What Did You Do To Your 3rd Gen Today?

Status
Not open for further replies.
It was only $2k, and I bought it knowing it would need a little work. But it starts/runs fine, there's no rust, and the exterior looks great.

Sent from my SM-A536U1 using Tapatalk

Sounds like a damn good deal to me then, especially with no rust, a good exterior and a running drivetrain.
 
Oh, and drove it to do a little shopping and noticed a little oil dripping, looks like I didn't seat the passenger CV shaft in the diff quite all the way, there's a tiny little gap and that's where it's leaking. Need to get under there and give it a couple more little taps. Not now, though, it started pouring rain outside.
Messed about with the leaking passenger side CV and it didn't really feel unseated. And it did wiggle up and down very slightly. And at some point I realized that while almost everything else on the front driveline is now new, I just took a junkyard high mileage non-ADD passenger leg (even if it wasn't spinning for 98% of those miles...) and stuck it on without ever really looking at the bearing or the seal.

Since tapping the CV shaft home wasn't happening, I decided to order a new seal and a new bearing (the wiggle sure doesn't seem right) and give that a bit of disassembly and inspection and reassembly with a couple of new parts.

And then we drove it (manual hubs unlocked so the front drivetrain isn't doing anything) around 50 miles yesterday to do a bike ride. And on the way back, out of the blue, battery warning light on the dash. WTH? Totally unrelated to all the work done, as far as I know. 252K miles was just enough for the original alternator. Pulled over to see if anything obvious was wrong (loose wire, missing belt), but all looked normal. I flipped the switch to connect the house (Yellowtop Optima) to the start (a tiny B14115 Braille/Deka) battery and drove it home, arriving with about 10.8 V. I guess I need a new alternator now.
 
Been an ongoing project but added the final part today to complete the rear end. Repainted tail gate, added a Hilux Surf roof tip spoiler.
Fitted a tow hitch and refitted bumper with repainted plastic trim.
 

Attachments

  • T4R Complete Rear end.jpg
    T4R Complete Rear end.jpg
    133.2 KB · Views: 282
After driving for a few months with a loud exhaust, finally took advantage of a day off to get it looked at. Replaces the muffler and the tail pipe, relatively cheap too. I'm now much happier to give it some beans when accelerating instead of babying it and making a ton of noise.

20230515-135338.jpg
 
Sounds like a damn good deal to me then, especially with no rust, a good exterior and a running drivetrain.

I'm hoping so; only time will tell though.

My list of WTF things that need to be fixed are:
-VERY uncomfortable jerking/swaying/steering feel at high speeds (>40ish)
-The speed is a guess because the speedometer doesn't work.
-The odometer shows, but isn't adding to the total mileage as I drive it.
-The auto shifter is very loose and floppy.
-The neutral safety switch appears to be bad and is disconnected.
-It has some mismatched lug nuts on studs that barely stick out past the wheels.
-The FR door doesn't lock but that will be fixed soon.
-The passenger side door close sensors are broken or not working, which will also be fixed soon.

Once I get all that stuff taken care of, I can look into some maintenance stuff and actually fixing up some things that are ugly. And I can start driving it more regularly.
 
So I recently bought a CV reboot kit, and of course it comes with the tubes of factory grease. Well long story short I searched the name of the manufacturer online (Kyodo Yushi Co.), found their website, and not only do they have no mention of this product but they actually recommend something else entirely for CV axles. I'm curious what that's about :noidea:

Been an ongoing project but added the final part today to complete the rear end. Repainted tail gate, added a Hilux Surf roof tip spoiler.
Fitted a tow hitch and refitted bumper with repainted plastic trim.

Interesting license plate! What that issued to you at random? You'd never see anything like that in the states unless it was a vanity plate
 
Last edited:
I started the process today of adding the external transmission cooler, but in the process, decided I need to swap the radiator too. It's still the original radiator, with 260k miles. I've wish-washed over it for awhile, but am unsure if I should go the TYC/Kyoto route (which tend to go for about $120 on Amazon now), or the OEM (which looks like $130 + shipping). The cause for my questioning: most people here on the forum to recommend going the Kyoto route, but if the OEM is only a few bucks more, why don't more people do the OEM? Is there some reason I should outright avoid the OEM in favor of Kyoto?
 
Last edited:
I put in a Koyo radiator several years and probably 60,000 mi ago. Zero issues. Part of me thinks they were the oem supplier, but I could be wrong. I think denso also makes 3rd gen radiators. Are you bypassing the transmission cooler in the radiator?
 
I put in a Koyo radiator several years and probably 60,000 mi ago. Zero issues. Part of me thinks they were the oem supplier, but I could be wrong. I think denso also makes 3rd gen radiators. Are you bypassing the transmission cooler in the radiator?

From what I understand (through reading far too many threads and forgetting most of what I've read), TYC was the OEM supplier, and then TYC became Kyoto (through buyout?). Reviews I find for Kyoto are very hit or miss - for instance on Amazon, there are plenty of 5-star reviews, and then also plenty of 1-stars that say "worked great on install, but had to replace 9/12/15/etc months later." I understand it's different with everyone so I guess I'm less concerned about that, and more just curious why more people don't just use the current (according to toyotapartsdeals) OEM?

