As a note for those with the multi-mode 4wd. You will not want to remove the 4wd shifter. This in itself is a tedious task. Therefore you have to separate the rubber lining under the shifter plate that connects to the 4wd shifter boot. You only need to do this if you're replacing all 4 bushings.
You will do this after you've removed the 8 bolts that mount the plate to the body of the tunnel. I believe there are 4 spots where you have to do this. 2 in the middle on both sides and 2 towards the rear on both corners. Where the bolts come out of is a piece of the rubber acting as a grommet and a small little metal 'tube' piece in the center. Push the metal piece out by hand. Maneuver your hand under the plate and pull the rubber portion away from the plate near the hole. This will slide the grommet portion out through the hole. I've attached a picture as a representation of what the rubber and the little metal tube looks like. You can see it in the top right corner of the picture. Once you've separated the rubber from the plate, you can maneuver the entire assembly past the 4wd shifter and away from the truck.
This information was very helpful when I was replacing the 2 lower bushings. If it wasn't for this tip I probably would have torn the rubber boot up trying to get to that nut. Thanks!
__________________ 1. Black 2002 SR5 4x4 5vz:Front Toytec Ultimate coilovers/eibach 600#, SPC UCA, durobumps Rear Bil5100/Superflex, SS adjustable panhard, PCK, durobumps Body Lift 2" 4crawler Tires 315/75/16 BFG KO2 Wheels SCS F5 Matte black 16x8 3.5bs Armor Custom bolt on rock sliders (no frame drilling) 2. Black 2001 SR5 4x4 5vz: stock 3. Black 2018 TRD Pro (wife’s):Armor Custom bolt on rock sliders (U-bolts)
I just completed replacing all four bushings on my '01 with the multimode 4WD yesterday. Turns out, my old bushings were still intact, but they felt stiff compared to the new ones. I wasn't expecting much of a difference with the new bushings, but it actually made a dramatic difference in the shifter behavior. It feels tight now with reduced noise from the shifter when I am shifting through gears. Well worth the effort.
Some takeaways:
1. Wear gloves and make sure your up-to-date with your Tetanus shot. You will be lifting and constantly moving around a rusty shifter plate with sharp edges that will cut your hands up in a hurry. Ask me how I know.
2. This has been mentioned, but I think it's worth it to rehash. The lower two bushings were incredibly hard to replace and consumed the most time. Just take your time. I spent 30 minutes alone on this part. I found out that saying not-so-nice things to your truck will make it comply a little better.
If you already have the shifter out that far, climb under the truck and remove the nut on the transmission rod... and pull the whole thing out of the truck. The bushing replacement should be easy on the bench.
-Charlie
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'99 4Runner SR5 Auto - 4WD swapped
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If you already have the shifter out that far, climb under the truck and remove the nut on the transmission rod... and pull the whole thing out of the truck. The bushing replacement should be easy on the bench.
-Charlie
Can confirm. It was a piece of cake on the bench.
Finally did mine tonight after a year of ownership, 185,000 on the odo. Old bushings were blue powder, shifter bolt was like a hot dog in a hallway (to borrow the euphemism). I dare say nothing has changed the "feel" of driving it like new shifter bushings.
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1999 white SR5, highlander springs, CB/ham radios
2002 silver SR5 (sold 10/14)
What's funny about this.... I bought a set of bushings with the expectation of replacing them. My shifter bushings were still perfect. And it looked like this before I cleaned it up:
-Charlie
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'99 4Runner SR5 Auto - 4WD swapped
'89 Camry Alltrac LE 3S-GTE 5spd
'17 Chevy Volt Premier
'16 Honda Odyssey Elite
Previous: '88 Camry Alltrac LE 3S-GE BEAMS, 90 Camry 3S-GTE, 90 Camry DX, '03 WRX wagon, '08 Outback XT
Thanks guys(all inclusive). Just replaced upper 2 bushings. Kind of a pain but went well. Couldn't get key out till i figured out how to set vertical spring loaded piece went. Did the trick and removed worry of unexpected trouble.
