DIY videos can't really get better than this. This will probably help keep more 3rd gens on the road instead of getting them into the scrap yards.

When my local mechanic quoted me $300-400 to swap LBJs I said "but mtbtim's video made it look so easy"

He went on a rant about fake videos, omitted steps, liability, etc. He then said par of the cost was procedure, and parts - but I was supplying all the parts (loctite costs money, he said) and documentation. Documentation, i asked. Yes, pics, so in case someone messed with it after he worked on it, he would have photo evidence of his work. Taking proper pics takes time, he said.

I was like "so I have to pay for your time to photo document your work incase I mess with it after you, wreck and want to sue you?"

He said yes, and I said thanks and bye. I knocked out my LBJs thanks to your vid in a few hours, no problem. I even used loctite. I spared no expense.

So yes, we live in an overly litigious society, and if someone can sue, they probably will. Sadly this translates into additional cost to consumers, insurance companies and their insured.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Makes complete sense!

Heh, you'll get a kick out of this .. we just did Fins n' Things in a stock Sequoia. I needed to change my shorts after!

Tim, as usual, your video rocks! Watched all three parts today. I'm sure it was time consuming with having to video it but it actually didn't look too bad all. I imagine if you had a lift it would make it much easier to remove.

Unfortunately, I may need to use this video in the near future. Thankfully, it exists.

I agree that sounds like a lot of money for LBJ's, but at the same time these small businesses today have it pretty rough.

**Warning** Rant is imminent

Their overhead is ridiculous. Everyone wants good work for a low price, at the same time they want to see a professional environment with all the necessary equipment and competent experienced technicians. That stuff costs a lot of money. We all know there are countless mechanics who price gouge customers, but is it out of greed? or are they just trying to keep the doors open? Overhead, labor, insurance, workmans comp, bonuses, countless small purchases, and bills. These are the things required for businesses to operate. I cant even fathom how most of them keep the doors open when people nitpick at every charge. At the end of the day there is a magic number these businesses need to bring in to keep the doors open and the employees paid.

I think Tims videos serve a different purpose. He's not intending to steal business away from mechanics, I mean I dont know Tim personally but I dont get that kind of immpression from him. These rigs are at the point where almost no one remembers how to work on their specific problems like the godawful axel seals. So to avoid wasting time and money we have learned from Tim and other contributors what the correct way is and we do it ourselves if possible. It would be nice if a business could accurately predict and guarantee and certain number of customers per day to better average out their pricing. Labor is usually the biggest cost in a small business and that what they charge for. I dont agree with price gouging but I understand why they try doing it. I dont know about you guys but I personally have never been to a mechanic that was complaining of too much business.

I could go on but ill end here for now. Nothing against you Octane, just saw an opportunity for a soap box.

No offense taken. I get it. I run a customer-service oriented business. Much of our work is done at time and materials billing. I often struggle with "is the solution worth the price" and I try to be very up-front with my clients and let them make an informed decision.

Reading other's threads here, you see what mechanics run into, and why the price of things gets out of hand at times. Trying to get to this, you have to remove that, once you remove that, another issue appears that also has to be addressed. I see it in my business all the time. Again, I get it.

The truth is that service businesses are taking the heat, the pressure on everything is downward: lower price, faster service; instant gratification. There is an old adage that goes "you can get it done right, done cheap, or done fast; but you can't get all 3" - I would go so far as to say you can't even get 2 out of the 3 anymore. The juice just isn't worth the squeeze in many cases, and yes, the cost of running a business properly, and legally, is not going down.

The other end of the spectrum is pride of ownership. Owning a 15+ year old car is not the norm anymore. Most vehicles are not intended to last this long. We have become a consumeristic society, everything new every few years; better, faster, cheaper. Again, this comes at a price, and it's usually longevity.

This philosophy also fits a capitalistic model very well, turn over your customer base every few years. Keep them buying your products. Nothing lasts forever - the caveat to that are our rigs. These things virtually do, or at least a lot longer than most people expected. Kudos to Japan. They bought loyalty through quality. The number of 1st, 2nd and 3rd gen 4runners and other Toyota vehicles still on the road are a testament to that. But there is maintenance to be done. And we want to play with these toys, and that too comes at a price.

