Them Be Me Mods

[TOY2G]

[MENTION=6163]phillyd2[/MENTION] in your opinion, what is the possibility of a 2012 Trail Cluster Trim working in a 2012 SR5?

Sweet build, love seeing an early 5th GEN looking so good!

It is a direct swap, the only hangup I had was gettign the mileage rest on the cluster. It took Dominic a few times to get the code correct because whoever had the cluster before me had rolled it back without first clearing the oil change light.

 

[phillyd2]

 

[Titanpat57]

Sorry pal...nothing worse then losing a good copilot...

 

[DannyLlama]

Sorry bud.. looks like he was a happy pup.

 

[Jesse1983]

very sad, sorry Dave

 

[Antman]

Ah Dave.

Sorry pal. He was treated well!

 

[3wbdriver]

Lost my 14 year old Beagle last month. You have my deepest condolences.

 

[Gwain]

Hello,

Your Hot Water On Board system is so nice and professionally built. You are the only 5th Gen 4Runner owner, who I found , installed such a clean solution. I am (a non-tech guy) planning to follow the same path to build the similar system in my 4Runner. May I seek your valuable experience about this project?? :

1. Is there any potential risks in terms of mechanical failure (e.g. coolant leaks, pressure level reduced, heat exchanger too hot & cause fire, engine overheat……..) for this modification? Please give comments about the potential to compromise the durability of the truck.

2. There is a potential risk to MODIFY (not add) the engine system and it could void the manufacturer warranty?

3. Can you get “warm water” even though the engine is in idle running (e.g. 800rpm) and water temperature “can be increased” by something? How can you control the water temperature? Do you need to increase the rpm or change the air heater level inside your 4runner?

4. Any potential issues for the heat exchanger to be cracked/damaged during winter freezing season, some water was left inside, right?? What are you going to do in winter time?

5. Connection method :

I look under the hood, there are 2 pipes (coolant flows through them) of core heater hose going through the firewall into the vehicle. Do you know :

Upper Pipe (Coolant returns from the heater) ??
Lower Pipe (Coolant flows into the heater) ??

Certainly, it can be verified by touch them to see which one is hotter (flow into the core heater). But this is not scientific, could be wrong !

Where did you connect with the Core Heater Hose? Are you connecting in series with the heater core hose? Are you using the in-path (i.e. coolant flows into the heater core) or out-path (i.e. coolant return path from the heater core)?

6. What connector types/size (in the heat exchanger) would be the easiest for non-tech person to carry out this project in the 5th gen 4runner? E.g. ½” Male NPT, ½” Hose Barb, 3/8” Copper Sweat….. I want to choose the simple connector types of the heat exchanger to match the hose dimension. I want Plug and Play method if possible.

7. I intend to connect the heat exchanger in series with the coolant return path (i.e. after coolant going out from the core heater unit). Then, I just need to disconnect one hose to minimise the change. There is no impact on existing core heater for its heating performance. I can also control the water temperature with the core heater knob (coolant flow rate) inside the vehicle as well. How would you comment this configuration?

8. What is the dimension of the core heater hose that I should buy?

9. After installation: I need to refill coolant (there may have some lost by redirect it to the heat exchanger)? How can I verify the existing core heater (hot and cold air blow out from it) still functioning as before? For those professional mechanics, do they have any tool to check the coolant pressure/level, heater performance??


Looking forward to share your valuable experience with ALL 5th Gen 4Runner owners !

I'm working on my on-board hot water setup now.

Was the top pipe connection the coolant return?

Also, how did you mount your heat exchanger in the fender, and where did you put your pump and hose connections? Best I've come up with is on a hidden bumper bracket in front of the radiator as my engine compartment doesn't seem to have enough room after my dual battery install.

Thanks in advance for anything you can pass on.

 

[phillyd2]

I'm working on my on-board hot water setup now.

Was the top pipe connection the coolant return?

Also, how did you mount your heat exchanger in the fender, and where did you put your pump and hose connections? Best I've come up with is on a hidden bumper bracket in front of the radiator as my engine compartment doesn't seem to have enough room after my dual battery install.

Thanks in advance for anything you can pass on.

Sorry I missed this Jeff. PM sent.

 

[VTOL_Yoda]

As a former 2000 D2 owner, and current '11 Trail owner; I greatly enjoyed this thread. Thank you for all of your posts.

 

[phillyd2]

It took almost 8 years…..

 

[phillyd2]

Fridge was acting up and even though it’s many years old ARB lived up to their excellent customer service reputation. Problem turned out to be a dead control panel which they sent without charge. There are two different versions but we finally got the right one.

 

[phillyd2]

Speaking of it…..we recently built an outdoor kitchen and decided to give the ARB Fridge double duty when it’s not in the truck. Works great for drinks or marinating meats.

 

[emmantik]

Bumping an older thread...

Referring to the 4WD selector switch - any write up on this? How was this mounted/wired etc? I am looking to also relocate my selector switch (though in a different location than yours) but does not look like anyone else has done this or at least documented it.

Thanks!

 

[phillyd2]

Bumping an older thread...

Referring to the 4WD selector switch - any write up on this? How was this mounted/wired etc? I am looking to also relocate my selector switch (though in a different location than yours) but does not look like anyone else has done this or at least documented it.

Thanks!

Check out Post 405. It's a direct plug and play connection but the pins need to be reversed.

 

[Flash Runner]

Yakima Skybox 18 Cargo Box
Weight: 52 lbs.
Dimensions: 92" x 36" x 16"
Capacity: 18 cu feet.

Dude, your build is awesome! As others have stated I dig the “as stealth as possible” direction.

Thanks a ton for this post and these pics man! I’m about to pull the trigger on getting a Gobi rack installed from a shop next week, but wanted to make sure the Yakima Skybox 21 fits (I see you have the 18, but the 21 has the same dimensions just 2” more in height).

Did you do anything special to mount it to the rack?

Mines More than likely going to be on the Gobi 85% of the time and I wanted to make sure I can have full access to the lift gate and didn’t have to spend even more $$$ to make it fit.

 

[phillyd2]

Dude, your build is awesome! As others have stated I dig the “as stealth as possible” direction.

Thanks a ton for this post and these pics man! I’m about to pull the trigger on getting a Gobi rack installed from a shop next week, but wanted to make sure the Yakima Skybox 21 fits (I see you have the 18, but the 21 has the same dimensions just 2” more in height).

Did you do anything special to mount it to the rack?

Mines More than likely going to be on the Gobi 85% of the time and I wanted to make sure I can have full access to the lift gate and didn’t have to spend even more $$$ to make it fit.

Nothing special. This link has some videos of how the clamps work.

Attention Required! | Cloudflare

FWIW, I've since ditched the box due to nonstop issues with the lock - to the point that I needed to drill them out. Hopefully they have updated the design since then.

 

[Flash Runner]

Nothing special. This link has some videos of how the clamps work.

Attention Required! | Cloudflare

FWIW, I've since ditched the box due to nonstop issues with the lock - to the point that I needed to drill them out. Hopefully they have updated the design since then.

Thanks for the info and the link! Surprising about the locks, as I've had a yakima bike rack for 10 years now and no issues.... Thankfully I picked it up at REI so I've got a year to return it if so, or swap it for the Thule equivalent box if I ever find it in stock (I like their mounting system better).

 

[phillyd2]

It’s been a minute so here are the most recent updates……

 

[phillyd2]

Through a series of unfortunate events the Budbuilt winch mount was smashed and needed to be replaced.