4x4 Swap Prep Questions

[Spriggs53]

Hi all, I recently decided to pursue a 4x4 swap to my '02 2wd, I have connections to a shop that is willing to keep an eye out for a wrecked 4x4 4Runner so that I can do the swap, but I'm not sue what to tell them to look out for. What's the compatibility like; will nearly any year 4x4 work or will I need to find an '01-'02?

Any tips and tricks from the pros would be greatly appreciated as far as what to expect when doing this sort of job. What kind of obstacles should I expect to face? What should I plan for now while I'm thinking ahead?

Some info on the 4Runner in question: 2002 SR5, 2wd, Automatic, 5VZ-FE (156,xxx mi), w/ ABS, and all maintenance is taken care of. I would like to keep it automatic if possible.

P.S. no I'm not willing to sell this one and buy another 4x4 4R, I want the challenge of the swap.

 

[G_Raw]

Stick with an 01-02 since you may have wiring things that are specific to that year come up. This will also set you up to hopefully have all your ECU plugs and such line up...but don't be surprised if you need to repin a thing or two.

You should be prepared to cut and relocate your trans cross member.



If you want to avoid a lot of work ( wiring, vacuums, etc) you could go the manual hub route. This changes what you're looking for from a 4runner to a 95-04 Tacoma. You'll want the trans and tcase (manual j shift) the the CV's, diff, wheel hubs and manual hubs. You would need to press out your current wheel hubs and put new bearings in and press the tacoma wheel hubs into your current knuckles to maintain your abs. This route is literally a trans R&R with relocation of your trans cross member. Install the front axle and done. Only parts you'd need from a 4runner is the 4x4 auto shifter and shrouds for interior as well as a front driveshaft ( Tacoma one won't work).

Plenty of us on here have done the swap and there are many ways to go about it. [MENTION=139000]phattyduck[/MENTION] and @childofbodom were two of the first to really hash this project out I believe. Charlie helped answer my questions along the way. So you got folks here that can walk you through situations as they arise. Good luck and enjoy the project.

 

[Spriggs53]

Sweet! Thanks!

So, the Taco vs. the 4Runner; what does that mean as far as operation? I’ve read both of their write ups on their swap, but I’m not totally sure what the pros and cons are to using a Taco vs. a 4R. Maybe they mention it at one point, there was just a lot to read so I had skimmed through most of it. Otherwise I assume it’d be easier to acquire a Taco of that year rather than a 4R of the same model/year? It also sounds like a Taco makes for an easier swap. One thing I’m afraid of is the ECU rejecting the new system, I won’t need to change to a ECU that supports the 4x4 system, will I?

 

[MaineRunna]

Your best bet is to find a 01-02 donor 4Runner. Then you have every part you need. Here in Maine it's easy to find them with bad frames for a few hundred bucks. It might be hard in Louisiana to find a rusted out one, so you will need to find a totalled one.

 

[Spriggs53]

Thanks for the input!

Unfortunately, you’re right, but whats more is 4Runner’s aren’t all that common here, much less wrecked ones. I’d probably be better off finding a wrecked Taco, those are everywhere here. Finding a wrecked ‘01-‘02 would be nice tho. Having a donor is always nice.

Does a Taco 4x4 swap perform differently than a 4R? Pardon my ignorance.

 

[phattyduck]

If you do the "taco" swap version (manual hubs), you'll still need an 01/02 4Runner trans to go with a j-shift transfer case (you'd have to put that one together yourself, all the 01/02 4WD 4Runners are multi-mode). The 01/02 4Runners use a solenoid controlled line pressure instead of the cable style, so it limits the years/options pretty severely for an easy swap.

Definitely go for a wrecked 01/02 4Runner for the easiest swap.

Copart, IAA...

-Charlie

 

[shadow247]

My buddy Nick converted his 01 2wd using a J-Shift Transfer Case with a Manual Hub conversion. You can use a Tacoma 3rd Member from a Manual Hub truck, or just defeat the ADD and lock it in permanently. No 4wd Light, and nothing is actually hooked into the factory wiring anywhere. I would recommend contacting RC Fabrication on Instagram or Facebook. They sell complete knuckles for the Manual Hub conversions for 750 bucks. That's pretty dang cheap when you add up the parts and labor to pay a local shop to do all the presswork and source all new parts. This way, you have 0 wiring to worry about, unless you want to do an E-locker.

I have an e-locker in my 01 4x4 , and it's not hooked to any factory wiring. Used an Add-A-Fuse in the instrument panel and grounded the 2 wires that get ground from the ECU normally on the E-Locker ECU. Now I have 2wd Locked, 4-Hi Locked, and 4-low Locked.

 

[Spriggs53]

If you do the "taco" swap version (manual hubs), you'll still need an 01/02 4Runner trans to go with a j-shift transfer case (you'd have to put that one together yourself, all the 01/02 4WD 4Runners are multi-mode). The 01/02 4Runners use a solenoid controlled line pressure instead of the cable style, so it limits the years/options pretty severely for an easy swap.

