I found "The One", 2001 Sport Ed. TRD SC'd

[Unner]

Did it go a little something like this?

That might not be how BFAD did it, but that's usually how we do it down here Alabama.

When one day of adventure is not enough...

Good night!

White Sands, NM? There may not be any snow to sled on, but at least there's sand!

I really like the new fairing. I want to do something with mine eventually, it's got permanent bug stains on it, and has lots of tiny cracks in it from UV rays maybe, even though I bought the good stuff that is supposed to be UV resistant and all that...

 

[BigFishAllDay]

White Sands, NM? There may not be any snow to sled on, but at least there's sand!

I really like the new fairing. I want to do something with mine eventually, it's got permanent bug stains on it, and has lots of tiny cracks in it from UV rays maybe, even though I bought the good stuff that is supposed to be UV resistant and all that...

Yes, indeed. I'd never been so we drove down to check it out. Our timing was a little off and we caught a cold front, so the kids were freezing. We'll make another stop later this spring on our way to destinations just over the horizon.

We tried sledding, but our sled is roughed up on the bottom and had too much friction on the sand. Then my wife cracked it in half because the plastic was cold.

I think the fairing will hold up well. I clear coated my aluminum grille mesh and it still looks great after 5+ years. If it every gets nasty I can strip it quickly, give it another brush job, and re-clear. The best part is that its functional... my open sunroof is now quiet at highway speeds again.

 

[Unner]

Yes, indeed. I'd never been so we drove down to check it out. Our timing was a little off and we caught a cold front, so the kids were freezing. We'll make another stop later this spring on our way to destinations just over the horizon.

We tried sledding, but our sled is roughed up on the bottom and had too much friction on the sand. Then my wife cracked it in half because the plastic was cold.

I think the fairing will hold up well. I clear coated my aluminum grille mesh and it still looks great after 5+ years. If it every gets nasty I can strip it quickly, give it another brush job, and re-clear. The best part is that its functional... my open sunroof is now quiet at highway speeds again.

It's a pretty cool place, I remember using plastic saucer kind of sleds out there when my parents took me as a young child. I'm pretty sure we waxed the bottom of them with tea candles to make them extra slick.

It's amazing how much of a difference a fairing makes. When I picked up my WMW rack from Josh in Florida the entire drive back was just a miserable howling droning noise. As soon as I got something up there to disturb the airflow over that top bar it was silent.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

:ybrick:

My neighbor from two houses up knocked at my door at 9am this morning holding the day pack I take with me on short trips, saying he found it in his driveway. He knew it was mine based on the fishing license found inside. I knew right away what had happened.

Somebody broke into the 4Runner last night, on one of the rare occasions that I have left it parked outside the garage. They smashed the fixed glass on the driver side rear door, reached through and pulled out my day pack but nothing else. They never unlocked the door or opened it, so the alarm didn't go off. I had the sensitivity on my glass breakage sensor turned down to eliminate false alarms, and unfortunately it didn't trip when the glass broke. That has been adjusted back up.

The bastards didn't even take anything with them from my day pack. They rifled through it and checked everything out, but apparently were not looking for first aid kits, knives, multi tools, rain gear, fishing tools, dog leash, etc.

Luckily I know a local guy who is parting out a 3rd gen and he sold me the glass and weatherstrip for $20. I went home and installed it in about an hour and luckily the tint even matched. So in the end it cost me a few hours and $20, and I got back all the stuff that was stolen, so the crime more / less amounted to vandalism of my rig.

People who steal from others really suck.

 

[habanero]

Ugh, unlike! Sorry there are butts wandering around being, well, butts.

Glad you were one of the lucky ones as far as your gear and fairly cheap and easy fix.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Thanks, habanero!

In the grand scheme it was definitely a minor bump in the road, but I still had to complain a bit.

 

[Dropzone]

Thanks, habanero!

In the grand scheme it was definitely a minor bump in the road, but I still had to complain a bit.

Glad you got your stuff back and that it was an easy fix.
Still some BS you had to go through because of some low life oxygen thief

 

[Silver Supra]

Love this build!

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Timing belt job... DONE. 152,728 miles.

For parts I went with the "AirCabinMan" kit on ebay, which included all of the following (plus an OE t-stat that I didn't use) for $282.60. I priced all of these parts individually on Camelback Toyotas website and came up with $500.26 for the same setup. The ebay kit is an awesome deal.

1 Timing Belt & 1 label Toyota 13568-69095/YZZ03
1 Idler Roller NSK OE 13503-62040
1 Tensioner Roller Koyo OE 13505-62070
1 Front Crankshaft Seal Toyota/NOK OE 90311-40022
2 Front Camshaft Seals Toyota/NOK OE 90311-38051
1 Water Pump Aisin OE 16100-69398-83
1 Water Pump Gasket Aisin 16271-62011
1 Hydraulic Tensioner Toyota 13540-62021
1 Thermostat Gasket Aisin 16325-62010
1 Air Conditioning Belt Toyota 99364-20870
1 Supercharger Belt Toyota PTR30-35040
1 Power Steering Belt Toyota 90080-91126

I picked up some antifreeze from Napa for $15/gallon...

3 Gallons Zerex Asian Vehicle AF #675130 $45

And added the hoses as PM...

