The Renewal of Gaia

[jeff88]

Well, late last year my 4Runner broke down. I finally got it fixed up about a month ago. So I'll start this thread to chronicle the rebuild and the projects I plan to do in the future.

We're still not really sure what happened, but it's very obvious that something broke into cylinder #6 and the coil boot was completely destroyed and the piston/cylinder wall was damaged. There was obviously evidence of bad upkeep from the PO, because there were signs of overheating.

The PO took the broken down truck to a random mechanic and it was too much to fix it. That's when I bought it for the steal of $500 for what work the mechanic had done (removed the driver side valve cover and passenger side head). I took it to my friend (he's a mechanic) and we sloooooooowly got to work. We kept going back and forth between building his new garage and rebuilding the truck.

Here's what the pistons/block looked like before we took it apart. You can't tell from the pic, but when the piston is down, you can feel some really bad scratching on the cylinder wall. Something obviously went terribly wrong.


The dumb mechanic had no intention of actually fixing the engine, so everything came in the back of the rig. We transferred it to a cart as soon as we got into the garage. Pieces ended up missing and the rebuild cost more than it should have and took more time than necessary since I had to figure out, find, and order parts as necessary.


Here's what the pistons looked like:


New piston heads and pistons ready to go:


Got the heads honed and cleaned up:


Ready to get dropped in:


First gas fill-up after getting the engine done. I'm so glad gas isn't 3.49 any more!!!


First wash in over a year!!!


Now that she has been rebuilt, I have a new name for her, Gaia. Gaia is the mother of Thor and the "embodiment of the spirit of life, growth, harvest, and renewal on Earth". Sounds fitting for a truck on the verge of death and soon to grow into a great vehicle. I'm also part Swedish, so the Nordic background has some personal meaning as well.

 

[jeff88]

Current Look and Mods

This is the most current iteration of the rig:


Not visible are the problems that still need to be addressed. The rear bumper, front bumper, and front passenger fender flare are all damaged and will need to be fixed/replaced. I also need a new driver tail light since it has a large crack in it. I also have some interior buttons and whatnot to fix, including the sunglass holder rod that holds the door, the odometer decimal digit is faded, etc.

There are plenty of mods I want to do, thanks to this forum. I want to DIY as much as I can, but that will require buying a welder and learning how to weld. Not a problem with me, but it will take time to learn enough to make something to put on my rig.

Exterior:
Remove side steps
Roof rack
Front bumper
Rear bumper
Belly pan
Puddle/rock lights
Remove antenna motor and install standard/stubby mast
LED headlights, LED brake lights, and LED turn signals if possible

Interior:
Seat warmers
Seat re-covers (leather? mix?)
Mats
Interior windshield antenna and dual antenna "Y" cord
LED lights
Light in hatch

Mechanical:
Trans cooler (love milkshakes, but not in my truck...)
Electric fan
Exhaust

I'm sure there's more...

 

[jeff88]

First "mod" was unexpected. The PO pushed too hard on the rear hatch lock cylinder and broke the plastic tabs that hold it in place. I had to replace the whole license plate holder and the dealership was a couple hundred dollars. Ummmm, no. I went to the JY and found a 98 with the piece. Little did I know that Toyota changed the design. The Toyota emblem in 98 was on the plastic rather than on the body and was smaller, showing more of the paint. This was an accidental mod, but I like it better and wouldn't go back even if a 99 was available.



Up close:


I'm also going to remove the emblems that are on the paint, as long as they aren't bolted in. It'll give the back a nice clean look. I like that the 4Runner logo is on the plastic, so I can clean up the hatch, yet still have the logo.

We also fixed the back window while the hatch was apart. It would roll down about an inch and no further, but go back up just fine. It just needed to be oiled up on the track and now it works like it's brand new! :thumb3:

I also "fixed" that annoying auto lock feature whenever you turn the truck on. I found this website through this forum: Under the "Programming" section

It was super simple and only took less than a minute.

 

[StreetCreeper]

I may turn mine off soon. Not sure yet.

On the one hand I like that the doors all lock — just in case Joe Walsh attacks...

But on the other hand, I'm constantly locking my wife out after she comes out of a store while I waited in the truck. I'll see her coming up to the truck and I instinctively reach up and start the engine...of course the doors auto-lock just as her hand grabs the handle. This forces me to reach for the lock switch and we start the whole "she try's to open the door again but I didn't finish hitting the button and now the door lock is frozen for a second" thing.

