My Daily Driven Turbocharged '97 SR5 5 Speed 4Runner

[cf_z_]

Hello all, I don’t post much here, but figured I’d put it up as it is relatively unique, and might help others looking to do the same. This forum has been of unbelievable help during this build, and i'd love to give back any information i can.

It is a 1997 SR5 5-Speed. Purchased two years ago with 258k miles essentially bone stock. Picked up off a co worker, original owner, for dirt cheap. It currently sits at 295k miles, 25k of which have been turbocharged. It runs and drives beautifully for a 21 year old truck.
In my 15 years of driving i have only ever owned small, "sporty" japanese cars.. until the 4runner. The time came to get something I that was all season worthy, could haul my dogs, take adventuring, and still be loads of fun. I cant say i had this much modification in my plans when i bought it, but this is how it sits today. I am quite pleased with it, and it is a blast to drive.

Quick notes:
It is running at 6.5PSI manifold pressure
It reaches full boost at 2700 RPM, can see boost as early as 1400RPM
It runs 14(ish):1 in boost at light throttle
It runs 12.5(ish):1 in boost at WOT
It gets an actual 24 MPG highway, 19MPG city (when driven nicely)
It has no codes, actually passes Utah Emissions testing
It never exceeds 210*F, measured by a full sweep autometer gauge
It does not ping/detonate
It is extremely stiff compared to most / all 4runners, by choice
I did 100% of the work myself, except for any welding. I am a career mechanic and fortunate enough to have anytime access to a full shop.

Turbo Specific:
CX Racing Tacoma hot pipe kit, modified to use Vband wastegate
Comp CT4 5558 Triple Ball Bearing Turbo
CX racing small front mount intercooler
Tial 38mm v band wastegate
Tial 50mm Q Blow Off Valve
Custom intercooler piping
Lots of various piping couplers
DEI Titanium heat wrap on every inch of engine bay piping
Wastegate routed back into exhaust stream just pior to PCV scavenging insert
10an bung welded into oil pan
10an black braided oil return line
XRP 48” 3an oil feed line
AEM Methanol injection, smallest nozzle, using washer fluid & OEM reservoir (On at 1psi, full at 4psi. Made an incredible difference in my AFR numbers)

Engine / Trans:
4X Innovations Trans Mount
Marlin Crawler 1200# clutch kit
Marlin Crawler Flywheel
Marlin Crawler Steel Clutch Line
Marlin Crawler Short Throw Shifter
AEM Intake Filter
Vibrant PCV Scavenger kit, including one way check valve
10AN black braided lines for catch can system
Custom sealed PCV catch can
K&N breather filter on valve cover
Custom full 3” stainless side exit exhaust
Vibrant 3” V band clamps
Magnaflow 12219 muffler
Vibrant 1142 resonator
Greddy magnetic oil pan plug

Suspension:
FJ Cruiser wheels
Michelin Defender tires 265/70/17
SPC Upper Control Arms
Addco Larger Sway Bars front & Rear
SpiderTrax wheel spacers
Bilstein 6112 front coilovers
KYB front upper strut mounts
OME 2906 rear springs
Bilstein Tundra rear struts
Goodridge Stainless Brake Lines Front and Rear
13WL front brake upgrade
PowerSlot rotors
Hawk Brake Pads
Energy Suspension Power Steering Rack bushings
Prothane Sway Bar Bushings
Energy Suspension full body mount set
Energy Suspension Panhard Bar bushings
Energy Suspension Rear control arm bushings, upper and lower

Exterior:
Custom Dog Cage Fixed to liftgate glass opening. Retains full power travel of glass, not so full travel for dogs
All exterior bulbs converted to LED
Newer 3rd gen glass headlights
Mini H1 Projector Retrofit
50w 55K HID headlights
Clear Corners
Clear bumper lights
Moved Turn signal wiring into headlamp corners, bumper lights are now running lights
Debadged Liftgate
Rallysport Direct mud flaps
Black lug nut caps
Modified stock front bumper, removing plate bracket area
Rigid 20641 reverse lights, bumper mounted
Added additional running / parking light where reverse bulb was in tail lamp housings
DEPO LED tail lamps

Interior / Electronics:
All interior bulbs converted to LED (dome and gauge cluster)
AEM EUGO Wideband Sensor
Autometer Oil Pressure, Boost / Vacuum, Water Temp gauges
Perrin 2 gauge holder mounted on steering column plastic
AEM Methanol Injection Controller
Viper automatic start / alarm system
Alpine compact 8” subwoofer mounted under drivers seat
Full seat swap with newer model 3rd gen, different color and has lumbar support
Weathertech Floor Liners front, rear, cargo

Misc Upkeep / Upgrades:
Every panel has large butyl (dynomat) patches, drastically reducing road noise.
New OEM rear pads and shoes
Rear Axle Bearings
Rear axle seals (twice over)
Strongarm Liftgate struts
New coolant hoses
New OEM Thermostat
Denso Plugs
NGK Wires
Redline MT-90 in Trans
Mobil 1 Synthetic all gearboxes

I've probably forgot a lot. Feel free to ask any questions. I will try to put up a video soon!

