Its all fun and games until dad blows the engine

[Kb9lov]

So, we are having record setting rains and flooding here in the midwest. What do I decide to do? Take the family wheeling! The 4runner was eating everything up, we even pulled out a built Cherokee ;-), until.....









Recovery on the Cherokee.




Brother-in-law in his new rig.


Apparently the hole was deeper than I thought, and.... someone forgot to complete the snorkel installation.




The Cherokee was nice enough to return the favor (although I wasn't stuck). His reese hitch took a hit on the trail as well.

 

[Kb9lov]

So Here's My Question

What should I do with my rig? The engine hydro locked and threw a rod. I'm leaning toward building a SC 3.4 for it, but also thought about putting her to the side and acquiring a 4th gen to start building. I have also considered an engine swap, I have a pristine SC400 with the 4.0 V8 located that has my 4runners name all over it. Any ideas or input?

 

[KidVermicious]

Every time I see one of these threads I'm so grateful to live where I do. I don't think I ever want to live in a place so boring that mud looks like fun.

Love seeing the pics of the family having a good time. Throw that 1UZ in and come out to Utah so I can show you how to have a good time without blowing up your junk.

 

[Kb9lov]

Every time I see one of these threads I'm so grateful to live where I do. I don't think I ever want to live in a place so boring that mud looks like fun.

Love seeing the pics of the family having a good time. Throw that 1UZ in and come out to Utah so I can show you how to have a good time without blowing up your junk.

Haha, I'll take the damage of mud of rocks any day! No, really I don't get in the mud a lot. Just seemed like fun, and it was until I hit the deep water ;-) I would love to get out west someday, that is the ultimate goal if I can get the kids and family in line.

 

[cashmoney]

That really doesn't look that deep. Sucks about the engine. I would much prefer to play in the mud over the rocks any day of the week. So much more fun doing power slides in the mud than on rocks.

 

[Chuckles89]

I vote for the V8 swap. Although, building a supercharged 3.4 would probably be a bit easier. Just don't get a 4th gen!

 

[LookAtThatDog]

Bummer dude. Where is this mud at? If the truck doesn't have rust and you end up selling it, let me know!

 

[habanero]

We're all growing gills here! Too many days of too much rain! Even 70 got closed down both ways in one spot for a bit 'cause of flooding. This weekend it's either mud or water or more mud. Have you seen Moonlight Racing's creek pics?

Though I don't like mud either it looks like you all had a fun family adventure minus the awful part. Bet the Jeep's highway tires were interesting at times.

Ha, dog peeing in background....

 

[Unner]

Every time I see one of these threads I'm so grateful to live where I do. I don't think I ever want to live in a place so boring that mud looks like fun.

Love seeing the pics of the family having a good time. Throw that 1UZ in and come out to Utah so I can show you how to have a good time without blowing up your junk.

I want to go wheeling out west so bad. It sucks when mud is the only thing really available, and even when there's rocks and other stuff involved, they're usually covered in mud...

 

[Kb9lov]

That really doesn't look that deep. Sucks about the engine. I would much prefer to play in the mud over the rocks any day of the week. So much more fun doing power slides in the mud than on rocks.

It was over the hood at one point, definitely got too aggressive with it. Live and learn, lol.

I vote for the V8 swap. Although, building a supercharged 3.4 would probably be a bit easier. Just don't get a 4th gen!

I'm leaning toward the V8 swap myself, up for the challenge but I want to make sure it with fit my needs for the vehicle. The 4th gen with the extra hp already there looks pretty appealing though :/

Bummer dude. Where is this mud at? If the truck doesn't have rust and you end up selling it, let me know!

It's called Interlake, an old coal mine that has been taken over by the state DNR.
DNR: Interlake State Recreation Area No rust on my baby, I'll let you know if I decide to get rid of it. It is at a great point in the build, not too much done to it yet. I might keep it as a toy to build and pass on to my son if I get another vehicle.

We're all growing gills here! Too many days of too much rain! Even 70 got closed down both ways in one spot for a bit 'cause of flooding. This weekend it's either mud or water or more mud. Have you seen Moonlight Racing's creek pics?

Though I don't like mud either it looks like you all had a fun family adventure minus the awful part. Bet the Jeep's highway tires were interesting at times.

Ha, dog peeing in background....

Man this rain has been incredible, we haven't had it near as bad as those off to the west but it's worse than I have ever seen.
I haven't seen those pictures but I will check it out.

The jeep was horrible, but he did pull me out of the pit with those tires. I just wasn't stuck ;-) It wasn't even that awful, I'm just grateful we got it out of the trails.

That dog is peeing in the background of so many pictures, haha!

 

[Kb9lov]

I want to go wheeling out west so bad. It sucks when mud is the only thing really available, and even when there's rocks and other stuff involved, they're usually covered in mud...

I've been out west with the 4runner a few times, mainly in CO. It's such a dog at the higher elevations, especially when it's loaded down for a trip. That's the main reason I would consider a supercharger over a swap.

 

[habanero]

Mud. I'm sticking to web wheeling today.

Utah = the worst most horrible mud ever! It sets up like CONCRETE! Stay far far away for the, like, 3 minutes mud takes to dry out there. Like Finger Lakes here in MO but worse! Elaterite iirc.