This happens way more than it should too.

 

[jeff88]

But on the other hand, I'm constantly locking my wife out after she comes out of a store while I waited in the truck. I'll see her coming up to the truck and I instinctively reach up and start the engine...of course the doors auto-lock just as her hand grabs the handle. This forces me to reach for the lock switch and we start the whole "she try's to open the door again but I didn't finish hitting the button and now the door lock is frozen for a second" thing.

This happens way more than it should too.

LOL, this is exactly why I turned it off. We have a gate into the driveway and I don't have an automatic opener on it yet. That means that I have to pull up, get out (which means fumbling with the lock) and close the gate. Or my gf does that and then when she tries to get in, I have to remember to hit the unlock button before she gets to the truck from the gate.

Sooooo annoying!!!

 

[jeff88]

Well this week is rain week in the bay area (finally!), so I went and got new wiper blades since my "summer" blades were still on after sitting there baking in the sun for the last year. Best part was that the Rain-x latitudes were buy 1 get 1 free after mail-in-rebate! Not a fan of mail-in-rebates, but hey it's a free wiper blade!

Not really much of a mod when changing wiper blades, but before I went inside the store, I checked the pattern of the blade turn. It looked to have plenty of room all the way around, so I decided to try one size up from whatever the book said to use. It said 17's, so I bought 18's. Sure enough, fits like a charm! The only spot it's even close is on the passenger side on the edge where it rests up against (not on) the weatherstripping of the windshield with a fingernail gap. I'm not sure if a flat blade would work, but the Latitudes are curved, so that might help the fit. The driver side wasn't anywhere close to anything. I might have been able to get away with a 19, not sure.

 

[weekendclimber]

I also "fixed" that annoying auto lock feature whenever you turn the truck on. I found this website through this forum: Under the "Programming" section

This is why I love this site: I learn things about my vehicle, which I've had for almost 10 years, that I've never known. Apparently, this got turned off at some point in the past. Going to turn it on now so I can annoy the gf...because that's how I am :bat:

 

[jeff88]

Braved the rain while I was mostly under the canopy to install my clear corner headlights. Looks much better now! More/better pics to come... eventually.

Weird thing is that I have no idea what the corner bulbs do! I tried the turn signals, normal headlights, brights, hazards. Nothing turned those bulbs on. I tried before and after switching lenses without figuring it out. Anybody know what actually turns the bulbs on?

Thanks to [MENTION=44220]BigFishAllDay[/MENTION] for the clear corners

 

[StreetCreeper]

They are front position lamps or more commonly known as parking lamps. Basically just a light that makes the vehicle more discernible in low light conditions. Same lights the cops leave on at night when they are parked somewhere doing paperwork...or sneaking a donut.

They should turn on in conjunction with the tail lights — on the first click of the light stalk "thingy". At least on a 97 they do.

 

[jeff88]

I've tried many different variations of switches and times without success trying to get those bulbs to turn on. I don't really care, it's just one of those un-scratcheable itches that you have to find!

-------
Wednesday, I fixed the sunroof after reading some threads on here. My drain holes weren't clogged, but I was still leaking dead center on the front of the sunroof, right where the handle for the shade is. I ended finding a thread which recommended using Permatex Flowable Sealant. I wanted to get it done on Wednesday, so I could test it on Thursday with the torrential down pour we were supposed to have. It was super easy to put in, I thought it was going to drip, but it's sticky enough that it just held in place. I didn't do a whole lot of driving, but it seamed to have done the trick. So far no leakage whatsoever. Have to go back to work tomorrow and the rain is still scheduled, so tomorrow will be quite telling if it worked or not. Cross your fingers for me!



I still need to clean it up a little. Just wanted to wait until it fully cured and after I know for a fact it worked.

 

[jeff88]

So Tuesday I got my shipment of LED bulbs from Amazon. My shifter bulb was out, so I decided to replace it along with the map lights, dome light and cargo light. For some reason, Amazon sent me two packages of the map lights and dome lights, so now I have extras!

I have to say the bulbs weren't as easy as snap in and go. The map lights were, they fit in just fine. The shifter bulb you can press in too far and then the contacts don't touch. The dome light was a tight squeeze, but I got it to fit. The cargo light was way to big and the two contacts are the bendy kind so I couldn't jam it in there. I had to take the whole light assembly out (just 4 screws, nothing major) and let it dangle from the wire powering the bulb. This way I was able to install the bulb from the top and it popped into place.

