Shooter's Build Thread

[ShooterMcGavin]

Here is the build-up of my 1997 4Runner.

I purchased it in January 2014 with about 263,000 miles, looking like this:


And here it is in its latest condition (June 21, 2015):


The Details:
1997 SR5, 3.4 5VZ-FE, 5-speed with Rear Diff Locker (broken and I'm really bummed!), leather, etc.

What I have done (modifications, not maintenance):
-removed running boards and chrome fender strips
-installed Lotus rear trailing arm skid guards
-extended the rear diff breather into the upper rear body pillar
-20% tint on the front windows
-front suspension: Toytec BOSS coilovers with 600 lb springs, 1" diff drop
-adapted the factory blinkers into the cutouts in the front bumper
-rear suspension: LC 8-wrap springs, LC Tokico Black shocks
-installed longer bump stops from late 90's GMC Jimmy
-stretched CV boots
-installed front TJM-17 plate bumper
-installed rear Savage bumper
-installed thinned washer into the throttle body linkage to eliminate high idle
-modified the gas tank skid plate to avoid drive shaft contact during flex
-replaced the shifter seat with one from Marlin Crawler
-removed the cone bump stops from the rear suspension

As of June 29, 2016:
-changed front diff, rear diff, and t-case fluid (all synthetic)
-changed transmission fluid (synthetic)
-changed fuel filter
-bled clutch
-replaced LBJs (OEM, nothing else)
-replaced ITREs and OTREs (OEM, because I'm lifted)
-replaced steering rack boots (poly)
-cleaned MAF and throttle body
-replaced spark plug wires
-replaced spark plugs
-replaced the valve cover gaskets
-cleaned the intake plenum, intake manifold, and intake ports, replacing gaskets
-cleaned IAC and throttle body
-replaced PCV and PCV grommet
-installed a secondary power source in the dash; routed power wire and audio input wire for cell phone into the dash
-timing belt, water pump, tensioner, all rollers, cam shaft seals, crank shaft seal, oil cooler hoses
-replaced the accessory belts
-flushed the cooling system 5 times and filled with 50/50 coolant mix
-installed front and rear anti-roll bars, the front using grease-able poly bushings, both using quick disconnect endlinks
-replaced a kinked hard-line for power steering, filled and bled power steering
-lots more



To be continued...

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

Here is a screenshot of a video, taken during a river crossing on Memorial Day weekend. Got a little water up over the hood

 

[A.Wilson013]

Here is a screenshot of a video, taken during a river crossing on Memorial Day weekend. Got a little water up over the hood

Where is this...?

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

Greenwater


We also went down some of the Naches Trail and took some offshoots that were pretty challenging.

 

[shootmymime]

you cant do this to me, Multiple times i scanned down the list of threads and saw "Shoots build thread" and got all excited like i had a new comment (doesn't happen much) then clicked on it and your popped up... Not nice.

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

Just for you, I will try to calm down all the crazy excitement that is happening in my build thread

 

[Supermoney]

That river looks high...lol

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

Here's what I am up against lately. I took my 4Runner to a little offroad test spot, to try out the new suspension. It worked great. I turned on my rear diff lock to climb up a steep, gravel hill, and after that the diff lock would not disengage. I ended up driving home a couple miles with the rear locked. Since then I have taken the actuator apart and found a major problem. 3 of the magnets in the motor became loose and moved over next to each other (pic). That would cause the motor to fail. So, I got a hot glue gun and glued them back where they need to be. The real problem now... It still won't work. I've been putting it together and taking it apart all night, changing the starting position of the gear. Nothing is working.

Pics, of course...

 

[BrianSD_42]

Glad to see you started a build thread. Looking forward to the updates!

 

[A.Wilson013]

Here's what I am up against lately. I took my 4Runner to a little offroad test spot, to try out the new suspension. It worked great. I turned on my rear diff lock to climb up a steep, gravel hill, and after that the diff lock would not disengage. I ended up driving home a couple miles with the rear locked. Since then I have taken the actuator apart and found a major problem. 3 of the magnets in the motor became loose and moved over next to each other (pic). That would cause the motor to fail. So, I got a hot glue gun and glued them back where they need to be. The real problem now... It still won't work. I've been putting it together and taking it apart all night, changing the starting position of the gear. Nothing is working.

I hate that... Take something apart, see what's OBVIOUSLY causing the issue, fix it, and still doesn't work.

I imagine you've tested to see if you're getting power to the actuator?

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

It's it's a good suggestion. Yes, it's getting power. After I cycle the switch a few times, pausing in between, I take it off the truck again and the actuator is hot.

