farmerjon's T4R Introduction & Build Thread

[farmerjon]

121k, Denso rad, and oil change.

Maintenance list done...

Bought a Denso radiator (7921-05235143) and had the local shop do it. (NEVER AGAIN!). They charged around $75/hour to replace it (1.5 hours total), put in my one gallon of Zerex Asian coolant, and another gallon of generic coolant from the parts store (billing me $14 for that!), as well as $25 to rotate and balance my tires (Seemed like a ripoff, I just wanted the tires rotated while on the lift - it takes me 2 hours and two jacks to rotate mine..). Bill came out to about $160-70.

They are good for simple stuff like replacing shocks, but not so much with radiator stuff. I'm a bit worried now with all kinds of radiator fluid in my system - I suppose I will leave it for now - as I have to leave for college - am driving 1,500 miles in a few days. Should I leave it or drain and refill with Zerex a bit down the road? Seems like a lot of hassle to drain and refill.

They lost my keys, and did the whole radiator swap outside on the street, and gave me back the truck insisting that I had never given them the keys. I went outside to look, only to have the guy come out and say that they found the keys "under a pile of things". They also told me to watch the coolant level, as they had not run the truck to see if there were any air pockets... Around 100 miles later, I found most of the coolant gone from the reservoir, just below the L mark. I told them to refill it, and they did, which is how I found out that they used standard coolant instead of the Zerex (I had specifically told them to replace with the same coolant if more was needed - I had only brought one gallon, since the dealership told me only one gallon was needed).

Ah well. Seems to be running okay. Also changed the oil in preparation for heading back to school. Cleaned it all out washed the interior plastics. Should be good to go.

Maint done at ~121,500 miles.


121K! by farmerjon93, on Flickr

And just for fun... recent storm cloud development:

Storm clouds brewing panorama... by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Parting shot...

4R & Bighorns Perch by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Thanks for checking in! :yo:

 

[farmerjon]

Latest addition to the build!

Back at college in Indiana... Over the summer, I rebuilt my dirtbike, getting it to be street legal so I could commute on it to school, 4 miles each way on rural country roads...

One project was a way to haul it around... Got a hitch carrier fabbed up from scrap - and the 4R hauls this around like a champ! (never mind the scratches from the handlebars on the glass :'( any way to fix that?)

Photo right after arrival in IN - three college student's stuff and the bike! Truck did awesome on the XC drive - 1,500 miles, no problem! Gets about 15-16 at 75 MPH with stuff on the roof and the extra weight.


The College Configuration... by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Hoping to work on rust and just not do much right now... Already missing my summer adventures!

 

[farmerjon]

Oil change & mileage updates.

Doing the commuting thing - driving about 3 miles each way to school and housing - which I hate doing on the truck.

Just did an oil change at 126,200 miles. Done in 15 minutes - getting to be a pro! :dance:

Otherwise, it continues to be strong and reliable. Pushing through for finals!

Fun fact: I've put on 9,000 miles on this rig since May - 3,000 of which were just driving home and back to school over the summer. Currently around ~11k miles for the year, will be at almost 12k by 2015.

 

[farmerjon]

Some recent pictures... The fog at school can be quite intense at times, is fun to probe the night with my headlights and Hellas.

Probing the Night 1 by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Probing the Night 2 by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Probing the Night 3 by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Probing the Night 4 by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Looking out... by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Toyota Ice by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Post spinning... by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Crossed over 129k miles today! Driving on!

Edit: ended up doing an oil change in the parking lot around 129,100 miles, since apparently my drain plug seems to have gotten loose (perhaps the crush washer expanded and contracted too much in the spring weather?). Was still black for 2k miles since I've been commuting just 3 miles at a time for a while. Miss the long highway miles!

 

[TimShields]

Updated my signature picture - here is the Flickr high resolution version...:


NSE - T4R.org sig pic...to God be the glory! by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Fun picture taken at work...


4R & Kayak @ HSB by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Currently am planning to replace the radiator with a Denso one at nearly 120,000 miles, along with some fresh coolant, namely some Toyota Red ($30/gal!!), along with some rust treatment later on... Otherwise am working on a dirtbike -> street legal motorcycle to commute 3 miles each way at school in an effort to save the city miles on my 4Runner... Also hoping to have a hitch carrier for it soon!

