Question #1:
What brand should I get in replacing a brake pump for my 1999 4Runner?

I paid $200 to have a shop tell me my brake pump needs to be replaced since sometimes it's difficult to press the brake pedal when driving. Should I get an OEM part, if it's available? If so, where can I buy it?

Question #2:
For this same vehicle, can you please recommend a good choice for a new:

2a. visor
^ The current one (driver side) is broken and detached

2b. radio
^ I've been browsing this:
All Car Stereos at Crutchfield[rank1]5%20stars[img]

and this:
How to listen to high-res music in the car

But basically, I just want to be able to play music on the radio via a phone (both Android & iPhone). But I'm open to a portable USB option, if it is cheaper and drastically better in quality. I don't mind using a separate cord or discrete component instead of buying a stereo that tries to do too much. And I would love to be able to play FLAC files on the new radio.

Lastly, I'd like to be able to record a radio show that I hear when driving, if possible. I know this may be a strange request since radio shows should broadcast their content online, but for this specific radio station, I personally called them to get recordings of their content and they said that will not be available for a while because of some internal issues. Very disappointing, but there must be a way to capture it in high quality, so I can't listen later when I have time

2c. car antenna
I was reading random links like this:
12 Best Car Radio Antennas Reviewed and Rated in 2023 - Hamtronics

and was thinking of maybe this:
Amazon.com

Post a picture of the brake pump. OEM is the way to go but why did it fail and hard to press? Perhaps your brake booster (the cylindrical item attached to the brake master) is faulty or the one way valve attached to it is faulty.

Check
1) Engine off, push the brake paddle few times and check whether it progressively gets harder to push
2) Start the engine: give about 2-3 seconds and press the brake paddle: It should get softer, if it is not, then the brake booster is not doing its job.
3) There is a one way valve on the vacuum hose connecting the engine to the brake booster. This valve has to be check before suspecting the booster.

No idea about radios.

Yes, it's brake booster that's faulty. That's what I meant to type; sorry about that. That's what I paid $200 to have the mechanic diagnose the problem as. I have someone that's willing to install it for me, but they told me to buy all the parts and then, let them know when everything is ready so they can install it.

After searching online, this is what I've found:
1999 Toyota 4Runner SR-5 3.4L A/T Power Brake Booster. Brakes, Suspension - 446103D700 - Genuine Toyota Part
Just a moment...

As you can see partsouq.com does not have this item. Is there somewhere else I should be checking or is buying from Toyota my best option for an OEM part? (I'm in Hawaii, btw)

And is the brake booster the only thing I need? I called my local Toyota dealer and they said I need the brake booster, brake master cylinder, and brake master cylinder gasket. I think that's the three things they said. I couldn't understand everything they were saying though, so, I'm not totally sure this is all I need. They said all three parts will be $1600 and maybe take 2-3 weeks to arrive.

I have good luck with amayama but I don't know about shipping to Hawaii. Buy Genuine Toyota 446103D700 (44610-3D700) Booster Assy, Brake for Toyota 4Runner. Prices, fast shipping, weight - Amayama

If your brake pedal is hard to press I would suspect a bad brake booster or brake booster check valve/seal.

I called my local Toyota store to ask specifically what I need, but they were difficult to understand. I will head there today to specifically see what I need to purchase. Thank you for the Amayama link.

Yesterday, the check engine light came on. More money to spend! But at least, I'm glad that this occurred BEFORE I made the Amayama purchase. Here's the code:



The code is P0171 and I've been reading about it here:
How to Fix P0171 System to Lean Code

It seems that I should replace these things:
# new sensors, new maf, replace vacuum lines, fuel filter, fuel pump?

1. Sensors
^ I don't know.

2. maf
^
1999 Toyota 4Runner SR-5 3.4L A/T Mass Air Flow Sensor. INTAKE AIR FLOW - 2220421010 - Genuine Toyota Part
Buy Genuine Toyota 2220421010 (22204-21010) Meter S/a, Intake Air Flow;meter Sub-Assy, Intake Air Flow. Prices, fast shipping, photos, weight - Amayama

correct?

3. vacuum lines
^ I don't know. I did a search though here:
1999 Toyota 4Runner SR-5 3.4L A/T Parts like vacuum hose

correct?

4. fuel filter
^ I don't know. I did a search though here:
1999 Toyota 4Runner SR-5 3.4L A/T Parts like fuel filter

correct?

