About to become a new 4runner owner....but

[thegipper]

I fixed my door lock actuator and unlock switch tonight. It turns out the two wires broke somewhere in the door (probably near the boot) so I just ran some new wires and now all locks/windows work in the entire vehicle!

I also have been noticing a burnt oil smell occasionally. The other day I did see that the valve covers are leaking on both sides in the rear corners. I first tested how loose they were and I could unspin them by HAND! I re-torqued them back down to spec (53 in/lb) and cleaned them up. Hopefully this stops the leak/smell for awhile until I feel like replacing the gaskets. The leaks are very small and don't leave any marks on the ground. I also haven't had to add any oil but hopefully the occasional smell will be gone for awhile.

I'll keep an eye on them backing out.

I ordered a new muffler, tailpipe, and rubber insulators. I'm hoping to get that installed and done this weekend. I'm also installing new front door speakers and hooking up my JL audio 10W3 that I have had sitting around.

Including the shipping costs i'm at approximately $2000 right now. I'd say it's been a pretty good investment so far but only time will tell. Hopefully I get many years out of her.

I've worked my ass off on this thing. I think a trip up north to the hunting land is in order soon. She needs to see some trails!

To be continued


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[thegipper]

New exhaust is being installed on Monday by a local exhaust shop. For $70 they will do a much better job and much faster than I ever could.

New speakers and subwoofer will be installed tonight. I'm also going to clean the sunroof tracks and lube them up for good measure.

I'll post some more pictures this weekend!

 

[thegipper]

Got a lot done this weekend.

I installed new door speakers in the front and wired it for a subwoofer. I ran the 4ga wire through the existing boot in the upper corner near the drivers wheel well. It comes out right next to the master cylinder. I just put a lit in the boot and pushed the wire through. The rest of the install was a piece of cake, it sounds really good.

On saturday I detailed the entire inside of the vehicle which turned out really nice.

Today I cleaned the wheels and engine bay. I also waxed the entire rig, it desperately needed it.

Tomorrow the new exhaust goes on and my work (for now) is done.

Almost forgot, I took off the tow hook on the passenger side and added 13k lb rated shackles on both sides. I had to buy new bolts for the passenger side since I was removing the hook and the bolts are too long. I bought grade 10.9 replacement bolts to be sure they are strong enough.

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[kurticus91]

She's looking good man! I like the new tires and the front shackles

 

[thegipper]

Exhaust got installed on Monday, wow what a difference. It is so quiet now, you can barely tell it's running.

Work for now is done. Next pictures will be of this thing on some trails!

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[thegipper]

I cannot believe that I'm getting 18.5 mpg with a 19 year old suv. That mileage includes towing a small trailer for a 100 miles with a 400lb safe on it.

Not bad at all...

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[thegipper]

Got a few more things done since I last posted.

I tried replacing the fuel filter because I think it's never been done. I'm not having any issues but I figured it wouldn't hurt. Well unfortunately I could not break free the flare nuts even using flare nut wrenchs. I ended up just returning the fuel filter, if it isn't broke, don't fix it I guess (probably do more harm trying to get it off).

I noticed both rear license plate bulbs were burned out. Long story short, took me almost 4 hours to replace them! Screws were rusted beyond belief and didn't like to be drilled out (drifted because of the angle). I ended up having to take the bezel off (PITA). Anyways, that is all fixed.

Added LED reverse lights and interior lights. Super bright and looks great. Map lights are a little over kill though.

I replaced the steering rack guide bushing today. It was one of the easier things I did, inside looked good and no signs of leaks. I torqued it to exactly 18 ft/lbs and backed off exactly 19deg and it was perfect. Steering firmed up, drives with less slop and still return to zero after a turn. I had my wife moving the steering wheel back and forth so I could check the various rubber bushings also today. There was some movement but it was not terrible, I'll still probably replace them in the near future.

I used a heavy wire brush on my angle grinder and knocked off all of the rust on the rear differential and axle tubes. What a mess but it's all cleaned up and sprayed with rust stop (converter). I'll be doing this section by section until the entire vehicle is done. Just need to stop/slow the rust that is present. Nothing I have seen is "serious" but I don't want it to be an issue for years to come (stay on top of it ).

Lastly, I changed the tranny fluid again (5th or 6th time now). The fluid is coming out essentially brand new now. This was after about 500 miles and some towing. Tranny still shifts great and it hasn't shown any signs of failure (knock on wood!)minus some tiny particles of black clutch material. I would say that if you combined all of the particles from an entire drain it wouldn't even cover an eraser head. I specifically cleaned my drain pain before to look for these signs. Although seeing none would be better, it is hard to say if the clutch packs are still deteriorating or if this was just old/normal wear. I've never inspected old tranny fluid this closely so it's hard to say. The fluid wasn't dark or have a black hue at all, see below. Only time will tell I guess. One spot is brand new fluid and the other is the used...

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[farmerjon]

Just saw and read this entire thread. I gotta say, welcome to the Toyota world! I see your perspective changing in pleasantly surprising ways, coming from your Cherokee, from the MPGs to how the engine sounds after 200k+ to other things. These trucks are something else, and we're here because we like 'em a lot!

I like your thread and how you document... Keep it up!

 

[thegipper]

Thanks I appreciate that.

Really I'm doing this because I'm sure there are others with the same intentions as me. This will never have a big lift and thousands of dollars worth of goodies. It's amazing how cool these things are just stock.

It's been a lot of work but so far, well worth it.

Almost forgot, I'll be taking it up to the land where I hunt (240 acres private) with lots of trails this weekend. I'll snap some pictures and get them posted. These are hunting trails and not "wheeling" trails but it's fun none the less


Stay tuned!

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[thegipper]

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[thegipper]

Lots of work done on our food plots this weekend. The 4runner ran flawlessly, very nice ride through the woods!

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[AZBub]

Does Blue Dog golf ring a bell?


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[thegipper]

Does Blue Dog golf ring a bell?


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Yup, only a couple miles from my house.