Thanks for stopping by! :yo:

Nice shots! Where was the picture of that lake taken at? What lake is it? And nice build btw.

 

[farmerjon]

It is not often I have 4Runner updates worthy of a post in the build thread - but I have two updates (a small one and a bigger one) coming soon that I've been wanting/waiting for for quite sometime...

:tape2: :reddance:

The smaller mod was my 'Never Stop Exploring' decal that I custom designed and had made with my photography watermark as the logo (build post here).

The second and bigger mod, only took me two years to make happen. May not be that big of a surprise to most, as I posted questions about how to wire up such a thing, but I finally got my Subaru Gauge Pack (from a 1997/1999 Subaru Forester) installed in my rig. I bought it on eBay in March 2013 for $72.49 including shipping - it was listed for higher, but I made an offer and got it for less. Even came with the outside temperature sensor!

For those not familiar, these are virtually identical to the highly-sought after Hilux Surf Field Monitor Units (FMUs) from the JDM. Only difference is a different vehicle icon (car vs SUV), US units (as opposed to metric) and no degree markers/numbers on the Subaru compass. Same manufacturer and colors, etc. Single DIN unit that displays two kinds of altimeters, digital compass, barometer, and outside temperature.

The data junkie in me is pretty happy between my normal gauges, my Ultraguage, and now this. All wired up, works fantastic, the green bars even move - compass is dead accurate (for my purposes), altimeter leaves a bit to be desired, and the temp sensor is great. Barometer I am unsure about. I would like to extend a special thanks to ChrisH, a college friend, who walked me through wiring this up and took much of the hard guesswork out of this for me.

JVC Radio + Subie Gauge Pack by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Night Shot by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Cheers all! Truck just recently rolled over 130,500 miles! Ticking on!

EDIT: Since there's so few of these around, documentation is a little sparing. Several have asked about this. Here's all the relevant info and links... Hope this helps! Questions, shoot!

Note that some of these units don't come with a temp sensor...

The MOST helpful info was found here, thanks to hrt4me (wiring info quoted below):

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/1540053-post1.html

WIRING info:

this wiring harness (9-pin connector) has seven (7) wires for easy installation as follows (I've already done all the homework for you):
1) blue/red: + battery / constant power +12VDC
2) -
3) black: ground
4) yellow/green: accessory/ignition (switched power)
5) purple: illumination (+)
6) blue: speed
7) white: temperature (+)
8) -
9) brown: temperature (-)

* purple (illumination) wire = tap into solid green wire from dash clock, or alternatively tap into wire for the dash light dimmer knob
* blue (speed) wire = tap into gray/blue stripe wire in V18 plug in slot #17 on the rear of the ABS module behind the passenger kick panel ('96-'98); Toyota relocated the ABS module on '99-'02 models to the driver side
* white and brown (temp +/-) = pass both wires through the driver side firewall grommet to the backside of the front bumper, near the left front headlight, below the radiator

Inspiration was this post on YotaTech: http://www.yotatech.com/f2/subaru-ga...runner-156996/

Link to Subaru's own installation manual: www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?t=151

Part Numbers:
thermosensor H5010FC021

thermosensor mounting kit H5010FC031

wire harness a H5010FC040

wire harness b H5010FC051

screw kit (hardware kit) H5010FC060
http://www.scoobymods.com/showpost.p...01&postcount=4

Further notes/thoughts:
Any further clarifications or questions just ask. I did it like hrt4me outlined above. I have a '98 and tapped into the ABS for the speed sensor (makes the green bars move when in motion), works great.

For CALIBRATING directions - you press the lower, left-hand button that says ADJ. The letters of the compass will flash. You drive in circles slowly (parking lot or such), and when things stop flashing, it is calibrated (works REALLY good). If the orange car starts flashing, it means it needs calibration. If you go over a big metal bridge or by some really big metal thing, it may mess up your calibrations (but may not be immediately clear, as the car may not flash for a while). In my experience, the calibration is great for a while (few weeks) and then seems to slowly degrade.

Baro pressure depends big time on how accurate your altimeter readings are. If you know the elevation of your driveway and adjust it where you know the elevation (some town signs have this info), then that will bring the pressure much closer to what is known on the weather sites...

