"The Sequel"

[phattyduck]

and what is this connector that ends on the MAF wiring harness (just below my fingers in the picture)???

checked the brake fluid, is it supposed to be that dark???

That thing is probably a condenser (capacitor) to quiet noise on the electrical system in the area.

As for the brake fluid... it should be near clear (maybe light honey colored if it has a bit of age). You'll want to do a brake flush! There may be some residual color left in the reservoir after the flush, but just work to keep the fluid clean in the future (2-3 year bleeding cycle).

-Charlie

 

[Lamer]

I'm back! for now.

Got myself a new job and have been away from the house for some time. hopefully it doesnt stay like this but need the money.

had this week off and managed to get one big thing done.

Installed my Sony XAV-AX100 Headunit! super stoked and very happy so far.

soldered and wrapped the wiring harness. came out pretty clean. also happy to upgrade amplifiers. (the built in unit is more powerful than the stock 1996 amp.)

And installed the tacoma antenna mast with a shorty TRD antenna.

Happy to have done some mods in my off time. but I'm flying back to work tomorrow for another month or so.

 

[Lamer]

Installed interior LED map, dome and cargo lights. much brighter, also installed a new driver side seat belt, super nice to have a smooth, fully retracting belt again. its the little things....

oh and this happened...those darned little things...haha :bounce:

 

[Lamer]

wheels arrived. And if I can provide one bit of advise when ordering these, its this: BE AVAILABLE WHEN THEY ARE DELIVERED. SIGNATURE IS REQUIRED. NO EXCEPTION...

these things are *****in. light weight, awesome color. and boy do they pop in the sun!

cant wait to put some 285's on this weekend.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE

got em mounted sooner than I thougth, took advantage of Discount tire holiday sale.

these things fit perfectly. cant express how excited I am to have them on

 

[Lamer]

installed some new LED tail lights i got from mom as a birthday gift! love em.

 

[Lamer]

So i have been away working for the last month and half and only just got back to the house to look at my new parts...

I had purchased a used supercharger online and when it was delivered, the packaging was obviously not adequate. One of the components and bracket were bent and broken off.

Does anyone know the part number for this?
Is the rod supposed to be straight? can I bend it back?
Can I JB-weld the canister onto the bracket?

I was able to bend the black bracket back into a straight position, but the canister looked as though it was riveted in place.

if anyone can provide similar pictures of what this is supposed to look like it would be greatly appreciated. thanks ahead of time.

 

[Lamer]

repaired!

I was able to remove everything, straightened out what needed be straightened and epoxied the canister back on to the bracket. matter of hours should be good to go! (zip tie to keep it tight while it dries)

 

[Lamer]

Supercharger install

Steps were taken in prep for the install with the 7th injector.

Completed the wiring harness on the URD harness kit this morning. I went this way in case I ever need to remove it, and it was easier to work on outside of the car.

Just need to clip the zip ties off and its ready to go.

new 190 fuel pump is ready to be installed, just need to run out of gas... :biggrin2:

 

[Lamer]

Monstaliner - GRRRABBER

Did a thing.

sanded, washed, and monstalined my 4runner in Grrrabber Blue with a twist...

I found the grrrabber was a bit bright for my liking so I used some of my pinstriping One-Shot paint to dull it down a bit. I used black and dropped it down a couple shaded.

here is a pic for now, I will grab more later.

overall it went really well, got really good coverage with only one gallon and to be honest, the set time was so fast I wouldn't have been able to roll on the second gallon. Overall very pleased with the results

 

[JBurt]

Good job! That color takes me back.

 

[Lamer]

steering rattle

So I have been contemplating my steering issue and was dead set on having the rack rebuilt with OEM parts. ($275 with same day turnaround)

THen I jacked up the front and starte moving things. none of the steering componants under the frame appear to be loose.

Using a large set of channel locks...:
- checked all of the tie rod end link ball joints - no play at all
- inner tie rods are tight (new about a year ago)
- no visible leaks, rubber dust shields are in good shape
- good fluid level
- rack guide was tightened a littlebit 1 week ago, didnt help.

THen I started turning the wheel back and forth and got the below video:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3yBRPSPVaJ0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

So I'm not sure what to think. Any advise would be helpful

 

[APhelps]

most likely the steering shaft has play, google it and you'll find the answer.

 

[Lamer]

most likely the steering shaft has play, google it and you'll find the answer.

pulled the column to tack weld the shaft....but there was nothing to weld. in all of the pictures I've looked at, my column appeared different, there was no sleeve to weld. I wish I took a picture of it.

EDIT: looking at the service manual, and getting up inside my 4runner, it sounds like its the Universal Joint No. 2 as shown below. in the bottom left corner.

EDIT #2: I was partially correct...Intermediate Joint

 

[Lamer]

Intermediate Steering Joint Replacement

This morning I made my way to one of the local pick-n-pulls and found 5 3rd gen 4runners. my lucky day.

I went ahead and pulled the first intermediate shaft I could find. And it was in great shape. the donor car had 90,000 miles on it.

