Lester's Build/Fix/Maintenance/Questions Thread

J

jeff88

New member
Well, it seems everybody is doing this, so I guess I will jump on the bandwagon! Don't have a lot of time or money, so mods will come slowly. I'm mostly just trying to get things up to par at this point. There are quite a few things wrong, so those are priority more than any of the aesthetic mods. I am also trying to get this truck to have the highest MPG it can, without ruining the "feel" of the truck. It does go off-road occasionally, but nothing major. It's mostly a daily driver, asphalt stomper, so although I wouldn't lower it or anything else to ruin the truck, I do want to do some other fuel economy related mods.

The backstory of Lester for those who want to know.

Things to fix:
  • <strike>Fix broken cylinder 6 spark plug threads</strike>
  • Front passenger fender damage
  • Front passenger quarter panel damage
  • Front passenger side bumper
  • Front passenger fog light
  • Rear bumper damage
  • Whatever the damn squeak is in the front passenger area (it happens while at speed and only when I let off the gas pedal or turn off cruise control and it's not the engine, because it happens when I coast with engine off)
  • Rear window rolls down about an inch and then gets stuck
  • Do something with the rusting hitch (not sure what yet, maybe just some plasti-dip for now)
  • Antenna (it broke in the carwash, so I need to get a new one; I don't really want a motorized one, I'm wondering if I can get a windshield antenna and still have good reception)

I'm hoping I can get the stuff fixed relatively cheaply. I need to go to some body shops and find out what the price of getting the body fixed would be. If it's too much, I might go to a JY and find the replacement pieces for the busted up body parts. Even if it's the wrong color, I can at least get some plasti-dip or something (at least for the bumper, not the quarter panel, obviously). I will figure out what the squeak is, hopefully with your guys' help and the rear window, I need to take apart and figure out what went wrong (might just have come off the track).

Planned MODS
  • Transmission cooler (B&M I think)
  • 1990's Ford Taurus Electric Fan
  • LEDs and better lighting
  • Custom roof rack (I have an idea of what I want, but need to find the right parts/tools and someone with a little experience)
  • Clean up the underside (better belly pan)
  • Need to clean up some of the aging parts (like the grill - needs to be painted/replaced; I like the Satoshi grill, but don't know if I want to do that or not yet)
  • Do something to give the wheels a new look (paint or something). Eventually, I would like to get some new wheels that look good and have some LRR tires and then get some 4 wheeling tires and use them on these stockers, that way I can switch them out real quick and go about my business (or pleasure :))
  • Would love to eliminate the amber turn signal and just use an amber bulb
  • Runners have to stay for now, but it would be cool to have some automatic runners that go under the truck, but come out when the door opens to step up. At this point this would be the verrrry last mod I would do, unless something arises in the near future.

And now some photos :photo: Lester, as of now:






If this first post doesn't give it away, my posts can get a little long; I put it all out there! :blah: I have to say thank you in advance for any help/insight. I'll be asking a lot of questions over time. :thumb:
 
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Welcome from Santa Cruz and you inherited a sweet 4runner. Hopefully we'll see you around at some meets or wheeling.
 
Thanks! Sounds like fun, hit me up when something is happening and if the cards are right, I'd definitely like to come out. Gotta warn you though, I'm a newb, I've never wheeled before! :)
 
jeff88 said:
Thanks! Sounds like fun, hit me up when something is happening and if the cards are right, I'd definitely like to come out. Gotta warn you though, I'm a newb, I've never wheeled before! :)
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We can take a trip to Hollister hills, there is something for everyone there! welcome!
 
Thanks for the invite, definitely want to make it out. When do you guys usually go, Saturdays or is it a whole weekend thing?
 
So I went to unlock the rear hatch yesterday and the damn cylinder fell into the door. :frusty: When I take the door apart to fix the rear window, I'll look into fixing the cylinder.

Anyway, more importantly, I am trying to find a squeak. When at speed, if I let off the gas or turn off the cruise control (coasting), there is a squeak in the passenger front side. It only happens when I let off the gas, not when I am accelerating or maintaining speed. It is also not engine related as I did some engine-off-coasting and it still was happening. It also doesn't always do it, only sometimes. The problem is that I can't look underneath the truck to find what's wrong, since nothing will be moving. Does anybody have any shred of a clue where I can start or how to diagnose what exactly is the bad part?

Thanks!
 
jeff88 said:
So I went to unlock the rear hatch yesterday and the damn cylinder fell into the door. :frusty: When I take the door apart to fix the rear window, I'll look into fixing the cylinder.

Anyway, more importantly, I am trying to find a squeak. When at speed, if I let off the gas or turn off the cruise control (coasting), there is a squeak in the passenger front side. It only happens when I let off the gas, not when I am accelerating or maintaining speed. It is also not engine related as I did some engine-off-coasting and it still was happening. It also doesn't always do it, only sometimes. The problem is that I can't look underneath the truck to find what's wrong, since nothing will be moving. Does anybody have any shred of a clue where I can start or how to diagnose what exactly is the bad part?