I will stop my rant here, we all get it, that's why we are here. I have no gripe with the shop that wanted to charge $300+ to do my LBJs, that's what the work, risk and exposure was worth to them. I also had a guy willing to do it for $120, but I had to provide my own loctite. That's when I said F it, get me a 6 pack and a youtube and let's do this. Done. And this rant is done.

Sorry for jacking your thread, @mtbtim . Peace out

I know Mike. I was rooting for you to find a fix for your transmission. I've been following your thread the whole time and even get excited when you think you've found the answer. Well, if you have to replace it, you can definitely handle it. Just get a buddy to help you out.

Well, my intentions for the YouTube channel are to save people money by empowering them to do their own repairs and at the same time educating them about auto mechanics. I'm not necessarily trying to steal business away from auto shops but I sure get a big shit-eating grin when somebody comments on our YouTube channel telling us how much money they saved doing the repair themselves.

I tell ya what though, I don't feel sorry for any struggling shops. If they are doing good work and they treat their customers well, they will get good reviews and never have trouble keeping their doors open. If they do shitty work and price gouge their customers, they'll probably go under.

Labor rates are super expensive, especially where I live in the California Bay Area. My local Toyota dealer charges $150/hr and they have a line of cars waiting to get into the service department everyday. They are making a killing!
Before I started getting more into working on my 3rd Gen, I let the dealership do my rear axle seals and rear brakes. That job ran me $1500. Knowing how hard I got bent over helps fuel my desire to empower more people to do their own work. And the kicker, they f*cked up the job. I had to go back and school the mechanic who was supposedly one of their top guys for this job. What a joke!

As for price gouging, I'll give you an example. My girlfriend decided to pay for an oil change at some place because I was working a lot of overtime and didn't get around to it in time for her. They saw one of her struts was leaking and tried to talk her into the repair on the spot. They said it would run her $750. Luckily, she was smart enough to ask me about it first. Yeah, one of her struts was leaking a bit so I bought them for $150 and replaced them for her. They tried to gouge her for $600 labor for that job probably because she was a woman and they figured they could get away with it.

Survival of the fittest has applications in the animal kingdom and in the business world. If a shop is doing things right, they'll always have customers so I wouldn't worry about them.

I'm glad I watched these videos for a different reason. It talked me out of doing the job myself. It really is A LOT of work for one guy. I could do it but time is money...

It is a lot of work for one guy and that's why you get a buddy to help you out. Then you repay the favor to him one day. But, if you make boat loads of money and have little time, I can see paying a shop to do this for you.

However, there are guys with boat loads of money but just enjoy wrenching on their own rigs. It's not the money savings that drives them. It's the challenge, the learning, the enjoyment of working with your hands, and the sense of accomplishment you feel when you've pulled off a job like this. Turning wrenches can be a very satisfying way to spend your time but also be very annoying when things fight you, which they usually do. But, you adapt and overcome and crack a beer after you're all done with the satisfaction you did your own work.

Another reason for me to talk my wife into a lift for the garage. 😂 Great video!

A lift would be awesome. I've literally given myself heavy abrasions on my shoulder blades sliding around the garage floor all day. But, I have a normal height garage and couldn't install a lift anyway. I'd need to buy an entirely different house with a high ceiling garage or out-building that could fit a nice hydraulic lift. Maybe one day.

@mtbtim & @infamousRNR , I know it's been a while since you guys did this but wanted to double check some part numbers with you guys after watching your video. Will most likely begin the process of removing my transmission this weekend.

The seal that is located on the front of the transfer case, 2nd video at 2:22, is that 90311-40021?

The seal that is located on the rear of the transmission that tore while removing the transfer case, 2nd video at 4:10, is that 90311-40001?

I am going to call a few local toyota parts for a transmission but is there a specific part number or anything you gave them? Or did you just tell them you need a transmission for your 02 4wd 4runner...which from what I read is A340F?

Can't confirm those seal part numbers because we never purchased them. The rebuilt transmission came with all new seals and we didn't mess with any of the transfer case seals either. Your best bet is to just visit your local dealer and order them because their parts schematics are far superior to anything you'll find online. Seals aren't that expensive so you won't overpay that bad using the dealer.

Sean just gave the dealers his called his year and model when looking for a transmission. There wasn't a specific part number.

yes some shops do price gouge and do take advantage of people if they can.

wonder what the person that turns the wrench makes when the shop charges 150 an hour. Back in the olden days...the wrench made half...doubt that now...that would be 75 an hour