1. Remove steering column (there are aplenty of threads on how to do that.
2. loosen intermediate shaft from rag joint
   
   
   
   
3. remove the plastic cone cover from behind the brake pedal(3x10mm bolts)
   - you do not need to remove the backing plate (held in place by the last 2x10mm bolts)
   
   
   
   
4. the intermediate joint will simply pull up and out through the firewall.

Reverse these steps to install it.

Things to note:

• the shaft will only go into the rag-joint one way. there is a spline missing on the intermediate shaft -> that flat groove needs to be lined up with the rag-joint pinch spline opening, it will not go in any other way. see pics below. The flat groove is directly above the white paint mark. in the second picture, it is turned towards the opening and you cant see it...
  
  
  
  
  
• The diameter of the pinch spline that connects to the steering column appears to be different between the early and late model 4runners. Notice the inner diameter between the two. After a nearly complete installation, I had to pull my new joint to swap the ends...late model on the left, early model on the right
  
  
  
  
• There are two springs inside the joint. one pictured below, and a second smaller spring inside the yellow bushing plate (covered in grease). This spring pushes the two shafts away from each other, giving the presence of tension (i guess) take a look at the video below to see how it works.
  
  
  
  
  <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KuLTONexFE0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
• I doubled up the large springs on my new joint, hoping it would make it even more snug. IT WORKED. My steering has never felt so tight before.

 

[Lamer]

engine compression check

was finally able to check the cylinder pressures today and i'm not sure how I feel, it could be worse, but still...

1: 180 2: 198
3: 195 4: 195
5: 198 6: 195

Cyl 1 is the problem child, I tested it twice and got the same 180 each time.

What does this mean? :help:

and these are the spark plugs 6->1 from top to bottom

 

[Lamer]

Installed my new OEM steering rack this morning, heading to get alignment done this afternoon. already feels buttery smooth! no noise anywhere!

OTR's moved to the new rack

spankin new bushings! :banana:

and she's in with a full synthetic fluid flush!

steering wheel finally centered and buttery smooth!

 

[Lamer]

Did a Super thing last weekend

Well, I've finally done it. My dust collecting TRD Supercharger + URD 7th Injector kit have been installed. There were some hurdles, but in the end it was nothing but glory.

The most troubling part(s) were finding a spot to locate the URD PCU, and then how to connect all of the vacuum lines. below are some pics of how it all came together.

Everything Installed:
- 7th injector kit
- Supercharger
- IK22 spark plugs
- late model MAF sensor (rewired to match my year)

Because I had installed a new head unit, there was ample space beneath it for the URD PCU to be secured. Ill have to find a 6" VGA cable or something so I can connect to it in the future more easily than removing my dash plastic. was pretty easy actually, modified the headunit brackets

and below are the engine bay pics with color identified vacuum lines. This (which I hope is done correctly) was the most trivial part. several attemps were made to see what was necessary and where it had to be tied in. at last it fired up with no issue.

YELLOW BLUE and RED are T'd together: yellow comes from canister, blue comes from PS pump (the other PS hose goes to intake tube - not colored), and red ties into supercharger. (BLUE can possibly be tied into the PCV hose, but thats a tight fit and you would have to make a custom hose).
GREEN (4wd) and ORANGE (throttle body) are T'd together: green can be t'd in elsewhere but I only had that size T available (must be downstream of the throttle body)
PURPLE is the crankcase vent tied into the intake tube.
WHITE is the brake booster tied into the supercharger.

Here you can see the check valve, with air flow direction in red.

All in all I'm pleased, the PCU's are learning to work together, can definitely feel the power in the higher RPM range when WOT. at slower accelerations, it feels a little stronger. Ill be trakcing my MPG for the next couple tanks as well. Prior to Supercharger and on 92 octane, I was averaging about 16mpg.

 

[t4r92]

Very cool build so far!

 

[Lamer]

Hood scoop that actually scoops!

TOday was a work from home day, and I finished early!!

so I did a quick mod, and cut off the back of the scoop insert. Now the scoop will actually function. and If ie ever want to close it up, I made the cuts as simple as possible and it can be jb welded right back on.

figure any extra air flow can only help during the hot summer months (Houston)

only work was pulling the scoop out of the hood, didnlt have to break it down at all.

TRD creepin...

oh and the beginnings of my external trans cooler. still debating to keep it separate from the Radiator, or add it in line...

 

[Lamer]

Trans Temp Sensor and gauge

Finally finished this install. had everything staged on my work bench for about 2 weeks. did this in combination with the Transgo Shift Kit I installed over the weekend.

drove it after the transgo install, it shifts hard in 1 to 2!! Haven't driven with the temp sensor wired up but everything tested as designed. hopefully it works...

simple wiring, simple sensor (as per Mr. Tim's video on youtube)

the blue tape was there to hold the ground wire/screw in place while the epoxy hardened.

and my first gauge! i'm excited. next will be AFR/Boost combo if they make one...