Ruby - 2006 V8 Sport

[Sean7]

Hi everyone,

my wife and I finally bought a 4Runner after months of looking around. It was borderline impossible to find a 4Runner with a clean frame near Chicago. We got lucky and found Ruby in Indiana! She is a 2006 V8 Sport and spent most of her life in Texas and Tennessee and has a solid frame. About 168K miles with a rough paint but mechanically runs great. Also sits on what appears to be Dobinsons suspension. Not sure what kind of exhaust is on it but it is pretty loud. Previous owner mentioned it was a brand called "Nameless", but I have not found any information on it.

The main reason my wife and I bought the 4Runner is for road trips as we travel a lot and we may ship it to Europe for our 6 month trip once everything turns back to normal.

First thing we would like to do is to replace the timing belt, water pump, and clutch fan just to be safe.

So far I have greased the driveshaft and replaced the air and cabin filter. Next on my list is the oil change and spark plugs (any recommendations?).

I have also just placed an order for the Atoto S8 Ultra headunit and will get that installed within the next week or so.

I will use this thread to post updates and ask any questions that may come up. Coming from a Versa and a 350Z, this is a whole new game to me and I'm learning a lot.

Thanks for reading!

 

[chrisbagnell]

Those wheels look so good :whoo:

 

[MrSeth]

Yay welcome aboard!

Smart move on the timing belt, water pump, and fan- did your 4Runner come with the original service manual with stamps at each service interval?

I recommend iridium spark plugs from NGK or Bosch btw- I've stuck with NGK for years without issue.

 

[apohl17]

Looking great! Definitely dig the color combo and the fact that it's a really solid platform to start with, lifted, on nice wheels, mechanically sound... Can't wait to see where you go with this beast!

 

[Ed_C]

That appears to be the OEM tailpipe and optional tip...previous owner might have just had the original main muffler chopped off and a smaller/louder one installed

The bronze/gold wheels look good with the red paint.

 

[Caldizzle]

Nice ride, I think the red 4th gens look great with just a few mods done over stock form. Enjoy the V8!

Yay welcome aboard!

Smart move on the timing belt, water pump, and fan- did your 4Runner come with the original service manual with stamps at each service interval?

I recommend iridium spark plugs from NGK or Bosch btw- I've stuck with NGK for years without issue.

I also use the NGK iridium plugs. The Aisin kit is the go to for TB change, along with Toyota thermostat and gasket. Pretty affordable over on Amazon.

I use Pennzoil Platinum high mileage 5w-30 on my car, solely based on Project Farm on YouTube and his oil comparison. I've sent my oil in a few times to Blackstone Labs and it's always come back fine. My interval is 7K miles, but could be extended. 5qt jugs are pretty affordable at Walmart.

 

[Sean7]

Those wheels look so good :whoo:

Thank you!

Yay welcome aboard!

Smart move on the timing belt, water pump, and fan- did your 4Runner come with the original service manual with stamps at each service interval?

I recommend iridium spark plugs from NGK or Bosch btw- I've stuck with NGK for years without issue.

Thank you! Unfortunately it did not, only thing I had was the carfax report and what the previous owner told me. And thanks for the recommendation!

Looking great! Definitely dig the color combo and the fact that it's a really solid platform to start with, lifted, on nice wheels, mechanically sound... Can't wait to see where you go with this beast!

Thanks man, appreciate it!

That appears to be the OEM tailpipe and optional tip...previous owner might have just had the original main muffler chopped off and a smaller/louder one installed

The bronze/gold wheels look good with the red paint.

Thank you!

Nice ride, I think the red 4th gens look great with just a few mods done over stock form. Enjoy the V8!

I also use the NGK iridium plugs. The Aisin kit is the go to for TB change, along with Toyota thermostat and gasket. Pretty affordable over on Amazon.

I use Pennzoil Platinum high mileage 5w-30 on my car, solely based on Project Farm on YouTube and his oil comparison. I've sent my oil in a few times to Blackstone Labs and it's always come back fine. My interval is 7K miles, but could be extended. 5qt jugs are pretty affordable at Walmart.

Great info, thank you so much. I just picked up the Pennzoil from Walmart based on your suggestion and hopefully will get to it this weekend

 

[oh24runner]

love the color combo of the red paint and gold wheels!

 

[little_titan]

Great find!

