any 4Runners onboard?

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Grizz
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Re: any 4Runners about?

Post by Grizz »

Here's an update on the 4Runner. I wound up with some 17" tundra rims which got 265 65 17 Duratracs installed today. Long story on the tire choice. The reason for the 17s is so i can install the tundra brakes with the 231mm pads. Got drilled and slotted rotors. Just because. The reason for the 65s is so i can get close to the same outer diameter as 265 70 16s, and keep the speedo in the same relationship with reality. it over reads a few mph at highway speeds, which suits me.

I installed a flow matched set of injectors, lifetime guaranty, and engine is running happy now. The TX repairs got us home, but runner didn't like the injectors and started missing again on the last day out.

coming next, adjust rear drum brakes, flush and refill brake lines, install front brakes and bleed those calipers, then bolt on the new shoes after that it's oil change, drain and refill trans oil, grease propeller shaft, (JP nomenclature),

all the preps are for the upcoming return to the ranch in December for more family times. Party for a while, then Poof! everyone goes home. and i'm back on the road again. I like traveling in winter. I can dress for it. by the time i get back i will know if i like duratracs or not. Heh After that trip i will tackle the suspension components. so much Fun.

Walt
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Re: any 4Runners onboard?

Post by Walt »

Grizz, I owned a '98 4Runner for a number of years and loved it. I did replace the starter and changed the timing belt but as far as I can remember that was all except routine maintenance. When I retired 3 years ago I sold it because I wanted to be able to haul 2 ATVs, with one on a trailer so I bought a new 4dr, 4wd Tacoma. I hated to lose the 4Runner but I sold it and a 2wd Tacoma so I would be down to one vehicle.
I sold the 4Runner to a young man who promised he would take as good care of it as I did but about a week later I called him and he told me that he and his friends had "gone out 4 wheeling" and broke a ball joint on the front end. I don't know whether he was jumping it but it wadded up the front end. Made me sick. He had evidently done some research on the 3rd gen 4Runners and had found that the ball joints could be a problem. You might check on that. Oh I did have to replace a coil pack too. It had just under 250K miles on it when it went away. Also, the rear coil springs tend to sag a bit so I put 1 1/2" spacers on top of them. Never bottomed out after that.
I had an acquaintance who put a GM V6 into a 4Runner. It's just a Chevy 350 but without 2 of the cylinders. It had all the performance he wanted but it was a very tight fit so accessing it from almost direction was difficult.
Good luck with your quest!
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Grizz
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Re: any 4Runners onboard?

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Walt wrote: Sat Nov 19, 2022 11:03 am Grizz, I owned a '98 4Runner for a number of years and loved it. I did replace the starter and changed the timing belt but as far as I can remember that was all except routine maintenance. When I retired 3 years ago I sold it because I wanted to be able to haul 2 ATVs, with one on a trailer so I bought a new 4dr, 4wd Tacoma. I hated to lose the 4Runner but I sold it and a 2wd Tacoma so I would be down to one vehicle.
I sold the 4Runner to a young man who promised he would take as good care of it as I did but about a week later I called him and he told me that he and his friends had "gone out 4 wheeling" and broke a ball joint on the front end. I don't know whether he was jumping it but it wadded up the front end. Made me sick. He had evidently done some research on the 3rd gen 4Runners and had found that the ball joints could be a problem. You might check on that. Oh I did have to replace a coil pack too. It had just under 250K miles on it when it went away. Also, the rear coil springs tend to sag a bit so I put 1 1/2" spacers on top of them. Never bottomed out after that.
Hey Walt! thanks for the info. I've replaced the LBJs already as preventive maintenance. I'm interested in learning about suspension, thanks for your info.

I would like to find new takeouts for the coils and struts, which are 297k miles original i think. the spare tire sags my runner and adjusts the aim point of the headlights... don't want a lift, the oversize tires are all i need to be able to slide underneath. can't do much but can check out stuff. do you think stock takeouts would restore the ride and trim up the stern?

besides if i get these coils out i can forge some blades out of them and extend their useful life ! :)

I know that Gen3 runners get treated like junk, or like models for shiny bling. I will drive unpaved roads up to the stopping point, but not gonna slide around on the skids. not on purpose anyway. my goal is to keep this going long enough as long as i can.

I've heard someone put a straight 6 in a Gen3. it's supposed to be in Alaska. my choice would be the Chev 292. because of the way the frame ends it would not be hard to extend it far enough to make way for the radiators. don't know about the hood though.

thanks again,
grizz
Walt
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Re: any 4Runners onboard?

