The new Yota No.6 (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Mar 18, 2004
Threads
156
Messages
5,062
Location
Abbeville, SC
Well I've been stalling on posting up some info in hopes I would have more collected and done by now, but here he is:

'99 4runner Limited
187K miles
4wd/AWD
Few pics from the ad:
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And..... it has the Magic button ;)
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We were up in Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, TN the week after Christmas as a family. As many of you kno wI sold my pickup and we were sharing the 80 as a family. Thankfully I had some time off over the holidays and with us heading up to the mountains it helped give me a little more time to find something.

I had been messaging and looking at several Tacomas and 4runners but they were either:
1. Too much $.
2. Rusty
3. Too far away.
After comign really close to buying a few I saw this one posted on CL in Knoxville. He posted it up New Yrs eve and we were headed back home New Yrs day, so it was good we were able to work something out. I had already coordinated to go look at another one on the way home. :) It has more miles thatn I wanted to have, 187K but he had a stack of reciepts and was the 2nd owner who bought it as a CPO.
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I had forgotten how nice these drove, especially compared to the last few vehicles we have had/have. Lori drove a '97 sr5 4wd that we had for around 7 years and I foolishly sold January '10. I actually emailed the guy that bought our old one and asked if we could buy it back.
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Unfortunately he blew the rear main after he put another 40K on it and the engine blew. He sold it to a buddy who is supposedly putting a Land Cruiser V8 in it. I am begging him for pics.

After a trip back home and a few pit stops for the kiddos and myself we finally made it home after 200+ miles.
The guy was nice enough to let me keep his tag so I didnt get pulled who knows how many times on the way home.
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It needs a few things and since I got it on New Yrs I have noticed a few more needed items.
I placed an order with RHT and my wife went by and picked up the first round of parts.
New valve cover gaskets and associated parts, new plug wires, and new plugs.
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I also picked up a B&M tranny cooler to avoid the strawberry milkshake that these have been know to produce when the radiator/internal cooler fail.

There is a clicking noise coming from the passanger front that started after I got home, there is also a hesitation when accelerating gradually at higher speeds (around 70), also need an 02 sensor and a coolant sensor, and some bulbs in the climate control as they are burnt out.

Other than the few little things I need to fix I am overly impressed. I also picked up a set of custom canvas seat covers of eBay, dug throught the garage to find the parts to swap the factory roof rack for some Yakima stuff, and ordered some LED bulbd for the interior and the climate control.
1/2 way installed rear:
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Done:
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Weekend after we got back from PF/GB with the 4runner I decided to make a parts run to VA. :bounce2: Since the stock rear bumper has a few little dents.
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I had found a bumper on CL in Va Beach a few weeks before Christmas but did not want to buy any parts for a vehicle before I bought one. I emailed the guy and he still had this:
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SO I drove up the Rocky Mount, NC and visited with my buddy who is moving to WA state next month, we then headed out Saturday morning to Va Beach and picked up the bumper, suprizingly it fit in the back of the 4runner without disasambly. I have to get some mounts made up as he was runing a 3" BL. I should have take a pic of his 4runner and the FJ62 they had in the garage. I am sure the guy who owns the 62 is on MUD, he wasnt working but the guy with the 4runner said he has at least 3. They worked on building up 2 LX470's and shipped them to Haiti to help after the earth quake. Nothing like a 1K + mile trip for friends and parts.

I actually had a front bumper lined up just before Christmas but it sold by the time I bought this rig. Found several other things but distance is a factor as shipping eats into any deal, especially on something as heavy as a bumper. I plan to get the rear bumper paint matched or powder coated, trying to research painting over powdercoat.

I will try to keep this updated as I add things and also get some pics up of the maint work as well as the Yakima rack. I have put over 2K miles on it in 3 weeks time and my wife wishes all the kids fit in it as she loves driving it as much as I do, it is so much smoother than the 80.
 
Nice! Best 6 cylinder ever IMO.
 
Nice ride. I really miss my old 3.4l. Not as much power as the new 4.0, but man what a bulldog. Keep clean oil and radiator fluid in those things and they will run forever.

Jeremy
 
Yeah great SUV. Keep it stock and light weight. I had 295's mine and it was a PIG. But we don't drive Toyotas for power now do we..
 
saw you wanted to replace some sensors...what codes is it throwing. I have done alot of reading that says a bad 02 sensor with throw a temp out of range code. Mine throws an air fuel meter code and that temp code. I just ignore it. Truck has right at 222k, runs perfect and gets the gas mileage it should. I figure chasing that darn light would be like telling a 105 yr old they should quit smoking.
 
