4ever4running's 2002 4Runner Build

[4ever4running]

i feel ya. Mines one step up from a mall crawler since its 2wd and I live in the flat land called florida. lol. as far as clearance, theres nothing getting up that high, and the hitch has saved my bumper once from a rear end collision. I did see a guy that remounted his, but i think he welded it. Other than that, id love to do a bumper too, but schools got me on a budget that doesn't leave me with much... that and the now 15 mpgs that i get vs 19 before lift+ tires.

I have seen a couple guys flip their hitch to make it flush with the bumper after a body life, but it required cutting and welding. It is a great solution if you are planning on keeping the stock bumper long term but for me it's just not worth the work.

I feel ya on the gas mileage. I used to average about 19-20 MPG, but now I am closer to 14-15 MPG, of course DC traffic doesn't help that but it's still a considerable drop...

 

[funnymeatball]

I feel ya on the gas mileage. I used to average about 19-20 MPG, but now I am closer to 14-15 MPG, of course DC traffic doesn't help that but it's still a considerable drop...

I know. I live in Florida and we have snowbird central... #1 beach in the USA attract alot of people who can't drive for some reason. Need to get the O2 sensor done. Have you regeared the diff?

 

[deverlow]

I must say, your T4R is my absolute favorite on this site. I've got a 97 T4R that's white with some black accent stuff going on too and I love the upgrades you've done. You've given me some great ideas, though I won't be making a total copy.

Bottom line: great work, thanks for sharing!

 

[4ever4running]

I know. I live in Florida and we have snowbird central... #1 beach in the USA attract alot of people who can't drive for some reason. Need to get the O2 sensor done. Have you regeared the diff?

Yeah I can imagine that the amount of tourists are pretty bad. I did regear both of my diffs to 4.88s shortly after I upgraded to 33's. I wanted to leave room in case I eventually step up to 35's.

I must say, your T4R is my absolute favorite on this site. I've got a 97 T4R that's white with some black accent stuff going on too and I love the upgrades you've done. You've given me some great ideas, though I won't be making a total copy.

Bottom line: great work, thanks for sharing!

Wow that is a huge compliment and I definitely appreciate it! Good luck with your 4Runner and I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

 

[funnymeatball]

Thats actually A great Idea. I might have to consider it since i found A guy that can get me 35's at the same price as 33's here. did you regear yourself? how hard was it? I'm only 2wd so its only half the battle. lol

 

[4ever4running]

Thats actually A great Idea. I might have to consider it since i found A guy that can get me 35's at the same price as 33's here. did you regear yourself? how hard was it? I'm only 2wd so its only half the battle. lol

I sort of did it myself...I didn't have the mechanical know-how or the tools to completely pull apart the differentials and do everything myself, so I ended up ordering the assembled 3rds from East Coast Gear Supply. I did put in the work to drop the old diffs and install the new ones so that definitely saved me some money on labor.

Since you're only 2WD, I would definitely recommend getting the 3rd from ECGS and doing the work yourself. There are a ton of writeups out there and it can be done in a garage/driveway with some basic tools.

 

[4ever4running]

This weekend I was able to get out and hit the trails with a group of T4R members. We ran Flagpole Knob and Meadow Knob in the George Washington National Forest just outside of Harrisonburg, VA. Overall it was a great day with a great group of guys and I can't wait to get out there again sometime soon!

Airing down



At the top of Flagpole Knob





and at the top of Meadow Knob



My 2 favorites from the day (so far)




The trails were pretty easy with the exception of a couple of technical sections that required a spotter to get the stock truck through. The most technical section was an uphill climb over some pretty big boulders. Fortunately for the stock trucks in the group, it had bypasses so they could still get through without any issues, but I was determined to take the hard line and make it through. I made it a little ways up, but even with 4WD and the rear locker, the slick rocks and mud wouldn't let me get the traction I needed to make it to the top. So, I ended up having to winch myself up the rest of the way. This was the first time that I had to use the winch on the trails and I must say that I am very happy and impressed with how well it did. (I was a little busy at the time so I don't have any pics, but I know some of the other guys in the group were taking pics so hopefully I can get some from them)

 

[4ever4running]

A couple more pics from some of the other guys in the group.

