Recent content by johnnygraphic

Glad it worked out for you! Hopefully it was just this one-off experience.

Once you do get this tire off, use a wire wheel or steel brush and knock off all of the corrosion on both surfaces. Put a light coating of grease or similar goo before reinstalling the tire. This is good practice any time you're removing the tire.

I would avoid the collision shop if I were you. They do one thing, replace and repaint cars. They are not detail shops that specialize in cleaning and correcting paint. Find a *good* detail shop. In all likelihood they will have a portfolio of higher end customer cars both before and after...

Not sure why they would keep the 4Runner and wait for it to leak?!?! Some dealers can be a real pain to deal with. Anyways, bring it back on Tuesday and hopefully they can track down the leak. Let us know how it goes.

Those car washes are convenient and inexpensive, but you've got an investment and probably hoping to get many years out of your 4Runner, so take some time and research the proper technique and tools to wash it correctly. This was pay off dividends in a few years. Depending on where you live...

How dirty was your 4Runner before the wash? It looks to me like maybe debris/dirt got blasted into the paint. I'd go very easy on trying to rub or scrub those off for now. My initial thought was from those rotating cloth strips that drag across your paint (DON'T EVER GO TO THESE CAR WASHES!)...

Toyota outlined the repair in their TSB for the prior gen 1GR-FE, which was to reseal using black Form In Place Gasket sealant (FIPG). They use a gray FIPG at the factory which normally works, but for whatever reason, it leaks at the same spot. Perhaps there is some slight amount of...

When I first saw that, I thought the same thing. But in another one of his videos, he mentions it's not a problem and he's never had a return. And it has to be better than factory...just sayin...

Thanks for posting this video. I saw that before. It is amazing what this job really entails.

Agree with you. Get it into the dealership asap. Have them take a look at it. In all likelihood, they will do what AUSeeker said. Cleaning off the engine and look at it again after some mileage. They will also put in UV dye in the oil to help trace it. DO NOT let them say it is unusual cuz...

Thanks. I just need to take a break from dealing with this thing for a bit. I'm going to call my trusted Toyota independent mechanic and see exactly what my options are at this point. My biggest worry is what'll happen if I ignore it. I don't want the oil to mess anything else up. Your fix...

I've been doing a bit of research on it too. It seems that you're on the right path with the Bilstein 5100's. Best bang for the buck along with quality. Not overly extreme and will allow for a minor lift if that's what is in store. It'll keep everything close to stock without going a mile...

Update on my case. 2021 4Runner with 31k miles. Timing cover leak discovered at 5 years and 2 months, just a hair over the 5 year powertrain warranty. Toyota Corp has been reduced to a fraction of it's former self, becoming truly a US corporate entity. They can only recite the corporate...

Whatever you do, get the car in for inspection for any oil leaks especially the front timing cover leak before your warranty is up. This way, if it is the timing cover, you can have the dealership cover it on their dime, not yours. They have to pull the engine out to repair it properly. I'm...

Thanks for the update and the tutorial. I may have to resort to the cheap fix.