Post by Walt »

Grizz, I only intended to bring the rear end back to stock height when I installed the 1 1/2" spacers on top of the coils. It worked great, didn't effect the ride and it ended the bottoming when I went over a bump. I would imagine that later model takeouts would work fine provided they're the same size.
The attached photo is from when I was determining what size spacers to use.
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Walt
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Re: any 4Runners onboard?

Post by Walt »

Grizz, this may be pertinent as well. I had a 2000 2wd Tacoma for 13 years and accrued a little over 500K on it. About a year after purchasing it new, the radiator plugged up. A Toyota tech told me it was because I had refilled it with other than their red antifreeze. Another told me that because the heads are sand cast, some residual sand had plugged the tubes. Rubbish. I bought another radiator from Toyota and it plugged up after a bit as well. I bought yet another radiator from Performance Radiator which I think is a nationwide brand and it never gave me any trouble. In fact, it cooled better than either of the Toyota radiators. I suspect the tubes were a bit larger than the ones in the OEM radiators.

Back to the 4Runner, I defeated the automatic door locks so the doors wouldn't lock every time I moved the vehicle and I also defeated the feature that prevented driving with the rear differential locked when in 4 high. There's no doubt that driving with the diff locked could be hazardous in certain conditions but I never encountered those and almost never even used it.
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Grizz
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Re: any 4Runners onboard?

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Walt wrote: Sat Nov 19, 2022 1:59 pm Grizz, this may be pertinent as well. I had a 2000 2wd Tacoma for 13 years and accrued a little over 500K on it. About a year after purchasing it new, the radiator plugged up. A Toyota tech told me it was because I had refilled it with other than their red antifreeze. Another told me that because the heads are sand cast, some residual sand had plugged the tubes. Rubbish. I bought another radiator from Toyota and it plugged up after a bit as well. I bought yet another radiator from Performance Radiator which I think is a nationwide brand and it never gave me any trouble. In fact, it cooled better than either of the Toyota radiators. I suspect the tubes were a bit larger than the ones in the OEM radiators.

Back to the 4Runner, I defeated the automatic door locks so the doors wouldn't lock every time I moved the vehicle and I also defeated the feature that prevented driving with the rear differential locked when in 4 high. There's no doubt that driving with the diff locked could be hazardous in certain conditions but I never encountered those and almost never even used it.
the original radiator had about 280k miles on it. I bought a new one from a dealer and i bought a transmission oil cooler. which is the coolest thing i did to it. in 100+ degree days i could park the nose into the wind and take a nap. transmission never overheated, but the engine ran a little hotter than i wanted it to, like 190s. i am going to put another oil cooler in and plumb the engine oil thru it. i suspect that the oil temp can stand some cooling off.. the engine never overheated in the stinko hots. i am going to look into a larger radiator for the coolant. running around in the mild temps we have now the coolant runs about 180 and the trans oil is around 129. i will carry some cardboard with me this winter in case the oil struggles to get up into the green zone. the trans cooler is in series with the pipe thru the bottom of the radiator. glad i did it that way, i doubt the cooler would have sufficed if it was alone. i might go that way with one that has its own fan, idk. what do you think about that?

as far as the traction stuff and 4wd, i don't use it on pavement,, unless it's covered in snow or pooling water, which i haven't driven in with this guy. i use 4wd as soon as i leave the pavement, AND when putting the truck on ramps, either the front or rear. i might look for another set and drive it up on 4 of them. seems more secure than stands for changing fluids. i drain the engine oil over night with the front wheels on ramps.

i don't have a rear diff lock. i guess i should keep tabs on wrecks in case there's one available.

thanks for the input, helps clarify thinking. I got the rear brake lines purged and bled and put the new wheels on the back. tomorrow is tundra brake day. then shaft zirks and oil change and and and
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Grizz
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Re: any 4Runners onboard?

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Walt wrote: Sat Nov 19, 2022 1:13 pm Grizz, I only intended to bring the rear end back to stock height when I installed the 1 1/2" spacers on top of the coils. It worked great, didn't effect the ride and it ended the bottoming when I went over a bump. I would imagine that later model takeouts would work fine provided they're the same size.
The attached photo is from when I was determining what size spacers to use.
NICE TRUCK.

my shocks are originals and could use some help. when you put spacers on the coils, did you alter the front suspension? i will have a better idea when i get back from the trip. meanwhile there are lots of 'little' jobs to tend to..... Thanks Walt
Walt
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Re: any 4Runners onboard?

Post by Walt »

Grizz, the rear coils had a reputation for sagging after a few years. I don't believe the front coils had an issue. The only thing I did with the front is to put in new shocks. BTW, they look like struts but the shocks have a step which supports the lower spring seating plate. My 4Runner was apparently the last of the manual transmissions; by 2000 only automatics were available.
Also, when I first acquired mine, the disc rotors were warped. I tend to be easy on brakes so after having them turned I never had another problem with them.
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Grizz
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Re: any 4Runners onboard?

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Walt wrote: Sun Nov 20, 2022 8:51 am Grizz, the rear coils had a reputation for sagging after a few years. I don't believe the front coils had an issue. The only thing I did with the front is to put in new shocks. BTW, they look like struts but the shocks have a step which supports the lower spring seating plate. My 4Runner was apparently the last of the manual transmissions; by 2000 only automatics were available.
Also, when I first acquired mine, the disc rotors were warped. I tend to be easy on brakes so after having them turned I never had another problem with them.
thanks Walt. going to replace shocks and do something about the springs, 'someday'. the tundra brakes i'm installing have 231mm pads, about 5.5 inches long, and a thicker rotor. guys towing loads and rock climbing use them. big increase in stopping power. on the summer trip the stock front brakes were running in such a hot environment that they were noticeably weak. had to be intentional about distances and careful about bleeding speed. they are much better in the 40° ranges. it was hot. cold is far more friendly for me . . .
Walt
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Re: any 4Runners onboard?

Post by Walt »

One other thing, Grizz;

OEM Toyota brake pads are excellent, giving 50 to 100% longer life than aftermarket pads in my experience while also reducing rotor wear. They work very well.
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Grizz
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Re: any 4Runners onboard?

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Update on T4R road trip 2 . . . . drove to TX to give my daughter away. all kinds of corny country songs insert themselves here. got to spend time with my sons and daughter and grand kids. arrived back to the base camp last night about 10-ish.

spent time with my brother and my sister. we are all slowing down, but i can't figure out why. R and i went up to red rock for some photos and quiet time. he gave me his mc helmet, which means i will have to follow through on my XCountry been there, doing it again, redux.

i skipped the coastal big storm by running inland up us 95, one of the best roads in America, condition-wise. low traffic volumes and huge country with public lands to explore next times.

T4R ran well with mileage running between 15 in towns and 20-something on long haul highways. i will get the info in the spreadsheet for the real-world numbers. the tundra brakes are super good. glad i had them for the winter trip. the trans-oil cooler was a mixed blessing. i put a piece of plywood doorskin over it to keep the trans temps up in cold wx, which it did. but on a warm day with a long grade the temp went over the top for a bit. so now to figure out the balance that keeps the temps in the operating range... the new tires broke in well but are still strange and they haven't trained me yet. they did something that i didn't like in a wet wet uneven surface on 84 in Oregon last night. they excelled when i pulled onto a gravel slush shoulder. 4wd'd out of it, the tires finding traction and floatation, and just rolled back onto the pavement. the funnier one was crossing the shoulder to find a ditch, which the wheels straddled, kinda like a rock crawling video, but he climbed right out when i turned back to the pavement. just what an off road tire is supposed to do. i evaded all the snowfall and only got a moment on some old snow, but the truck didn't notice... still looking for a frozen lake type setting so i can play with control inputs....

didn't shoot my guns this time, but'cept for the single shot 20 for a close up pattern on a cactus paddle. at 7-11 distance it made a 75 caliber hole. i guess it'll do.

Happy New Year Y'All and best blessings, day by day

Walt
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Re: any 4Runners onboard?

Post by Walt »

Glad to hear that your Runner did well for you. Happy New Year to you, Grizz.
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Grizz
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Re: any 4Runners onboard?

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Walt wrote: Thu Jan 12, 2023 6:36 pm Glad to hear that your Runner did well for you. Happy New Year to you, Grizz.
Thanks Walt. good to hear from you. let's make all our projects extra special just because ! :)
shooter
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Re: any 4Runners onboard?

Post by shooter »

My brother had a first gen for awhile. It was a fun hunting buggy and could go anywhere, but parts were expensive, hard to find, and the vehicle was pretty complicated to work on. He recently sold it. I hope you get it built like you want! They are a blast to drive. I settled on a 1989 Jeep Cherokee for my "go anywhere" vehicle. Parts are much cheaper, and they are relatively easy to work on. Only down side with them is that they have a unibody instead of an actual frame. Good luck with your project, it sounds like a fun one.
‎"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen" - Samuel Adams
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Grizz
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Re: any 4Runners onboard?

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Thanks Shooter! I like the runner better the more i drive it, keeping my eyes open for parts. I read about a transmission "kit" that replaces the innards with new parts that make for better shifting, better gas mileage, and i forget what else. would like to find an identical trans to rebuild and swap in . . . if anyone has info on this i'm interested . . .

grizz
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