Thanks!
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The only things that spin outside over there are the CV, tire, and brake rotor. Nothing contacts the CV or comes close unless you have aftermarket armor, so I doubt it's that. Same goes with the tire. My guess is the brake is squeaky for some reason and maybe slightly rubbing even when not applied.
 
snivilous said:
The only things that spin outside over there are the CV, tire, and brake rotor. Nothing contacts the CV or comes close unless you have aftermarket armor, so I doubt it's that. Same goes with the tire. My guess is the brake is squeaky for some reason and maybe slightly rubbing even when not applied.
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Thanks for the help! I need to check the brakes anyway, so I will get under there and see if I can find the culprit. Maybe the pads just need to be readjusted inside of their clips? I have noticed occasionally the brakes squeak when I let off of them to start accelerating. Wondering if those are related.

This might be a 'cars are weird' thing, but is there a reason why it only does it while coasting?
 
jeff88 said:
Thanks for the help! I need to check the brakes anyway, so I will get under there and see if I can find the culprit. Maybe the pads just need to be readjusted inside of their clips? I have noticed occasionally the brakes squeak when I let off of them to start accelerating. Wondering if those are related.

This might be a 'cars are weird' thing, but is there a reason why it only does it while coasting?
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Could just be the right frequency(s) is hit. I had my bash plate rubbing on my CV, and it only squeaked if I was coasting--any engine rpm over 1000 was enough to make it not vibrate.
 
Need to lube up both my 4R and my Corolla locks. Looking for advice before I get all handsy on my locks.

Found this on Amazon, good enough? Amazon Liquid Graphite

Is there anything special to note? Or is it just lube the key, put it in and twist it a few times? Do I need to do something different for the ignition?
 
snivilous said:
The only things that spin outside over there are the CV, tire, and brake rotor. Nothing contacts the CV or comes close unless you have aftermarket armor, so I doubt it's that. Same goes with the tire. My guess is the brake is squeaky for some reason and maybe slightly rubbing even when not applied.
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Well I went ahead and changed my brakes (finally). From the looks of the old pads, I could have gone 2-3k more miles before the wear indicator would be touching, but with the sounds I was hearing, I'm happy to change them a little early if it fixes the issue. I did some errands afterwards and so far it seems to have fixed the problem, but we'll see over the next week how it goes.

Thanks for the help, hope it works!

----------
On a side note, I learned something new this week. My sunroof is not waterproof when it is open! Who knew?!

I accidentally left the sunroof cracked about a 1/4" for air flow and then took my Corolla the next day when it rained and the 4R sat. All day. In the rain. The next day, I was driving to school and I happened to look down at the cup holders and saw a puddle of water. I was like, 'What the hell, how did water get in there!?'. I was looking around and under the console and then realized, oh yeah look up. Oops. :rain:
 
Not such a good day today.

Changing the brakes seemed to help, but it still makes the noise occassionally. It may be placebo that it is better though.

The last few days at morning startup I have heard a sound for less than a second during crank. It only does it the first startup - the rest of the day it's fine. I'm guessing it's a belt squeak, but is there a way to tell which one without actually seeing any defects in the belt?

Now today, on the way to school, about a mile from home, I'm sitting at the light and then it starts a 'tap tap tap' sound like it's not firing properly. My first thought was obviously the belt broke and so the timing was off, but it was still driveable (albeit, with heavier than normal vibrations), so I can't imagine the belt being the problem. I obviously don't know if any of my problems are related either. I was able to slowly get it home, but I don't know what was causing the issues. I didn't see anything critically damaged in the engine bay and there was no CEL. Also, when I got home, I was pulling into the driveway, on the brake the whole time. Right when I went to put it in park, it gave a little surge forward (obviously before I actually got it in park).

Anybody have any ideas? Where to start? What to look for?
 
jeff88 said:
Not such a good day today.

Changing the brakes seemed to help, but it still makes the noise occassionally. It may be placebo that it is better though.

The last few days at morning startup I have heard a sound for less than a second during crank. It only does it the first startup - the rest of the day it's fine. I'm guessing it's a belt squeak, but is there a way to tell which one without actually seeing any defects in the belt?

Now today, on the way to school, about a mile from home, I'm sitting at the light and then it starts a 'tap tap tap' sound like it's not firing properly. My first thought was obviously the belt broke and so the timing was off, but it was still driveable (albeit, with heavier than normal vibrations), so I can't imagine the belt being the problem. I obviously don't know if any of my problems are related either. I was able to slowly get it home, but I don't know what was causing the issues. I didn't see anything critically damaged in the engine bay and there was no CEL. Also, when I got home, I was pulling into the driveway, on the brake the whole time. Right when I went to put it in park, it gave a little surge forward (obviously before I actually got it in park).

