. Great to know. Thanks for sharing that. Fortunately, I still have the instructions, so I'll flip them over tomorrow per Figure 19.

Maybe get your eyes checked and don’t be such a douche

So I flipped them today. Really easy job; took all of two minutes. Thanks for the original heads up on these, BTW.

After two months of shipping delays and problems I finally picked up my new tires and wheels. 265/75R16 Toyo AT3s on pro comp 7069s.

Minimal rubbing in the front, none if I drive carefully. Need to replace the seized camber adjustment bolts before I can get an alignment to shift the wheels forward a little more.

No comments on the rear sag please lol. Just ordered a lift kit

Before vs. After

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How the hell are you getting 23MPG????? Even 20 is lightyears more than me! On a good tank I get 17. On a road trip earlier this year (all highway miles) I got 20, otherwise it's always 16/17. And I drive conservatively!

You're not alone. I've been through my 4r with a bend on making it as reliable as can be, drive Very softly (got in the habit when trying to get my last car over 50mpg consistently), drive an ideal commute of 30 miles, nearly all highway at 55mph and very little need to slow down. 18~19 is the norm. I have a couple records over 20, but nothing even close to 23.

Stock in all the important aspects (no lift, stock tires, OEM roof rack/nothing hung off, unmodified engine/intake/exhaust)... I don't see how anyone can be much past 21mpg. The really sad thing is that my 2018 Ford Transit van gets the same or slightly better fuel economy.

Random question here, looking to buy this 98 4Runner from my buddy, super clean, but just want to see what people here think about the cost vs condition and mileage and etc. attaching a link to the listing below:

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Since you are in New York and there weren't any really good pictures included in the ad it would be difficult to say a price without seeing several frame photos especially around the rear lower control arm mounts for the rear axle. Body and paint could be pristine, but if the frame is rotten then it's not worth much at all. Maintenance records besides water pump and brakes would be helpful as well.

I am going to look at it this week, I will make sure to look at the control arm mounts and the frame overall to see if there are any signs of rust. I believe they just did the steering and suspension in the past month, both were done after the listing was posted

Super minor update. Feel as if this has become a diary of sorts. But it is useful in that regard. Today the SPW's were all returned to correct coils and positions. No CEL, idle remains at 1250. Talked Napa into giving me a new battery to replace the one purchased 3/19 with a 3 year warranty (win, I think). Bought new relays for light bar and additional backup lights as one was corroded to shit. Truck runs great, that high idle sucks for the engine braking, glad I got not plans for any wheeling in the near future. I tried to find a vacuum leak with propane all over engine bay, no luck. Perhaps I have a "special" ECM that learns very slowly. It now has 100+ miles over 3 days of the approximate same commute with no change. I also noted the heater does not seem able to roast a turkey any longer. Wondering whether maybe it is a temp sensor, or something time related? Coolant is lowering, but no obvious leaks on ground, no steam cleaned spark plugs, no steam in exhaust or sweet smell.
The plot revvins?