NHRunner's 99 Highlander

[NHRunner]

Got my hands on another 4Runner.

Picked up this sweet 5speed '99 Highlander Gold Edition about a month ago. I had never heard of the "Gold Edition" until this came up on Craigslist. If it is a factory option (gold plated emblems, gold pinstripe, stick-on wood bezels) then maybe something should be mentioned in the '99 Mid-Gen Upgrade Sticky?

225000 miles, but still in very nice shape. Previous owner had it dealer maintained and detailed once or twice a year. The detailing really shows in the black paint. He must have washed it frequently too, as it still has very little surface rust on the underside despite 14 New England winters.

Here's a silly, dirty, rainy, oversaturated picture of her in northern ME on my way to school in Fredericton NB. My photography skills rival those of of a preteen with her first Canon.

This is a nice upgrade for me from my previous 4runner, a jade mica 5spd 4wd base model that now belongs to my younger brother, mistercmason. He recently did a neat little sub install.

This is now the third 4Runner in the family. I grew up in the backseat of my mom's '87. That, and the rear-facing seats of her Taurus wagon.

This thread is where I intend to post anything and everything related to this truck. I am open to ANY criticism of my repairs and mods. THANKS!

 

[THatfield]

Nice looking Runner. I spend a lot of time in NH. Love the Lakes Region/MWV.

 

[J. B.]

care to share the purchase price?

 

[NHRunner]

care to share the purchase price?

$4,000. PO was totally firm on the price. I think it was very fair given the condition.

 

[NHRunner]

Nice looking Runner. I spend a lot of time in NH. Love the Lakes Region/MWV.

My brother and I live around Lake Winnipesaukee. I grew up there and took it for granted until I moved away for a year and came back home. Realized why they call it the "Oldest Summer Resort in America" haha.

 

[NHRunner]

Within the first week of owning, I managed to back into a little birch on some trails near my house. The tree was just out of view due to my rearmost passenger pillar.

The only damage was to the taillight assembly.

<a href="http://s1288.photobucket.com/user/samwise94/media/4runner/024_zpsf1488ad1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b490/samwise94/4runner/024_zpsf1488ad1.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 024_zpsf1488ad1.jpg"/></a>

It has since been replaced with an aftermarket TYC assembly. This is a GREAT replacement part that matches the OEM color perfectly. Best of all, it was only $48 shipped to my door. This included the whole assembly, bulbs, and the harness. I was quoted $168 from the dealer for the whole assembly without bulbs.

 

[threadlessclimber]

Nice to see another NH Lakes region 4Runner--Meredith born and raised.

 

[THatfield]

I'm planning on driving my SR5 out when I visit my family in Ossipee in December. Perhaps you could show a flatlander some good places to wheel? :naughty:

Tough luck on the tail light. that would have been a great excuse for me to buy some LED tails, OP. :lol:

 

[NHRunner]

I'm planning on driving my SR5 out when I visit my family in Ossipee in December. Perhaps you could show a flatlander some good places to wheel? :naughty:

Tough luck on the tail light. that would have been a great excuse for me to buy some LED tails, OP. :lol:

Ossipee eh? Good chance I know your family. I went to high school with kids from the Ossipee area.

When youre here this summer, check out the Caverly Mtn/Devils Den area. Mostly easy class VI roads/ ATV trails with some nice hikes and a cave. Your Ossipee family must know about Devils Den. Pack a lunch and bring the family. The Powdermill Snowmobile Club sells a map that you might want if you want to explore. I cant make any commitments now, but I could make time this summer to guide a short day on the trails.:yo:

There is also slightly more difficult terrain on some trails in Wolfeboro. I would love to explore those with another 4x4.

These trails:

<a href="http://s1288.photobucket.com/user/samwise94/media/4runner/068_zps934c31a2.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b490/samwise94/4runner/068_zps934c31a2.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 068_zps934c31a2.jpg"/></a>



Here's the top of Caverly Mtn looking towards Ossipee. About 1 Mi drive and 2 Mi hike.

<a href="http://s1288.photobucket.com/user/samwise94/media/4runner/20130617_1352191_zps7063bd7b.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b490/samwise94/4runner/20130617_1352191_zps7063bd7b.jpg" border="0" alt="Lake Winni photo 20130617_1352191_zps7063bd7b.jpg"/></a>

 

[THatfield]

My family is relatively new to the area, we moved there about 7 years ago from the seacoast. I'm always down for hitting some trails, when I'm in the area I'll have to let you know.

 

[USMC0351]

Is it actually a "Gold Edition"? My '98 Ltd has Gold Emblems/Pinstripe and the wood grain looking interior, I thought this was all just optional items or part of the Ltd package? I see a lot of other yota models with the gold emblems, also.

 

[shadow247]

Is it actually a "Gold Edition"? My '98 Ltd has Gold Emblems/Pinstripe and the wood grain looking interior, I thought this was all just optional items or part of the Ltd package? I see a lot of other yota models with the gold emblems, also.

