BoarderDave
New member
Needs to be especially careful with all of that power just resting on that rear windshield wiper too. I feel like there are much more efficient ways to mount such a monster.. but to each their own.
What Did You Do To Your 3rd Gen Today?
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Needs to be especially careful with all of that power just resting on that rear windshield wiper too. I feel like there are much more efficient ways to mount such a monster.. but to each their own.
solsnowbarger
New member
Today, I bit the bullet, held back my tears, and took it into a trusted shop to diagnose my misfiring/low ish compression cylinder. Im preemptively reading all these recently resurrected cracked head/head gasket threads and trying not to throw myself of the roof at work.
All the post above me are lovely and lighthearted, so I figured I needed to level out the mood in here.
All the post above me are lovely and lighthearted, so I figured I needed to level out the mood in here.
AZBub
New member
On a more serious note I managed to find almost new taco springs and brand new Bilstein 4600s and isolators on CL for a steal. All on my quest for the bargain basement suspension improvements. These will be replacing 15 year old front struts/springs. I imagine I have a little sag up front... This is just a bandaid till I figure out what direction I want to go and have the money to spend doing it.
97t4r81
New member
Well it was last weekend and yesterday, but I did some maintenance and cosmetic improvements. I had extra paint and time at work, so the bumpers ans frame rails got a bit of good rustuleum enamel gross black to freshen them up. I like a flatter finish, so I'll just recoat later. I hope the pictures aren't sideways. Last couple weekends I've changed every fluid, bled both the brake and clutch, new oem otres, new oem lbjs, and a few other mods, preps and fun.
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robb1887
New member
This is an awesome idea. I'm stealing this when I make my rear plate bumper.
MattJakobs
New member
VolcanoT4R
New member
Pre-"too cold for this $hit" maintenance...oil change, tire rotation, MAF cleansing, throttle body cleaning, 1,000,000 point inspection...then took it to Winchester (3 hour drive) so my GF could check out a 2004 Tundra V8 4X4 DC. Boring drive but not a single hiccup from the T4R so I can't/won't complain. No pics of the boring maintenance
Washed, clay barred, buffed, waxed, detailed the thing. Paint was absolutely filthy when I started. Went through nearly a whole bottle of solution with the clay bar trying to clean it up. Now she's smooth as a baby's butt and shinier than a new diamond and gets to sleep in the garage this week since the wife's car is having some work done to it all week.
814runner
New member
Took her wheeling at Doe Valley OHV for the first time. I was pretty impressed how capable it is as a stock vehicle. Kept up with a couple lifted and modified jeeps. actually at one point the wrangler in front of me got stuck climbing a pretty steep rocky section and had to make about 4 attempts to get up the hill. I just crawled right up on my first try.. Sorry no pics this time.
Ed_C
Senior Member
Test fitting one of these mini HID projectors, $55 with ballasts off ebay
I wanted something better than a HID kit (been there done that) that required no baking,drilling,grinding,gluing etc. Very compact, designed to directly mount in place of a normal H4 bulb without any cutting/grinding, just removal the front glare cap. Something better than stock to tide me by while I decide on what projector to run on my "real" retrofit with brand-new headlights.
EDIT: results weren't worth all the time spent installing it; had to make a shroud/enclosure to fix a glare issue and bake/disassemble the headlight when the shroud fell into the headlight. I could have installed a larger,much much better performing projector at that stage.
I wanted something better than a HID kit (been there done that) that required no baking,drilling,grinding,gluing etc. Very compact, designed to directly mount in place of a normal H4 bulb without any cutting/grinding, just removal the front glare cap. Something better than stock to tide me by while I decide on what projector to run on my "real" retrofit with brand-new headlights.
EDIT: results weren't worth all the time spent installing it; had to make a shroud/enclosure to fix a glare issue and bake/disassemble the headlight when the shroud fell into the headlight. I could have installed a larger,much much better performing projector at that stage.
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MattJakobs
New member
About to to this. Just did an oil change about 2,xxx miles ago but I don't want to be out in December/January weather
habanero
Senior Member
Took it to cars and coffee. Overheard one guy tell another 'Landcruiser'. The other says meh. 
Gee, dunno why they would think Landcruiser in any way...
Took it car camping too. Campground had too many people/campers/rvs so found a quiet out of the way established spot on fs road. Ahhh, quiet but for coyotes and owls and little stuff.
Also, for those keeping track, the air-bags were making a sitting-on-a-vinyl-couch squeak. Not loud, but definitely there. Had it aired up to 20 psi from last week's loaded up car camping trip (we spend a lot of time in a tent). Will bring it back down to around 10 psi and see what happens to the noise. It's gotten a bit chillier this week...will also have to keep tabs on temp change vs noise.
And just drove it a lot. No matter the negativity I get for saying my truck is slow the facts aren't changing. It is. All that grandma driving is good for my wallet. And I still like it just fine that way..