Anybody have any ideas? Where to start? What to look for?
Click to expand...

The startup and decel noise sounds like a belt to me. Mine was doing the same and upon inspection the 3 drive belts were all dirty/cracked/loose. new belts solved that.

As far as your issue today. Did it just start at that redlight or was it happening before?
 
I've been planning on changing the belts anyway, so hopefully that fixes those issues.

The new noise today started while at the light. No idea if it was while approaching it or while sitting there. The song got quiet and I heard it (and felt it). From driveway to the light about a mile away with a slight uphill at one point, there were no sounds. I haven't heard before either.
 
I did a little diagnosis this morning. I checked the drive belts. They *seemed* to be fine on the flat side and ribbed side, however the edges were a little worn. I'm not really sure how to check the timing belt. Is there a way to take the cover off and look at the belt without having to take everything apart?

I then hooked up my UltraGauge to check for codes (no CEL still) and there were no codes, but there was one pending code: P0305. So apparently I'm goooing to have a misfire on cylinder 5. :rolleyes: :der:

Any ideas on where to start looking for misfire issues? I recently changed the spark plugs back in September, but I didn't change the wires. I had the cylinder 6 spark plug back out, so I need to check cylinder 5 for the same issue (although it's been 3 months, could it really do it this long after?). How do I check the wires to make sure they're still good? Or do I have to get a new one, install it and try? Is there something else that could be causing the misfire?

Thanks!
 
jeff88 said:
I did a little diagnosis this morning. I checked the drive belts. They *seemed* to be fine on the flat side and ribbed side, however the edges were a little worn. I'm not really sure how to check the timing belt. Is there a way to take the cover off and look at the belt without having to take everything apart?

I then hooked up my UltraGauge to check for codes (no CEL still) and there were no codes, but there was one pending code: P0305. So apparently I'm goooing to have a misfire on cylinder 5. :rolleyes: :der:

Any ideas on where to start looking for misfire issues? I recently changed the spark plugs back in September, but I didn't change the wires. I had the cylinder 6 spark plug back out, so I need to check cylinder 5 for the same issue (although it's been 3 months, could it really do it this long after?). How do I check the wires to make sure they're still good? Or do I have to get a new one, install it and try? Is there something else that could be causing the misfire?

Thanks!
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For timing cover I believe it is 5 or 6 10mm bolt holding the cover on. Remove those and it should slide back enough for visual inspection. And with that code, it's almost sounding like the wire could be starting to go/ making a bad connection. Easiest way to check would be to swap the existing wires around and see if the code follows the thought to be bad wire. Wouldn't hurt to go ahead and replace the wires just for the sake of keeping plugs and wires on the same interval. Use dielectric grease to ensure a good connection between wire and plug. Also, it could be possible for that plug to back out; uncommon but as you pointed out it happened to you before. Vibrations from driving can loosen things to an extent.

Hopefully I gave you some good info to start the search if you have anymore question feel free to PM me!
 
Well, I found the culprit (at least one of them). I took the ignition coil off and I decided just to check the spark plug while I was there. I'm glad I did. The node (or center electrode) is just gone. It just completely broke off. I drove it home about a mile-ish, but I'm afraid if I just replace the plug and go, I might do more (and worse) damage to the cylinder/piston.

 
Took care of the spark plug issue today. Went to the parts store and got a new plug, installed her back in and everything was fine.

Except now I'm hearing a tap-tap-tap sound on the driver side of the block. Don't know what it is yet, but it makes me nervous. I'll have to take a closer look, see if I can find out what's going on.
 
I need to change my timing belt soon. I'm at 93k on this belt. I know the standard is 90k, but I'm guessing I should be good for a few thousand more. I still want to be ready when the time comes though, so that I am not caught with my pants down! :moon:

Are there any brands of timing belt kits I should avoid? For example, I've found an Aisin and another kit with various brands, but I'm not sure what is OEM.

Aisin TKT-005

Aisin Water Pump Timing Belt Kits (PDF) According to this, the TKT-005 is the right kit for the '99 4Runner.

TBK Timing Belt Kit This has the other belts, but what about the brands in the description? (I'm a little nervous about the reviews.)

Universal Pulley Holder Do I need this? It seems like it just makes it easier, but not critical.

I'm thinking while I am in there, I might as well change the drive belt. I looked on Amazon, but there are multiple belt options (and of course they all "fit" the 4runner, but how do I know which one and how many of each to get? (I checked the sticky and read the YotaTech thread, but it doesn't say what belts to get, only what tools are needed.)

Does anybody have any other recommendations? Is there anything else I need to know? Anything else I should do while I am in there?
 
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