Definitely go for a wrecked 01/02 4Runner for the easiest swap.

Copart, IAA...

-Charlie

I see. My main concern is the wiring part. I could definitely do it I'm just afraid of screwing something up, and wiring issues are a major PITA. If I understand correctly the basic gist is that I would be taking the 4x4 harness from the donor 4R ECU to the existing harness in the receiving 4R? I'm not sure I fully comprehend the electrical part, even after all the reading, I could also be overthinking it.

My buddy Nick converted his 01 2wd using a J-Shift Transfer Case with a Manual Hub conversion. You can use a Tacoma 3rd Member from a Manual Hub truck, or just defeat the ADD and lock it in permanently. No 4wd Light, and nothing is actually hooked into the factory wiring anywhere. I would recommend contacting RC Fabrication on Instagram or Facebook. They sell complete knuckles for the Manual Hub conversions for 750 bucks. That's pretty dang cheap when you add up the parts and labor to pay a local shop to do all the presswork and source all new parts. This way, you have 0 wiring to worry about, unless you want to do an E-locker.

I have an e-locker in my 01 4x4 , and it's not hooked to any factory wiring. Used an Add-A-Fuse in the instrument panel and grounded the 2 wires that get ground from the ECU normally on the E-Locker ECU. Now I have 2wd Locked, 4-Hi Locked, and 4-low Locked.

I would like to add an e-locker since I'm in the process of redoing everything anyway, but I had a similar thought as you, just wiring it to a separate switch rather than going through the hassle of making it like stock. This inspires me. I would say the only downside is that this is my daily driver and running 4wd all the time I imagine could be taxing.

Overall take away I'm getting is that there are no real benefits/cons to either/or, rather whatever the individual is more comfortable doing. I definitely like the idea of making it like stock, the wiring is just intimidating, but that won't stop me from trying if I decide to go that route.

Are there some good resources to check out besides the major ones like [MENTION=25058]ChildrenOfBodom[/MENTION] and [MENTION=139000]phattyduck[/MENTION]? I will be studying those two extensively.

I don't know if this has already been done or not, but a library of major 4x4 swap threads would be kinda cool in the future.

 

[shadow247]

Are there some good resources to check out besides the major ones like [MENTION=25058]ChildrenOfBodom[/MENTION] and [MENTION=139000]phattyduck[/MENTION]? I will be studying those two extensively.

I don't know if this has already been done or not, but a library of major 4x4 swap threads would be kinda cool in the future.

Timmy the Toolman has all the videos you need to do the swap I think.

I would just go the simplest route. J-Shift, Manual Hub Conversion, and E-Locker with Low-Range OffRoad harness. Then you literally don't have to tap into the factory wiring at all.

I have a 4.10 front Diff sitting at my house, it's yours for 100 bucks plus shipping. It has the older vacuum style ADD, but that could be defeated if you do the manual hub conversion.

My buddy nick did his in Stages.

1st he swapped in the Rear Diff Assy/Elocker.
2nd. He bolted in the front diff.
3rd he bolted up the transfer case and rear driveshaft.
4th he button up the front driveshaft and did the manual hub conversion.
5th He did the E-locker wiring using relays.

The truck was never down for more than a few days at time during the swap, so it's totally possible to swap one piece at time and complete the swap over the course of a few months like my buddy did. I asked him to join this forum months ago when I met him at the trails. He said he used those 2 write-ups you linked to do most of the swap.

 

[RexNfx]

https://www.copart.com/lot/51484381/salvage-2002-toyota-4runner-sr5-al-tanner

https://www.copart.com/lot/57677561/salvage-2001-toyota-4runner-sr5-al-mobile-south

https://www.copart.com/lotSearchRes...:false,"searchName":"","freeFormSearch":true}

Nothing in Louisiana

 

[Spriggs53]

Timmy the Toolman has all the videos you need to do the swap I think.

I would just go the simplest route. J-Shift, Manual Hub Conversion, and E-Locker with Low-Range OffRoad harness. Then you literally don't have to tap into the factory wiring at all.

I have a 4.10 front Diff sitting at my house, it's yours for 100 bucks plus shipping. It has the older vacuum style ADD, but that could be defeated if you do the manual hub conversion.

My buddy nick did his in Stages.

1st he swapped in the Rear Diff Assy/Elocker.
2nd. He bolted in the front diff.
3rd he bolted up the transfer case and rear driveshaft.
4th he button up the front driveshaft and did the manual hub conversion.
5th He did the E-locker wiring using relays.

The truck was never down for more than a few days at time during the swap, so it's totally possible to swap one piece at time and complete the swap over the course of a few months like my buddy did. I asked him to join this forum months ago when I met him at the trails. He said he used those 2 write-ups you linked to do most of the swap.

