Recent content by [email protected]

Hi Bruce Thanks for the helpful suggestions. I've lived in New England my whole life and I know about rusty vehicles, but this is different. No body rust at all on my 4Runner (kudos to Toyota for figuring that out), but the frame rot is terrible. The box rail frame is rusting from the inside...

I had a similar issue with my 99 earlier this year. The local Toyota dealer said there was nothing they could do. Same news from Toyota corporate. I had it repaired by a local welder and it's held up so far. I recommend filing a report with Toyota and the NHTSA...

I took care of it. I have a large monitor so it looks normal on my screen and I assumed incorrectly that the forum software automatically re-sized images to fit the screen.

There should be a "Clutch Start Cancel" switch located on the lower left side of the dash, although it might not be there for all years. Pushing this button overrides the clutch interlock you describe. You need to push the button after turning the ignition to on but before cranking the starter.

$1200 was for both the frame ($800) and the rear axle cover plate ($400). To put the cost in perspective, that's about one carwash per month over 10 years. Rust is a serious problem in New England. We have several months of driving on wet, salty roads almost every day. Washing daily will...

I'm having the same problem with my 99 fuel gauge. After filling up the tank, the fuel gauge reads F for a few seconds, then drops to E and the low fuel light starts flashing. This typically happens as soon as I put it in gear and start moving. If the tank is not full, the needle reads F all...

I finally got around to uploading some pictures. Before: Driver's side Driver's side Passenger's side After: Driver's side Passenger's side Rear axle cover (the drips are just water)

My frame and rear axle were both fixed by a local welder (Al at Cambridge General Welding in Allson, MA) for a total of $1200. The welder put a 1 year warranty in writing for me, too.

I got a quote from a local welder to fix my frame for $750. He said he thinks he can repair the pinholes in the differential housing, too. I'll post an update when I get the truck back.

Thanks for the information, Gonzo. Was that Sequoia frame replaced at the owner's expense, or Toyota's? I got one estimate to fix the frame yesterday of $700+ per side. The welder suggested that it was not worth fixing on a 1999 with 205k. I'll get a few more estimates before I decide what...

I called Toyota today to see if they were willing to do anything to fix the problem. The Toyota rep said no recall or buyback now, but it could happen in the future "if Toyota sees that frame rust is a pattern in these vehicles." Everyone who has a rusted frame should let Toyota corporate...

I have an appointment with a welder in Malden tomorow to get an estimate on how much to repair the frame. Once I know how much it will be to fix that I'll calculate my differential ratio and start shopping for a new rear axle from the Southwest.

I used a 12" long 24 mm box end wrench. I tapped on the end with a hammer until the wrench started to move, but the fill plug never moved. I think I removed the rust from the plug and that's it. I think I'll try removing the breather next. Seems like I should be able to use a makeshift...

I tried to open the fill plug this evening but it wouldn't budge. I can see at least 2 pinholes on the underside of the axle cover plate but I can't tell how much fluid is still in the diff.

I'm a physics postdoc at MIT, actually, but I have a BS in EE. Thanks for the offer of the driveway, Nelsonmd, but I'll probably try fix this ASAP rather than waiting for the weather to warm up. (That's assuming that I decide to fix the frame rot. If the frame fix is really expensive I might...