 

[4ever4running]

[MENTION=89072]Tresvn[/MENTION] was able to get a couple videos, including one of the recovery. Thanks for sharing Brian!





The video doesn't really do the spot justice, but here's a pic of where I got stuck.

 

[4ever4running]

Few small updates:
1) After my trip to GWNF I noticed a squeaking noise coming from underneath the front of the truck anytime I turned. When I got under it to diagnose the problem, I noticed that one of the front sway bar bushings was almost completely torn in half, and the other one wasn't looking much better. So, rather than replacing the bushings, I decided to just remove the front sway bar. I know a lot of guys drive around without them without any issues so I though I would give it a try. So far I don't really notice a ton of additional body roll so I'm not planning on putting it back anytime soon.

2) Earlier this week I ordered everything I will need to complete the "Big 3" upgrade. I have most of the parts, I'm just waiting on terminals so hopefully I can tackle it this weekend.

 

[4ever4running]

Well I got started on the Big 3 upgrade and have all the new wires ready to be installed, but before I was able to install everything, I noticed that my safety inspection expired at the end of July so I thought I would get that taken care of first. Long story short, I didn’t pass and have some things to take care of so I can pass.

1. Like an amateur, I just took my truck in without looking up the Virginia auxiliary lighting laws first... dumb mistake. I didn’t realize that fog lights had to be wired into the low beam switch so they turn off when the high beams are turned on, so I just have them wired to an independent switch. I don’t really want to mess with rewiring them so I’m planning on just removing them to pass inspection and re-installing them. On another note, I was smart enough to put the white Hella covers over my driving lights and explained that I only use them for off road purposes, so they were okay with classifying them as “auxiliary/off road lights” and didn’t ding me for them.

2. I have a pin-sized hole in my passenger side headlight that I got a couple years ago when a gravel truck dropped a good sized rock that hit the headlight. I have never had a problem passing inspection before, but they called me out on it this time. So, I looked through a bunch of the part-out threads on here and wasn’t able to find a replacement available so I headed over to eBay and was able to find a used Toyota OEM headlight for $70 shipped. Not too bad, but still $70 more than I want to spend.

3. I have clear LED parking lights. Again, I have never had a problem passing inspection with them before, but I got called out on it this time. I still have the amber LEDs that I swapped out so it will be an easy fix.

I just got the replacement headlight in yesterday so I will be taking care of everything this weekend. Wish me luck!

 

[warchant1]

Hopefully you passed inspection!

I'm a little late to the party but love what you've done w your T4R. I'm sub'd moving forward.

 

[4ever4running]

Hopefully you passed inspection!

I'm a little late to the party but love what you've done w your T4R. I'm sub'd moving forward.

Yes, fortunately I was able to pass inspection. I will say that removing and replacing the headlight was a PITA with the Shrockworks, but after some finagling I was able to get it replaced without having to remove/loosen the bumper. I also did have to remove the fog lights, but I just re-installed them after I passed inspection.

Thanks man, I appreciate it!

 

[4Running Daily]

This thread has spider webs on it.

 

[4ever4running]

This thread has spider webs on it.

Wow it sure does! Let me see if I can dust it off and clear away the cobwebs...

Over the past several months, I really haven't done much in the way of upgrades, I have just been sticking to routine maintenance. It has been a pretty cold and long winter for us and we have gotten a lot of snow which makes it hard to work since I don't have a garage...
I was able to have some fun in the snow though…




And always had a parking spot…


Here's the stuff I have been able to get done:

1) I finished the Big 3 upgrade. I have to give a big shout out to [MENTION=44220]BigFishAllDay[/MENTION] for his writeup in his build thread because it made the process much easier not only to do, but to understand as well. His writeup can be found here: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...-one-2001-sport-ed-trd-scd-15.html#post788894.