Man you make this sound too good to be true! I love [MENTION=120071]mtbtim[/MENTION] videos, I think those are the single most useful videos on the internet, what a shame I didn't explore enough to have seen those. Thanks for the heads up!

are there any major objections to doing it this way? like maybe some mods might become obsolete from doing it this way, or maybe it can't handle trails as well? to me it sounds like this method is more robust and easier to work on, maybe even more durable. So far I'm feeling pretty sold on this, I think it fits my situation the best. I sent you a DM about that diff.

 

[Spriggs53]

Nothing in Louisiana

Thats what I was afraid of. There just aren’t many 4Runners around here, much less 4x4. The ones that are 4x4 are picked clean within a day.

 

[RexNfx]

Thats what I was afraid of. There just aren’t many 4Runners around here, much less 4x4. The ones that are 4x4 are picked clean within a day.

I find lots of 4runners down here in south georgia/florida jacksonville yards, mostly not rusty, get trailer must travel

Search Inventory - Used Auto Parts | Ace Pick A Part

 

[phattyduck]

I find lots of 4runners down here in south georgia/florida jacksonville yards, mostly not rusty, get trailer must travel

I drove ~4 hours each way to get my parts 4Runner...

$300! No engine, but my engine was good. Everything else was basically there... If you get a crashed 4Runner, sell the engine for ~$1k and it'll defray the costs of the swap.

-Charlie

 

[phattyduck]

I see. My main concern is the wiring part. I could definitely do it I'm just afraid of screwing something up, and wiring issues are a major PITA. If I understand correctly the basic gist is that I would be taking the 4x4 harness from the donor 4R ECU to the existing harness in the receiving 4R? I'm not sure I fully comprehend the electrical part, even after all the reading, I could also be overthinking it.

If you want it to be exactly like an OEM 01/02, the wiring is a challenge. The dash harness, cluster, etc. has to be changed (4WD ECU is needed to run the multimode transfer case). That gets you the "AWD" mode that would be great for snow driving, etc. but doesn't help much off road.

If you are going pre-01 style ADD, you'll need to grab just the 4WD wiring parts and add it to your truck. You keep your engine/trans harness and just add the wires for the transfer case switches and ADD VSVs. This is all it is for a '96-'00:

For an 01/02, you need to add the wiring/plug for the ADD relay in the cab. I wanted to have the 4WD lights on the dash, so I did an "OEM style" install.

BTW, you can drive around with the front diff engaged all the time. It won't cost you much in MPG. Even with ADD, the axles always spin. ADD just disconnects the front prop shaft and 'half' of the differential.

I did my swap over multiple weekends, daily driving in between. Front diff install one day, rear diff another day, then a long two days for the transmission and welding work for the trans tunnel. I did the wiring a few weeks after that. No problems...

-Charlie

 

[Spriggs53]

If you want it to be exactly like an OEM 01/02, the wiring is a challenge. The dash harness, cluster, etc. has to be changed (4WD ECU is needed to run the multimode transfer case). That gets you the "AWD" mode that would be great for snow driving, etc. but doesn't help much off road.

If you are going pre-01 style ADD, you'll need to grab just the 4WD wiring parts and add it to your truck. You keep your engine/trans harness and just add the wires for the transfer case switches and ADD VSVs. This is all it is for a '96-'00:

For an 01/02, you need to add the wiring/plug for the ADD relay in the cab. I wanted to have the 4WD lights on the dash, so I did an "OEM style" install.

BTW, you can drive around with the front diff engaged all the time. It won't cost you much in MPG. Even with ADD, the axles always spin. ADD just disconnects the front prop shaft and 'half' of the differential.

I did my swap over multiple weekends, daily driving in between. Front diff install one day, rear diff another day, then a long two days for the transmission and welding work for the trans tunnel. I did the wiring a few weeks after that. No problems...

-Charlie

I see, when you put it like that it actually doesn’t seem so bad, or maybe I am comprehending it more. I don’t need it to be like OEM necessarily, we don’t really get snow here anyway so I wouldn’t be missing much. I mainly just want the system in place and to work fluently with little hassle.

I have decided to search for an 01-02 4R as that seems like that’s where most of my parts are coming from, and seeing as that there are a lot of Taco’s around here it shouldn’t be too hard to find a wrecked one. Either way, I’d probably be better off with a donor 4R anyway for parts, and like you said, make some money off the engine if its good enough to sell… that is if I don’t decide to keep it for a fun project.

Thats encouraging to see it being down while the vehicle is still in use, I was kinda afraid of my one main vehicle being down if the back up decides to give up.

All in all, I’m getting excited to start this project, its going to be hard to wait for everything to come together. I’ll be posting pictures of the progress!

 

[phattyduck]

Thats encouraging to see it being down while the vehicle is still in use, I was kinda afraid of my one main vehicle being down if the back up decides to give up.

Well, I always have at least one backup vehicle running reliably before I start a project... Just in case.

-Charlie