I dont remember the codes exactly, but I want to get the CEL off if I can, it seems to run fine and gets good milage other than the slight trans hesitation. I havent been able to find time to do the tranny cooler and fluid flush, hope to get it done in the next few weeks as well as the valve cover gaskets and other misc maint stuff. I was able to get some new Bosch wiper blades and winter/bug RainX washer fluid, and a new air filter. Both very much needed items.

I picked up a set of OME 883 and Bilstein 5100 fronts already assembled from yotatech and am working on figuring out my rear setup. Have a line on a 1" BL to help with clearance on the rear bumper and any other issues if I ever move up in tire size. I dont want to get huge tires b/c as $out said its hits MPG and drivability. I dont want to regear and my old pickup was a dog with the 22re and 32s. I think I have narrowed down my tire size to 235/85r16 or 265/75r16. Good many guys running both of those sizes on t4r.org, yotatech, and expedition portal. I checked with a local tire shop yesterday and she can get a good deal on the Cooper ST Maxx in both sizes. I have seen great reviews and negative reviews on these so not sure if I want to go with them or not, they are very similar to the GY Duratacs. AT/MT mix with a stout sidewall with protection. $825 for a set of 5 in the 235's seems reasonable to me? 265's were $885 for 5. Those are mounted and balaced prices.
I am going to call another shop that was recomended to me. Will see what they have in a AT or MT. Any advice on those Coopers or others would be great.

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Also trying to get someone to help me out with the mounting of the rear bumper, needs some basic mounts but I cannot weld and my friend just picked up an extra job so he has 0 free time to help me. I also want to paint it silver to match the 4runner, so I have to figure out what I am going to do abotu that. It is powder coated black now and is in fairly good shape with only a few little rusty spots. From what I can tell you can paint over the PC if it is preped correctly. $ is the issue with this part, as I want it done correctly but I also dont want to break the bank. Hopefully I can get it all worked out soon as well. I want to get a set of 5 tires so mounting everything up should come at a reasonable time frame. (AKA: SOON!) :)
 
My wife has the Cooper discover sst MT's (285/70R17)on her 2008 Sahara Unlimited. 60k on them and still decent tread left. Never had coopers before but they were on the jeep when we picked it up from the dealer and have had no problems other than a little loud but thats pretty much all MT's.

Those look pretty nice, good combo of AT and MT. I am a die hard BFG fan though. Might be hard to go to something else for me.
 
Those tires look good. I mentioned the rear sitting high in my thread on your runner with 8 wraps, but with that rear bumper it ought to do exactly what you want it to do. Another thing to check is the valve cover gaskets may not require replacement. Mine were leaking horrible when i bought it. Enough to smoke off the engine pretty heave. It ended up just needing the valve cover bolts retorqued. they were all finger tight. Look forward to seeing this build come together.
As far as gas mileage, with the 265/75s I usually average around 18 with some putting around town and shooting back and forth to gville for my internship. Havent been able to check it with the bigger tires yet, but im guessing its not going to be good, those duratracs are HEAVY. Also mentioned in the other thread that there is a good chance that runner has 430 gears being a limited with the locker it seems common to go that way. Mine has them and it moves around fine in town with the bigger tires. My biggest problem is it follows road groves a bit. I need to get under it and put my diff drop in and replace my rack bushings with some energy suspension poly bushings I scooped awhile back.
 
Took some time today to get a few things done on the 4runner. I purchased a 3rd row for my 62 when I had it and never got it installed. It is tan vinyl and has been sitting in the shed for years. I had seen a few guys post p of using a jeep rear seat in a 4runner for a third rom as well as the littlepeopleseats brand? Addicted offroad was one of the main ones and since we have 4 kids I figured why not, let me see if it will work.

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Like a glove! I would have been done before lunch but Scout, the new puppy was "helping" and I stripped 2 bolts and had to make a run up to the hardware store. It removes and installs in a matter of minuets with spring loaded pins on the front legs. I had to shim it up a little so the knobs would still moves because of the groves on the floor

I patched up my Yakima fairing and put it on the 4runner, I had it on the 80 for awhile but one of the clips broke after one of my kids sat on it or something like that. Noise levels over 55mph are greatly reduced.

I also got in my LED overhead bulbs. I was going to order a set from a vendor here on MUD, but after doing some research I decided to just order some from eBay. $5 later I had both overhead lights replaced. Makes a huge difference.
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Lori was asking when she was getting a set for the 80. ;) They are on there way from Hong Kong :bounce:

I picked up my 1" BL from a guy at Clemson this afternoon, not a bad deal for $65.
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I am hoping this will help with clearance for my bumper and mounting points as the guy I bought the bumper from had a 3", I did not want to go that high though. This should give me enough space to get mounts fabed up.

From looking at Jim's lift and tires I think I am going to try to find a set of 255/85/16 Cooper ST 's I cannot seem to find any local for less than $230 ea. mounted/balanced I just cannot see paying that, haven't seen any in that sized used except for a set of KM2s 4 for $600 with ~ 70% tread, I offered him $500 and he didn't see to want to go for it.
 
