possible future decisions?

[Nimic13]

hello T4R!

so i got a few questions and things id like to get answered here and hopefully you all could be of assistance. im sure theres other write ups with some of this general info but im just trying to get to the point. I have a 96 limited that has about 237k miles. so i have some future plans for this 4runner im just not sure on what direction to take it. as of right now this is my daily and family off-roader. down the road the plan is to get another daily and then build this one up a little more but still be able to drive it around and take the family offroading and camping and yada yada. so here it goes:

1. best motor to swap in for more power but keeping the reliability factor and not 8mpg? i was even thinking along the lines of a imported toyota diesel but im thinking more of a plug and play would be good enough.

2. rebuild and supercharge? what supercharger kit would be best?

3. my 4runner is super sluggish up hills. which is pretty inconvenient being that we go to the mountains a bit to go snowboarding and camping. I have the ECT on too. it does NOT like getting up hills but will get up and go just fine on flat land and even moves a little faster than i thought it could. i dont have a Cold air intake on it yet but plan on doing that soon too. and suggestions?

im sure im missing some questions but lets start here and see what kinda imput i get! thank you all!

P.S. hope this is an ok thread for this. sorry if it isnt haha.:bounce:

 

[joe.greenhalgh1]

There is many informational threads at the head of the 3rd gen section. I would start there. I've spent nearly 6 hours of reading and learned so much and exactly what I want to do with my 97. Only you can make those decisions by learning and absorbing information.

1. I presume if you're talking about S/Cs that you've got a 3.4L, they're a solid engine, I know there's a few V8 swaps out there but you end up with a sort of Frankenstein with mismatched parts from all sorts of donor vehicles. Makes it harder to fix in some regards, and easier in others.

2. Super chargers are very appealing in my opinion, but it's a lot of work to get just a bit more power. In my opinion, you can get a decent amount of fun out of a solid tune up and some major maintenance, do the deck plate mod on the intake, maybe an exhaust. Should have more than enough power to turn 33s. Mines a little sluggish after going up to 33.1s but it'll pick up when I get the exhaust installed.

 

[I_bRAD]

You can't do the deckplate mod AND the cold air intake but if you do either, be sure to punch some speed holes in your muffler.

 

[Rock_Rat]

I have a 96 limited that has about 237k miles. ... build this one up a little more but still be able to drive it around and take the family offroading and camping... and yada yada. so here it goes:

I'm not sure what you mean by a "Little More." All that you speak of are actually major undertakings and cost plenty.

1 - Why swap a motor in it? Yours runs leave it alone as long as you can.
2 - Why rebuild? You'll gain nothing from a rebuild unless you're willing to drop some serious coin in the motor. You might gain a little more compression out of a "tired" motor. Even then...only when the time comes.
3 - These 4runners are not known for their speed and HP. There's not much you can do about that unless...

• Install an SC and EVERYTHING else that accompanies the install...
• Re-gear

Honestly, the Deck Plate mod and adding an Airraid does little for performance. (I've done both)

Driving up hills = ECT on and OD off. Just keep in mind, the more parasitic drag (weight) you add, including bigger tires, the harder it is on the engine and tranny. Just my own .02

EDIT: If your definition of "little more" means a major undertaking, then a V-8 swap with an SC and you'll have more power than you'll know what to do with. If you stick with the 3.4 then there's only one thing proven to give you the power gains you 're looking for - an SC (with the rest that goes along with an SC install)

 

[JBurt]

Read about Singtoe's and Alanflies v8 conversions, definitely not plug and play but I'm not sure there is a motor that is.

Get a good idea on the health of your motor. You can get an oil test here that will check lots of good stuff. Also a compression or leak down test is a good thing. Those will show if you really need a new engine.

Several people have had good luck with products like seafoam, MMO, and the like. Maybe you just need a good MotorVac treatment.

Good luck and enjoy the rig.

 

[Nimic13]

There is many informational threads at the head of the 3rd gen section. I would start there. I've spent nearly 6 hours of reading and learned so much and exactly what I want to do with my 97. Only you can make those decisions by learning and absorbing information.

1. I presume if you're talking about S/Cs that you've got a 3.4L, they're a solid engine, I know there's a few V8 swaps out there but you end up with a sort of Frankenstein with mismatched parts from all sorts of donor vehicles. Makes it harder to fix in some regards, and easier in others.

