My 1997 SR5 5spd daily driver

F

flipty

New member
Greetings everyone. I'm new here, so hopefully I'm not being a dork by making my first non-reply post in the wrong fashion.

I recently traded my 6 year project (1988 VW Cabriolet daily driver) straight up for my (pics to come) "needs work" '97 SR5. This is my first Toyota.

Specs that I know of:
270,000 miles
3.4L V6
5 speed manual
4x4 ( don't know what kind of 4x4, I haven't dared shift it into 4x4 yet - I've been spoiled by my 4x4 Ford Ranger that's just a switch to flip at any speed or direction)

The good: It looks cool. Interior is in decent shape. Not perfect but not bad.

The bad: It needs some body work (rust, rocker panels cut out)

The ugly: The rear suspension needs and is getting a near complete overhaul. I already have parts lined up and on the way or in my garage for upper and lower control arm replacements, rear and front sway linkages, rear and front sway bushings/clamps, and some other random stuff that came with the car (fuel filter, front wheel bearings)

So I'm going to hopefully keep this thread updated with progress and questions. Wish me luck!

A little about my car background: I live in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN so everything has rust and corrosion. I have good air tools and a Haynes manual, and 6 years ago (note the time I owned the '88 VW....) the most I could do to a car is change spark plugs or brake pads. Now I'm not afraid to do anything that isn't a transmission replacement or head gasket job.

So without further ado... the to-do list, in no particular order...

  1. All Rear Control Arms & Sway linkages & bushings
  2. Front Sway linkages (one is straight up snapped)
  3. Misfire on cylinder 3 (hopefully it's just a coil but of course it's probably an injector..)
  4. Front wheel bearings
  5. Fuel filter
  6. Figure out how to make it easier to get into 1st when the car is not warmed up
  7. Get bluetooth 2DIN audio rig, reasonable audio/amp/sub, speakers replaced (partially blown stock stuff installed with a cheap Sony head)

Way, way more to come I'm sure.:faint2:
 
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Welcome to the Toyota world!

Toyota parts lasts way longer than VW parts, so don't look at a toyota in the same eye you look at a VW. For example, my car obviously a toyota is at 265K miles and still original wheel bearings at front and rear, same goes with the engine, transmission, AC system etc.,. Things can fail but I am saying generally toyota parts lasts a very long time. BMW started using DENSO switches (X5 used Denso window switchs for sure) so that should tell you something about toyota parts. Toyota owns Denso Co. Honda also started using Denso so this also tell you how good the Toyota/Denso parts are.

Unless your front bearings are shot, I will not touch it. If you plan to replace parts and to keep the runner for a while, always use OEM parts. Try Camelbacktoyota in AZ. Their online parts are dirt cheap, and gives you a free shipping for a purchase above $150.

Is your truck is 4x4? with a rear diff lock?
6) May be the clutch disk is bad? Do you see excessive play at the clutch paddle?
 
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nissanh said:
Unless your front bearings are shot, I will not touch it. If you plan to replace parts and to keep the runner for a while, always use OEM parts. Try Camelbacktoyota in AZ. Their online parts are dirt cheap, and gives you a free shipping for a purchase above $150.

Is your truck is 4x4? with a rear diff lock?
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Thanks for the info.

Previous owner bought the bearings because there's definitely some noise happening at certain speeds. 30-35 you can sense that they must be performing their curtain call. I'm not in a rush to do them because there are so many other issues to address that are more urgent. That said, I HAVE them, so I might as well do them. I always just take the steering knuckle to my local shop and pay them to press in/out bearings. If it's a ball joint or something I usually rent a clamp-style press and do it myself. I'll most likely wait until I do a full front-end rebuild this summer. All arms, bushings, ends, BJ's etc. For now I'm just going to replace the sway links since once is snapped, and maybe the rotors since they feel a little warped.

For the transmission being tough to get into first, No, there doesn't seem to be any play or noticeable problems regarding the clutch. It feels crisp and smooth.
 
Serge627 said:
Unedited, dirty, day you got it pics are great starting points.
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I agree... I was just sketch about even taking on the job since I know there's frame welding involved.... but I've got a buddy at work that's ready and willing (and equipped) to help. Pics of today's job are coming soon.

Right now I've got the passenger rear lower control arm off, the passenger stab link cut off and I'm grinding away it it with a cutoff tool and a drill to remove the stub from the stab bar, and next up is the upper bar. Unfortunately I've got a clear need for welding on the rear lower stab mount, so this round of fixes is likely to be for naught... but the welding session is going to be in the works soon. Anyone have any good leads on what kind of steel to get?

I should add, I'm 4 PBR tall boys into the job. Hopefully nobody that's able does this stuff without the proper lube.
 
Mpg

I have a 97 sr5 5speed, what sort of mileage do you get? I'm averaging around 16 right now, and I've seen others with 97s getting bad mileage and I'm wondering if 97s just have a bad rep for crappy mpg or if there's something wrong.
 
SingaporeJones said:
I have a 97 sr5 5speed, what sort of mileage do you get? I'm averaging around 16 right now, and I've seen others with 97s getting bad mileage and I'm wondering if 97s just have a bad rep for crappy mpg or if there's something wrong.
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Hey there man, I haven't even tried to figure that out yet, just trying to make sure I don't do donuts on the freeway. I'm all about doing the numbers on that stuff once the car is safe. I'll let you know asap.

