My '02 SR5

[houndrunner]

Hey there!

It's been a while since I've checked in, but it's been about a year and a half since I bought this 4Runner, and it's been treating me very well ever since. I've only done a small amount of work on it, but here's what I've done so far (partially with the help of this forum):

• DRL disable
• window deflectors
• clear corners & turns w/ amber bulbs
• new wheels and all-terrains

I'm really psyched on how reliable this has been. While these changes are all aesthetic, the new wheels and tires addressed one of the only persistent issues I've had with the truck, which was a vibration at highway speeds in the 70-80mph range. I did a bunch of research on this forum while I was trying to address the problem, and it seems like others here have had issues with the stock 5-spoke wheels being notoriously difficult to balance. Mine were fine around town, but I could not get anyone to get rid of the vibrations, even with multiple balances, alignments, and two shops checking over other components. I've only been out on the highway a couple of times with the new wheels, but sure enough -- the vibration is virtually gone.

I have a little over 196K on the odometer, and I hope to keep her running for a long time! Hopefully some more changes will come down the line, but for now I'm just hoping to get out and do some soft-roading and possibly some car-camping this spring.

 

[Road Bull]

Clean looking 4runner! Glad you are digging it. If you take care of it, it will take care of you.

 

[JayRolla]

Welcome! Those look like some old school wheels.

 

[houndrunner]

They're American Racing AR23s. I wanted to make sure the wheels were pretty close to stock weight and size (although the tires are almost certainly than the all-seasons I had previously). I read a bit about hub-centric vs. lug-centric wheels here, and if I'm understanding things correctly, AR23s might not be the best choice in that respect for serious off-roading, but... I'm not quite there. Yet.

(But I do think they look pretty damn good. :thumb

 

[houndrunner]

Running board removal / insta-lift. The new tires were rubbing/catching on the running boards, so I figured I'd remove them in order to trim them down so they aren't catching in the front wheel wells during tight parking-lot turning. I like the looks of them on, but I also like the way it looks now... CHOICES ARE HARD, GUYS. :-/

 

[houndrunner]

TBU upgrade completed today! Already feels MUCH better under heavy braking. Thankfully, I had a friend help me out who knew what he was doing. I did what I could, but to be honest, he did most of the heavy lifting. But it was a good experience, as this was my first real foray into wrenching.

I also installed a new head unit a few months back after getting sick of the old-school headphone-jack-to-RCA thing I had going on previously, so I finally joined the current decade and got a stereo that has bluetooth. Kenwood Excelon DPX593BT. DDIN (looks cleaner than the single-DIN unit I had previously), and it sounds really good with the stock speakers. Very pleased.

 

[houndrunner]

Sad news...

We were rear ended in Connecticut in the rain on a drive down from RI to Maryland. The TBU kept me from rear ending the guy in front of me, but the Ridgeline behind me wasn't able to do the same. After the tow truck driver pulled the bumper away from the back wheel, it still drove straight and true all the way down to MD and back!! Unfortunately, insurance totaled out the truck -- even though the frame/drivetrain was just fine, bodywork is expensive, especially when you can't use parts from older models, and the truck isn't worth a ton of money at 220K. Going to check out another 3rd gen tomorrow, and then will decide whether or not to just take the total and give it up, or whether to retain the truck. I'm excited to look at other 3rd gens, but I'm also really bummed to lose this one, even if it's the more realistic choice. (I don't have a ton of time on my hands or the know-how to really fix it up nice.)

 

[tgreenwood75]

Really sad to see that. Looks like you had a very clean truck considering being in New England. There are plenty more 4Runners out there and thankfully it seems you and the dog are OK!

Wish you luck in figuring out the next step, sad to lose a good-looking Imperial Jade Mica truck.

 

[houndrunner]

I let it go today, and got a little misty after cleaning it out, not gonna lie. And you're right, the important thing is that the fam was OK (myself, wife, and the pup.) But, silver linings: I found and purchased another 3rd gen... a very clean 199K 2002 Sport in Thundercloud Grey. Here's to new memories!

 

[VernySanders]

Did you do a buy back on the truck?

 

[houndrunner]

Thought about it quite a bit. Thing is this my one and only vehicle though, and from what I understand laws are pretty strict in RI as far as getting it back to legal driving status. The shop it was at where the appraisal was done is not a salvage shop, so once they made it a salvage title, they couldn't touch it and help fix it, even if it were to source a junk liftgate and slap it on. I'd have to bring it to another shop or work on it myself, and then get it re-inspected and deemed roadworthy by a mechanic in order to get insurance to cover it and a rebuilt title. If this were a second vehicle and I could just work it out in my spare time, I would have done that, but the option to buy another 3rd gen proved to be the better option in this case. (Replacing the taillight assembly would have taken minutes, and I personally wouldn't have minded driving around with a dented liftgate and a janky bumper for a while, but the bumper would have to be replaced in order to make it legal, and a lot of New England rear bumpers look a lot like swiss cheese due to rust.) Even now, I'm without a ride until next week when I get to pick up the new one in CT.

 

[tgreenwood75]

Congrats on the new purchase! Be sure to post up some pictures once you pick it up. Hopefully this one treats you as well as the last!