I brought my 06 T4R in for her 5,000 mile oil change & while I was there, I brought the TSB for the sulfur odor with me. The service manager said that he has only seen that TSB two times before & he said that they probably did not have the parts on hand.

Wile the oil was getting changed, the service manager told me that they did not have the parts, but he went ahead & ordered them on my word. I was glad that he was not a hardass about it like some stories I have heard with dealers refusing to do the TSB because they said that the problem could not be replicated.

The parts come in tomorrow & I will try to sneak out of work early to get the pipes changed. It will be so nice to be able to drive the truck with the windows down & the sunroof open for a change!

Now if I can only get Toyota to get on the ball with the drivetrain thunk issue, I will be golden!

Well if you've read the threads on the Sulfur TSB then you know that the TSB doesn't totally fix the Sulfur smell. It makes it smell less but doesn't totally eleminate the problem so don't get your expectations too high.

Yeah, I read that, but currently if I have the windows even cracked, it is like someone is shoving smelling salts up my nostrils. I can deal with a rotten egg smell, but currently it is so strong it is unbearable.

The service manager told me that the pipes would cost $2000+ without the TSB & he indicated they are better than what is on there now. All I am looking for is somethign better than the current situation.

I was driving home from work the other day.
I mean, Friday afternoon 1pm, total blue skies,not a cloud in sight.
You all know that Pre-weekend feeling. I have the Van Halen, Fair Warning cd jammin loud......
I get on the parkway and there is no traffic, thats rare here in NYC at 1pm so I open throttle my 4runner, I forget my back window is down, moonroof open, all windows open.....

And there it is....... That f*ckin stank

Really love my `04 4Runner as probably you all do also, but come on, if we all sent complaints they have to do something.....


Im gonna start sending Toyota pictures of the tip of the exhaust with a cherry air freshener hangin off of it.


Bones

some S.A.'s are jerks...

mine is fantastic here in town. I mentioned it once and he ordered the parts right there infront of me and he had them a day later and had the whole thing taken care of in 2 days total time.

Good job on the research......

I too need to get rid of that thunk in the rear.....I'm very fricken sick of that. I bought a Toyota to get away from that kind of crap.

Pipes?

I thought they installed a new catalytic converter? Are any of the other exhaust system components changed out?

BTW, I must be very lucky because my 4Runner's fart smell is only noticeable immediately after full throttle, and even then it's just a faint smell. Nothing like everyone else is describing. Sure, it's a little annoying, but I might just wait until my 4-year warranty is almost over and then have them install a new catalytic converter.

yeah they replace the CATs and then reflash the ECU. They don't mess with the CAT back portion.

I only smell mine at full throttle as well, but its far from faint.

You know you can bring your truck to the dealer with a copy of the TSB & they will replace the exhaust for you for free...right?

And your situation is what worried me the most about this. Most people said that the smell was from a coating on the inside of the cat conv & it woudl burn off quickly. Well, your truck is approaching 3 years old & you still fight the smell. That is why I am having this done now.

My VIN is included in the Sulfur TSB, and the period of coverage is 80,000 miles. I do smell sulfur when driving with the rear window open if I an driving above 40 MPH and the engine RPM is above 1,500. My thought was to wait until nearly 80,000 miles and then get the exhaust replaced. After this 5,000 trip I should be bumping up on that 80,000 miles. So, come mid-August I too expect to make the claim.

What parts are replaced under the claim?

We have 4 O2 sensors, and at least 2 cats. Where does the repair start & end?

Pros: Reduced sulfur smell, but same carbon monoxide. Extended exhaust life at Toyota's expense.

Cons: Factory system welded. Replacement probably held together with cheap clamps.

The cause of the smell is the Catalytic converter, not the Pipes.

The catalyst converts Carbon Monoxide (CO, a toxic gas) into Carbon Dioxide (CO2, a non-breathable but non-toxic gas).