 

[4-Ripcord]

The second and bigger mod, only took me two years to make happen. May not be that big of a surprise to most, as I posted questions about how to wire up such a thing, but I finally got my Subaru Gauge Pack (from a 1997/1999 Subaru Forester) installed in my rig. I bought it on eBay in March 2013 for $72.49 including shipping - it was listed for higher, but I made an offer and got it for less. Even came with the outside temperature sensor!

For those not familiar, these are virtually identical to the highly-sought after Hilux Surf Field Monitor Units (FMUs) from the JDM. Only difference is a different vehicle icon (car vs SUV), US units (as opposed to metric) and no degree markers/numbers on the Subaru compass. Same manufacturer and colors, etc. Single DIN unit that displays two kinds of altimeters, digital compass, barometer, and outside temperature.

The data junkie in me is pretty happy between my normal gauges, my Ultraguage, and now this. All wired up, works fantastic, the green bars even move - compass is dead accurate (for my purposes), altimeter leaves a bit to be desired, and the temp sensor is great. Barometer I am unsure about. I would like to extend a special thanks to ChrisH, a college friend, who walked me through wiring this up and took much of the hard guesswork out of this for me.

JVC Radio + Subie Gauge Pack by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Night Shot by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Cheers all! Truck just recently rolled over 130,500 miles! Ticking on!

That is pretty neat! I like it.

This thread has great pics as always amigo.

 

[farmerjon]

That is pretty neat! I like it.

This thread has great pics as always amigo.

Thanks Jim, appreciate you stopping by! Stoked to see you build another 4R, especially impressed that you've come back to the 3rd gen instead of moving onto an Lexus or 4th gen like some others have done. There's nothing like these rigs. You're pretty close by now in OH, I'm just over the border in IN for school!

 

[4-Ripcord]

Thanks Jim, appreciate you stopping by! Stoked to see you build another 4R, especially impressed that you've come back to the 3rd gen instead of moving onto an Lexus or 4th gen like some others have done. There's nothing like these rigs. You're pretty close by now in OH, I'm just over the border in IN for school!

Oh very cool. I will let you know if I do any adventures nearby.

And thanks, I had to get a 3rd gen. Such timeless styling and a very solid platform, plus it makes it easy that I know my way around them pretty well.

 

[HDouglas316]

sleeping platform

I just saw your sleeping platform build. The one I built is too bulky and heavy for my liking, and doesn't have enough practical storage space. Any chance you could share the dimensions/plans for your build?

 

[farmerjon]

The White just rolled over 138,000 miles.

Oil change around 134-35k (?) and another at 138k. The oil was pretty black, but it was also leaking out of the oil filter for some reason, so perhaps I didn't get it on right. Had a slow leak, never got too low, but had to add a few times.

Was desperate to get this oil change in since I had to drive a few hours further than I normally do - which resulted in trying to pour oil in the engine during powerful wind gusts. Got too much oil on the alternator, which resulted in shorting it out. Need a new OE Denso, looking to replace it with a 210-0434 80A (1999), instead of the old 70A on the 98's.

Just replaced the battery (Everstart, 700CCA from 12/09) with a Napa (wanted an Interstate, but finances dictated otherwise!) with 675 CCA (I wanted more than that).

Need tires (either Duratracs or BFG All Terrains) in the next few months, need to replace the original LBJs as well while I'm at it.

Getting to the point where I've eaten up the maintenance slack and I need to get to replacing things!

 

[lhsoulrebel]

The smaller mod was my 'Never Stop Exploring' decal that I custom designed and had made with my photography watermark as the logo (build post here).

The second and bigger mod, only took me two years to make happen. May not be that big of a surprise to most, as I posted questions about how to wire up such a thing, but I finally got my Subaru Gauge Pack (from a 1997/1999 Subaru Forester) installed in my rig. I bought it on eBay in March 2013 for $72.49 including shipping - it was listed for higher, but I made an offer and got it for less. Even came with the outside temperature sensor!

For those not familiar, these are virtually identical to the highly-sought after Hilux Surf Field Monitor Units (FMUs) from the JDM. Only difference is a different vehicle icon (car vs SUV), US units (as opposed to metric) and no degree markers/numbers on the Subaru compass. Same manufacturer and colors, etc. Single DIN unit that displays two kinds of altimeters, digital compass, barometer, and outside temperature.