Map Lights
Shifter Bulb
Dome Lights

Obligatory crappy pics:

Shifter:


Dome:


One map light:


Two map lights:


Cargo light (notice how you can read the junk I have in there!):


All together:


After the holidays, I'll probably look into changing the HU bulbs and maybe the gauges. We'll see. I also want to get the headlights, tails, reverse and maybe the turn signals if I can defeat the hyperflash with a new flasher module.

 

[jeff88]

It's been a while since I've last updated. I'll start with an update of the previous mods first. The LEDs have worked great! My only issue is with the bulb in the gear selector. I need to get a 360° LED, rather than the LED with one bulb on the end. You can see in the pic that there is a hot spot in the middle (where the bulb socket is) and the P and L are dimmer.


The sunroof seal has worked perfectly! For a week or two after I put the sealant in, it rained like crazy here and I didn't feel one drop of water in the roof. I still need to clean it up, but it worked perfectly!

I still haven't figured out what my corner lights do. I have tried every combination I can think of and I have yet to see the bulb turn on. Dash lights, head lights, brights, turn signals, dark outside, light outside... haven't found out. Does it connect into the DRLs at all?

 

[jeff88]

I also found a place to at least temporarily put my UltraGauge. It happens to fit perfectly on the ash tray. Somehow it doesn't fall, even during high speed turns. Until I find a permanent location that I like, this will be perfect.

I also don't like my iPod sitting in the tray under the stereo with the cord sticking out. I'm not a fan of how obvious it was that I had an iPod in there.

*You can also see the UG sitting on the ashtray.

I knew that you could attach a plain old USB flash drive to the stereo, but the problem is that the flash drive would stick out even worst then the iPod. This could be bad for potential thievery, but also bad if I accidentally knock it, I could break it. But then I realized that my wireless mouse for my laptop has a really small USB receiver to attach to the laptop. I wondered if there was a flash drive of a similar size, so I looked on Amazon and sure enough there was! I got a 64GB flash drive to replace my not-full 80GB iPod, knowing I would have room to spare. It came in and it turns out to be even smaller than the mouse bluetooth laptop receiver!

Here's the link: SanDisk Cruzer Fit CZ33 64GB

And a pic installed:



I also got a trans cooler from Amazon, but haven't installed it yet. Hopefully soon, I'll get my antenna adapter so I can use my rear antenna and actually get reception again, since my front antenna is broken.

I also went to Pick-n-Pull on Wednesday. The one and only 4R didn't have much I could use, but I did pick up a button cover for the rear heater, the pin that holds the sunglasses holder in place and best of all... a rear cargo cover!


Yesterday, I also stumbled upon a Craigslist ad from a guy in the area, so I went ahead and picked up some new wheels a little early for my refresh project coming up in the next month or two. I'm leaving it a surprise for now though, since I don't have any tires yet. :gossip:


Hopefully soon, I'll get these wheels mounted along with some tires. I'm also completely redoing the 15 year old tired suspension at the same time. We'll see how that goes!

 

[jeff88]

Late last week I put the transmission cooler on. Very easy install. I felt like I was playing with an Erector set!

I had to install it at an angle, because the high pressure side of the A/C line was in the way.


Top-down:


I used the same hole the A/C lines go through, the same as BFAD and many others.


Interior routing after the hole.


I didn't feel like dealing with the whole cut the original hose off, scrape my hands up style, so i just used a 3/8x3/8 hose splitter barb and connected the hose provided in the kit to the OEM hose coming off the pipe. Here's the connection close-up. I also put some straps on each side of the barb, just for cheap insurance. You can just sort of make out the brass from the barb between the two hoses.


The only pink milkshake Gaia will ever see!

 

[jeff88]

Thanks to [MENTION=78895]DeathCougar[/MENTION] for the parts!

Got some parts to replace some of my broken stuff. The renewal continues!

First up was the broken driver side turn signal. Apparently I forgot to take a pic of the new one, but we all know what a turn signal looks like. Before:


The driver side taillight also had a huge crack running down the length of the lens.

Before:


After:


Oh and he tossed in a gas cap for me too! No more Fram gas cap! OEM FTW!

