NachoPitt's 1999 Build/Maintenance Thread
- Thread starter NachoPitt
- Start date
rickashay
New member
Weird I thought I replied in here last night regarding the tires... stupid iphone.
Go with the Duratracs! I have never ran them on my truck but I wheel with a TON of people who do and they seem to be the best tire at doing EVERYTHING good. I would choose them over BFG AT's because they have larger voids between the lugs so they will clean out better in mud/deep snow and have a ton of siping. My experience with the BFG A/Ts was terrible. They were barely quieter than my KM2's on the highway, they were terrible on ice/light snow. Oh did I mention they SUCK in mud and deep snow? lol needless to say, I hated them.
Go with the Duratracs! I have never ran them on my truck but I wheel with a TON of people who do and they seem to be the best tire at doing EVERYTHING good. I would choose them over BFG AT's because they have larger voids between the lugs so they will clean out better in mud/deep snow and have a ton of siping. My experience with the BFG A/Ts was terrible. They were barely quieter than my KM2's on the highway, they were terrible on ice/light snow. Oh did I mention they SUCK in mud and deep snow? lol needless to say, I hated them.
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I am up in the NE Heights - I think I saw your truck the other day heading up Alameda. Great looking rig!
The ISR Mod hardware would be great - I think it will help the "butt dyno" better justify the 285s I am about to burden my truck with.
Thanks! I was considering the KM2s in 255 (they look great on LC wheels) but I am gonna go with the Duratracs - I think their inclement weather performance will help me a bit more with the Spartan than other tires will.
ALBPM
New member
Cool!!! 285's!!!
I'm up by Indian School and Tramway and work at Intel so it was probably me you saw heading up Alameda.
ISR Mod and a free flow muffler should help regain the fuel mileage lost to the 285 tires.
[size=+2]
Small update - I cleaned up the FZJ wheels last night - Sprayed them with Simple Green, then gave them a bath in some warms soapy water and finally hit them with my DA polisher and some Meguiars 66 and a cheap terry cloth pad. They cleaned up pretty nice with the exception of the chipped clear coat. I can see myself in each one. I have decided that I am going to leave them. If I refinish them I will have a heart attack the first time they get a chip or scratch. I built the truck the way I want so that I wouldn't hesitate to use it. Besides, the majority of the finish is still Toyota and there is nothing I could do myself (or probably even paying someone) that would replicate the durability of that finish. I am still going to repaint the center caps (maybe black? opinions?) when I get the other two next week.
Sorry for the crappy pics. My camera isn't so great in low light conditions.
Polished on left, as-received condition on the right
Clean on the right, as-received on the left
New tires this weekend, along with the little project below - Valve cover gaskets and new wires are enroute - Going to replace them, add some new plugs and clean up the TB. New tires will also give me a chance to check my previous work after a hundred miles or so. Nothing appears to be leaking so far (axle seals, brakes, diffs or transfer case).
FZJ 80 Wheels
[/size]Small update - I cleaned up the FZJ wheels last night - Sprayed them with Simple Green, then gave them a bath in some warms soapy water and finally hit them with my DA polisher and some Meguiars 66 and a cheap terry cloth pad. They cleaned up pretty nice with the exception of the chipped clear coat. I can see myself in each one. I have decided that I am going to leave them. If I refinish them I will have a heart attack the first time they get a chip or scratch. I built the truck the way I want so that I wouldn't hesitate to use it. Besides, the majority of the finish is still Toyota and there is nothing I could do myself (or probably even paying someone) that would replicate the durability of that finish. I am still going to repaint the center caps (maybe black? opinions?) when I get the other two next week.
Sorry for the crappy pics. My camera isn't so great in low light conditions.
Polished on left, as-received condition on the right
Clean on the right, as-received on the left
New tires this weekend, along with the little project below - Valve cover gaskets and new wires are enroute - Going to replace them, add some new plugs and clean up the TB. New tires will also give me a chance to check my previous work after a hundred miles or so. Nothing appears to be leaking so far (axle seals, brakes, diffs or transfer case).
rickashay
New member
Wow man those wheels came out great! I vote for matching the dark portions of the wheels with the center caps then painted the Toyota emblem silver to match the rest of the wheels. I think that would look great on your white rig!
Oohhh, valve cover gaskets. I also need to do this. Is there anything else along the way your going to replace while your in there? I may have to steal all those OEM PN#'s from you. Great work!