-George
I'm getting ready to do this job soon as my key is having issues coming off/turning on the ignition. I already have the 4 bushes but the last 2 seem to be the toughest ones
I'm getting ready to do this job soon as my key is having issues coming off/turning on the ignition. I already have the 4 bushes but the last 2 seem to be the toughest ones
This video might help you out.
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The video mentions that this is for side to side movement, but mine has the front to back movement that makes me need to fiddle with it to get the key out. Do you have a video for that fix too?
The video mentions that this is for side to side movement, but mine has the front to back movement that makes me need to fiddle with it to get the key out. Do you have a video for that fix too?
Front to back movement is in the shifter linkage and not the shifter. I'm suspecting you need to re-center it and find it's natural neutral position again. Have the rig in Park and undo the nut that attaches the shifter arm to transmission linkage. I'm betting the shifter arm slides to a new position on the transmission linkage once you loosen the nut. Now tighten it down again and see if that helps. I've seen it to where the linkage wasn't adjusted right and it was sort of between gears if that makes sense.
__________________ "My old man is a television repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it!"
Front to back movement is in the shifter linkage and not the shifter. I'm suspecting you need to re-center it and find it's natural neutral position again. Have the rig in Park and undo the nut that attaches the shifter arm to transmission linkage. I'm betting the shifter arm slides to a new position on the transmission linkage once you loosen the nut. Now tighten it down again and see if that helps. I've seen it to where the linkage wasn't adjusted right and it was sort of between gears if that makes sense.
Thanks, I haven't looked at myself but when it first started having problems a couple of years ago I took it to my regular mechanic and he said that there was a spacer or bushing or something in the linkage that was wobbled out. When he contacted Toyota they said they only sell the entire linkage as one part (which was a ludicrous amount of money) so he was trying to locate a used one online. Unfortunately, we moved before he ever did.
I have been meaning to tear it apart one day and look but just never got their. When I saw the video I was hoping that was what the topic was about
Thanks, I haven't looked at myself but when it first started having problems a couple of years ago I took it to my regular mechanic and he said that there was a spacer or bushing or something in the linkage that was wobbled out. When he contacted Toyota they said they only sell the entire linkage as one part (which was a ludicrous amount of money) so he was trying to locate a used one online. Unfortunately, we moved before he ever did.
I have been meaning to tear it apart one day and look but just never got their. When I saw the video I was hoping that was what the topic was about
Did you try what I suggested? There's not much to that shifter linkage that can go wrong. I would suggest getting underneath your rig and take a good look at the linkage to understand what that mechanic was telling you. Take some pictures on the transmission linkage and post them here so we can see what you're dealing with.
You can clearly see the transmission shifter linkage on the driver side of the trans without tearing anything apart. If you want to figure this out, you're going to have to put some work into it.
__________________ "My old man is a television repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it!"
Did you try what I suggested? There's not much to that shifter linkage that can go wrong. I would suggest getting underneath your rig and take a good look at the linkage to understand what that mechanic was telling you. Take some pictures on the transmission linkage and post them here so we can see what you're dealing with.
You can clearly see the transmission shifter linkage on the driver side of the trans without tearing anything apart. If you want to figure this out, you're going to have to put some work into it.
Haven't had a chance to get under it yet. I might try to have a look tomorrow. I've been driving it like this for a couple of years, so it's not an emergent issue. ATM, I'm pretty much zeroed in on studying for medical boards. I try to spend a few minutes perusing the forums in order to keep my sanity, but I'm pretty much in a time vortex until May
Haven't had a chance to get under it yet. I might try to have a look tomorrow. I've been driving it like this for a couple of years, so it's not an emergent issue. ATM, I'm pretty much zeroed in on studying for medical boards. I try to spend a few minutes perusing the forums in order to keep my sanity, but I'm pretty much in a time vortex until May
Gotcha. Good luck with your studies.
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