Recent content by scottji

Again, I vote VCG. You can foul your spark plug or damage to your ignition coil if oil is sitting in there, neither of which is too expensive, but sort of a pain.

Yes please on the pics. Be sure to get a few pics of the inside of your motor with the VC off so we can all see the benefits of frequent oil changes (assuming it's clean and sludge-free). You are right, it's probably not too difficult. Be sure to label your coils so they go back in the same...

Because it's such a cheap and easy fix, that's where I'd start. Get some hylomar or sensor-safe hi-temp RTV to use on any suspect/weak/uneven areas. Does the kit include the little flange-type discs for the valve cover bolts? If not, pick up some of those.

I've heard it all goes black eventually, and that smell is actually a better indicator, but I just liked having it new and red. The manual says to check it at 60k if you're towing or driving in rough conditions -- how do they check the fluid quality? Smell only? Is there a viscosity test of...

Valve cover gasket is the most likely culprit. Here's the thread you're looking for: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/100614-changed-spark-plugs-one-covered-wet-oil.html

"Lifetime fluid" is nonsense. I predict the phrase will be the source of a class action lawsuit at some point in the next few years (when people whose transmissions fail at 200,000 miles due to burnt/dirty fluid start complaining that "Toyota told me it was lifetime fluid so I thought I never...

Would the car throw a check engine light if the knock sensor went out? I know that on my BMW, for example, if there's a problem with the variable valve timing system ("Vanos" for the Bimmer), the computer will by default go into "failsafe mode" with the intake cam at full ret@rd and the exhaust...

:iagree: OP, the spark hole gaskets are attached to the valve cover gasket, so you need to replace the whole valve cover gasket (the whole thing really should be replaced since you're breaking that seal anyway). I think the part is ~$20 online. Also get some little round gasket-type things...

+1 this. No one is saying you can put 91 into a car designed to run on 87 and have it make a difference. We all know it won't. What we're trying to determine is whether the GR-FE is designed to run on 91 or 87. If designed for 91, then it will perform better on 91 than on 87. If designed...

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/852610-post29.html According to that post, that member seems to think premium should be used for compressions of 10:1 and above (no word on his qualifications to offer that opinion). Additionally, the GR-FE motor uses a 10.0:1 compression ratio. The factory...

Why would Toyota put in the owners manual that, although the engine is rated for 87 octane, you can use 91 octane or higher for "improved performance"? I still think there could be something to be said for compression, knock sensors, variable timing, and whatnot that allows Toyota to adjust the...

Hey OP, when you figure out whether your problem is the valve cover gasket or something else, please post again and let us know. I'm curious to find out what the culprit was.

Probably right, that's why I'm going to pay the staggering price of $3.60 to try it out. As I said, I don't understand how a car rated for 87 can generate more torque by using 91, but I wouldn't put it past Toyota's engineers who are smarter than myself to figure something out.

Nice! I've towed a Suzuki Samurai on a flatbed behind the 4Runner w/o trailer brakes and it was fine, but I figure the total weight there was maybe 3k max, and I hardly felt it. Having the extra weight of the trailer, plus having the solid sides (which act like a kite when the wind blows) made...

Very true. I was impressed with how much torque the 4.0L V6 produced down low. Of course, the V8 they use in the 4Runner models provides more torque at a lower rpm range, which is where it would have made a difference getting up hills.