[JBurt]

Then I decided to look into a random cylinder 1 misfire. Since I was due for plugs and wires first I thought I'd start with the easy stuff, and I think it's pretty clear what the issue is

This was the spark plug tube when I pulled it out



And this was the socket after loosening the spark plug


And the spark plug...



So I think after about a decade of ownership I need to stop putting off replacing the valve cover gaskets. Parts are ordered and the AC has taken a back seat. Thanks to mtbtim and InfamousRNR for the really nice 40 min video on the topic. Between them and the FSM I think I'll be all set. I'm really curious to see what my cams look like. Stay tuned for more pics.

[habanero]

Oh, that evap core box...a least favorite part of the a/c system, but I haven't had to pull the compressor (yet). Nice work and we'll just call the v/c leak and 'oil prevention service'.

Also, thanks for reminding me to put that little bit of fan shroud back on the bluetruck.

EDIT: just saw that last post....make that 'temporary oil prevention service'. Here's to a pretty picture under those valve covers.

[JBurt]

The evap core isn't bad on this car. I've got a prius that needs a new one. It's literally the last part of the dash to come out before you've got a bare firewall. It's listed as a 7 hour job, and I have very little desire to do it myself, however the best repair shop price I've found is $2300. That's why I was looking at the TDI's, but that one got snatched away before I could go check it out. Dang.

[habanero]

Originally Posted by JBurt

The evap core isn't bad on this car. I've got a prius that needs a new one. It's literally the last part of the dash to come out before you've got a bare firewall. It's listed as a 7 hour job, and I have very little desire to do it myself, however the best repair shop price I've found is $2300. That's why I was looking at the TDI's, but that one got snatched away before I could go check it out. Dang.

Okay, fair enough. I'm not looking forward to when the heater core needs replacing but I'd rather do that on the 4Runner than on a Prius!

[JBurt]

Indeed! In the prius, the heater core and evap are in the same box. My heater has never worked very well, but whenever I change the coolant I run some coolant flush through there and it actually blows warm though. For the amount that I need it, the rear heater is more than enough. Thankfully that's been trouble free.

[JBurt]

So I finally got something done on my 4runner. It's seen very little love or miles lately. I've still got the stuff to do the valve covers, and that really really needs to get done, so that obviously meant it was time for an upholstery project. This was done for practice for an seat reupholster on my wife's car.

The seat back on my drivers seat had seen better days, and a looong time ago I bought a whole donor seat for a whopping $10. As anyone with the moonmist interior knows, it's obviously not the same color as what's in my rig, and the seat bottom on mine was in better shape. I decided to swap the backs. I got hog ring pliers from HF and some rings from the vet section from Tractor Supply (I'd order automotive upholstery for next time though). I didn't take any before pictures, but here is the seat out, and the upholstery off of the back, and hence the need for the replacement. It wasn't very comfortable.



Here is the same shot of the donor seat, with much better foam


And back together. The reassembly required only 2 hog rings, which wasn't hard, but I needed both hands, so no pictures.

While I had the cover off I soaked it in a bucket of oxyclean. That water was nasty.

Anyone need a seat frame?


The side plastics on mine had a few issues so I thought I'd try something new on these. They were both broken where the tab slides into the front.


I first superglued these back into place, but that definitely wouldn't be strong enough for the force they see. So once the CA glue was dry, I put some clear JB 5 minute epoxy over them, then laid down strips of old tshirt and pressed it down into the epoxy, and put more epoxy on top. I figured it would serve as a scaffolding for the epoxy life fiberglass matt. It worked great.


Encouraged by this success I decided to try and fix this hole where an attachment screw goes


I just put a large square of tshirt over it, zip tied it down, epoxied, then added a total of 3 layers of t shirt, and drilled a hole in the middle. Worked fantastic.


I also took one of the headrest clips from the donor seat, but painted it to match. It's not perfect, but it works.
Before:


After:

[phattyduck]

Since you have a '97 (no passenger seat occupancy sensor), swap the front seat bottoms left to right... Get some nice butt support back!

When I swapped over to sport seats, I use oxyclean then a fully laundry cycle to clean the upholstery. My seat backs were still good enough to keep on their same sides.



-Charlie

[5VZ-FE]

Originally Posted by phattyduck

Since you have a '97 (no passenger seat occupancy sensor), swap the front seat bottoms left to right... Get some nice butt support back!

When I swapped over to sport seats, I use oxyclean then a fully laundry cycle to clean the upholstery. My seat backs were still good enough to keep on their same sides.



-Charlie

I second that. It makes a world of difference in drivability.

[JBurt]

Thanks guys. I swapped the bottoms a couple years ago. It helped a lot. So much so that it convinced me to do the backs. I'm glad I went this route, as my other option was PRP's or something similar. I like the ones I've sat in, but if the seats sit any higher than stock, I'd be totally out of headroom.

[habanero]

Very nice work and it looks good too.

[JBurt]

Well crap. Not the 4runner, but I have an 05 Sequoia

My wife was driving home last night and the car died on the freeway and would not start. P0335, crankshaft position sensor. After looking at it I found the culprit






The wire had come loose of the retaining clips (probably from a shop when they did the timing belt a few months ago) and the drive belt chewed into it.



I know the CPS wires are shielded. None of the wires are broken, but if the wires inside were touching the shield it would have ground out the whole circuit. What's the best way to fix shielded wire? I can't find much online, other than saying to replaced the whole wire all the way to the ECU, which I really don't want to do. I can toss some heat shrink on the wires and put the remaining shielding on as best I can. You can see where the shielding stops, as the damage is pretty close to the end of the wire and the connector. Would it be fine with just 3 inches less of sheilding? Thoughts?



Here's a picture after I pulled it all out of the loom

[phattyduck]

Originally Posted by JBurt

Would it be fine with just 3 inches less of sheilding? Thoughts?

Almost guaranteed to work. Insulate each wire/shield from each other and loom it back up. It is sensitive, but the shielding is more for when the wires are near the injector and coil wiring up in the main portion of the harness.

-Charlie

[JBurt]

Thanks Charlie! Do you have any recommendations for vinyl tape that doesn't turn into a slimy mess?

[phattyduck]

Originally Posted by JBurt

Thanks Charlie! Do you have any recommendations for vinyl tape that doesn't turn into a slimy mess?

I generally use the 3M 33+ tape, but I can't guarantee it will be perfect. One of the secrets would be to do the last wrap 'loose' (no tension) so that it doesn't pull back nearly as much with time. I also put a small zip tie at the end to hold it from unravelling if I'm worried about it.

I have also recently been using the cloth-type (also from 3M) "friction tape" in some cases. I don't have enough time on this type to comment.

Liquid electrical tape also is a good option - no adhesive to get gooey! This is what I use to protect wire when I 'tap' and solder a connection without cutting the original wire, like this:


(ignore notes on image, the closest I could quickly find on the googles)

-Charlie

[sleepydad]

Originally Posted by JBurt

Thanks Charlie! Do you have any recommendations for vinyl tape that doesn't turn into a slimy mess?

if you can find just one roll for cheaper, I got a pack of 5 years ago, I really like this stuff now

5 Rolls Tesa's Most Advanced High Heat Harness Tape 51036 Mercedes, BMW, Audi, VW: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific