Hi, guys.
It has been a while since I posted anything. 2015 has been a real roller coaster ride for me. I have helped my mother battle cancer by making sure she got to her chemo treatments; watched my dad slip further into what is called Lewey Body dementia; and we lost my aunt in Sept. And then, my '97 4Runner got into an accident when a guy broke hard in front of me which made me do the same on a Mass Pike exit, only I hydroplaned and skidded into a guard rail. The insurance company totaled my beloved 1997 V6 powered and 5 speed, e-lockered equipped 4Runner, the truck I have had the longest of any vehicle I've ever had (8 years) which I was gradually building into a potent super stocker off road machine. I wanted to keep it and knew I was in for a tough battle with the insurance company; but with the family medical issues pressuring me, I decided I didn't need one more battle to fight, and decided to get another truck. I was real lucky to find a 3rd gen 4R as well equipped as mine was, especially with a 5 speed stick. The dealer I bought it from was a real snake, someone who reneged on an arrangement. I almost told this nimrod to shove it until I spied the e-locker. Long story short, I took a chance and bought it anyway, knowing I wouldn't find one like this anytime soon. Fortunately, the truck was very sound. Good thing because 8 months after I bought it, I got laid off. Again, very fortunately, my '97 did not give me a lick of trouble the entire time I was unemployed. It was excellent off road, I really enjoyed it, and I hated to get rid of it.
But it was time to see the handwriting on the wall, and I have bought a new-to-me 2005 4Runner. Can't get a stick shift with this model, so driving a juice drive full time has been a bit of an adjustment, but I'm getting used to it. I've already taken it on a very mild powerline trail so I'm confident in its ability. I've also been watching a lot of YouTube with 4th gen 4Rs and that helped me go ahead and pull the trigger on this one, after having some mild misgivings about things like a dial for engaging 4WD. My 2005 is the Sport Edition, which has special suspension to give it better handling on road. It has some cool features like a built in info screen with GPS, sunroof, Bilstein shocks, and a brush guard. It has 265 65 17 Toyo tires on it; I expect to get Toytec springs for a 2" lift after the first of the year, and I'm going to upgrade to at least 265 70 17s, if not 285 70 17 tires. I just installed LED interior lights which is bright as hell and is expected to last years.
The only problem I had with the truck is that the check engine and VSC warning lights kept coming on. I took it back to the dealer 5 times; after thoroughly cleaning out the fuel injectors, I think we have the problem licked. The truck has a 4.0 litre V6 (I avoided the V8 since I wanted better fuel economy), and being a 2005, it has a 5 speed automatic as oppose to the 4 speed of the V6 powered 2003-2004 models. The engine has a cold air intake which I am currently evaluating; I may go back to a standard Toyota airbox unit, to gain even more fuel mileage (unless anyone here can give me a reason for keeping the cold air intake, since I'm not in real need of the modest extra power). I'm also going to need a cargo cover. The next set of tires I'm looking at will be Goodyear AT/S, Hankook, Yokohama, General AT Grabbers, or Bridgestone. I hope to make some trail runs soon. I'll stick with mostly stock trails for the time being but that will change as soon as I put my mods in. Hope to see you on the trail. Tread lightly, everyone.
Blackhawk1 out.
It has been a while since I posted anything. 2015 has been a real roller coaster ride for me. I have helped my mother battle cancer by making sure she got to her chemo treatments; watched my dad slip further into what is called Lewey Body dementia; and we lost my aunt in Sept. And then, my '97 4Runner got into an accident when a guy broke hard in front of me which made me do the same on a Mass Pike exit, only I hydroplaned and skidded into a guard rail. The insurance company totaled my beloved 1997 V6 powered and 5 speed, e-lockered equipped 4Runner, the truck I have had the longest of any vehicle I've ever had (8 years) which I was gradually building into a potent super stocker off road machine. I wanted to keep it and knew I was in for a tough battle with the insurance company; but with the family medical issues pressuring me, I decided I didn't need one more battle to fight, and decided to get another truck. I was real lucky to find a 3rd gen 4R as well equipped as mine was, especially with a 5 speed stick. The dealer I bought it from was a real snake, someone who reneged on an arrangement. I almost told this nimrod to shove it until I spied the e-locker. Long story short, I took a chance and bought it anyway, knowing I wouldn't find one like this anytime soon. Fortunately, the truck was very sound. Good thing because 8 months after I bought it, I got laid off. Again, very fortunately, my '97 did not give me a lick of trouble the entire time I was unemployed. It was excellent off road, I really enjoyed it, and I hated to get rid of it.
But it was time to see the handwriting on the wall, and I have bought a new-to-me 2005 4Runner. Can't get a stick shift with this model, so driving a juice drive full time has been a bit of an adjustment, but I'm getting used to it. I've already taken it on a very mild powerline trail so I'm confident in its ability. I've also been watching a lot of YouTube with 4th gen 4Rs and that helped me go ahead and pull the trigger on this one, after having some mild misgivings about things like a dial for engaging 4WD. My 2005 is the Sport Edition, which has special suspension to give it better handling on road. It has some cool features like a built in info screen with GPS, sunroof, Bilstein shocks, and a brush guard. It has 265 65 17 Toyo tires on it; I expect to get Toytec springs for a 2" lift after the first of the year, and I'm going to upgrade to at least 265 70 17s, if not 285 70 17 tires. I just installed LED interior lights which is bright as hell and is expected to last years.
The only problem I had with the truck is that the check engine and VSC warning lights kept coming on. I took it back to the dealer 5 times; after thoroughly cleaning out the fuel injectors, I think we have the problem licked. The truck has a 4.0 litre V6 (I avoided the V8 since I wanted better fuel economy), and being a 2005, it has a 5 speed automatic as oppose to the 4 speed of the V6 powered 2003-2004 models. The engine has a cold air intake which I am currently evaluating; I may go back to a standard Toyota airbox unit, to gain even more fuel mileage (unless anyone here can give me a reason for keeping the cold air intake, since I'm not in real need of the modest extra power). I'm also going to need a cargo cover. The next set of tires I'm looking at will be Goodyear AT/S, Hankook, Yokohama, General AT Grabbers, or Bridgestone. I hope to make some trail runs soon. I'll stick with mostly stock trails for the time being but that will change as soon as I put my mods in. Hope to see you on the trail. Tread lightly, everyone.
Blackhawk1 out.
