Official Bay Area MOD/MEET/GREET Thread
- Thread starter infamousRNR
- Start date
mikey's2010SR5
New member
infamousRNR
Senior Member
JerkyDrewster
Member
I won't be in town then unfortunately! Maybe [MENTION=105159]rossgoldie[/MENTION]?
rossgoldie
New member
I would if I didn't have way too much school work holding me back in SLO
Aznwolf118
Member
If I get my radiator fixed I might be able to make it
infamousRNR
Senior Member
Well [MENTION=126883]Diezel[/MENTION]
It looks like it may just be us 2...
Bump for any other Bay Area folks.
San Jose mod/meet day.. This upcoming Sunday
It looks like it may just be us 2...
Bump for any other Bay Area folks.
San Jose mod/meet day.. This upcoming Sunday
Loud Runner
New member
I can probably make it Sunday
infamousRNR
Senior Member
i will PM you my phone number...
anyone else in the bay interested in getting together in 2 days? (sunday) in snap jose area?
Loud Runner
New member
[MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] getting down on the Satoshi grill mod!
mtbtim
Elite Member
I'm a Bay Area native and would like to join this group. Anyone in the area have a repair or modification they want to do? Looks like a great opportunity to share knowledge and learn. I bought my 2000 4runner a couple years ago and have done things like fluid changes, fuel filter replacement, spark plugs and wires replacement, front and rear shock replacement, AF and O2 sensor replacement, front rotor and brake pad replacement, and most recently the valve cover gasket job including replacing cam plugs, resealing half moons and replacing spark plug seals.
I did have the common rear axle seal problem with these 3rd Gens and I'm kicking myself for not doing more research for the job before getting bent over at the dealership. After reading I would either have to bring the axles to a machine shop or the dealership to get the retainers, ABS ring and bearings off the axles, and hearing some of the experiences people had with machine shops pressing on the parts wrong or scoring the axle while cutting off the parts, I decided to just let the dealership do it because I figured they would do the repair right. But, I was wrong. Luckily, I followed [MENTION=78997]Drcoffee[/MENTION] suggestion on this forum and pulled the ABS sensors to see if any gear oil was getting past the seals. The driver side was already showing signs of leaking after only 500 miles. I took it back to the dealership and had them recheck the retainer placement by doing the grease test and the seal was barely riding on the retainer. I had them flip the retainers around like [MENTION=78997]Drcoffee[/MENTION] suggested in his repair thread and finally the job was done right. What I learned from this is even a supposed expert Toyota mechanic couldn't even get the repair right. After doing more research, I could have bought a 20 ton press from Harbor Freight for $200, got a Durasolid tool for around $140 and also bought a bearing splitter set from Harbor Freight for another $50, and could have done the job myself and still saved money while gaining all the tools. I hate admitting it, but I paid $1500 for this repair but it did include doing the rear brakes as well. As some of you know, Bay Area hourly repair rates are high and the dealerships are the worst. I think Stevens Creek Toyota's hourly rate is $150. Most good independent shops are probably in the $100-$120 range.
I'd be willing to help 3rd Gen owners in the area and even host a repair/mod day at my house. I have a decent amount of tools but no air compressor. I do however have a battery powered impact gun that can take off lug nuts with ease.
Anyway, any Bay Area locals have a good repair or mod they've been meaning to do?
I did have the common rear axle seal problem with these 3rd Gens and I'm kicking myself for not doing more research for the job before getting bent over at the dealership. After reading I would either have to bring the axles to a machine shop or the dealership to get the retainers, ABS ring and bearings off the axles, and hearing some of the experiences people had with machine shops pressing on the parts wrong or scoring the axle while cutting off the parts, I decided to just let the dealership do it because I figured they would do the repair right. But, I was wrong. Luckily, I followed [MENTION=78997]Drcoffee[/MENTION] suggestion on this forum and pulled the ABS sensors to see if any gear oil was getting past the seals. The driver side was already showing signs of leaking after only 500 miles. I took it back to the dealership and had them recheck the retainer placement by doing the grease test and the seal was barely riding on the retainer. I had them flip the retainers around like [MENTION=78997]Drcoffee[/MENTION] suggested in his repair thread and finally the job was done right. What I learned from this is even a supposed expert Toyota mechanic couldn't even get the repair right. After doing more research, I could have bought a 20 ton press from Harbor Freight for $200, got a Durasolid tool for around $140 and also bought a bearing splitter set from Harbor Freight for another $50, and could have done the job myself and still saved money while gaining all the tools. I hate admitting it, but I paid $1500 for this repair but it did include doing the rear brakes as well. As some of you know, Bay Area hourly repair rates are high and the dealerships are the worst. I think Stevens Creek Toyota's hourly rate is $150. Most good independent shops are probably in the $100-$120 range.