The data junkie in me is pretty happy between my normal gauges, my Ultraguage, and now this. All wired up, works fantastic, the green bars even move - compass is dead accurate (for my purposes), altimeter leaves a bit to be desired, and the temp sensor is great. Barometer I am unsure about. I would like to extend a special thanks to ChrisH, a college friend, who walked me through wiring this up and took much of the hard guesswork out of this for me.

JVC Radio + Subie Gauge Pack by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Night Shot by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Cheers all! Truck just recently rolled over 130,500 miles! Ticking on!

Can you share the details of the install, or maybe a link. Apologize if you have already.

 

[farmerjon]

Can you share the details of the install, or maybe a link. Apologize if you have already.

Hey! No worries - I had already compiled all the info together, but hadn't gotten it publicly posted. Thanks for the reminder - please see the post again that you quote - I edited it. Thanks and let me know if there are questions!

 

[farmerjon]

Alternator replacement.

As mentioned earlier, I fried the alternator while changing the oil in the wind.

I did some searching and came across [MENTION=63060]rickashay[/MENTION] 's post about upgrading his alternator to a '99 80A, instead of the '98's 70A. Bought a re-manufactured OE Denso alternator, part no.: 210-0434. Cost about $140 after core charges and return. Which isn't terrible, but not great either.

Came in about a week from CarPartKings.com (Denso Alternator 210-0434 | Car Part Kings). Replaced it myself in my campus parking lot. From start to finish, it wasn't too bad, I used this guide from @War_Sprout as a guide: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/143711-diy-replacing-3rd-gen-alternator.html

Really easy job on these 3rd gens! Only took me about two hours on a Friday afternoon, and that's only because I took my time and did some cleaning/other things along the way. The hardest thing was dropping out of the bracket that holds it, it is a really tight fit, so it took some wrestling back and forth to get the old out, and the new in. Ended up hitting the new alternator with a axe handle to force it in. But it's in, belts are tight, and no squeals. Proud of myself - that's another part of my rig I know how to work on!

Pictures!

Old alternator in place. by farmerjon93, on Flickr

I believe this was the original alternator...

Old Denso by farmerjon93, on Flickr


New Denso (80A) vs. old (70A). by farmerjon93, on Flickr


Newly installed! by farmerjon93, on Flickr

TOYOTA TOUGH.

Toyo manifold... by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Truck continues to roll on and be stupid reliable!

 

[farmerjon]

Major updates...140k, New treads, LBJs/OTREs!

Got some major updates done on the rig in the last few weeks. Still in school, but that's gonna be done soon.

Knowing the fondness we have for failing LBJs, that has been on my mind the last 10-20k miles, and I've just crossed over 140k a few weeks back. With this year's tax return, I decided to put it in LBJs, OTREs, and a new set of tires. I briefly considered (but not really) some "street" tires, simple ol' radials, but I really wanted to stick with all terrains. I've had a set of BFG Rugged Trails in 265/70/R16 since I purchased the truck - they have at least 42k miles on them... Have served me well on and off road, but was ready for something different. Came down to Duratracs and BFG All-Terrain KO2s. Considered the load ranges significantly and also only shopped in the 265/70 size, as I'm not wishing to get higher, nor lower (as with 255/65/16). Read on to see who won that battle...

But first, some pictures...

I rolled over 140k:
140,000 miles! by farmerjon93, on Flickr

My friend Andy at school is a professional detailer with a very clean 1st gen Taco - he has enjoyed cleaning and polishing my truck - here is a shot from after several weeks ago:
Clean! by farmerjon93, on Flickr

During a recent snowstorm, I came out and stopped short, actually realizing for the first time what a white, color-matched ARB would look like! Kinda neat, eh?
White, natural powdercoat by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Saying goodbye to the Rugged Trails:
BFG Rugged Trail x-section by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Parting shot... by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Rugged Trails coming off... by farmerjon93, on Flickr

New treads in! BFG All Terrain KO2 - 265/70/R16 Load Range E
New Treads! by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Front clearance by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Angle... by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Timing worked out well - I drove to Discount Tire and got the tires installed, then that evening, my friend Eric and I installed the LBJs and OTREs in his heated shop - a significant blessing. Eric did much of the work - I learned along the way and watch, lending a hand here and there - a very special thank you!! There was quite a bit of loose play in the LBJs, so I'm quite thankful to have them done. The OTREs seemed okay to replace, but the inners seem "floppy", as when the outers were attached to the inners but not to the LBJ, they wouldn't hold their own. Bummed that I will likely need to replace the inners soon, but am gonna try to let it go for a while - I don't want to tear apart the front end for a long time! Sorry I don't have more pictures of parts - total install and back together for both sides was about 3 hours.
LBJ/OTREs by farmerjon93, on Flickr

