Getting yet another group of parts off the shelf that's been collecting dust for years, the diy rear diff breather mod. This has been a low priority mod for me because I live in the desert and don't really do a lot of water crossings. That said, we had an unusually wet winter and found myself driving in more water than normal so why not get it done now, especially before I head to Colorado. Nothing new done here, but pics or it didn't happen.
I made a YouTube video. I don't see a lot of long format trail videos, so I made one via a multi-angle video of a local trail, Bulldog Canyon, I ran with a friend.
I'm trying out new video editing software (Resolve 18) after many years of not editing video, so it's a bit rough in places but overall the vibe is pretty good and the video itself has some good scenery. Enjoy!
I wasn't completely satisfied with my lighting situation after adding the SS3 pods from Diode Dynamics. The SS3's themselves are fantastic and no regrets there. So much light for the size and power! I felt a proper fog light setup needed to be added for the full lighting treatment. So I made some brackets, welded them on to the AOR crossmember section, and wired in some SSC2 Pro Fog beam pattern pods in Yellow. If you recall, I had an extra run of wire from originally installing the backlight for the SSC2's I had first trialed. Since the now-installed SS3's Pros do not have a backlight, I had the extra run of switched power to use for the now-installed SSC2 fog pods. The SSC2 fogs do have an amber backlight though, which I just tapped into for power from my driving/marker light circuit. I have both clear and amber lenses for both set of pods, currently running the clear which I prefer for both.
Bracket making with one of my new favorite tools
All welded up and tested for final fitment
Tapped into driving/marker lights. The draw on the backlight is a measly 0.7amps if I recall correctly, and with the rest of the lights on LEDs as well the overall power draw of the marker/driving lights I'm guessing is lower than stock by at least a few amps front-to-back.
A few pics of the final job
I love how it all turned out. The lights are great, very bright and the patterns are perfect. I'm really impressed with the SAE Fog pattern they've come up with. This pro yellow version has an excellent beam cutoff, lights the road very well, and the amber backlight feature is neat.
Here's a pic I grabbed while camping of JUST the front amber LED corner marker lights (from VLEDs), and the amber backlight of the SSC2 pods. It lit up the area surprisingly well for what little power they draw.
Update #2: Camping
I took the family camping last weekend and had a blast. Last summer I wrapped up some upgrades to the camping trailer I finally got to enjoy. I swapped the hubs out with the old 2,000 pounds hubs, with some much beefier 3500 lb hubs. Also converted from a 5 lug to a 6x5.5... AND swapped in my original/old 4Runner wheels with tires from my previous set I recently replaced. So what does this all mean?! The trailer and the 4Runner have a common tire size which means I now only carry 1 spare for the whole setup, saving a lot of space and weight in the trailer.
Putting the puzzle together on how to fit 4Runner wheels on SAE lug pattern sucked, but I finally found some specialized lugs that fit Toyota wheels to SAE lugs. The setup is absolutely amazing and very capable. I should have grabbed a pick of the trailer all loaded with gear, including a power wheels quad and my 100cc Coleman mini bike.
Last, but not least, I DETAILED the 4Runner like never before after letting it get so dusty and dirty for a very long time.
Yo. Getting a lot of little things done, plus a bit of maintenance before I head to Colorado for a road trip very soon.
First, I took it to a trusted local shop for a Transmission flush (Toyota OEM fluid), brake fluid flush, and an alignment. (Note to future self: This was all done @ ~235k miles)
The little things...
First up was to finalize the install of the Auxbeam switching relay unit thing. I drilled small pilot holes and then used self-tapping bolts to mount the unit (with blue loctite). A little pucker moment because I didn't know what was behind that metal, but after I drilled and probed around a bit there's nothing there I can detect, so I was good with bolting it in. I did have to put a few spacers in between the firewall and the unit to give clearance for the cover to come on and off. We'll see if it holds.
Next, small but important update. The rear hatch shocks went bad at some point (the ones I installed six years ago) and I finally replaced them with the exact same ones. The manufacturer slightly updated them a bit at least visually (non coated shock arm), hopefully they last at least as long. No more hitting my head (for now).
My windshield was chipped by a full size truck hauling a toy coming the opposite direction on a forest road, and sent a large rock flying at my windshield. The good news is, I think my old windshield was leaking air because I had a high pitch annoying sound happening at freeway speed, which is now gone with a new windshield.