While I was out doing these mini-projects, I also took out the broken antenna. Getting the antenna off was easy. A few bolts for the fender flare, peel back the wheel well lining, unbolt the motor and your done. Pulling the antenna wire out is a different story! I had to un-clip the whole headunit, take the radio out un-clip the antenna wire in a couple of spots and started to lose faith when it went behind the air bag. The wire is firm, but not firm enough to manipulate it (push it). I noticed it pulled a little, but I was pulling it the wrong way, so I went back to the motor and it started to pull from the wheel well. Slowly and carefully, I pulled it out. Here's a pic of the motor:

 

[jeff88]

Last week I took a vacation and while I was away, I sent my fuel injectors in to get cleaned. I sent them to Doctor Injector in Sacramento. Last Friday, I re-installed them and have been driving it everyday since. I put them in with about half a tank left and I just filled up last night so we'll see if it helps fuel economy. I forgot to record the miles for the first half of the tank and we unplugged the battery while the injectors were out. They were really loud before once they got hot, which I've read on here before is pretty standard, but it didn't seem to help the problem. I also have hard starting, but it didn't fix the problem. I think I'm going to check out the starter contacts next. I thought it would help with a slight vibration in the truck's body at idle, but it didn't fix that either! I know I need to replace some vacuum hoses, so I guess that's the only culprit. I just don't feel like paying $30 for one stupid 6" hose! Especially if I won't need it when I do the ISR. I also wasn't sure if the truck was sluggish or just the standard 3.slow. It doesn't seem to have helped, but I don't normally slam the pedal anyway. We'll see in the coming weeks.

All that's making me sound like a debbie downer about this mini-project! He did tell me that one of my injectors was flowing rich and couldn't be fixed, so I got a "new" one for $50. That right there tells me my fuel economy will go up. Hopefully the rest being cleaned will help too.

I asked him to send me the before and after measurements and this is what they were. Still trying to decipher it a little bit. I was hoping for a before and after of the spray pattern, but this is all I got.


We'll see how it goes!

 

[jeff88]

The fuel injectors didn't seem to help me fuel economy wise. Maybe a little bit better drive-ability wise. In fact the next tank after I put them back in, I actually lost 1 MPG average at the pump. It's tough to say if the cleaning didn't actually do anything though, since around the same time, I started working at a different location and I think my "commute" is just long enough for the engine to barely get hot.

I know there are other issues I need to hit up too, so maybe the fuel economy is hidden in the other issues. I replaced a vacuum hose too, since it was pretty badly cracked. That definitely helped with drive-ability, especially with the rough idle. It's almost gone at this point. I didn't want to change it, because I didn't feel like paying $30 for a stupid hose, especially since I want to do the ISR mod. But I couldn't find a part-out with a good hose and I can't use any 'ol hose, because Toyota's genius' decided to make each end of the hose a different size.

I replaced the forward one:


I'm thinking I'm going to replace the O2 sensor and/or the fuel filter. Hopefully that will help finish the rough idle issue and get my fuel economy up to where it should be.

 

[jeff88]

I learned the hard way that you can't fit a 4x8' piece of plywood inside the cabin. I measured the back hatch and I could tell the wood would only fit in the bottom section of the open hatch. I also could tell the plywood would just barely fit over my head. I wasn't worried about it, since I wasn't far from home. Only issue is that I didn't measure the width of the cabin towards the front. I go to put the plywood in and it smacks the B-pillar. Doh! Guess it's going on top! Luckily, I went to the location I work at and my co-worker was there who happened to have some tie down straps, because I could only find one of mine. :ybrick:

Anyway, got it home and snapped a pic:


I've been thinking of repainting the truck. It needs a really good polish and wax, but it also needs some body work too. Don't know which route I'm going to go yet, but I need to go get quotes and do some research on here to see what's the best course of action.

 

[infamousRNR]

My vote is to not paint it but rather try your best with a detail..
It looked pretty good considering some 4runners have some serious clear coat issues...

But if I were to ever paint my truck, I'd opt for line-x!!!!
We should do a detail day. Always wanted to do a thorough wash, clay bar and wax job on the rig

 

[jeff88]

I think I'm swinging that way. The startup cost with a polisher and all the misc. materials is probably less expensive and I can use them over and over again. The only spot that really needs work paint wise is the roof. If I cover it with a rack, it won't matter anyway.

I agree, we should have a detail day. Anybody in the area that works at a body shop we can meet at?