OTRE removed... by farmerjon93, on Flickr

All OEM parts - totaled about $280 shipped from Camelback Toyota for 2 LBJs, 2 OTREs and 9 LBJ replacement bolts. Seen here are all the part numbers I used, with the exception of the replacement LBJ bolts.
Part numbers... by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Tires have been on for three days, have yet to see the sun come out from behind the clouds in that time, so I don't have any solid shots of my new ATs yet... Parting shot from today...
parting... by farmerjon93, on Flickr

All in all, still need an alignment, but truck drives much smoother and stiffer. The Rugged Trails had a P load rating, so going from P to E is a significant step up, weight per tire increased from 40lbs to 50lbs. MPGs don't seem to affected - I suspect my city MPGs will go down, but once rolling, truck is fine. Rides well on the highway, I like it. Happy with the BFGs, went with them, knowing that I can get 50k miles out of them and they will hopefully wear better than the Duratracs (only ended up being about $125 more total, after rebates on both, shipping, etc.).

That's all for now! Thanks for checking in!

 

[Technoplasm]

Hey man I know its been a while since you posted on this thread, but I have to ask. The ARB Bumper hasn't sagged your front suspension at all? How has it affected your steering/handling? I really want the bumper as I love the functionality and look of it for winching but I really don't have the money to get the bumper AND overhaul the suspension with coilers- especially since I wont have money to accommodate bigger tires and a regear after the lift either.

 

[farmerjon]

Hey man I know its been a while since you posted on this thread, but I have to ask. The ARB Bumper hasn't sagged your front suspension at all? How has it affected your steering/handling? I really want the bumper as I love the functionality and look of it for winching but I really don't have the money to get the bumper AND overhaul the suspension with coilers- especially since I wont have money to accommodate bigger tires and a regear after the lift either.

Hello Stephen!

If you look at my last post, from just a month or so back, you can see some picture of how the truck currently sits. the ARB is only about 70-80 lbs, and has not sagged my front suspension at all, that I can tell. The front is original with about ~147k miles on it, and handles it fine. The ARB doesn't change handling at all, at least in my experience, if anything, it improves it, since you know exactly where your front end is. I don't ever want to drive a DD without a front bumper again, I like it so much.

Personally, I think you'll be fine with just the ARB. Your current suspension should be able to take it, but that depends on how much it has already been through, etc. Go for it and post pictures!

 

[Technoplasm]

Hello Stephen!

If you look at my last post, from just a month or so back, you can see some picture of how the truck currently sits. the ARB is only about 70-80 lbs, and has not sagged my front suspension at all, that I can tell. The front is original with about ~147k miles on it, and handles it fine. The ARB doesn't change handling at all, at least in my experience, if anything, it improves it, since you know exactly where your front end is. I don't ever want to drive a DD without a front bumper again, I like it so much.

Personally, I think you'll be fine with just the ARB. Your current suspension should be able to take it, but that depends on how much it has already been through, etc. Go for it and post pictures!

Thanks for the quick and helpful response. I will probably be getting either the ARB or the Schrockworks bumper soon. I'm sure I will need a suspension upgrade when I install the winch though. I don't even want a lift, so it kinda sucks that there isn't an option designed to carry ~150 lbs (bumper + winch) without lifting the truck. :shrug:

At least I'm finally comfortable enough to pull the trigger on the bumper, because I've always wanted one!

 

[farmerjon]

Thanks for the quick and helpful response. I will probably be getting either the ARB or the Schrockworks bumper soon. I'm sure I will need a suspension upgrade when I install the winch though. I don't even want a lift, so it kinda sucks that there isn't an option designed to carry ~150 lbs (bumper + winch) without lifting the truck. :shrug:

At least I'm finally comfortable enough to pull the trigger on the bumper, because I've always wanted one!

You will definitely need an upgrade when you get a winch, as they are much heavier. I say go with a bumper and just enjoy that for a while - then worry about which suspension to go with to handle a winch.

Enjoy the rig!