The "Gold Edition" is strictly a dealer add-on. You can not order the gold emblems from Toyota, nor do they have the stripe that is on most of the "Gold Edition" 4Runners.

 

[USMC0351]

Well that sucks, I need a new front grill emblem because mine is cracked from a rock impact lol. I guess I have a Gold Edition and was unaware!

 

[NHRunner]

So I haven't updated this in over a year. I've been busy pecking away at a big pile of parts that I ordered over Cyber Monday weekend.
Here's a picture for the time being.

 

[NHRunner]

So I have been chasing down a couple small problems.

I have a bad, but typical vibration between 60 and 70. I'm confident it is the rear ujoint. That will have to wait. I also struggled with my wandering steering at highway speeds. This has been entirely resolved by a new rack bushing kit from Napa.

Parts pile:

Rear O2 sensor: Denso 234-4153 for 99 Cali spec Manual 4wd
Upstream AFR sensor: Denso 234-9003 for 99 Cali spec Manual 4wd
Denso plugs
Fram fuel filter
NAPA rack bushing kit
Tundra rotors/pads/reman'd calipers from Autozone
Autozone shoe kit w/ hardware
Airlift 1000 kit
1 new rear Monroe replacement shock ($25, temporary)
32 oz dot 3
and some new Christmas tools.

 

[NHRunner]

I installed the airbags. It was a long night, and my first suspension work.

I unbolted the lower shock mounts, rear endlinks, and ebrake bracket. I took a ton of measurements of the coils at rest. If people want more picture, I can provide them.

Next, I cut off all but one of the pucks of the internal coil bumps. The directions say to cut them all off. I opted not to, given that I have a tiny bit more height already on 99 highlander coils.
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/130340379@N08/15533292063" title="20141227_210349 by Sam Mason, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7564/15533292063_3603946149_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="20141227_210349"></a>

Once I had the coils loaded and mounted again, I ran the rest of the lines. I chose to use the tee in an effort to not limit flex as much as individually inflated bags would. I ran the single line in through the rear passenger air vent and drilled a hole in the plastic for the valve. It works great and looks great. The ride has improved. I am still fine tuning the unloaded pressure that I like best.

20141231_141459 by samwisemason, on Flickr

 

[NHRunner]

The likely culprit of my bump steer:

I have a new set of 4 cheap RLCA bushings from PartsGeek(don't use PartsGeek...) ready to be pressed in when I find the time.

Also, I had new 265/75 Grabber AT2s mounted in August. I have put 75+ offroad miles on them, had them in snow&ice, and put about 1500 highway miles on them. I was originally worried about the E load range, but I've come to really enjoy it. I run them at a full 38-40 psi, and I'm really not bothered by how stiff they are. I run them around 20 psi for harder trails. I can't recommend these tires enough for people who are looking for a reasonably priced AT that holds up to snow and ice.

 

[NHRunner]

donuts ensued.

2015-02-10_10-05-58 by samwisemason, on Flickr

 

[NHRunner]

Installed a Superwinch Tigershark 9.5 on a Badlands winch plate. Had to do a little more cutting than I hoped because I didn't feel like reclocking or moving the solenoid, but it works. Once the fairlead is covered by my license plate, most people have no idea it's even there. It is mounted on top of the factory crash bumper. I know it's not the most secure way but I trust it more than my own welds with my little POS HF welder.

All mounted, unpainted. The end result is (6) 4" grade 8 bolts in shear, backed by a 3/8"thick x 30" piece of steel angle on the bottom of the factory crash bumper. I welded together the endcaps with the bumper. I put one decent bead along the inside edge of each frame endcap between the frame and cap to try to prevent movement there since those things are basically only tacked on. I also butted a 3" piece of angle to each baseplate of the bumper and welded those to the winch plate.

20150304_142408 by samwisemason, on Flickr

Had to cut, hammer, and reweld this part in order to get the plate to sit flush.

IMG_20150303_200526 by samwisemason, on Flickr

It held up to me winching on flat pavement with a little slush and the brakes locked up. I also have a snatch block in case I'm in a situation where I think I need to distribute half of the load to the tow points.

20150304_214858 by samwisemason, on Flickr

 

[NHRunner]

On another note, my 5 year old battery is on its last leg, so it doesn't like starting on the coldest days when my truck has sat for 4 or 5 days. But it's nothing a hard-mounted 1-2 amp battery maintainer won't fix haha. All I do is plug it in like a block heater when I get home. I have since been able to get rid of it, but it worked for the hardest starts on the most bitter cold February days.

20150216_154543 by samwisemason, on Flickr

And a snow wheeling picture just for kicks. This is an ungroomed rail trail so no one seems to mind if I take a cruise down it.

20150113_152344 by samwisemason, on Flickr