Recent content by zachary.mikel

I just finished up a full retrofit of some inexpensive bi-xenon H1 projectors into some Depot / eBay headlight housings. I ended up using 6500k H1 LED bulbs, and the light output is phenomenal compared to the stock halogen projectors. I posted a quick and dirty explanation on reddit: Finished...

You all are making me pretty envious - in the northwest you simply cannot find clean V8 4th-gens for < 10k. The first truck I had my eye on was an '08 Limited V8 4x4 with 132k. Second owner. He was asking $14,500 and it was sold before I had a chance to look at it. I ended up getting a 2006...

Hi guys, I know that this topic spans far and wide, and I've done quite a bit of research on this over the past couple of days. Can't seem to find a definitive answer. Problem The transfer case housing on my 4Runner is cracked near the front output shaft, leaking gear oil all over the place...

TL;DR, my transfer case is cracked. What the hell. I thought that my companion flange's seal surface could be damaged. It looked like there was some rust growing on it and that was causing it to leak intermittently. Got a different one from a junk yard. Old one (left), new one (right)...

oof, it's been a minute! I'm in the process of stopping a transfer case seal leak. Can't seem to figure out what the issue is. Here is where the leak is appearing: (please ignore the greasy mess by the driveshaft, it's residual from greasing u-joints) I've replaced the front output shaft...

Here's the thing. If done properly (using Denso A/C parts), your A/C system can outlast the remainder of the time that you own your car. I recently just replaced EVERYTHING on my 225k 'Runner for ~$430. This involved ordering all parts from RockAuto/Amazon, paying a mechanic to evacuate the...

Update: I found that the rear axle wasn't bent. After throwing wheels from different corners on the driver's rear corner, I saw the tires spinning very straight. I think I have a bent wheel. Here is a video of another wheel on the same corner from the previous post...

I thought that as well, but I've had a couple of friends that have gotten bent axle flanges from junk yards... apparently it can be really common if they're in a wreck. I'll do some checking around. I figured with how cheap the chromoly ones are it'd be a good upgrade to do. Sent from my...

Hi all, I've suspected for awhile that my rear driver wheel bearing is on its way out. I can hear a clunking noise coming from that corner of the car while driving at about 40mph. I finally took the wheel and hub off last night to remove the axle. I decided to put the truck up in the air and...

I see you've found RockAuto already, OP, good. I had some compressor noises due to a loose pulley, so I ended up replacing my entire system except for A/C lines a few days ago. Be sure to invest in a good vacuum pump to get that fresh system sucked down. I was amazed to watch steam coming out...

Thanks man! I have read up on ball joints a little. I checked mine about a month ago with the front end jacked up and used a pry bar and each side. There seemed to be little to no play, so I haven't addressed them yet, but I agree with you. Better safe than sorry for sure, I'll be adding that to...

Here's what I've done to this thing so far: Front Differential We got an excellent deal on the 4Runner, and it soon became apparent why. The front differential was almost completely seized when 4WD was engaged. This explains the bald front tires I suppose? The previous owner(s) had installed a...

Hello 4Runner friends! I figured I should start a build thread to keep track of my maintenance and mods. Backstory Purchased January 2017 for my wife to drive around town. We had a horrible winter in Idaho, with snowfall reaching almost 3 feet in the city during some points. The only cars we...

Update: it was a bad idler pulley. I installed a new KOYO pulley when I first did the timing belt. Just swapped it out for an OEM replacement and the noise has vanished. Thank you guys for your help! Onto suspension work! Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

That is a really good point. When I took it apart the first time, I made sure that it was installed facing the correct way. I read in an older thread about this, and that was my first thought. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk