96RedRunner
Senior Member
Ordered OE parts 27 parts $270.00
Harrop front Elocker arrived Saturday.
Harrop front Elocker arrived Saturday.
What Did You Do To Your 3rd Gen Today?
- Thread starter pin8246
- Start date
- Status
Hopeless Diamond
New member
2ndhandyotaman
Member
No joke, I really did go 14K on that oil change. The oil that came out wasn't complete crud. The 'Runner was my 2nd vehicle until the end of July when my Civic was totaled, it's been pushed into DD status ever since.
Not really following the DIY work comment. It's a 20 year old truck w/ 215K on it. I'll maintain it to keep it running but very soon it will be put back into winter beater/hauler/ adventure rig status. It will probably go back to seeing 5K/yr for mileage. I'll keep it going until the frame finishes rotting in half, then I'll get a 4th gen 4runner.
1biker
New member
Doing my rear axle seals and bearings was one of the most exhausting jobs I have done on the Runner, took a few days to not be sore from all the lifting. Doing it twice in a row, you are more man than me!
Mark_BC
Senior Member
Isn't that diesel oil?
Mark_BC
Senior Member
Today I hit the wreckers for parts to bring the 2000 back on the road. $800 for a set of damp and slightly moldy but otherwise good shape cloth seats (to go in a limited...), front core support and side saddle to weld in, fuse box, charcoal box, other small bits that got squished, hood hinges, under-steering-wheel panel piece, various grey seat trim pieces for my friend. Pretty good deal.
Edit: and a left turn signal housing.
Edit: and a left turn signal housing.
Last edited:
Kanoe
New member
What!! Not flat black or gun metal?? How dare you buck the current trend.:yo:
twitchee2
Member
I got a oil thermostat installed tonight. Was heading up to Tahoe last weekend and my trans temp never got about 125deg and dipped down to 95deg when it was 20deg out. my trans cooler has always kept my trans cooler than most and I haven't had an issue in 9 years. Usually runs ~140deg@70deg ambient 160ish@100deg. I just moved to NorCal and it gets a little colder up here than in SoCal so here is the install.
So far, my quick trip say it settled in at ~154deg@62 ambient. Had to try but it got it up to 170 on a quick acceleration, but it settled back at 155 once I started cruising again. It is very obvious when the thermostat opened and closed, pretty cool. Very happy with the initial test.
Here is what I used: Fluid Control Thermostats : 3/8" NPT Fluid Control Thermostat Kit
So far, my quick trip say it settled in at ~154deg@62 ambient. Had to try but it got it up to 170 on a quick acceleration, but it settled back at 155 once I started cruising again. It is very obvious when the thermostat opened and closed, pretty cool. Very happy with the initial test.
Here is what I used: Fluid Control Thermostats : 3/8" NPT Fluid Control Thermostat Kit
Last edited:
apohl17
New member
Looks like you have me by a model year or two! Is that a 3S or 4S man? I freaking love mine. Android Auto, lots of audio adjustment and good output, tilting screen to fix the lovely low dash placement...Installed a new (to me) Kenwood head unit!!!
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
I got a oil thermostat installed tonight. Was heading up to Tahoe last weekend and my trans temp never got about 125deg and dipped down to 95deg when it was 20deg out. my trans cooler has always kept my trans cooler than most and I haven't had an issue in 9 years. Usually runs ~140deg@70deg ambient 160ish@100deg. I just moved to NorCal and it gets a little colder up here than in SoCal so here is the install.
So far, my quick trip say it settled in at ~154deg@62 ambient. Had to try but it got it up to 170 on a quick acceleration, but it settled back at 155 once I started cruising again. It is very obvious when the thermostat opened and closed, pretty cool. Very happy with the initial test.
Here is what I used: Fluid Control Thermostats : 3/8" NPT Fluid Control Thermostat Kit
I need to do this ( live in snow country) looking at pictures cant tell how you mounted it, I can see where, just not how, did you get the thermostat with the barckets
twitchee2
Member
I was really hard to get a picture of that part... sorry.
If you look close in the top picture, there is a piece of 1.5"x1/8" Aluminum angle. The thermostat is just bolted to that, its all custom. Then if you look close again just below the crank pulley, you can see a very small side of a bolt head. That is the head of the factory bolt holding the hard line bracket that run across the frame rail. Hopefully that make sense, if not i can try to get better pictures.
got it. so you did not use the brackets that they can also supply but made one up yourself, I think I can see how you did it
thanks
twitchee2
Member
That is correct.
Took the Savage skids off (well, 3 of the 4, left the frontmost one on). Getting ready to take the front end apart at some point to put in the junkyard 4.30 front diff, to match the 4.30 locker I put in last summer, to replace the increasingly noisy original locker diff.
Due to BONEHEADEDNESS on my part, I just ASSumed mine was a 4.30 as well, and while I checked that the new rear diff was 4.30, I didn't check the noisy one I took out. Long story short, it really hasn't caused any issues having a 4.10 on the front and a 4.30 on the rear, and perhaps it even wheels a tiny bit better(?) having the front end pull vs. push in tight turns. But it's undoubtedly causing stress on the transfer case.
The back skid needed a bit of sledgehammering, dating back to our Colorado trip in late July. Pretty sure it was Pearl Pass, there were some SOLID clunks underneath from time to time. The transfer case was resting on the skid. I should have fixed that a LONG time ago, but the only issue was a slightly elevated bit of engine vibration at idle.
And tried to track down a CRRRREEEAKKK the steering has been making. Or something on the front end. I thought it was the skids wiggling around (although... the steering making them wiggle? not good). But the noise was unchanged with them all off. It's kind of hard to track down where the noises is coming from, it carries all over the place. But by crawling back and forth and using touch, isolated it down to (I think) the center mount on the steering rack. It's *barely* moving, but seems to make the noise when it does. It had poly bushings put in a few years ago.
Anyhow, since the front end will be apart pretty far to swap the diff, also going to replace:
- lower ball joints - they only have about 50 - 60K on them, but I'm paranoid about those damn things. If you visit the PnP yards it seems like they're one of the bigger reasons 4Runners end up wrecked and junked
- outer tie rod ends - the driver's side has a little bit of wiggle, I can't imagine the passenger side is any better - might as well replace both.
- driver's side lower control arm - The rear inner bushing is a tiny bit wiggly. Plus - it's a rust belt car (thanks, MO!) and when I tried to replace the passenger side arm a couple of years ago - those adjusters would NOT come off. no matter what. Tried PBLaster. Tried heat. Tried hammering. Tried driving around with the bolts loose. Frozen solid. I had to resort to cutting them out with a sawzall and using new parts. And a new arm comes with bushings, between the cost of good OEM bushings and paying a machine shop to install them, an assembled arm isn't really that much more. Plus you don't add a couple of days in the middle of the job while the MS installs the bushings. Next time around (we have 2 third gens) we'll have the used arms laying around int he basement to have new bushings put on at our leisure before taking the trucks apart.
- Reboot the CV shaft. After the 3" lift 4 or 5 years ago I stretched one boot, and left the other alone, as a sort of experiment. The stretched boot? Started leaking after a few months, and eventually I took it off and rebooted it with a new OEM boot, and it's been fine since. The other untouched boot? Still good. But I have the reboot kit sitting around, it's as good a time to do it as any, with the CV shaft out of the car.
- Upper ball joints and control arm bushings? Leaving them alone. They seem fine.
Due to BONEHEADEDNESS on my part, I just ASSumed mine was a 4.30 as well, and while I checked that the new rear diff was 4.30, I didn't check the noisy one I took out. Long story short, it really hasn't caused any issues having a 4.10 on the front and a 4.30 on the rear, and perhaps it even wheels a tiny bit better(?) having the front end pull vs. push in tight turns. But it's undoubtedly causing stress on the transfer case.
The back skid needed a bit of sledgehammering, dating back to our Colorado trip in late July. Pretty sure it was Pearl Pass, there were some SOLID clunks underneath from time to time. The transfer case was resting on the skid. I should have fixed that a LONG time ago, but the only issue was a slightly elevated bit of engine vibration at idle.
And tried to track down a CRRRREEEAKKK the steering has been making. Or something on the front end. I thought it was the skids wiggling around (although... the steering making them wiggle? not good). But the noise was unchanged with them all off. It's kind of hard to track down where the noises is coming from, it carries all over the place. But by crawling back and forth and using touch, isolated it down to (I think) the center mount on the steering rack. It's *barely* moving, but seems to make the noise when it does. It had poly bushings put in a few years ago.
Anyhow, since the front end will be apart pretty far to swap the diff, also going to replace:
- lower ball joints - they only have about 50 - 60K on them, but I'm paranoid about those damn things. If you visit the PnP yards it seems like they're one of the bigger reasons 4Runners end up wrecked and junked
- outer tie rod ends - the driver's side has a little bit of wiggle, I can't imagine the passenger side is any better - might as well replace both.
- driver's side lower control arm - The rear inner bushing is a tiny bit wiggly. Plus - it's a rust belt car (thanks, MO!) and when I tried to replace the passenger side arm a couple of years ago - those adjusters would NOT come off. no matter what. Tried PBLaster. Tried heat. Tried hammering. Tried driving around with the bolts loose. Frozen solid. I had to resort to cutting them out with a sawzall and using new parts. And a new arm comes with bushings, between the cost of good OEM bushings and paying a machine shop to install them, an assembled arm isn't really that much more. Plus you don't add a couple of days in the middle of the job while the MS installs the bushings. Next time around (we have 2 third gens) we'll have the used arms laying around int he basement to have new bushings put on at our leisure before taking the trucks apart.
- Reboot the CV shaft. After the 3" lift 4 or 5 years ago I stretched one boot, and left the other alone, as a sort of experiment. The stretched boot? Started leaking after a few months, and eventually I took it off and rebooted it with a new OEM boot, and it's been fine since. The other untouched boot? Still good. But I have the reboot kit sitting around, it's as good a time to do it as any, with the CV shaft out of the car.
- Upper ball joints and control arm bushings? Leaving them alone. They seem fine.
so with the differnet ratios I assume that would be hard on the transfer case, how did it shift in and out of 4wd, did you only use it wheelilng, how was it like at higher speeds on say pavement in 4wd ( like packed snow). did the transfer case make noise
turbodudey2
New member
DIY front diff mount bushings
I was planning to replace the front diff bracket bushings with @PlasticsGuy bushings, but I removed and discarded the entire old bushing (sleeve and all) before the new set arrived and I realized the sleeve had to be re-used.
So I formed new bushings from scratch with steel bushings from the hardware store and 3M polyurethane.
Centered the steel bushings and filled with urethane:
I was planning to replace the front diff bracket bushings with @PlasticsGuy bushings, but I removed and discarded the entire old bushing (sleeve and all) before the new set arrived and I realized the sleeve had to be re-used.
So I formed new bushings from scratch with steel bushings from the hardware store and 3M polyurethane.
Centered the steel bushings and filled with urethane:
It would never shift out of 4WD going forward. I'd try 'S' turns like it might occasionally need prior, no go. Always had to back up about a foot and it would shift out normally.
I only used 4WD in off-road situations - which is usually dirt/gravel/slippery rocks. We were out in Utah over the summer and on some slick rock sections I noticed a bit more tire chirping than normal, but in prior years, with everything right, it would still chirp a bit here and there on slickrock.
There hasn't been any snow yet since I put the diff in to say how it would work on pavement in 4HI. And the transfer case was not making any noises when in 4WD.
- Status
Similar threads