Oohhh, valve cover gaskets. I also need to do this. Is there anything else along the way your going to replace while your in there? I may have to steal all those OEM PN#'s from you. Great work!
I think we have a winner - I like that idea!
I thought this engine maintenance would be a good time to clean the MAF and TB, plugs, PCV and PCV gasket, plug wires, and the gaskets themselves - I will also give the ISR mod a shot. When it is finished I am going to detail the engine compartment.
Anything else you think I should do?
I just changed ALL of the fluids in the truck when I did the front/rear end. I am also going to bleed the brakes again, check for leaks/loose components and put on the new tires.
[size=+2]Valve Cover Gasket Replacement
[/size]Last weekend, I decided to tackle the leaky valve covers. I was not able to stop them from leaking by just tightening the bolts. I was quoted at a couple of places between 450-525 to replace the gaskets. The replacement isn't difficult, just tedious. I also was curious to see the valvetrain after ~195k. I have been through about 10 oil changes since I got it and wanted to check for buildup or other sludge. The parts collectively were about $100, sourced online. The major part of replacing the gaskets are labor. I ordered the following parts from Toyota:
1213-62020 Valve Cover Gasket (2)
90210-05007 - Washer Seals (16)
11188-62010 - Camshaft Plugs (2)
11193-70010 Spark Plug Gasket (6)
PNPTR2960030 - TRD Throttle Body Gasket
17176-62040 PCV Grommet
12204-62010 PCV Valve
90979-01192 Spark Plug (6)
19037-62010 Spark Plug Wires (1)
Throttle Body Cleaner
Black Gasket in a tube
Acetone
Couple of cans of brake cleaner (always on stand by)
The operation was pretty straightforward. To save time and frustration, I labeled every vacuum hose, electrical connection and took a pic of the label so I wouldn't forget. There are about 15 of them and keeping them in order was a huge concern while doing this. Once marked, start at the airbox and work backwards, disassembling each piece.
I knew from the outset that my PCV was malfunctioning - it was pretty obvious just looking at the passenger side valve cover.
Having previously tightened this bolt and cleaned it, the oil covering it was a good indication that my halfmoons were leaking and needed to be resealed.
You can see the intake removed and some of the labels. The PCV was clogged and spewing oil.
Another shot of passenger valve cover.
Once you get to the throttle body, you might as well clean it. This one wasn't as bad as I have seen in the past. Remember to plug the coolant hoses after removing them. I stuck a couple of 12mm bolts in there and clamped them and they were fine.
Not horrible but could be cleaned up a bit
The intake had a nice oily sheen to it, again due to the failed PCV valve and broken grommet. A can of brake cleaner later and it was clean again. Once both the upper and lower manifolds are removed, put tape over the holes in the valley pan to keep stuff from falling in there.
Finally got to the money shot. My harness was cracked badly on both sides - the result of heat cycling. After moving it as carefully as I could, I still ended up with small bits of plastic in the valve-train I spent a good 30 minutes making sure it was spotless before the valve cover went back on. I was impressed with the color and the lack of sludge. The half moons and camshaft seals at the back of the head were leaking badly. I gently removed them, cleaned them up (you can never use enough acetone) and added a very thick bead of Black Gasket in a Tube and stuck them back in. Be generous with the stuff - too little and they will start leaking again. Once both half moons were gasketed in place, you have about two minutes to get the cover back on. I started tightening the bolts, inside first working out in a star pattern (like tightening lug nuts) and torqued them all first of 40 in/lbs, then to the recommended 52 using the same pattern.
Passenger side vavletrain
The driver side was pretty similar. No sludge. Some plastic bits did fall in the head so it was cleaned spotless before the valve cover was replaced. The half-moons were dealt with in the same manner as the passenger side.
Upon reassembly I cleaned up the throttle body. A soft bristle brush and some throttle body cleaner made it good as new. When I replaced the throttle body, I used the TRD gasket. This gasket is included with the supercharger and is perfectly round. The factory gasket has more of a "D" shape to it. I don't know if it impedes enough air to make a difference, but for $7 it is the same price as the factory gasket so replacing was easy. TRD says the gasket it is good for 7-8hp in a supercharged application so it maybe 1-2 in an NA application. I also replaced the PCV grommet and PCV valve - no more blowback!