2) On the way to work a couple weeks ago I noticed that my temperature gauge started to creep up, even though I was driving in subzero temperatures. Fortunately I have a pretty short commute so I was able to make it to work and home without hitting dangerously high temperatures. I figured I was just low on radiator fluid so I added some when I got home when I opened the hood it immediately smelled like radiator fluid and I ended up having to add over 3 liters of fluid to fill the radiator so I immediately knew something was wrong. I looked around for leaks and didn’t find any so I inspected the radiator and found what I was looking for, an accumulation of radiator fluid in the upper corner…So I did a little research online and ended up ordering a new radiator from Amazon: Amazon.com: TYC 1998 Toyota 4Runner 1-Row Plastic Aluminum Replacement Radiator: Automotive. I know it probably isn’t as high quality as a Koyo or OEM, but funds are a little tight right now so I didn’t have many options. The replacement was pretty easy and straightforward, but just took a little longer than most people because I had to remove my Hella lights from my Shrockworks so I could remove the grille and access the radiator mounting bolts. I also had to cut and replace the zip ties that attach my external transmission cooler to the radiator and condenser. When I removed the old radiator is was immediately clear that it was indeed cracked so I’m glad I replaced it before it failed completely.

Old cracked radiator


Old vs. new

 

[4ever4running]

2 things I forgot in my previous post…

1) While I was replacing my radiator, I gave my truck a once-over and found that the LBJ on the passenger side is leaking ever so slightly. So the plan is to replace both the LBJs with OEM Toyota parts. While I’m at it I am considering replacing the inner and outer tie rods as well. I did some research and there are a number of options…The OEM inner tie rods are about $125 each, but NAPA sells 4 different kinds of inner tie rods for anywhere between $25 - $85 each. I will only go OEM for the LBJs because they are load bearing and are a crucial part of the front suspension, but I’m not so sure about the inner and outer tie rods. So my question is: What is everyone’s opinion on going aftermarket for the inner and outer tie rods?

2) Shortly after I replaced the radiator, my check engine and traction control lights came on. I know I could get the code read for free at a local auto parts store, but I figured that this was the perfect time to buy a wireless/Bluetooth OBD II port reader/scanner so I ordered this one from Amazon Amazon.com: LYL® Elm327 WIFI Wirless OBD2 Car Diagnostic Reader Scanner Scan Tool for Iphone iPad iOS PC: Automotive and downloaded an app for my phone. I pulled the code and got the P1135 - Air-Fuel Sensor Heater Circuit Response Malfunction which is nothing out of the ordinary for a truck with almost 200,000 miles on it. Initially I was planning on only replacing the A/F sensor (My truck is CA emissions compliant so I have both an A/F sensor and an O2 sensor), but after a little research, I found that amazon sells both the Denso (OEM replacements) A/F sensor and O2 sensor, so I bought both:

Denso 234-9002 Air Fuel Ratio Sensor - $105 (Amazon.com: Denso 234-9002 Air Fuel Ratio Sensor: Automotive)

Denso 234-4261 Oxygen Sensor - $50 (Amazon.com: Denso 234-4261 Oxygen Sensor: Automotive)

I just got them in the mail earlier this week so I will be installing them this weekend...

 

[Brian757]

Where'd you get these LED's?

 

[knoxuni]

i have the elm327 and love it. it works great. i use engine link on the ipad and iphone

 

[4ever4running]

Where'd you get these LED's?

I got them from here (about 2/3 of the way down the page):
http://www.autolumination.com/automotive_car_truck_motorcycle_led_light_bulbs/festoon_dome_license_plate_vanity_courtesy_map_overhead/6418_578_211-2_6411_3175_C5W_212-2_561_562_3022_211_214-2_212_577_3021_6428_6486x_rigid_loop/festoon_dome_all_led_bulbs.htm

 

[Brian757]

I got them from here (about 2/3 of the way down the page):
Festoon Dome All LED Lights Bulbs | Autolumination

And you wouldn't remember what size festoon we have? It's fine if you don't. I can just measure when I get home.