the Rescue Runner build thread

[the great him]

I looked in to doing the Efan swap, but found more issues with it than I wanted... I found a LOT of people doing it and running hot, fans not engaging, etc. I found 1-2 people running them happily.

yeah so i have found that i am running just as hot if not hotter... so my plan is to buy a new thermostat 160* tomorrow give that a try, as well as a coolant flush along with oil change(should have no real effect on engine temps really) and seeing what that does for me. i also think i installed my thermostat upside down(jiggle valve on top), so yeah...

i dont like how the bottom 7+" of the radiator are left exposed and that the fan does not cover down there... they could have made bigger fans and off set them slightlight and covered much more area.

if i run my heater full i can get my temps to drop down to the ~180 range. i know toyota motors like to run hot for emissions purposes. but a cooler motor makes more power, and not that im looking to make big power. but the more power i can make the better imo, especially with all the extra weight i drag around daily. so yeah i think the RunCool hood louvers are a soon to come item. i want to let as much as that hot air out as i can. lastly i might try to get some small electric fans to got at the bottom of the radiator to help cool things as well. i know that running hotter can also increase efficiency(mpg), but my thinking is that if i can make more power i can maybe negate some of that loss in the MPG dept. -besides, im used to getting 15mpg so once i regear and jump back up to like 18 or so if i lose 1 mpg then im still ahead and with cooler motor and more power. and i can run my AC in traffic or around town.

 

[A.Wilson013]

If you regear and gain that much fuel efficiency I will buy you a beer. That would convince my wife.

 

[the great him]

If you regear and gain that much fuel efficiency I will buy you a beer. That would convince my wife.

Your right I'm probably being pretty optimistic... But one can hope

 

[A.Wilson013]

Your right I'm probably being pretty optimistic... But one can hope

I am totally on the same page though...

When I got my larger tires my MPG dropped from almost 20 fairly consistently to about 16... Even on the freeway. I feel confident that it's from my tall gears (4.10) having to downshift on the slightest inclines.

Everyone says that regearing for efficiency is pretty dumb, but it seems like the only logical way...

 

[the great him]

I am totally on the same page though...

When I got my larger tires my MPG dropped from almost 20 fairly consistently to about 16... Even on the freeway. I feel confident that it's from my tall gears (4.10) having to downshift on the slightest inclines.

Everyone says that regearing for efficiency is pretty dumb, but it seems like the only logical way...

well for those who say dumb i say this... i have been driving around t=for the last month with my overdrive shut off. my hwy MPG has not changed one bit, i still see 18-24mpg on the fwy... around down is what kills me its at like 8-13mpg from all the stop and go. regearing will help get my torque back and thus help my around town and hills.

its not the hwy/fwy that kills mileage, its the around town.

 

[Jaketino]

And I'm just sitting here with an average of 14.6 (mixed town and freeway). I need to get my pickup back on the road... 25 mpg FTW!

 

[A.Wilson013]

well for those who say dumb i say this... i have been driving around t=for the last month with my overdrive shut off. my hwy MPG has not changed one bit, i still see 18-24mpg on the fwy... around down is what kills me its at like 8-13mpg from all the stop and go. regearing will help get my torque back and thus help my around town and hills.

its not the hwy/fwy that kills mileage, its the around town.

Word.

Out of curiosity, how much does your runner weigh? I passed by an empty weigh station today, so put my big beach on the scale.

Weighed in at 4800lbs. 2150 Rear Axle, 2650 Front Axle.

 

[the great him]

51-5200lbs depending on the day and how much fuel I have onboard

 

[TheFriZ]

BY FAR, this is my favorite Rig on this Forum. Props to you good sir!

When it comes to gears, you will see a pretty substantial increase.

My old Cherokee, factory 3.55 gears and 29" Tires, went from getting 22mpg on the highway all the way down to 13mpg on the highway when I went to a true 33" tire. After I jumped to 4.88 gears, I jumped back up to around 18-20mpg(I had also added a substantial amount of weight over the years in armor).

You should realize a good improvement, not to mention the power gain(usable power).

Im still digesting your build thread, but right now I am specifically looking for the info on your Flares. I love those thin flares; like your truck, mine also came with that little black/chrome molding on the fenders and I would love to get rid of that.

Once, again, LOVE the Truck!

 

[the great him]

BY FAR, this is my favorite Rig on this Forum. Props to you good sir!

When it comes to gears, you will see a pretty substantial increase.

My old Cherokee, factory 3.55 gears and 29" Tires, went from getting 22mpg on the highway all the way down to 13mpg on the highway when I went to a true 33" tire. After I jumped to 4.88 gears, I jumped back up to around 18-20mpg(I had also added a substantial amount of weight over the years in armor).

You should realize a good improvement, not to mention the power gain(usable power).

Im still digesting your build thread, but right now I am specifically looking for the info on your Flares. I love those thin flares; like your truck, mine also came with that little black/chrome molding on the fenders and I would love to get rid of that.