Factory on the ride, TRD on the left. Note the perfect circle that the TRD gasket has compared to the factory gasket.
Once all buttoned up, I changed the plugs and wires. Plugs looked clean and didn't show any moisture or oil. Thanks to marking the lines and connectors everything went back together just fine. A couple of lines had hardened. I used silicon spray to soften them and put them back. My garage is unheated and it was about 50 degrees when I did this. I used my heat gun to warm up the hoses prior to putting them on their respective nipples. Truck started up fine and didn't throw a single code. I spent about 5 hours over two days replacing these - about on par with what a shop would take.
Money saving - Doing this again, I would have done a couple of things different. I purchased sparkplug tube gaskets and they didn't need to be replacing A quick search of the tubes revealed that most peoples tubes never leak. I skipped replacing them on mine. The manifold gaskets are reusable. There seems to be a debate about this in some of the threads I researched. Be gentle and they will be fine.
Also of note - Before diving into this, I picked up the ISR mod from ALBPM. He helped develop this back in 2002 and ran this for a while before upgrading to another intake. I painted it flat black, baked it, cleared it, baked it and installed it. It does make the engine louder; the engine does seem to be more responsive. Running 286/75/16s (see next post) with new plugs, wires, the deckplate mod, ISR and a clean airfilter has netted me 18-19.5 mpg with my 4.10 gears. Long term will be interesting.
[size=+2]285/16/75 Duratracs
[/size]After much internal debate (and debate with other people), I went decided to mount some 285/75/16 Duratracs on my "refurbished" FZJ80 wheels. I considered the 276/75/16s but didn't want a tire that was too small. I took the wheels down to my local discount and after a lot of haggling ended up with a pretty good deal on them. I was pretty hesitant after hearing about MPG woes with 4.10s. My truck is a DD and regularly sees around 300 miles a week. Gas prices as they are (in addition to possibly having a pokey truck) put me on the fence. I am glad I went with the 285s. The guys at discount got them mounted and balanced (with stick-on weights inside the wheels) and I picked them up to put on the truck myself.
A couple of notes here. I did have to mount the fronts with a .25 inch spacer. I am running 199mm Tundra brakes and the wheels don't clear the calipers without a spacer. With the spacer in place, I had enough thread engagement to feel comfortable without longer studs. My spacers came from Autozone and were about $15 for a pair. I don't seem to have any balancing problems with them. I am only running them on the front.
The higher rated sidewall and overall size has helped my truck significantly Where before I was on the fence with the LC springs in the rear, the back has settled down considerably. The rear of the truck no longer bounces or dances when hitting bumps (my dog appreciates this more than me, I am sure). The Spartan functions much better with bigger tires (it has a tendency to lock all the time with smaller tires) and engagement of the locker is smoother and quieter.
I am running 37.5 lbs in the front and 35 in the rear. The chalk test said that this was a good pressure to start at. I will play around more with pressure as I add more weight to the truck. The tires are very quiet considering what they are - most of the time the ISR mod drowns them out. My scanguage is reporting 18-19.5 mpg adjusted for the tires. I pounded the pinchwelds, sprayed them with undercoating and trimmed the front valance - I haven't had any problems with rubbing, even compressed at full lock.
The truck is noticeably taller (duh) than it was before all the modifications but still easily clears my normal height garage (that would have been a deal breaker for me). My dog will have to work on jumping in the back as he has missed a time or two but he will be fine. I will need some sliders to help get in/out the truck - not that it is too high but I am kinda short.
I had the truck aligned after the new tires were installed. I went to Albuquerque Tire and asked for Mark as recommended by a couple of people here (notably BFAD). Mark did an awesome job and the truck aligned within Toyota's spec. It tracks straight (about an 1/8 mile on the highway at 65). I was very impressed with the alignment and will be going back there as needed.
Here are some pics mounted up at the local 4 wheel park/dirt area place. I was impressed with the amount of flex the suspension has. I realize that the skidplate aren't on - they are going to be cleaned and re-installed soon. I broke the energy suspension rear swaybar mount (going to back to stock) during my little excursion - not impressed with the energy stuff that much. I also discovered that I need to re-clock my springs as the ball joints make a neat "zzzzooonnngggg" sound when they hit the spring. I also need to finish up the centercaps and get them on the truck.
quicksilvr
New member
Looks fantastic with the wheels/tires. Great job with documenting all the maintenance. I try to go through my rigs the same way, although I haven't ever been quite as thorough as you were. :bigok:
Very Glad! Time to get back to the important things in life - like enjoying my 4runner!
