Thank you! Another forum member have me a couple of good ideas, too.

I've got the best theft prevention in the world - it's a manual!!

This is awesome!

Haven't done much to the old Runner since I got the front end sorted out. I ended up replacing the Cragar steel wheels with a set of used Pro Comp alloys - just didn't like the way they looked.

I also installed a Scangauge II with a Spiker Engineering mount to help monitor the coolant temp and voltage which I would honestly recommend to anybody. It's a tad on the expensive side but I've found it to be very reliable and an excellent scan tool if any check engine codes come up.

In bigger news, I just completed a two day trip up to Flagstaff with a bunch of other rigs and had an awesome time! Camped the first night in the Cinders OHV area which is northeast of Flagstaff.




Then we hit the highway to camp off of the Colorado River at the end of Diamond Creek Road - in the Grand Canyon!

On my way up to the Grand Canyon a few weeks ago - my A/C stopped working right outside of Phoenix. I was finally able to set some time aside to diagnose it and fix it this weekend.

Hooked up my new A/C gauges and the high side reading was unbelievably high – hanging around 400 PSI. Normal operation should be around 150-250 so this indicated I either had a blockage in the system or my expansion valve had failed. Given the fact that my A/C was intermittent beforehand I had a sneaking suspicion that my expansion valve had failed.

Ultimately though, at 234k miles I decided to buy once cry once and get the whole system replaced. I bought a new Denso compressor, condenser & expansion valve along with a Dayco Idler pulley, A/C Delco Drier & a Murray evaporator. (Would’ve gone Denso on both of these but was short on time). Started disassembly on Saturday morning and would’ve been done that day had Amazon delivered my compressor on time. Nonetheless I got it on Sunday and wrapped it up. Here’s a few pics documenting my install:

Pulling the evaporator:




Man that thing was gross! Good thing I was replacing it anyway. Here's the failed expansion valve, along with the rusty bolts connecting it to the evaporator. I cleaned them up with a wire wheel before installing.



New condenser & drier




I don't have any pictures of installing the compressor, but I found it really easy to remove. Everywhere I read online said you should remove the PS pump to get to it. I'm happy to report that you do NOT have to remove the PS pump! Disconnect your transmission cooling lines (don't have any since I have a manual) and remove the two 12mm bolts holding the power steering hard lines in place. Once you've done that the compressor can come right out the bottom. This made the removal/install much easier.

All in all the job was not very difficult at all and the results are fantastic - my truck now has a alternative use as a freezer.

Now that the A/C is buttoned up I'm starting to focus my efforts on the interior again. The old leather steering wheel has been disintegrating from the sun long before I sold it and it was time to get it replaced. Definitely feels weird having a new one on there but way overdue!

Before:


After:



It feels like a brand new car again! I still need to buy a new middle console lid (which is still available from Toyota) and some new center air vents as one of mine is busted.

Was it brand new or just new to you from another 4Runner? I wasn't aware that steering wheels were still available as a replacement part from Toyota. If it was, could I ask what the cost was?

It was new to me! Unfortunately Toyota has long discontinued OEM steering wheels.

I've been looking for a nice leather wrapped wheel for a while, finally found this one on eBay and got it for $80.

Whoa, I feel like I just read the same on another posts forum lol

I've become fond of wrapping the stock steering wheel if it's not chewed up already myself. A leather wrap and lace kit on Amazon is like $10 and honestly looks and feels great.

There are OEM type wrap kits from Japan that cost closer to $100 and are more work if you want the factory lol and feel. I've gotten used to the thicker, DIY wrapped wheel.

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You got to live the reunion in real world time!! Even though the other post has way more info.

I'm keeping my OEM wheel in case I decide to have it re-done down the road! I've already removed almost all of the leather so she's ready to roll.

where did you get your steering wheel redone?

The Amazon wraps go over the leather...

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Bought the Marlin short shifter kit last week and got it installed:




Loved the way it shifted but absolutely hated how much taller the shifter was



So I took it to a machine shop and got it cut back down to factory size and now it's perfect!

Nice. What does the shifter kit do for a person?

I'm expecting my 1-in body lift will shorten my shifter for me without a machine shop

Sorry for the late reply on this, better late than never I guess lol.

I can shift faster and the shifts feel much notchier and firm. Well worth the investment IMO.