Can I ask a personal (supercharger) question?

afg10000

afg10000

New member
Been seriously pondering a 2nd gen supercharger. I've done research, just looking for you folks' opinions. I'm very happy with my '98 at this point. It's solid. I was thinking about putting some armor on it but I live in a flat and non-rocky place. That would be sensible a few times a year when I travel to applicable terrain. Supercharger sounds much more fun if I'm willing to drop some coin. Question being, I gots 151k on the 3.4. Runs like a Toyota motor should. I have a few experienced mechanic friends I've spoken with. One says fine if you're gonna do an overhaul prior to installation (he'd help with the rest).
Other friend says fine but don't expect the lifespan that your expecting out of the motor/tranny.
Toyota truck fanatic friend in CO says the 3.4 is just broken in at this point. Slap that stuff on there and quit being a wuss. He's driven a 3rd gen with a supercharger on it before. I haven't. Sounds fun.
Help me out, folks.
I'd like to get the mileage out of my truck that should be expected from a well maintained 4Runner (or Toyota for that matter). I'm just debating dropping the coin to do this for fun and at the same time not defeating the purpose of getting the longevity out of the vehicle that I would like.
Any thoughts are appreciated,
Andy
 
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afg10000 said:
Been seriously pondering a 2nd gen supercharger. I've done research, just looking for you folks' opinions. I'm very happy with my '98 at this point. It's solid. I was thinking about putting some armor on it but I live in a flat and non-rocky place. That would be sensible a few times a year when I travel to applicable terrain. Supercharger sounds much more fun if I'm willing to drop some coin. Question being, I gots 151k on the 3.4. Runs like a Toyota motor should. I have a few experienced mechanic friends I've spoken with. One says fine if you're gonna do an overhaul prior to installation (he'd help with the rest).
Other friend says fine but don't expect the lifespan that your expecting out of the motor/tranny.
Toyota truck fanatic friend in CO says the 3.4 is just broken in at this point. Slap that stuff on there and quit being a wuss. He's driven a 3rd gen with a supercharger on it before. I haven't. Sounds fun.
Help me out, folks.
I'd like to get the mileage out of my truck that should be expected from a well maintained 4Runner (or Toyota for that matter). I'm just debating dropping the coin to do this for fun and at the same time not defeating the purpose of getting the longevity out of the vehicle that I would like.
Any thoughts are appreciated,
Andy
Click to expand...





I have a 3rd Gen with a TRD charger on it, It was on there when I bought it. Digging around I saw it was about 3k and was dealer installed. I get 6lbs of boost out of it at around 3800k when it kicks in I get thrown back in my seat and leave all around me in the dust..only thing though you have to use Prem Gas or risk burning a Piston as a result plus only makes sense to do so anyhow..
 
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I installed mines when it just around 150k.. no issues for 2 years now.
If you are worried about motor longevity like me, just make sure to do it right the first time around. meaning fuel upgrades and such, even tuning to make sure AFRs are good to keep the motor closest to its stock calibration with the addition of a supercharger and more fuel.

Never regretted it since.
DO IT
 
I can't personally speak of how the motor holds up with high mileage. I sold my Tacoma s-runner with about 110k miles on it. I have never before been so impressed with an engine. I was peaking right around 7psi with the 2nd gen supercharger and a bunch of other goodies. 110k HARD, abusive, miles and that motor didn't burn a drop of oil between changes and ran like a brand new machine. To give you an idea of the abuse this thing was subjected to, the rear of the truck's frame was slightly twisted so that the passenger side looked lower than the driver side from the rear of the truck. Also, the rear axle housing had actually started leaking fluid through stress fractures at the points where it was welded to the truck. It probably went to the drag strip on more weekends than weekends It didnt go to the drag strip.

The motor is tough as nails and is a very big part of why I got a 3rd gen 4Runner. If you are worried about longevity, do a compression and leakdown test and when you see some great numbers, throw on that blower and go have some fun.

My 4Runner has about 170k and I want to supercharge it real bad. My ONLY holdup is that I don't know much about the longevity of the automatic transmission. I only have experience with the r150 manual tranny.
 