 

[kolelt]

Awesome man !!

 

[tx_shooter]

Really surprised there are not more people drooling over this thread. I really wish I got those kind of MPG numbers from my supercharger. Have you had it on a dyno to see the numbers yet?

 

[Tyler James Inc]

Oh man. I'd love a turbo.
Nice 4Runner man [emoji1360]
Would love to see video of it gettin down.

 

[absalom]

You can always tell when a mechanic owns (and cares about) a car. The work looks very tidy.

Now, on to the more important questions/comments -- when do we get video? I demand to hear that delicious turbo whistle ...

Also - what notch are you on for your 6112s?

 

[Ed_C]

Nice neat work on the charge piping. I take it the header is also front CX Racing?

 

[JohnMc]

Neat!

I like turbos (I have a turbo Volvo that had 350 hp from a 2.3L, it's being swapped to a turbo LS), and I like my 4Runner, but I've never pondered combining the two!

 

[JWaldz]

The definition of a sleeper lol...

Awesome build!

 

[JohnMc]

How many miles have you put on it so far?

I've seen some issues in the past with MSAF cars running a 'hot' MAF (post turbo) due to oil fouling. It only takes a tiny bit of oil. I guess it depends on the turbo and (unrelated) where the PCV is vented (i.e. not into the turbo inlet for emissions).

Obviously, running it 'cold side' doesn't work well at all with a blow-off valve, you'd need a CBV.

Everything I've done was just MAP based (Megasquirt). WHich makes it easier in some respects, harder in others.

 

[kolelt]

How did the 4xinnovations transmission mount fit ?

 

[RikTT]

I opened this thread expecting to see a 2J/R154. Really sweet looking rig all around brother. Props to you

12.5 AFR/WOT ... Tad high/starting to lean ? Or relying on the Meth ?

 

[Tinigunner11]

That is the cleanest 5vz turbo set up I’ve seen. Mad props to you. Can’t wait to see more of your rig!

 

[Joelzy]

sooooooo nice, I would love to turbo mine but maybe later. Any pics of how the dog cage mounts? That is something i'll be needing to do for sure!

amazing truck! :yo:

 

[T4R2014]

Man oh man, this is done so right.

Maybe this is the most absurd question to get asked, but here goes:

The rear fender flares. Did you install those? I only saw them once and thought it was a one-off 3D print. Normally the flare piece stops before the rear bumper, and there is a separate mud flap for the rear bumper. This one is a smooth one-piece transition.

 

[CRB Racing]

What ECU are you using to tune? Injector size?
Ever had it on the dyno?

 

[Scramble]

More info/pics on the dog cage mounts please! Great build!

Most new & almost completed builds from non posting members usually get no love but this one deserves it!

 

[97t4r81]

This rig is amazing. What a great job. Looks stock in the best way

 

[cf_z_]

Thanks for all the compliments.

Have you had it on a dyno to see the numbers yet?

I have not, it would be exciting to see what it actually puts down. It makes plenty enough power to maintain an 80mph speed limit fully loaded thru some serious mountain grades, and that was my main concern. I'll probably have a 1/4 mile run time before a dyno, though

You can always tell when a mechanic owns (and cares about) a car. The work looks very tidy.

Also - what notch are you on for your 6112s?

Thank you.. i stil think its a bit cluttered though, ha! I need to get some decent photos of the piping, the heat wrap took me some time.

I BELIEVE i am on the 5th from bottom on drivers side and 4th from bottom on passenger side. I am on work travel, i'll confirm in a few days.

Nice neat work on the charge piping. I take it the header is also front CX Racing?

Thanks. I've turbo'd a few cars now, and always struggle to route all piping ahead of the radiator and heat sources. I'm not stoked on having the piping go back right passed the turbine, but it is what it is. It doesnt get that hot apparently, the cruise cable shows no signs of melting... and that is my gauge lol.

The entire hot pipe kit (headers, crossover, collector/turbo mount, downpipe and wastegate dump) is the CX racing kit made for a tacoma. It fit INCREDIBLY well for the price. I did not have to make any real modifications (no cuts, no bending, no re-welds) to get it all to bolt on. I did choose to change the wastegate mounts to a V band and route the wastegate tube back into the exhaust.

How many miles have you put on it so far?

I've seen some issues in the past with MSAF cars running a 'hot' MAF (post turbo) due to oil fouling. It only takes a tiny bit of oil. I guess it depends on the turbo and (unrelated) where the PCV is vented (i.e. not into the turbo inlet for emissions).