And yes, going to bypass, that was the main reason I started this project, then got freaked out when I realized the radiator was the original w/ 260k miles on it.
 
Decided to stop at HF and grab a plug socket as I still hadn't gotten a look at my plugs since buying the truck. Pulled one and it looked decent and was an NGK BUT it was a single strap plug and I know the 5vz is supposed to have dual strap plugs. Damn PO cheaping out on me as usual. Ran up to advance and grabbed the proper plugs and the them in. Also gave me an opportunity to look at the throttle body and I guess I know one of my next jobs.
img_20230517_202458600-jpg.115491

Realized after it wall all buttoned up that I forgot to open the throttle and look at the other side but I think this side tells me all I need to know. Might clean the IAC too while I'm in there.

Also noticed this line that comes off the driver valve cover and goes into the intake was putting some oil into the intake (not sure what is called, it's not the PCV).
img_20230517_202506232-jpg.115495


Also had a vacuum line that is cracking on me that I pulled off intake so I might just replace all the vacuum lines soon.

Anyway, it might be classic engine placebo but she seems to be running a little smoother with the proper plugs in there now. And I was also happy that I didn't see any bad signs on the plugs I pulled out sans a little more gap on the driver bank (I think they were replaced at different times but with the same plugs). Might also do a compression test soon too to see where I'm at. I suspect it will actually look pretty good given the general performance of her. I suspect either she was extremely well cared for in general or she had head work at some point in life.

Also decided to reseat my rear ABS sensors since I've had an intermittent ABS light issue since I finished my axle seals. Noticed my o rings were pretty dry. I suspect I forgot to lube them up when I did that job so I grabbed some leftover oil I have and put a nice coat on them. Sure enough they seated more easily than I remember. Also nice to know my axle seals are holding up quite well. ABS tone rings were still dry. Anyway right after doing that the light came on but after the next time I restarted it went off and hasn't come back on for 70 miles which is the longest I've seen it off in a while. Crossing my fingers that I solved the issue that easily.
 
Last edited:
I bought a Rightline Gear SUV tent to go with the Airbedz Air Mattress. This setup will be my retirement home... ;)

Rightline Gear SUV Detachable Car Tent - Certified Refurbished 184633000481 | eBay

Anyhoo, I did a test fit today to make sure it would fit the 4Runner and sure enough, it does. I didn't setup all the guy lines and such or cinch everything down. I just wanted to make sure it was good to go.

We'll be using this setup Memorial Day weekend.
 

Attachments

  • Tent Test Fit web.jpg
    Tent Test Fit web.jpg
    131.5 KB · Views: 179
  • Inside Tent web.jpg
    Inside Tent web.jpg
    128.9 KB · Views: 158
  • Chillaxin web.jpg
    Chillaxin web.jpg
    109.1 KB · Views: 172
I bought a Rightline Gear SUV tent to go with the Airbedz Air Mattress. This setup will be my retirement home... ;)

Rightline Gear SUV Detachable Car Tent - Certified Refurbished 184633000481 | eBay

Anyhoo, I did a test fit today to make sure it would fit the 4Runner and sure enough, it does. I didn't setup all the guy lines and such or cinch everything down. I just wanted to make sure it was good to go.

We'll be using this setup Memorial Day weekend.

Now you just need the interior latch and/or always on rear hatch window switch back there and it's perfect. Been thinking about getting one of those hatch tents myself. So much better looking than all these fancy RTTs and other insanely pricey "overland" gear (also better for milage and keeping COG low). I still love the cheap old school way of car camping. I just have a memory foam mattress and some blankets and some camp chairs and a coleman stove. Would love to find one of those type of blowup mattresses that is insulated (or maybe a thin but warm topper for that which won't break the bank).
 
I think he means 'without' the explodey potential? The spare tire location can get crushed if you get hit really hard.

Yeah I was thinking of the old Pinto controversy (which funny enough was overblown as they had a slightly better safety record than the average at the time). And yes I meant to say without, phone typo or maybe I was tired.
 
Last edited:
I think he means 'without' the explodey potential? The spare tire location can get crushed if you get hit really hard.

Yeah I was thinking of the old Pinto controversy (which funny enough was overblown as they had a slightly better safety record than the average at the time). And yes I meant to say without, phone typo or maybe I was tired.

Guess what throw me is the tanks placement is not even close to the OEM spare tires location, I understood the ford Pinto reference, thought [MENTION=720569]Rushthezeppelin[/MENTION] didn't understand what he was viewing in the pic.

With all that said the 1st tank I showed earlier in this thread is my 2nd tank that is located in the OEM spare location. There's not much possibility of explosion or getting crunched with how the frame was rebuilt and the tanks' placement, in addition, they r made from aluminum which don't spark (there would need to be a secondary ignition point). Ill have bigger issues if hit hard enough to impact either tank.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
278,316
Messages
3,554,120
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Trending content

Back
Top