5. fuel pump
^ I don't know. I did a search though here:
https://parts.toyota.com/productSear...rm=fuel%20pump

correct?

How can I figure out exactly which parts I need for the following items above?

Other things that also just broke:
- the plastic covering part of the brake pedal
- the storage elbow rest thing between the driver and passenger seat section broke
- the automatic transmission shifter plastic housing shattered

Also, do you feel replacing all this is a good idea? I figure that I already have to replace the brake pump on this truck that has over 200K miles on it, so might as well replace other issues that shouldn't be too much fuss while I'm at it.

Thoughts?

As you've already figured out through your research that P0171 can be caused by a multitude of things. If you are going to throw parts at it without diagnosing it can be very expensive. I'd really recommend diagnosing it yourself or with a friend. It would probably be cheaper to have a competent mechanic diagnose it vs throwing parts at it. MOST PEOPLE WITH THIS CODE HAVE A VACUUM LEAK

With that being said, based on your mileage replacing the upstream oxygen sensor (also called the air/fuel sensor) wouldn't be a bad idea. We would need too know engine/transmission and 2wd or 4wd as well as California/Federal emissions. The most accurate way to determine your emissions is to slide under the passenger side of the vehicle near the front door and count how many catalytic converters you have. 1 catalytic converter means Federal emissions and 2 catalytic converters means California emissions.

Also, with your mileage it would be a good idea to clean your MAF and inspect your engine air filter and replace your fuel filter.

EDIT: It's rarely ever a fuel pump.

I'm getting a bit overwhelmed here after calling around many different auto shops for labor quotes. They repeatedly said to make sure you have the right part if you go the online route, because the local Toyota dealer will NOT give you the part number you need. This scares me because I don't want to do all this and then, have to go through the process of a refund if something isn't correct. I probably wouldn't even be able to get a refund anyway.

Additionally, I was reading an article about OEM vs aftermarket parts and I guess, in some cases, aftermarket parts are superior to OEM parts? I assumed that by getting an OEM part, I would be paying a bit more overall, but that would come with a drastic increase in quality. That doesn't seem to automatically be the case though.

My two scenarios seem to be this:
1. OEM route
- buy OEM part $~1100 (w/ tax included)
- 2-3 week wait (maybe longer)
- $350 install cost

2. aftermarket part
- approximately $950 for part, install, everything
- finished in a few hours

In your extensive experience, what do you recommend here?

Curious why OEM parts equates to paying someone else to do the install


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I don't have the experience to do it myself if that is what you are inferring. I really want to try to do it, but my wife absolutely will not allow it unless I am 100% sure I know what I'm doing. I can't say that I blame her since not only our lives would be at risk, but also others around us as well.

In the case of Toyota parts, I have never found an aftermarket part that was of the same quality or better quality than OEM. The only exception is if you buy the Toyota OEM part directly from who makes it for Toyota. For example the oxygen sensors are made by Denso for Toyota so buying Denso oxygen sensors is cheaper than buying the Toyota labeled part but it's the same part.

I'm not sure why you are quoting labor prices. I still recommend having a competent mechanic diagnose your issue rather than throw parts at it.

Also, replacing any of the items listed in your possible causes list isn't going to endanger anyone unless you leave a fuel line loose and leaking.

I did this already back in the initial post. Here is that snippet below:

The dealer doesn't give out part information so this may be difficult or impossible to acquire this information.

If I mess up the install for any of the items I listed, that would NOT be safety issue? I'm not sure I understand your meaning here. It would be a huge safety issue as far as I know. It could also ruin the vehicle.

This is your latest post prior to today:
So that's what I thought you were getting labor quotes for.

If you take your VIN to the Toyota parts department they will be able to look up the correct OEM part number.

Ah, ok! Yes, I was still referring to the brake issue. Sorry for the confusion.

One shop actually said that the Check Engine was because of the faulty brake booster and that it will go away after the booster is replaced.

What I mean is Toyota does NOT give out part number information. Maybe your local dealer does but the ones here do not. I have called them all.

But anyway, I think it's clear I need to just have the shop use whatever they have. Another reason is warranty. If something I buy fails, then that's even more labor and shipping fees (both ways) to get it fixed.

Parts.toyota.com

Feed it your VIN or year and model and you can search all the parts you want which all include the part numbers.



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