Ok i just purchased a 1997 sr5 2wd I have read the 3rd gen buyers guide and searched several places for some answers. But i was unable to get exactly what i was looking for so hopefully you guys can help me out.

1. Lower ball joints i dont know if they have ever been replaced is it realy that critical on a stock rig i did find a post that someone else started but there was no real answer to it
2. The rig is kind of rough while driving as i hit a bump or anything and it feels like i am running down a trail comming from a pathfinder it is crazy how bad the 4runner feels in comparison just going over the speed bum in the driveway
3. rear glass fell out of tracks last night i got back lined up and rolled up but what kind of glue does one use to glue it back into the rails
4. my rig came with 15" rims i have seen that the Tundra brake mod barley fits in the 16" rims with the (13WL) calipers but will The 199mm (S13WE) calipers fit a 15" rim or should i just find some drilled and slotted rotors and call it good
5. The radiator looks to be in decent shape and i have not noticed any issues with the tranny or any tale tale marks of replacement how can one check on corrosion or tell if the radiator is on its way out
6. my pathy i was able to tighten up the seat belt tensioners are you able to do that on 4runners as the fronts dont pull back too well or should i just locate some doners and replace them
7. Just a purely astetic reason from what i have read +99 4runners have the hood with the scoop but is the hood a direct drop in for the 97 or is there slight differences between the years

I think that is most of the issues for now thanks for the help

1) on the lower ball joints: you can jack up the front of the truck grab the top and bottom of one of the tires from the side. Push and pull and see if the tire shakes in that direction. It shouldnt so if it does the ball joints are going out.

2) I would replace some bushings, Wheelers offroad sells sway bar and steering rack bushings and toytec lifts sells front UCA/LCA bushings. That will make a huge difference. Your suspension is also pretty worn out though.

3) The earlier years have had some problems with the glass coming off the track, open up the cover on the rear hatch and see what parts are broken and/or corroded and replace them.

4) even the 199mm calipers require 16" wheels.

5) The radiator and trans will seem fine until everything goes horribly wrong. its one of those faith based preventative maintenance things..

6) idk about that

7)hoods are the same, you can get the hood w/open scoop from Certafit for pretty cheap. But the parts for the internals of the scoop are only from the dealer and are between $100 and $200.


Welcome to the site, post a pic when you get a chance.

Hey ripcord thanks for the reply I definitely need to post pics of my rig I need to do a couple of small things to it first but on the rear window the rails and guides are good it just separated from the holders on the bottom what should I use to glue it back if for is the proper word

1) The consequences of ball joint failure are major enough to scare me into doing it regardless of any play in the knuckle if I don't know when it was last done. I may be a little paranoid, but I don't want to lose a wheel at 75mph.
2) Could be suspension bushings, shocks or sagging springs causing you to hit the bumpstops. You'll have to get under the truck and take a close look at everything and go from there.
4) Drilled and slotted rotors are purely cosmetic and will not improve your braking performance. Performance pads, however, will improve your braking, but may shorten the life of your rotors. I think any Tundra brake upgrade requires 16's.
7) as far as I know, all the newer updated body stuff is pretty much interchangeable with the '97 body. If you find that kind of thing worth it, you could update the bumper, grille, hood, headlights and taillights.

In regards to the seat belts I remember somebody just taking them out and steam cleaning them, and just from eliminating the weight of the gunk and the steam loosening up the material it drastically effected how well they retracted back in.

Might just be one case but I would do that before replacing them.

And now that I think about it I'm thinking it was childrenofbodom that did it. Check his build thread.

Thanks guess i will be working on getting ball joints sorted as well as the radiator shocks and bushings springs still seem to be pretty solid

still a little help on the rear glass looking at the fsm in the body mechanical section it appears that the pieces that the bolts go into on the glass that screw to the rails are what i need to reglue to the glass is there a specific glue that i need to use

good tips, thanks

I too have a 97 SR5. Mine has 152k and had 15" steel wheels and rode like crap until recently. I put 17" Tundra split spoke wheels and tires and I just replaced my 2WD springs and shocks w/ 99 tall springs and shocks. HOLY CRAP my truck rides SOOOOOOO much better. Looks much better and updated. Heres a before and after.

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Ok a little bit of history/help
not knowing the history of the vehicle i started to do the tune-up/PMCS tasks that were suggested and what i thought should be done.

• new tires/ alignement Hankook Ventus 275/60/15 filled up with 91 octane and a can of seafoam

two weeks later

• air filter, NGK BKR5EKB-11 plugs, and BWD CH5607K wire set

• Oil, Oil filter, and Gas Filter filled with 87 oct

• 3/4 of the shock/struts done still need to do the driver front side ran out of time

• passagner side ubj and lbj--- noticed needed outer tie-rod ends so put back together and waiting for the tie-rod ends to come in tommrow :/

problem is since the first fill up i had got 14.167mpg i thought was a wee bit low as the pathy also a brick on a v-6 but with 4wd got between 17-18 city i figured the t4r would be a bit better if not the same. would anything i did cause a decrease or is there a way to figure out what might be causing the drop. I did have the battery disconnected the whole time doing everything else for about 6hrs so that it would reset the fuel curves. Driving habbits are city maybe 10 miles round trip with average speed of 45ish I am not a grandma but by no means am I a teenager when it comes to the accelerator I am fairly mild on it.

will take photos of the strut on the driver side as it is a 97 and they are stock as well as the lbj as it was in a horrid way.

I also have a radiator, timming set, transmission filter, and full set of breaks to go on when more time become available

15mpg isn't bad for city use, you have an automatic too, that hurts the economy.

Ok so no dice ok doing all the other stuff today stupid Florida and your inclement weather but I did pick up my tie-rod ends