Gee, dunno why they would think Landcruiser in any way...
Took it car camping too. Campground had too many people/campers/rvs so found a quiet out of the way established spot on fs road. Ahhh, quiet but for coyotes and owls and little stuff.
Also, for those keeping track, the air-bags were making a sitting-on-a-vinyl-couch squeak. Not loud, but definitely there. Had it aired up to 20 psi from last week's loaded up car camping trip (we spend a lot of time in a tent). Will bring it back down to around 10 psi and see what happens to the noise. It's gotten a bit chillier this week...will also have to keep tabs on temp change vs noise.
And just drove it a lot. No matter the negativity I get for saying my truck is slow the facts aren't changing. It is. All that grandma driving is good for my wallet. And I still like it just fine that way..
NWFLBowhunter
New member
Replaced the radiator, then took it over to Whitson metalworks to have my Stubbs hd sko sliders welded on. Then gave it a bath. Too dark for pictures.
PATCO
New member
Looks great! :thumb::thumb:
Sukirman
New member
Did it!
Been battling misfiring cylinders and loss of power for some time now. Engine would lose power and seemed to hesitate around 2000 RPM, mostly while going up hill but also while trying to accelerate. The truck threw a code last Monday (CEL, VSC Trac, Trac Off light came on) while I was driving home. Aside from the aforementioned loss of power and hesitation, the truck drove fine. When I got home I re-tightened the gas cap and disconnected the battery to reset the ECU. I also ordered parts from Amazon (NGK plugs and wires, PCV valve and grommet, fuel filter) to hopefully fix it once and for all.
The lights came back on last Friday, again during my drive home from work. The guy from Autozone who pulled out the codes say it's P0300 and P0303. Fortunately, the parts I ordered also arrived that day so I scheduled to have the truck serviced yesterday (Saturday). As fate would have it, my trusted mechanic's shop was closed when I went to take the truck for repairs. I need the truck to get to work on Monday, so what do I do? I said F@k it, I'm gonna do it myself. How hard could it be? (Cue in "Jessica" by Alman Brothers Band ala BBC Top Gear)
Checked T4R for the Spark Plug and wire how to's and then went to Northern Tools and Harbor Freight to get the needed tools (Sorry, I am cheap and really short on funds at the moment). $37.50 later, I had all the tools I needed.
I re-read the write up and was soon dismantling my truck. I started by removing the air intake and then the plug wires and coil packs. I was in no hurry and was working very carefully so as not to break something in the process. I guess I was not careful enough because I still broke the retaining clip of the wire harness that connects to the coil pack closest to the PCV valve. Oh well!
I found that the plugs were actually installed not tight at all, almost just finger tight. They were all twin ground Densos and in pretty decent shape so the previous owner must have changed them before (I did not get any maintenance record from previous owners).
After I was done with the passenger side, and before moving to the driver's side, I decided to do the PCV valve. The valve itself came off easily with just a little prodding. The grommet however is a different story. It started crumbling as soon as the needle nose plier came to within an inch of it! As mentioned in the write ups, I cut a slit and attempted to curl it up and lift it out of the hole. Well, the freaking grommet (or what was left of it after parts have crumbled) had other plans. It fell into the bloody hole and disappeared! In my desire to work in the shade, and in true shade tree mechanic fashion, I parked the truck facing a bit uphill. As soon the the grommet fell, it rolled backward and out of sight. I stopped, hit my head a few times and proceeded to look for something I could use to get that stupid grommet out. I saw a really skinny precision screw driver in my pile of tools so decided to try to use that. A few minutes and good number of oriental words later, I had the thing in sight again. It was smooth sailing after that.
The driver's side is no more difficult to do than the passenger side. I read in the write ups that a universal joint for the sockets extension is a godsend so I got one. It really made the job easier. Like in the other side, all the plugs were pretty loose, almost just finger tight. After all the plugs are in and properly torqued, I removed the wires one by one, installing the new ones as I go.
Before starting the truck, I checked and re-checked everything, making sure all the hoses and wires are properly connected and secured, and that there are no extra bolts or what not. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, turned the key and started the truck. It came to life in one try. Awesome! I am good! I broke into my celebratory dance routine and danced my way around the truck. When I got to the front, I looked at the engine bay and EGAD! smoke is pouring out of the passenger side, coming from just below the Transmission dip stick bracket. Something leaked and dripped onto the exhaust manifold! I turned off the engine and pulled the inspection mirror out. Uh oh, looks like I need to do the cylinder head cover gaskets soon.