 

[Tyota89]

That rivers looks fun! Now just have to talk my wife into camping. So I can spend it at naches.
I need to do my rear diff mod.. puddles scares me.

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

Thanks Brian. Drop in any time

That rivers looks fun! Now just have to talk my wife into camping. So I can spend it at naches.
I need to do my rear diff mod.. puddles scares me.

It was a short little crossing which dipped the hood into the river briefly. I highly recommend extending the rear diff breather. I used a hose that is oil-safe, even though it is more expensive. O'reilly's has all the fittings, so you don't need to order from Toyota and wait for shipping. Most people run their breathers up into the fuel-fill area. I ran mine up even higher, into the rear pillar. It's a simple mod, which I put off for a while too.

Embedding didn't work. Here is the short video of the water crossing LINK HERE

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

I stretched my CV boots tonight

 

[A.Wilson013]

Wow. Looks like you're smacking those bumpstops pretty hard.

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

I don't know. Maybe that's due to the old suspension that was on the truck for 267,000 miles. With the new suspension installed, I was driving over train tracks last week; I hope I wasn't hitting the bumps then but it's possible. I was going very slow, ~2 mph.

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

I think my 4Runner is going into the garage, for a good amount of time

I'm not happy with the way my 4Runner is running. I still can't get the rear diff locker fixed. I manually unlocked it and put the actuator back in, to keep it unlocked and seal up the rear diff so I can drive it. I went into some rough terrain yesterday and my locker somehow locked itself and I couldn't get it unlocked on the side of the road. Tires were screeching for the whole ride home. So, now, I can't even drive it (until I figure out how to unlock the rear diff and keep it unlocked).

I have also cleaned the throttle body and MAF recently, and now I have significant hesitation under power from idle up to about 2,000 rpms. So many problems... TB/WP/etc., valve cover gaskets, e-brake & rear brakes, front brakes are grabbing unevenly (it seems*), rear axle seals, some fluids that need to be bled, IAC, plugs, wires, UBJs, bushings-everywhere, sway bar end-links are broken, interior lights, maybe some seals are going out on the transfer case, some early clutch noise, and on, and on, and on...

*The truck pulls left abruptly when applying the brakes. I'd love to do the TBU, but my split 3-spokes won't clear them.

Ok, just thought I'd put this all here, so at least I have a list to reference. I'll be spending a lot of time in the garage soon. My biggest concern is that rear diff locker. I can't get the actuator working and I'm not looking forward to finding/buying new parts for it. Should I drop the actuator off at a dealership to have them trouble-shoot it??

 

[GHARP57]

Hey shooter I saw the date on this have you followed up with figuring out whats up?

If you go to the dealership, they would want to have the actuator in the truck to diagnose it best (at least here we would)

As you can see in the picture the actuator is not serviceable short of replacing it. There is a switch that mounts next to it. Toyota tried to tell me you had to order the diff to get that switch. I am calling BS. If you unscrew that switch I can price out the switch as well as the actuator. By you telling me the part number on the switch itself

The actuator retails at 921.16 wholesale costs are around 720-770.

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

Hey GHARP, I totally appreciate your help. Thanks for responding.
I did figure out why the diff locked on the trail and then I couldn't get it unlocked for the drive home. That was a dumb mistake on my part. Since then, I have manually unlocked it and put it back together like that.

Is the switch that you are referring to noted with (PNC 84222F) in the diagram? Also, is that maybe the switch that tells the user, and the ECU, that the diff is in the un/locked position? If so, I'm pretty sure that is functioning fine for me.

Right now, I am putting my money into parts for maintenance, to get it running reliably before I put money into non-essential fixes. If I had to take a guess at what is causing my problem, it would be...
1) There is a good chance that, when I glued the actuator magnets back into the stator, I have screwed up the polarity. This would cause the motor to fail to turn.
2) Possibly caused by 1, above, if current was run to the motor long enough, with improper magnet polarity, then I could have fried the windings on the armature.

I'm really hoping that the problem is number 1, and further, that I can somehow break the magnets free of the JB Weld that I used to install them. Once I take it apart and work on freeing the magnets, I can get a better idea of what I'm up against. If I can't free up the magnets, or I end up destroying the magnets in the process, then I will need to buy a new/used stator cover with the magnets. If my problem is number 2, I will need to find a new/used actuator.

 

[saurkraut]

My '00 also pulls a bit to the left when I hit the brakes with any amount of pressure over normal, such as slowing down for a deer in the road or the like. The inner tie rod on the drivers side has got considerable play in it and I'm starting there. I've got new rotors and pads up front so I know the caliper cylinders aren't frozen.