 

[farmerjon]

LOF + Thermostat & coolant

It has already been 11k miles since my last update! The time flies as fast as the miles...

I had been experiencing a loose bulb in the front driver's side blinker, in the ARB housing. When loose/out, the resistance was lower, so it would "hyper-blink". When I found new ARB housings on eBay (~$35), I finally took things apart in mid-August. Took me a while to do it, and I used some gasket maker to seal things up again - hopefully they don't rust as much this time around. The screws were so rusted that the heads broke off!


[arb blinker] old blinker housing by farmerjon93, on Flickr


[arb blinker] new housing by farmerjon93, on Flickr


[arb blinker] new lens and seal - that's it for sealing it... by farmerjon93, on Flickr


[arb] finished product by farmerjon93, on Flickr



At about 151,716 miles, I performed a routine oil change - switching from 5W30 Castrol GTX Conventional to 5W30 Vavoline MaxLife Synthetic Blend. I spent some time this past summer working at a Tire Service shop and switched oils. The job experience was invaluable and now have performed hundreds of oil changes, test driven all kinds of cars, and am experienced in tires. I used a standard Toyota filter that I always use as well. I also performed a rotate and balance - the first one on these BFGs - myself in house at the shop. This was on 10/1/16.

Several days later, I finally got up the courage to replace my thermostat. Ever since my radiator had been replaced, my Ultraguage had been reporting water/coolant temps between ~200-212 degrees Fahrenheit. I picked up on this almost immediately after the radiator was replaced, wondering if it was just me or if the temps were for higher. After some research, others said that the temps should have been closer to 190 degrees. Further research suggested that either the shop had used RTV or such, not sealing the thermostat/housing well, and/or not placed the jiggle valve correctly.

I purchased the genuine OEM replacement stat and gasket for ~$25 shipped on eBay, then it sat in my backseat for several weeks as I worked up whether or not I could tackle this on my own.

Thermostat Part # by farmerjon93, on Flickr
OEM Thermostat Part Number: 90916-03075

This excellentguide by [MENTION=101600]hour[/MENTION] (thanks!) was particularly helpful in gauging the complexity (or lack thereoff) of the task and figuring out the steps visually. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/171072-guide-radiator-thermostat-replacement-noobs.html

The shop also carries the Zerex Asian coolant we favor for our trucks (same as the Toyota Red), so I was able to have this on hand. As some may recall from my radiator install, the shop mixed Zerex with generic green coolant, after I was mistakenly told by the dealership (!) that I wouldn't need more than 1 gallon of coolant. So it has irked me for a long time that I was running a mix... So draining much of the coolant and replacing with completely Zerex was another thing I was relieved to finally fix. I realize that not all of the coolant was drained, but there is enough ToyoRed that I'm happy to leave it.

Install was fairly straightforward and right next to the alternator I replaced a year ago to the week... I had some trouble getting the housing to properly seat to the stat gasket, as tightening the three bolts incorrectly would quickly result in a leak while running the rig. Thankfully [MENTION=101600]hour[/MENTION] mentioned this, so I knew what to do. After several unsuccessful attempts to reseat the housing, I was finally able to stop the leak, and it hasn't lost a drop of coolant since (though the rear heater lines still need replacing).

new thermostat w/ jiggle valve at 6 o'clock (rotated photo) by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Best part is, the temps immediately dropped 20 degrees! Truck runs consistently at 192 degrees or below - the jiggle valve needs to sit at 6 o'clock, NOT near 12 o'clock, as it is for many vehicles. The shop had put the old thermostat close to 11 o'clock and was the cause of of the water running hotter. The mating surface of the housing was also cleaned - there was much gunk on it, so I'm sure this contributed as well.

clean mating surface... by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Mileage shot:
Mileage by farmerjon93, on Flickr

Wrapping up, it was well worth the work to replace the thermostat and I'm much happier about the cooler temps. I also learned a lot more about the rig and am aware of a Toyota trade 'secret' - the jiggle valve must be at 6, not 12 o'clock! (Haynes manual is wrong, FSM is right!)

Rig needs front brakes & new OEM suspension soon, rear heater lines, some FluidFilm/Ospho/rust treatment, and most recently, some steering wheel treatment, as it is finally starting to break down :'(.

Parting shot - the adventures continue!

Autumn & the Runner by farmerjon93, on Flickr