2. Super chargers are very appealing in my opinion, but it's a lot of work to get just a bit more power. In my opinion, you can get a decent amount of fun out of a solid tune up and some major maintenance, do the deck plate mod on the intake, maybe an exhaust. Should have more than enough power to turn 33s. Mines a little sluggish after going up to 33.1s but it'll pick up when I get the exhaust installed.

I actually just read and found how to do the deckplate mod. That's happening asap. I already have the flowmaster super 44 on it. So I think the deckplate should help a bit too?

 

[Nimic13]

You can't do the deckplate mod AND the cold air intake but if you do either, be sure to punch some speed holes in your muffler.

I am going with the deck plate mod. And what do you mean by speed holes? [emoji38]

 

[Nimic13]

I'm not sure what you mean by a "Little More." All that you speak of are actually major undertakings and cost plenty.

1 - Why swap a motor in it? Yours runs leave it alone as long as you can.
2 - Why rebuild? You'll gain nothing from a rebuild unless you're willing to drop some serious coin in the motor. You might gain a little more compression out of a "tired" motor. Even then...only when the time comes.
3 - These 4runners are not known for their speed and HP. There's not much you can do about that unless...

• Install an SC and EVERYTHING else that accompanies the install...
• Re-gear

Honestly, the Deck Plate mod and adding an Airraid does little for performance. (I've done both)

Driving up hills = ECT on and OD off. Just keep in mind, the more parasitic drag (weight) you add, including bigger tires, the harder it is on the engine and tranny. Just my own .02

EDIT: If your definition of "little more" means a major undertaking, then a V-8 swap with an SC and you'll have more power than you'll know what to do with. If you stick with the 3.4 then there's only one thing proven to give you the power gains you 're looking for - an SC (with the rest that goes along with an SC install)

Little more than it is. I already have the OME kit and 33s so I'm thinking future of new suspension kit(undecided of what one or when) and clearance modding. I guess a swap isn't looking so nice after all. I've been reading up a lot since I posted this so I get that direction. Only reason I said rebuild is because if I did go with a SC then I feel pushing more power out of 250k miles(which is what it will by at by the time I do that probably) would be asking for problems, so rebuild could help the longevity...?

 

[Nimic13]

Read about Singtoe's and Alanflies v8 conversions, definitely not plug and play but I'm not sure there is a motor that is.

Get a good idea on the health of your motor. You can get an oil test here that will check lots of good stuff. Also a compression or leak down test is a good thing. Those will show if you really need a new engine.

Several people have had good luck with products like seafoam, MMO, and the like. Maybe you just need a good MotorVac treatment.

Good luck and enjoy the rig.

Yeah I guess I should just test everything and get it all cleaned up and tuned up and then go from there.

Thank you all for the input!! I'm new to the 4Runner/offroad world but been working on cars for a long time so just going to have to figure it all out one way or another!

 

[Bry838]

I am going with the deck plate mod. And what do you mean by speed holes? [emoji38]

That deck plate mod really isnt beneficial at all. Unless youre looking for more intake noise, in this case you cant go wrong! It allows alot more hot air directly from the engine compartment to be sucked in, exactly what you dont really want. You also now have a much bigger orifice to allow more bugs and debris to get inside the airbox...

 

[KidVermicious]

I am going with the deck plate mod. And what do you mean by speed holes? [emoji38]

He means in terms of gaining power, a "cold air" intake or deckplate mod are about as useful as putting holes in your muffler. Do a little research before you spaz out on your truck (here's a freebie, your factory air intake sucks in cold air, a "cold air intake" does not).

Your truck is slow up the hills because of your 33 inch tires. You need to read up on differential gear ratios, the stickies at the top of the forum are a great place to start.

 

[Nimic13]

He means in terms of gaining power, a "cold air" intake or deckplate mod are about as useful as putting holes in your muffler. Do a little research before you spaz out on your truck (here's a freebie, your factory air intake sucks in cold air, a "cold air intake" does not).



Your truck is slow up the hills because of your 33 inch tires. You need to read up on differential gear ratios, the stickies at the top of the forum are a great place to start.

Yeah Ima look into that. I have the mobile forum so it's annoying looking for stickies on here haha but thanks for the info!