The only reason I bring up a windshield replacement is because I got a clear ceramic tint on the windshield at the time of install. This is my second car with ceramic tint and it makes a huge difference. It's worth the added cost if you are in need of a tint in the near future, and these days they can do the windshield in clear as well FYI.
Last up is maintenance. I did an oil and filter change, plus greased and thoroughly cleaned the driveshaft joints. While I was under there, I cleaned the threads with a tap for all of the skid plate mounts. Jerk mechanics must have whaled on those threads over the years and they were in bad shape. Glad to report it worked and the bolts thread on no problem now.
Taking a step back, it feels good I've gotten the maintenance pretty much all back up to baseline, and lots of little things fixed (some not mentioned in this thread, like clock not working, alpine amp went dead, new speakers & head unit, etc.). I can say that everything works on the rig, it's well maintained, baselined, and damn solid. Can't believe I'm at 235k miles and climbing, it's 23 years old, and it's still in good shape. These 3rd gen 4Runners are real legends.
Made it back from my Colorado adventure. I was told we were coming at a good time of year due to the snow melt off and recent rains. There was water everywhere!
The 4Runner performed very well. Albeit, I had cooked the new brakes pretty good on the first major mountain highway descent and learned quickly to ride my gears more. I'm not used to those epic mountain passes apparently.
After that, the only issue I had was that my rear driver brake started to lock up and get real grabby mid-trail. At the time I thought I had done damage from heating them up days earlier, but after some research I found that I likely pulled the e-brake too hard on a hill causing some kind of binding. It actually went away after a mile or so of driving.
I took a bunch of posing pics since I'm usually the one driving and don't get action shots, so here's the photo dump of the entire adventure, mostly 4Runner included pics. I'll try to get them in chronological order....
In the Petrified Forest National Park
The way up to the cabin, put us on a really fun detour through a National Forest due to a highway closer and had to grab a pic:
After some sightseeing and adventuring for days, it was finally time to hit the Crystal Mill trail, which the trailhead was located in the town we stayed in (Marble). This trail was a lot of fun, and I ended up turning around at Lead King Loop trailhead because the Crystal River Jeep Tours said it was blocked due to snow up ahead of the trailhead. Regardless, Crystal Mill was a lot of fun!
Heading back down the trail after turning around at Lead King...
We were told about an abandoned mine along the way with some vague instructions how to get there. My wife found it and we discovered a good amount of crystals in the area, mostly Quartz.
That's it for the Crystal Mill/River experience. I wish the Lead King Loop trail was opened but oh well maybe next time
Here are a few more from Colorado...
Saw this thing sitting there every time I drove by and text the guy. It was already sold but sitting on the side of the road apparently.
Random pull off where there was some great white water flowing
Also spent some time exploring the Marble marble quarry
We spent a day up in Aspen and exploring the Maroon Bells area. The elevation really kicked my butt up there.
The adventure sadly had to come to an end. We traveled down through Utah and stayed the night in Monument Valley via The View hotel. That area and the views did not disappoint.
The cockpit...
Miles logged:
Conclusion:
I want to move to Colorado. I know I know, I came at the good time of year, but overall the state has much more to offer for an adventurer like me compared to Arizona. I was definitely impressed with the state, mountains, the people, the rigs, the wildlife, the coffee, the food, the water, and those views. I'm already planning a trip back in a summer or two, ideally off-grid.
Is it just me, or are the forums a lot slower than they used to be? After not being on here for a couple of years, I've been more active on here the last few months and noticed it doesn't feel the same. Less activity overall... maybe that's because everyone sold their aging 3rd gens and are now in the 5th gen section?
I dunno, just wanted to type that thought out loud.
Is it just me, or are the forums a lot slower than they used to be? After not being on here for a couple of years, I've been more active on here the last few months and noticed it doesn't feel the same. Less activity overall... maybe that's because everyone sold their aging 3rd gens and are now in the 5th gen section?
I dunno, just wanted to type that thought out loud.
Social media killed the forums, IMO. It's easier to scroll FB/IG than it is a forum. Plus there's a whole new generation of enthusiasts that have never experienced forums, all they know is the social media shit.