In the mean time I got the passenger rear side done, and to be honest I was not expecting much, but HOLY CRAP. It already feels like it's on rails, and that's with just one side of the rear axle done. Going to do the drivers side tomorrow and if I've go it in me, the front sway links as well. Unbelievable.
 
SingaporeJones said:
I have a 97 sr5 5speed, what sort of mileage do you get? I'm averaging around 16 right now, and I've seen others with 97s getting bad mileage and I'm wondering if 97s just have a bad rep for crappy mpg or if there's something wrong.
Click to expand...

I will say this: In my initial first few hundred miles, while driving very carefully because it wobbles like it's twerkin', I have filled up the tank twice, and by my estimates it'll get about 250 miles out of what so far appears to be a roughly 13 gallon tank. Those are just preliminary numbers, no real math or science behind it.
 
I don't have much room for a really good shot of the truck, but here goes my first adventure: replacing most of the rear arms and linkages.

Front view of my beast with no name (yet)
File_000.jpeg


Rear view. Better shots will be made when she's worthy of a modeling shoot.
File_001.jpeg


The parts (including new bolts from the dealership) that are going in:
File_002.jpeg


Original arm, with weird "mohawk" thingie welded on to it. Is that stock?
File_003.jpeg


Surgical area... the garage is a disaster, this is my first time doing work since probably October so everything's a complete mess.
File_004.jpeg


My buddy, Mapp, that helped get the seized control arm nut loose
File_005.jpeg


With the arm and linkage finally removed. Had to use a sawzall, cutoff tool, and air hammer to get the linkage out.
File_006.jpeg


Mid-job selfie in the rear window reflection.
File_007.jpeg


As I mentioned: a complete mess. Tools are everywhere, nothing is in place. I'll straighten up after this job.
File_008.jpeg


New linkage in on passenger side.
File_009.jpeg


New lower arm in on passenger side. I skipped the uppers this time (even though I have them) because my buddy has my truck jack and I'm not getting the clearance I want underneath to work properly.
File_010.jpeg


File_00.jpeg
 
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Hint: edit out your license plates. Probably not such a big deal, but you know... internets.

Also -- welcome!!
 
JZiggy said:
Hint: edit out your license plates. Probably not such a big deal, but you know... internets.

Also -- welcome!!
Click to expand...

If someone wants to steal my identity, man, they are welcome to it! That said, I modified the photos. Oh well :D
 
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ALRIGHT!

Job done, mostly. Both linkage ends gave me grief taking them out, but they both came out. It was not fun with my stupid 2 ton jack and small stands. My bud needs to get me my real stuff back this weekend so I can do more work. Also I did not do the upper control arms because I didn't have enough room to work. I'll do them when my friend and I are welding the frame and we (god I hope) have it on a lift.

The results?

This vehicle now feels entirely safe at freeway speeds!
That's all a man can ask for, is it not?

Got that 'ass wobble'? Replace your rear lowers and stab bar links. Feels almost new.

Do you need replacement nuts/bolts for your lowers? You can have mine. They're original but they seem to be in OK shape, I just went ahead and bought new ones at the dealership just in case.
 
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Good to hear it cured your ass wobble! Ass wobble is really sketchy, mine's pretty bad at the moment. I might have missed it, but what end links are those? They look like pure beef :boxing: and I want a set!
 
ChildrenOfBodom said:
Good to hear it cured your ass wobble! Ass wobble is really sketchy, mine's pretty bad at the moment. I might have missed it, but what end links are those? They look like pure beef :boxing: and I want a set!
Click to expand...

They are pretty beefy, at least beefy looking. We'll see how they last. I'm not super thrilled with the seal of the boot to the ball joint on it, but it does have a grease fitting, so there's that. Also they are designed in such a way to make adjustment and install (and even removal) super easy. Every place that you can possibly put a wrench, it's hex shaped, and the threaded spindle/ball joint has a place to put a wrench on the outer side, which is what makes taking the stock ones off a huge pain.

I got them at O'Reilly's, I want to say they were $25 a piece or something? They're the mid-range MasterPro brand if I am remembering correctly. I'd have to run out to the garage in my underwear to check the box. I got a set of their Import Direct (their high-end supposed OEM quality) for the fronts, and they also appear beefy.
 
flipty said:
They are pretty beefy, at least beefy looking. We'll see how they last. I'm not super thrilled with the seal of the boot to the ball joint on it, but it does have a grease fitting, so there's that. Also they are designed in such a way to make adjustment and install (and even removal) super easy. Every place that you can possibly put a wrench, it's hex shaped, and the threaded spindle/ball joint has a place to put a wrench on the outer side, which is what makes taking the stock ones off a huge pain.

I got them at O'Reilly's, I want to say they were $25 a piece or something? They're the mid-range MasterPro brand if I am remembering correctly. I'd have to run out to the garage in my underwear to check the box. I got a set of their Import Direct (their high-end supposed OEM quality) for the fronts, and they also appear beefy.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the information. I'll take a look into them! The hex shape is really cool.
 
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