Recent content by Mount

Everything I've read and heard about the rear axle seals is that the root of the problem is "excessive radial play in the wheel bearing. This play causes the axle to ride on the seal causing it to wear and fail. The incorrect and temporary repair for this condition is the replacement of the...

Rust hole through the roof!? In AZ?! and I think keeping it seems to be consensus, and that gives me some peace of mind. Now to call a non-dealer shop for a price ...

Great point - and the more I look into other potential vehicles around the $10k range, there's nothing I'd want more than what I've got now, with some shiny new parts on it.

Making these repairs in a sensible order over a few months will make it affordable. I agree with starting on the brakes and seals, then once the rig can stop reliably, go from there!

Agreed - the only job I really worry about doing myself would be the axle seals. No garage means I would be risking leaving the axles exposed while I took the axles to a machine shop to press on the new parts. But front brakes are definitely driveway-doable.

Bought a black '99 SR5 about 2.5 years ago as a low cost, dependable second vehicle to drive the 3 miles to work, tow firewood, and take on weekend trips to the woods here and there. The 4Runner was a Craigslist find, and got it for $4k with 145k mi on it from a shoeless hippy leasing a small...

Do the seats have heaters?

Impressive and inspiring stuff. Thanks for putting in the time to write it all up!

Still available?