Once, again, LOVE the Truck!

well thanks for the kind words... there are a lot of other rigs out there that are just as nice or nicer if you ask me.

i hope i get at least 2 or 3 mpg better. i know just the wear and tear on the motor and trans will be less so that will help extend its life.

yeah the chrome molding strip is garbage. im just running the sr5 flares, like what the highlander models came with. should be pretty easy to pick up a set. check the classifieds here, thats where i bought mine, paid like $200 i think

 

[TheFriZ]

well thanks for the kind words... there are a lot of other rigs out there that are just as nice or nicer if you ask me.

i hope i get at least 2 or 3 mpg better. i know just the wear and tear on the motor and trans will be less so that will help extend its life.

yeah the chrome molding strip is garbage. im just running the sr5 flares, like what the highlander models came with. should be pretty easy to pick up a set. check the classifieds here, thats where i bought mine, paid like $200 i think

Agreed, lots of nice rigs, but you do have a very nice, complete build going on

On the gears, wear and tear on the motor some, yes, but your real gain will be the transmission! Your transmission will love you once you do this. It will help with transmission temps too!

good deal, I haven't learned the difference in all of the trim moldings on the various packages, so now I know what to look for; I'm coming from the world of Jeeps and Land Cruisers. I loved my Cherokee, but HATED the fact that it was a Unibody rig... I LOVED my FZJ80... but REALLY hated the 12-13mpg I got in it... regardless of highway or city... The 4Runner is a really nice balance between the two.

I look forward to following more of your progress

 

[the great him]

Well after having another bought with starting issues I have a remanned denso starter from Toyota in the 4runner... I always hate when a failure like this happens right after basic maintenance, like an oil change... Oh well it starts right up now, no lag like it used to.

Cleaned up some of my rats nest wiring too... I'll post pics tomorrow

 

[runner823]

so i went camping this past weekend and had a chance to actually use the rear bumper, and boy was it nice! from the light pole to help set up camp and light the camp, to the table for preping the food(amazing food if i do say so myself) it all worked great, and i am very happy with it. this trip was originally planned as a get away before i leave for deployment but due to somethings happening outside of my control i may not end up going. but that did not stop us from this camping trip. a couple friends and i headed out of town on thursday to go kick back in the woods, drink a few beers, eat some good food, chill out/kick back and do nothing other than what ever we felt like doing, like shooting guns, building big fires, and sleeping in and staying up late...

on to the pictures cause well sense you weren't there i wont bore you with any more of the details as most of it is insider stuff and would probably bore you

IMG_7960 by isaacyocum, on Flickr
IMG_7988 by isaacyocum, on Flickr
IMG_7981 by isaacyocum, on Flickr
IMG_7971 by isaacyocum, on Flickr
IMG_7962 by isaacyocum, on Flickr
IMG_8052 by isaacyocum, on Flickr
dinner by isaacyocum, on Flickr

I was wondering where this is at? I would to check out this summer.

 

[Jaketino]

Well after having another bought with starting issues I have a remanned denso starter from Toyota in the 4runner... I always hate when a failure like this happens right after basic maintenance, like an oil change... Oh well it starts right up now, no lag like it used to.

Cleaned up some of my rats nest wiring too... I'll post pics tomorrow

How much was the remained starter? I either need to change my contacts or get a new one soon. It takes about 4 seconds of cranking on it to get it going.

 

[NateMob]

I was wondering where this is at? I would to check out this summer.

Go back and read the next page. Starting with post #302 meandering til post #319.

 

[the great him]

How much was the remained starter? I either need to change my contacts or get a new one soon. It takes about 4 seconds of cranking on it to get it going.

My cost was like $188 something.

 

[Hepar]

I'm debating on rehearing myself. Honestly, I know very little about it and this might be a stupid question, but what are the downsides to it? Loss of top-end speed? And what are the gear options above 4.10?

 

[the great him]

I'm debating on rehearing myself. Honestly, I know very little about it and this might be a stupid question, but what are the downsides to it? Loss of top-end speed? And what are the gear options above 4.10?

You won't lose any top end speed. Our trucks don't go fast enough to lose speed. If anything you would gain speed by having more gear torque to propel you... The only down side might be slightly lower hwy mpg, but the around town driving would more than make up for that. The gear choices are 4.30(stock limited gears), 4.56, and 4.88. There are others but you would not want to run them on your truck. Personally I would not run anything higher than 4.56 in your rig without bigger tires.

If you do regear,save yourself the hassle and headaches and just go through ECGS.

 

[Hepar]

You won't lose any top end speed. Our trucks don't go fast enough to lose speed. If anything you would gain speed by having more gear torque to propel you... The only down side might be slightly lower hwy mpg, but the around town driving would more than make up for that. The gear choices are 4.30(stock limited gears), 4.56, and 4.88. There are others but you would not want to run them on your truck. Personally I would not run anything higher than 4.56 in your rig without bigger tires.

If you do regear,save yourself the hassle and headaches and just go through ECGS.

What do you think the best option is for me? I'm running 265/75-16's. And you think I might as well add a locker while I'm at it? What's the install like?

 

[Jaketino]

What do you think the best option is for me? I'm running 265/75-16's. And you think I might as well add a locker while I'm at it? What's the install like?

Find yourself a locker (4.30) and then regear the front to 4.30. That's what I have in my limited and I have plenty of power.