All in all, it took this newbie shade tree mechanic just a little over two hours to do the job. I wiped down the leaking oil and restarted the truck and the smoke did not come back. I went for a short test drive and everything seemed ok, truck now accelerates without hesitation and felt smoother with a bit more oomph. Before disconnecting the battery to clear the ECU, I had the codes checked once more. Guy says P0300, P0303 and P0442. Small EVAP Leak, hopefully it is just the gas cap. I disconnected the battery when I got home and reinstalled it after an hour or so. I guess I will find out tomorrow if I am successful or not.
I drive at least 120 miles to and from work each day. I've only had the truck a little over 4 months and I've already put in at least 12,000 miles. Odometer now stands at 152k.
Been battling misfiring cylinders and loss of power for some time now. Engine would lose power and seemed to hesitate around 2000 RPM, mostly while going up hill but also while trying to accelerate. The truck threw a code last Monday (CEL, VSC Trac, Trac Off light came on) while I was driving home. Aside from the aforementioned loss of power and hesitation, the truck drove fine. When I got home I re-tightened the gas cap and disconnected the battery to reset the ECU. I also ordered parts from Amazon (NGK plugs and wires, PCV valve and grommet, fuel filter) to hopefully fix it once and for all.
The lights came back on last Friday, again during my drive home from work. The guy from Autozone who pulled out the codes say it's P0300 and P0303. Fortunately, the parts I ordered also arrived that day so I scheduled to have the truck serviced yesterday (Saturday). As fate would have it, my trusted mechanic's shop was closed when I went to take the truck for repairs. I need the truck to get to work on Monday, so what do I do? I said F@k it, I'm gonna do it myself. How hard could it be? (Cue in "Jessica" by Alman Brothers Band ala BBC Top Gear)
Checked T4R for the Spark Plug and wire how to's and then went to Northern Tools and Harbor Freight to get the needed tools (Sorry, I am cheap and really short on funds at the moment). $37.50 later, I had all the tools I needed.
I re-read the write up and was soon dismantling my truck. I started by removing the air intake and then the plug wires and coil packs. I was in no hurry and was working very carefully so as not to break something in the process. I guess I was not careful enough because I still broke the retaining clip of the wire harness that connects to the coil pack closest to the PCV valve. Oh well!
I found that the plugs were actually installed not tight at all, almost just finger tight. They were all twin ground Densos and in pretty decent shape so the previous owner must have changed them before (I did not get any maintenance record from previous owners).
After I was done with the passenger side, and before moving to the driver's side, I decided to do the PCV valve. The valve itself came off easily with just a little prodding. The grommet however is a different story. It started crumbling as soon as the needle nose plier came to within an inch of it! As mentioned in the write ups, I cut a slit and attempted to curl it up and lift it out of the hole. Well, the freaking grommet (or what was left of it after parts have crumbled) had other plans. It fell into the bloody hole and disappeared! In my desire to work in the shade, and in true shade tree mechanic fashion, I parked the truck facing a bit uphill. As soon the the grommet fell, it rolled backward and out of sight. I stopped, hit my head a few times and proceeded to look for something I could use to get that stupid grommet out. I saw a really skinny precision screw driver in my pile of tools so decided to try to use that. A few minutes and good number of oriental words later, I had the thing in sight again. It was smooth sailing after that.
The driver's side is no more difficult to do than the passenger side. I read in the write ups that a universal joint for the sockets extension is a godsend so I got one. It really made the job easier. Like in the other side, all the plugs were pretty loose, almost just finger tight. After all the plugs are in and properly torqued, I removed the wires one by one, installing the new ones as I go.
Before starting the truck, I checked and re-checked everything, making sure all the hoses and wires are properly connected and secured, and that there are no extra bolts or what not. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, turned the key and started the truck. It came to life in one try. Awesome! I am good! I broke into my celebratory dance routine and danced my way around the truck. When I got to the front, I looked at the engine bay and EGAD! smoke is pouring out of the passenger side, coming from just below the Transmission dip stick bracket. Something leaked and dripped onto the exhaust manifold! I turned off the engine and pulled the inspection mirror out. Uh oh, looks like I need to do the cylinder head cover gaskets soon.
All in all, it took this newbie shade tree mechanic just a little over two hours to do the job. I wiped down the leaking oil and restarted the truck and the smoke did not come back. I went for a short test drive and everything seemed ok, truck now accelerates without hesitation and felt smoother with a bit more oomph. Before disconnecting the battery to clear the ECU, I had the codes checked once more. Guy says P0300, P0303 and P0442. Small EVAP Leak, hopefully it is just the gas cap. I disconnected the battery when I got home and reinstalled it after an hour or so. I guess I will find out tomorrow if I am successful or not.
I drive at least 120 miles to and from work each day. I've only had the truck a little over 4 months and I've already put in at least 12,000 miles. Odometer now stands at 152k.
Last edited:
JBurt
Senior Member
I replaced the overhead console on my 97 with one from a 99. Now I have a sunglass holder. There are lots more details and pictures in my build thread here.
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