I have a horrible memory and the camera and my notes help a lot. I always get a lot from this forum and try to return the same.
Thanks! I am glad to have it done. Albuquerque Tire was awesome - their attention to detail and the amount of time they took was impressive. They could have just got it in spec and called it a day but Mark spent a lot of time adjusting a lot of stuff - panhard bar included.
BlackCat914
New member
where did you pick up those front mudflaps?
204k Update
About time for an update. I have driven my 4runner in it's current iteration for the past 7 months without a problem. The truck does great in inclement weather, gets decent mileage and most importantly, starts every time I turn the key. I currently have 204k on it. I am getting ready for a timing belt/water pump service (about the only thing I won't do on my truck). On to the random stuff.
I did manage to get my 285/75/16 stuffed up under the rear bumper. I wouldn't ask my grandmother to get it out but it will come down with some coaxing. I basically deflated it to around 10-12 lbs. I bought a MV-50 pump and it inflates in it about 4 minutes.
After being away from the forums for a while, I came back to find that 4Ripcord was taking his truck back to stock and selling off parts. He kindly agreed to swap me some cash and additional labor for his super low mileage 4.30 front and rear e-locker. Despite having done an extensive rebuild on my own rear axle less than 10k miles ago, the chance to have the legendary elocker was far too great.
Today we swapped out both front and rear. Note: Despite all estimates, it does take more than 6 hours. Time was pretty tight so there wasn't a lot of camera time. Also, I wasn't too interested in documenting this as there are tons of great walkthroughs on e-locker retrofit and front diff swaps. <b>Personal Note: Jim (Ripcord) is a all around great guy and really knows his 4runners. Excellent guy to wrench with.</b>
<center><i>
Out with the old....
In with the new.
Both front diffs. 1999 is on the left. 2001 on the right. Note the vacuum actuator on the 1999 and the electric actuator on the 2001. 4 bolts hold the actuator on both and are a straight swap.</i></center>
Post-swap, everything runs smoothly. No binding, funny vibrations or other gremlins. My ABS light is on;a good bleeding of the brake system should fix that. All that is left to do install the locker harness and I should be ready to rock.
About time for an update. I have driven my 4runner in it's current iteration for the past 7 months without a problem. The truck does great in inclement weather, gets decent mileage and most importantly, starts every time I turn the key. I currently have 204k on it. I am getting ready for a timing belt/water pump service (about the only thing I won't do on my truck). On to the random stuff.
I did manage to get my 285/75/16 stuffed up under the rear bumper. I wouldn't ask my grandmother to get it out but it will come down with some coaxing. I basically deflated it to around 10-12 lbs. I bought a MV-50 pump and it inflates in it about 4 minutes.
After being away from the forums for a while, I came back to find that 4Ripcord was taking his truck back to stock and selling off parts. He kindly agreed to swap me some cash and additional labor for his super low mileage 4.30 front and rear e-locker. Despite having done an extensive rebuild on my own rear axle less than 10k miles ago, the chance to have the legendary elocker was far too great.
Today we swapped out both front and rear. Note: Despite all estimates, it does take more than 6 hours. Time was pretty tight so there wasn't a lot of camera time. Also, I wasn't too interested in documenting this as there are tons of great walkthroughs on e-locker retrofit and front diff swaps. <b>Personal Note: Jim (Ripcord) is a all around great guy and really knows his 4runners. Excellent guy to wrench with.</b>
<center><i>
Out with the old....
In with the new.
Both front diffs. 1999 is on the left. 2001 on the right. Note the vacuum actuator on the 1999 and the electric actuator on the 2001. 4 bolts hold the actuator on both and are a straight swap.</i></center>
Post-swap, everything runs smoothly. No binding, funny vibrations or other gremlins. My ABS light is on;a good bleeding of the brake system should fix that. All that is left to do install the locker harness and I should be ready to rock.
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BigFishAllDay
New member
Jim told me you guys were considering a deal on this, and I'm glad to see it worked out.
I've been wondering about you/your rig, you kinda fell off the internet there for awhile.
I've been wondering about you/your rig, you kinda fell off the internet there for awhile.