NGK all the way

I knew i was going to move to Chicagoland area 4 years ago. Therefore, i hunted for a 4runner While i was in TX, knowing well that finding a clean one in Chicago would be fruitless with the crazy winters.

Due to the Chicago weather im changing my oil twice per year in fall and spring w/ 6k-7k intervals with my Costco 5w-30 fully syn oil lol...

Btw how do u plan on Keeping your underbody protected against rust out here?

All the best!

 

[Sean7]

love the color combo of the red paint and gold wheels!

Thank you, appreciate the kind words!

Great find!

NGK all the way

I knew i was going to move to Chicagoland area 4 years ago. Therefore, i hunted for a 4runner While i was in TX, knowing well that finding a clean one in Chicago would be fruitless with the crazy winters.

Due to the Chicago weather im changing my oil twice per year in fall and spring w/ 6k-7k intervals with my Costco 5w-30 fully syn oil lol...

Btw how do u plan on Keeping your underbody protected against rust out here?

All the best!

Good call! I almost gave up looking for 4Runners as it was so hard to find a clean one.

It's funny that you asked about the undercoating. I am shopping around for that right now. I got a shop that quoted me $475 for undercoating and an extra $200 to clean the frame beforehand. Does that sound high? $675 total to clean and undercoat the frame?

They will use Corroseal for rust converter (1st step) and Tectyl 2102 for undercoat (2nd step). Then blast the frame with air and then spray with rust converter to stop the rust from spreading and seal it - turn into solid state. Then when its dry they spray the undercoating.

Thank you!

 

[Terminator03]

Thank you, appreciate the kind words!



Good call! I almost gave up looking for 4Runners as it was so hard to find a clean one.

It's funny that you asked about the undercoating. I am shopping around for that right now. I got a shop that quoted me $475 for undercoating and an extra $200 to clean the frame beforehand. Does that sound high? $675 total to clean and undercoat the frame?

They will use Corroseal for rust converter (1st step) and Tectyl 2102 for undercoat (2nd step). Then blast the frame with air and then spray with rust converter to stop the rust from spreading and seal it - turn into solid state. Then when its dry they spray the undercoating.

Thank you!

Can’t speak to the price, but if they are only doing the outside, you will gain nothing but a nice looking frame for awhile... the real problem with these frames is that they hold sand, salt, and water INSIDE with no place to go except through to the outside. If they aren’t cleaning and coating the inside of the frame, then don’t waste the money inmo. My frame was sandblasted, primed and painted. Looks awesome other than the areas now rotting from the inside through the bottom of the frame. When I cut it open to replace the sections, I will be cleaning and coating the inside while I can.

 

[Drak]

What a great find!
Awesome catch, I'm sure you'll love it.

 

[jewski_brewski]

Nice find! I'm your neighbor to the north and was also struggling to find a rust-free 4th Gen near me. I ended up finding a clean 2005 SR5 V8 in Missouri with only 109,000 miles. I've done a lot of work to mine in the month that I've owned it: changed the timing belt (Aisin kit purchased from Rock Auto), coolant flush, installed NGK iridium spark plugs, new PCV valve, replaced the cabin air filter, new tires, replaced a roof rack end cap that was causing a leak, replaced light bulbs, put in WeatherTech floor mats, and just changed engine oil for the first time tonight. I went with Napa full synthetic 5W-30 (since it was on sale and is re-branded Valvoline) and a Toyota OEM filter. Tomorrow I'll be swapping rear brake rotors and changing differential fluid.

 

[jewski_brewski]

Thank you, appreciate the kind words!



Good call! I almost gave up looking for 4Runners as it was so hard to find a clean one.

It's funny that you asked about the undercoating. I am shopping around for that right now. I got a shop that quoted me $475 for undercoating and an extra $200 to clean the frame beforehand. Does that sound high? $675 total to clean and undercoat the frame?

They will use Corroseal for rust converter (1st step) and Tectyl 2102 for undercoat (2nd step). Then blast the frame with air and then spray with rust converter to stop the rust from spreading and seal it - turn into solid state. Then when its dry they spray the undercoating.

Thank you!

That seems pretty high to me... as previously mentioned, undercoating means nothing if they don't spray the inside of the frame. From the pictures, yours looks almost completely rust free. In that case, it might be worth it for you to have the undercarriage sprayed and sealed. In my case, my undercarriage has some minor rust so getting a professional undercoating would most likely just conceal any problem areas. After doing a lot of research, I think I'm going to use a product called Fluid Film on my undercarriage. It's a seasonal application that will protect your undercarriage from midwestern road salt, and runs about $10 a can.