I'd be willing to help 3rd Gen owners in the area and even host a repair/mod day at my house. I have a decent amount of tools but no air compressor. I do however have a battery powered impact gun that can take off lug nuts with ease.
Anyway, any Bay Area locals have a good repair or mod they've been meaning to do?
I'd be down for a meetup! I've been so busy with work the last few months, I need to catch up on some different stuff. If my friend and I aren't able to do the suspension maintenance I'm looking to do by the time we setup a new meet, I'll have plenty of work to do!
I'm thinking late Feb/March would be best...
op2:
I'm thinking late Feb/March would be best...
op2:
mtbtim
Elite Member
I'd be down for a meetup! I've been so busy with work the last few months, I need to catch up on some different stuff. If my friend and I aren't able to do the suspension maintenance I'm looking to do by the time we setup a new meet, I'll have plenty of work to do!
I'm thinking late Feb/March would be best...
Well, [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] needs to do the valve cover gasket job and you got some suspension maintenance to do. Due to garage space, unless someone has an empty 2 car garage available, we probably should schedule one vehicle at a time to work on and we can all learn from the experience. Maybe we could shoot for a once every couple month meet-up or something like that and we can concentrate on a different members rig each time.
What kind of suspension work are you planning on doing? I'd like to lift mine one day but I have it all stock for now other than some new Bilstein shocks I put on last year.
All of it! lol
New shocks, springs, UCA, LBJ, bushings, anything else. I don't think anything has been replaced in 17 years, so it all needs some love!
mtbtim
Elite Member
Sounds like a big job. I'd like to learn how to replace ball joints and other suspension related items. I did shocks on mine but nothing else. I was originally thinking of lifting it but decided to hold off because I'm not sure I really need a lift. However, lifts do make a rig look better but I'm more into function than aesthetics. Since I do carry lots of gear, I was looking for aftermarket springs that were stock height and stiffer but nobody makes them. From my research, I would have to lift it to get stiffer springs so I just left the old ones on. My truck only has 138,000 miles and I know the previous owners didn't load it down like I do so the springs still have some life in them. But, I may go for a lift in the future so I can run bigger tires and have more ground clearance.
I guess we'll have to figure out who's rig to work on first. It may be a good policy to work at the home of the person who's rig we're working on because it wouldn't be ideal if we ran into problems with a repair and then would have to leave our trucks at somebody's house other than our own. If there's a special repair that requires large tools like a press, that might be one of the exceptions we would do it at another person's house because it's not like we're going to transport a press or some other heavy piece of gear.
I was thinking it would be fair to work on a different person's rig each meeting to spread the wealth. Just throwing ideas out. What do you guys think?
mtbtim
Elite Member
If you decide to do the work at your friend's, I would be interested in being part of it if you guys don't mind me tagging along. I'm just all about learning so I can do more stuff on my own and save myself some money in the process. I also like the benefit of knowing the job was done right. Just trying to avoid what happened to me at the dealership where I paid a ton of money for the rear axle seal repair and then they didn't even do it correctly. It was the information on this forum that saved me from being stuck with a bad repair and out a bunch more money.
mtbtim
Elite Member
Repair Meetup this Thursday, Feb 11th
Hey Y'all [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] and I are going to tackle a valve cover gasket replacement on his truck. It will include replacing the cam plugs, resealing the half moons and replacing the spark plug tube grommets. We plan on videoing the job so we can share it with other DIY mechanics working on Toyota 3.4 liter V6 engines.
We plan on starting at 9am. If you're interested in joining in, PM me and I'll give you my address. I live in San Jose near Campbell. We'll have some beers and take a lunch break at some point. This will be a good learning experience for anyone wanting to tackle this job on their own truck. It is a weekday, so we don't expect many will be able to make it. Hopefully our video footage is good and we will have a more comprehensive tutorial for people to follow.
Hey Y'all [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] and I are going to tackle a valve cover gasket replacement on his truck. It will include replacing the cam plugs, resealing the half moons and replacing the spark plug tube grommets. We plan on videoing the job so we can share it with other DIY mechanics working on Toyota 3.4 liter V6 engines.
We plan on starting at 9am. If you're interested in joining in, PM me and I'll give you my address. I live in San Jose near Campbell. We'll have some beers and take a lunch break at some point. This will be a good learning experience for anyone wanting to tackle this job on their own truck. It is a weekday, so we don't expect many will be able to make it. Hopefully our video footage is good and we will have a more comprehensive tutorial for people to follow.