1 Upper Radiator Hose 16571-62070 $20
1 Lower Radiator Hose 16572-62090 $20

I bought the kit in late January and went back and forth about whether or not I wanted to do the job myself. Ultimately I decided I would rather spend 2-3 days worth of free time with my family than in the garage, so I dropped it all off at my favorite shop and said "It's all yours!"

That's right, I paid to have it done. I did not DIY. I don't need an excuse because you know what?

Labor ran me $408.50 w/tax. I stopped by the shop while the mechanic was working on it and got there just in time to watch the tail end of the disassembly and full re-assembly. He made it look so easy I felt dumb paying him for it, but that's what a guy can do when he has done the job 100+ times on 5VZs. It really was a pleasure to watch him work.

Such a nice thing to see when I pop the hood...

Old parts and leftover AF...

Everything was in really good shape for 94K miles and 12 years of service. The belt could easily have kept going and all the bearings were nice and smooth. The cam/crank seals were still soft, and no leaks from the WP gasket. The engine was also super clean behind the timing covers.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Since I'm here... pics from recent trips:

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And another day out in the 4Runner... a fire lookout on the southernmost summit in the Rockies above 10K in elevation.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

"That ain't good." :doh:

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H_PPrLK5yCM?rel=0&showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[JBurt]

What happened?

 

[BigFishAllDay]

I broke my rig unexpectedly in a bad way, in a bad place, very far from home, with very little daylight and lots of trail remaining. I was also without one very important tool, and without spare parts because I didn't expect anything too challenging on the trip.

My 4Runner had to spend the night camping by itself with no campfire.

I went back this morning with a little help, more tools, and some creativity and nursed it 240 miles and 4 hours back home. Unfortunately it is only a 2wd 4runner now.

I may post a full trip report, because I gained some valuable knowledge on this one that others could probably use. On the other hand I may not, because I'll probably spend an hour typing it up and for my trouble I'll get exactly zero responses/feedback and maybe a couple of "likes".

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Glad you got your stuff back and that it was an easy fix. Still some BS you had to go through because of some low life oxygen thief

Thanks for taking the time to post, Dropzone. The waste of my time was probably the most frustrating part of it all. "Oxygen thief", I like that one.

Love this build!

Thanks.

 

[Unner]

I broke my rig unexpectedly in a bad way, in a bad place, very far from home, with very little daylight and lots of trail remaining. I was also without one very important tool, and without spare parts because I didn't expect anything too challenging on the trip.

My 4Runner had to spend the night camping by itself with no campfire.

I went back this morning with a little help, more tools, and some creativity and nursed it 240 miles and 4 hours back home. Unfortunately it is only a 2wd 4runner now.

I may post a full trip report, because I gained some valuable knowledge on this one that others could probably use. On the other hand I may not, because I'll probably spend an hour typing it up and for my trouble I'll get exactly zero responses/feedback and maybe a couple of "likes".

Sounds like it was more than a broke CV from your YouTube description. In a super unfortunate place as well... Gonna have to replace the entire diff housing?

I'd be interested in the story on it. I read all your trip reports/posts, I don't comment on all of them though because I feel like I'm a nuisance constantly commenting on your thread.

But, you got a steal on the timing belt labor, all my quotes for the job were $1,000-$1,200 and they all told me they either didn't want to or I didn't need to replace the tensioner, idlers, and another place said I don't even need to replace the water pump...

And I still love your Tacoma, feel free to continue posting pictures of it :biggrin1:

I also referenced your windshield replacement post from a few months back. Safelite cracked my windshield trying to repair a crack on Friday so I'll be replacing my windshield as well now.

 

[Herculean T4R]

Was front diff locked?

Looking forward to reading your trip report

 

[Road Bull]

Ugh.. That AT LEAST sounded like a broken CV. Helpful trail repair tips are always welcome. I hope I never need them, but they are worth their weight in gold when you are out in the cold and you are beyond the reach of helpful hints of the interwebs.

If you could even do a basic run down of what to do after you notice damage. Obviously it would seem that you lose your 4WD. But is it best to put it 2WD to try to get it to a better spot to fix? I replaced mine a long time ago, but more preventative maintenance and not a fix of a broken CV. So, I for one would dig a bit of a write up if you are so inclined.

 

[Rockdawg84]

Never fun to break bad far from home. Glad you limped it home. I once had to drive home on my front driveshaft from Moab because I had broken a rear gear carrier. I hope you post up at least a summary of what happened.

 

[theesotericone]

I broke my rig unexpectedly in a bad way, in a bad place, very far from home, with very little daylight and lots o trail remaining.

Come on man. Do you ever break things a mile from home? Lots of us have been there.

Glad you got it back. I listened to that vid about 15 times. Snap. "That ain't good"

What let loose?

 

[BrianSD_42]

Sorry to read about the break in and 4wd troubles. That snap sounded a good bit like the one I heard in Moab when a Tacoma snapped a rear axel shaft. A pretty serious break if one is alone on the trail.

My own most serious break was a spindle failure which is definitely a bummer for anyone it happens to. BC of that break I rarely do trail runs alone anymore. If I hadn't have been with a 2nd truck I might not have been able to get my rig back to the hwy in one piece, period.