Oh, and there's sand too. It goes everywhere you don't need it to go. There's a good amount of it under my door sill trim currently. And I'm willing to bet in other places too. Probably even in the no business being there places. And it's been months.

I'm ready to go again!

[MENTION=97483]Chuckles89[/MENTION] has a 3rd and his dad a 4th gen. Might get him to elaborate as I know both have hit the trails. I'm partial to the 3rd gens and yours being otherwise solid would prolly try to work with the truck I've got, were I wearing your shoes, but haven't even so much as sat in a 4th so what do I know?

Edit: Totally get the loaded down dog in the mountains bit....

 

[ThorInc]

Deep clay like mud seriously sucks....:becky:

 

[gamefreakgc]

I'm leaning toward the V8 swap myself, up for the challenge but I want to make sure it with fit my needs for the vehicle. The 4th gen with the extra hp already there looks pretty appealing though :/

I looked long and hard comparing a supercharged 3rd Gen and a V8 4th Gen. Obviously, I chose the 3rd Gen. The 4th Gen just has too much plastic and more things that will age/break with time than the 3rd Gen. Metal for me. The interior is a lot more updated and roomy if that's what you are in to but nothing beats the off-road capabilities of the 3rd Gens. Not to say a 4th Gen isn't capable, just doesn't have the same options and feel as the older ones.

You could also easily just buy a new motor and install a supercharger. The supercharger would cost twice as much as the motor though LOL. They are much cheaper to buy while on a vehicle than off, I paid roughly $1500 for my charger used if you factor it into the purchase price. Plus once you have forced induction from the supercharger, it's not hard to add fuel and air mods to further increase the power if you ever want to, unlike a the stock V8 in the 4th Gen.

Sorry about the hydrolock though, that really is a bummer. I hate that pain in the gut feeling you get when something goes terribly wrong. Recently had that on a rainy day while being stupid with the 4Runner (did I mention it puts out a good amount of power?) where I lost control on a turn. No one else was around but I almost plowed it into a tree. Could have been a lot worse.

At least there's no damage to the body and frame. How's the water damage on the interior though?

 

[Arnezie]

SO wait you have a snorkel on the 4r but you didn't hook up ??? Why would you not hook it up ? What did I miss?

 

[StreetCreeper]

I don't care if my 4Runner had a 10 foot snorkel and pontoons strapped to it, if the water is deep enough to get over the door sill — I'm not going through it. Unless of course I'm being chased by some crazed man with a hockey mask, chainsaw and a boner....

Props to everyone with bigger balls than me. You guys/gals can have your water crossings and mud-holes from hell.

 

[alanflies]

Now that's what I'm talking about...got the Wife, Boy, Dog and friends together out on the trails...good times...

If you decide to go the 1uz route, hit me up for all the wiring pinouts and the motor mount templates...I still have all that stuff laying around from my swap. I can also say, you will absolutely love the 1uz...

I also have a 200k 5VZ in the garage you could come pick it up for ~500.00 if you decide to go that route.

Good luck with what ever you decide to do...Personally I would revive the 3rd gen... It will pay you back a thousand fold in good times!!!

 

[Chuckles89]

[MENTION=97483]Chuckles89[/MENTION] has a 3rd and his dad a 4th gen. Might get him to elaborate as I know both have hit the trails. I'm partial to the 3rd gens and yours being otherwise solid would prolly try to work with the truck I've got, were I wearing your shoes, but haven't even so much as sat in a 4th so what do I know?

First of all, the 3rd gen is better than the 4th gen in every which way except that the 4th has a lot of power and the ABS is so much better.

Driving on and off-road, the 4th gen feels huge and bulky. The 4th is about 9" wider and definitely gets scratched up a lot more than mine on the trails. 3rd gen seats are more comfortable- especially the rear bench. The 4th gen has been very reliable except the head gasket went out at approx 190,000 miles. The 4th gen's dash cracked when it was 9 years old. The 4th gen has a lot more rattles and squeaks than my 3rd gen. The 4th gen rides a whole lot better than my 3rd gen- it has an OME lift and i'm on stock '99 coils and KYB shocks. My ride isn't bad at all, but the 4th gen is so much smoother.

The 4th gen has so much computer controlled crap and when the battery is unhooked, the windows don't work correctly for a while (the computer has to re-learn the limits) and the idle is so wrong that it can die when idling at a traffic light- it even happened to my dad while taking off from a stop!

The interior of the 3rd gen is more appealing to me than the 4th gen. It has great cup holders, has 3 power outlets, and is set out perfectly. The 4th gen has none of those things...

/end of ramblings

 

[BrianSD_42]

so wait you have a snorkel on the 4r but you didn't hook up ??? Why would you not hook it up ? What did i miss?

this

 

[Kb9lov]

SO wait you have a snorkel on the 4r but you didn't hook up ??? Why would you not hook it up ? What did I miss?

I was waiting for someone to ask about this! The snorkel was hooked up, but that didn't matter. I had just installed it a week or two ago and I still had that dang deck plate mod going on. I had been looking for a new cover to seal it up, but..... Another good lesson learned I guess, it's always something!