I supercharged my '96 when it was at 260K. Talked to the new owner about a month ago and he said he just rolled over 310k and still going strong. I'd say go for it. By far my favorite mod. I knew it was going to be one of the first things I did once I got my '00.
 
I have had the trd gen 2 supercharger since after 5k break in on a 2002.
Hell mines was factory installed and had the dealer warranty.

Fast forward to today. It's rolling 160kish. With just a coupler change and nose cone oil. Still getting the same boost, no drop off or vacuum leaks.
It's Daily driven, with mixed crawling and expedition type camping trips (1.6k miles on last trip to Death Valley).

The motor never let me down, only the transmission.

But it was more my fault than the 4runner. Can't use the pedal to get you out of everything or bomb up hills.

Downside is initial investment cost with proper fuel mods.
Up shoot is everything else. Everyone is so surprised how a triple locked, armored, full stocked heavy pig of a 4runner moves so fast.....and my gas mileage only drops off if I am leaning on the pedal too much.
 
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Aznwolf118 said:
I have had the trd gen 2 supercharger since after 5k break in on a 2002.
Hell mines was factory installed and had the dealer warranty.
Click to expand...

None were installed at the Factory. Plenty were installed by Dealers, though.



OP, If you want an Eaton M62/ Magnuson/ TRD Supercharger, take the appropriate steps to ensure the engine lives: Premium fuel, and ideally fuel system mods.

If something fails, it can always be fixed.
 
Installed mine at 230k a little over a year ago. No issues.

If your vehicle has been well maintained I wouldn't make the odometer reading your tipping point.
 
Thanks for the responses, folks. Your opinions and encouragement mean a lot to my decision. This is not a cheap upgrade as ya'll well know. I'm gonna do it. thanks -
Andy
 
I'm right where you are now. The TRD S/C is the next step for me and I was a bit hesitant at first. After reading through many threads I was reassured that as long as the compression is good on the motor, and you use appropriate fuel upgrades(and even tuning if available) there shouldn't be any issues whatsoever. I'm currently saving up now and will definitely get the 7th injector.

As for the transmission, I read somewhere about an upgrade that would strengthen it, like a spring and bearing kit of some sort. I'm don't know much about it though. Once of my close friends own a trans shop so if/when it breaks I have a bit of a hook up.
 
white rocket said:
I'm right where you are now. The TRD S/C is the next step for me and I was a bit hesitant at first. After reading through many threads I was reassured that as long as the compression is good on the motor, and you use appropriate fuel upgrades(and even tuning if available) there shouldn't be any issues whatsoever. I'm currently saving up now and will definitely get the 7th injector.

As for the transmission, I read somewhere about an upgrade that would strengthen it, like a spring and bearing kit of some sort. I'm don't know much about it though. Once of my close friends own a trans shop so if/when it breaks I have a bit of a hook up.
Click to expand...

You're on the right track. A few clarifications that might help you understand what you may or may not need:

1. The supercharger works just fine on a stock motor with no upgrades. Just run at least 91 octane fuel or higher to eliminate the majority of the pinging. There are no long-term effects unless you beat the heck out of it.

2. You can't tune a 3rd Gen ECU. It's just not able to, the ECU is too old and wasn't made to be programmable. You have to run a piggy-back which can get pricey (the URD 7th injector kit does come with one). But once again, unless you are going to hot-dog it all over town and on the track, it's not necessary.

3. The 7th injector kit is used mostly when you run a smaller pulley, such as the 2.2 inch or 2.1 inch pulley. The stock is 2.38 inches. If you are not switching, you won't see near the 30-40 hp they are claiming.

4. The transmission can be helped by two ways. The supercharger puts extra stress on the transmission causing the fluid to run hot. It's highly recommended to put an external transmission cooler on to help with cooling. The valve body upgrade will help with the shift points and reduce stress. It can be done at home if you are good with wrenching, there's a DIY kit out there somewhere. If not, it'll run you upwards of $300-$400. The valve body upgrade is not necessary though, it's just for those looking for a tiny bit more performance and longevity for the transmission.
 
i just purchased a 2nd gen SC.

mine has 207,000 miles and i plan on installing it here in a bit this spring or something. i need the dynamic tensioner and some larger injectors.
 
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