Obviously, running it 'cold side' doesn't work well at all with a blow-off valve, you'd need a CBV.

Everything I've done was just MAP based (Megasquirt). WHich makes it easier in some respects, harder in others.

I've put about 30k miles on the turbo setup.

The MAF and PCV placement are good topics. Took me a bit to decide/engineer the PCV system, but i'm very happy with how it turned out. Like you mentioned, one of the more regular ways to PCV with a turbo is to run the line to the turbo inlet, which in theory always has some negative pressure, coupled with the slash cut inlet to pull the crankcase gasses out. This in turn sends the nasty oily gas downstream to the MAF as well as the combustion chamber. Not so good.

I used a slash cut in the exhaust to draw a vacuum on the line to pull the gas out of the crankcase. Basically i have a small filter on one bank valve cover for fresh air. Its drawn thru this port, sucked out of the other valve cover via AN fittings and routed into a sealed and baffled catch can. Out of the catch can thru a one way valve and out to the slash cut exhaust insert that is drawing the vacuum and running the whole system. It works better than I though. Emptying the catch can at every oil change (5k ish miles) turns out about 5fl oz/150mL of milky oil/water.

My turbo does send thru a decent amount of oil. Most seems to pool and exit at the blow off valve and i assume the rest has puddled in the intercooler. I've never had any oil residue in the MAF or charge pipes near it. I do, however, clean the MAF pretty regularly.

Sorry for the long winded answer.

How did the 4xinnovations transmission mount fit ?

Pretty good. Made a nice difference in shifting feel both clutch and lever. Price well for a customer motor mount.
If i could find a set of motor mounts that use the same style mounts (round polyurethane style) i'd almost certainly buy them.

I opened this thread expecting to see a 2J/R154. Really sweet looking rig all around brother. Props to you

12.5 AFR/WOT ... Tad high/starting to lean ? Or relying on the Meth ?

While i acknowledge that it is higher than the typical target tune, truthfully I am not worried one bit. At such low boost i personally dont think its very critical to get into the 11's, at least with this motor.

I did a ton of reading about how most superchargers ping these motors to hell, so i was a bit worried. I have not one time experienced any pinging on mine. I drove it for a very long time without the addition of meth. WOT would net high 13s-low 14s. It did not ping in this setup either, but i never felt comfortable doing it.
Once adding the meth injection my AFRS dropped and remained steady thru the who RPM range. It certainly felt more peppy, my assumption is the factory ECU was able to restore some timing netting me a bit more power.

Man oh man, this is done so right.

Maybe this is the most absurd question to get asked, but here goes:

The rear fender flares. Did you install those? I only saw them once and thought it was a one-off 3D print. Normally the flare piece stops before the rear bumper, and there is a separate mud flap for the rear bumper. This one is a smooth one-piece transition.

So i've wondered the same thing. The truck came with this fender setup. I really like them and honestly dislike the built in mudflap ones. I will ask the previous owner if she bought them aftermarket or what.

What ECU are you using to tune? Injector size?
Ever had it on the dyno?

It is on the factory computer. The only aftermarket fueling (if you can call it that) is an AEM Meth injection with their smallest available nozzle mounted in the 90* elbow before the throttle body.

More info/pics on the dog cage mounts please! Great build!
Most new & almost completed builds from non posting members usually get no love but this one deserves it!

sooooooo nice, I would love to turbo mine but maybe later. Any pics of how the dog cage mounts? That is something i'll be needing to do for sure!

So the cage is just 1/4" stainless rod that was measured, cut and welded to the liftgate pinch weld around the glass opening. I had to pull all seals / trim out, and notch out both the seal and trim to re install. The power rear window was the push for me to buy this model truck, so i could design and install the cage. I can try to get some more detailed photos of it.
We take our dogs everywhere. Its nice to be able to have that window fully down, front windows cracked, and the dogs are safe / comfy in the car on not super hot days.

 

[Joelzy]

So the cage is just 1/4" stainless rod that was measured, cut and welded to the liftgate pinch weld around the glass opening. I had to pull all seals / trim out, and notch out both the seal and trim to re install. The power rear window was the push for me to buy this model truck, so i could design and install the cage. I can try to get some more detailed photos of it.
We take our dogs everywhere. Its nice to be able to have that window fully down, front windows cracked, and the dogs are safe / comfy in the car on not super hot days.

Exactly what i needed to know! We take our three with us a lot and with the addition of the 4runner i'm rebuilding we'll have a lot more room to take them more often. Also planning a move to UT relatively soon and that will definitely be necessary then.

thank you!

 

[JohnMc]

I'll probably have a 1/4 mile run time before a dyno, though

Trap speed combined with an accurate weight is more accurate than a dyno anyhow! Dynos can lie (either on purpose or on accident), but it's hard to cheat on that trap speed.