Recent content by Nick's 94

The cable may have come unsecured from the tailgate. There is a series of hooks for the cable to be secured in which is immediately behind the regulator assembly. Make sure the cable is properly secured into these hooks, otherwise the cable will not disengage the latch. Happened when I replaced...

Take a flat screwdriver and pop off the carpeted liner. Then use a phillips and remove the screws holding on the metal trim bolster under the carpet. You should then be able to access the motor after moving back the plastic inner liner. Fortunately, you will not have to open the tailgate.

You can also consider a 4.3L Chevy if you are worried about length. It has the same profile, so you may still have firewall issues, but it is significantly shorter than the v8. Your chevy bellhousing kits will still work with the 4.3, and it may not eat your driveline components. A properly...

Try taking off both radiator hoses and make sure you are getting coolant flow through your radiator. Glad you didn't give up on your truck.

And, to be fair, I have put head gaskets on a 1998 Chevy Venture, and a 2006 Nissan Sentra. Both under 130K miles. And lets face it, head gaskets are probably the ONLY problem you will run into.

BTW, really jealous of your rust free 'Runner.

Unless the shaft of the fan was bent in the accident - front end damage? I would still check for play in the pulley behind the fan.

1) You may need a new fan bearing bracket. I had to replace mine at 182k. It is a bearing behind the pulley behind the fan clutch. Best bet is to remove your belts and see what is loose.

In brief, the 3vze is a non-interference engine. Please note that a mistimed engine can still cause severe damage. Check your timing marks when installing the belt, and after you install the belt tensioner, rotate the crankshaft by hand two full times, and make sure the timing marks are still in...

First, you will probably always have some fuel and oil in the intake of an older engine. You probably have some blowback caused by worn piston rings, and the extra crankcase pressure (and some oil) will be pulled into the intake by the PCV system. Perfectly normal. It is also likely that...

Also, make sure the load sensing proportioning valve is adjusted properly. It may cause the front brakes to do a disproportionate amount of the braking, causing nose dives and abrupt stopping.

How closely did you adjust the brake shoes in the drum? If overajusted, it will give you a pedal which is a little too high. If you adjust them back in, the drums will engage a little lower in the pedal travel, and give you a little softer brake response.

Let me know how it turns out.

Yes, a loose power steering belt will cause a lack of boost. Essentially you have manual steering, which is why the effect is lessened on slick surfaces, i.e. snow and wet roads. If you have a 2nd gen 4r like mine, there is no tensioner. You will need to loosen the mounting bolts on the PS pump...