 

[little_titan]

Hard to say if $675 is worth it. Youre gonna have to do some more research or talk to old timers who can look under your t4r and make recommendations.

Hopefully, they have their own car they did it to 5-10years ago and dont mind showing you what it looks like now... that might be the convincing I would need.

Im going try fluid film, just a path that will hopefully work for me. Just need to find a guy in chicagoland area with a shop and air compressor that can do a good fluid film job on my t4r.

 

[46runner]

Congrats on finding a good frame! As for plugs I ended up changing the boots too since they were cracked. I have a write-up with pics. The link is in my signature.

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[46runner]

DIY: Spark plugs and ignition coils - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum

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[Sean7]

What a great find!
Awesome catch, I'm sure you'll love it.

Thank you I do, been putting a lot of miles on it recently :biggrin2:

Nice find! I'm your neighbor to the north and was also struggling to find a rust-free 4th Gen near me. I ended up finding a clean 2005 SR5 V8 in Missouri with only 109,000 miles. I've done a lot of work to mine in the month that I've owned it: changed the timing belt (Aisin kit purchased from Rock Auto), coolant flush, installed NGK iridium spark plugs, new PCV valve, replaced the cabin air filter, new tires, replaced a roof rack end cap that was causing a leak, replaced light bulbs, put in WeatherTech floor mats, and just changed engine oil for the first time tonight. I went with Napa full synthetic 5W-30 (since it was on sale and is re-branded Valvoline) and a Toyota OEM filter. Tomorrow I'll be swapping rear brake rotors and changing differential fluid.

That seems pretty high to me... as previously mentioned, undercoating means nothing if they don't spray the inside of the frame. From the pictures, yours looks almost completely rust free. In that case, it might be worth it for you to have the undercarriage sprayed and sealed. In my case, my undercarriage has some minor rust so getting a professional undercoating would most likely just conceal any problem areas. After doing a lot of research, I think I'm going to use a product called Fluid Film on my undercarriage. It's a seasonal application that will protect your undercarriage from midwestern road salt, and runs about $10 a can.

Thank you and glad you were able to find yourself a clean 4Runner too! You've done so much work too it already, I have majority of the things you mentioned on my to do list as well. I've been reading more and more about fluid film as well and it seems to be a good option. I have to figure out the best way to apply it and clean up the surface rust a bit before hand.

Hard to say if $675 is worth it. Youre gonna have to do some more research or talk to old timers who can look under your t4r and make recommendations.

Hopefully, they have their own car they did it to 5-10years ago and dont mind showing you what it looks like now... that might be the convincing I would need.

Im going try fluid film, just a path that will hopefully work for me. Just need to find a guy in chicagoland area with a shop and air compressor that can do a good fluid film job on my t4r.

I agree with you and thanks for your input. Please let me know if you manage to find someone. I'm currently looking as well and waiting on a few more quotes. If not, I'll have to do it myself somehow.

Congrats on finding a good frame! As for plugs I ended up changing the boots too since they were cracked. I have a write-up with pics. The link is in my signature.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

DIY: Spark plugs and ignition coils - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Appreciate it and thank you for the link!

 

[Sean7]

Today I finished installing a new Android based head unit (Atoto S8 Ultra) and a new sub since the original JBL sub was blown. I decided to go with the MB Quart DS1-204 sub and so far it's working great.

Here are the wiring harnesses and parts I used in case someone else is looking into using this radio (for JBL system):

- Metra 95-8210 Double DIN Installation Kit
- Metra TYTO-01 JBL Amplifier Interface Harness
- Metra Axxess ASWC-1 Universal Steering Wheel Control Interface
- Metra 70-8114 Steering Wheel Control Wire Harness with RCA

To get the steering wheel buttons to work right with the S8 model, make sure to set the wiring harness radio input setting to 22. This took me a while to figure out as the Axxess manual only mentions the settings going up to 18 only. I had to call their tech support to find out that it actually goes up to 23 now.

 

[Sean7]

Also does anybody know what these pieces are for? I found them underneath the carpet when installing the sub. Should I be concerned?

Are they spacers for the suspension?