Jealous of it man. I've always loved 3rd gens and wish i would have bought williams back in the day. Should be able to make those brackets relatively easy.
 
Changed plugs, plug wires, coolant temp sensor, passenger side valve cover gasket and all associated parts (alot more parts than you would think), and finally got my headlight harness with relay so I could install my 6K HIDs. Not bad in an afternoons work.

191K miles passenger side with VC off. I was excited to see very little buildup.
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Some of the passenger side plugs Gaped way out and electrode worn way down, they obviously did not change plugs at 170K when the TB was supposedly done. Wires had an '08 date on them, at least they were OEM. Replaced everything with OEM.
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Cleaned up the VC with some brake cleaner and then started swapping the spark plug tube seals.
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One out:
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One new one in:
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Obviously these things get brittle after 13 yrs and 191K miles:
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The good news is that what I thought was a possible transmission or coil pack issue must have been worn plugs and/or wires. I took it out for a cruise tonight after some of the FIPG set up good. I could not get it to shudder, buck or anything, I hope it was not a fluke, but I am super excited.

I ordered these this week:
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Front Sway bar quick discos. $25 shipped, not bad.
This came in today:
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Kenwood Excelon x993 it is a few years old, but for less than $150, bluetooth, HD ready, and some other cool features I thought it would be a good fit. I haven't had a Kenwood in a few years but last one I had I loved.

Headed out in the morning to get these:
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255/85/16 KM2s
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Im really excited about getting them as my current tires are getting slick in the centers except for one and the original spare. And this is the exact size I finally decided to get, I wanted the Cooper S/T's but found these from a guy on ExpoPortal, gotta go with what works for the budget. I haven't had KM2s yet, but have had 3 different sets of KM1s through the years.

If I feel like it when I get home tomorrow I may go ahead and install the BL, I want to get the stereo in, but I want to order a few more components before I pull everything apart to instal it. I have a few other components out in the garage that I have been saving for some time. I hope to get one of them checked out on Sunday. Hopefully its good to go so I have one less thing to buy.

Taco BJs, and TREs ordered so they will be ready to go for the Automotive program at school to install and align after I get my lift put on. Maybe next weekend??
 
looks like someone won the lottery!
 
Looking good.
Thanks, it's coming along.
looks like someone won the lottery!
I wish, just happened to find a vehicle for 1/2 my original budget. Things will slow down before too much longer. Thinking of doing some stuff this summer and woudl like to get most of the stuff wrapped up. It doesnt have near the character of the dent. ;)

I ordered a few parts this week for the stereo install, hoping ot have both antennas working so I ordered a splitter and andapter from eBay, a total of $12 shipped. ;) Finally dropped off my Orion HCCA 225 amp with a friend yesterday to let him check it. I also hope to trade him a JL 12w3D4 for a Sundown Ev8, I hope to build a box like this, but I have to be careful of how far over the box comes because of the 3rd row I installed before. If I have space I may incorperate a storage space as well as this sub only requires ~ .3 cu. ft.
Disregard the song, thats one thing that drives me nuts about YouTube, everyone thinks they need to play a song, just not sure why they choose what they do. Anyways rant over. :)

I got 8 or 10" sub because of space savings and I dont want some crazy thump, just something to give the song some depth.

I ordered an amp for my door speakers (MB Quart DSC480 4x80watts RMS):
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and also ordered one set of door speakers, still looking for 1 more set, hard to find compontents for a good price, really want to run 6.5" in the front doors and let these be for the rear. (Hertz DSK130 5.25" Compontents)
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I need to get some sound deadening and I should be set on my stereo install. This system seems to be coming together nicely, just hope I can get my cabinet making skills together.

Called Ralph Hayes Toyota today to get price quotes on the BJs and TREs I was planning on ordering them but may wait. $303 for Upper and Lower BJs, and Outter TREs, that hurts. I need the TREs but if I am going to upgrade I need to do the lowers and TRE now as the Tacoma upgrade requires you to do both at the same time. (I dont need upper BJ that I can tell, but I am getting a really good rate on labor, so I figured I would get those done too since them are only ~ $60 of the total.)
I really need to get these tires on and to do that I have to get the lift on, I may go ahead and get it on and then do the TRE and BJ later.
 
Lift and tires installed:
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Waiting on automotive class to do the alignment, hopefully tonight. Will try to post a write up on the lift install over the next few days, been a little crazy here as we are having our youngest's 2nd birthday party at the house on saturday.
 
Thursday evening I installed the headunit I had bought a few weeks back. Trying to figure out all the adjustments and bluetooth for my iphone.

I got out yesterday morning and made a sample box out of cardboard to see what will work.
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You can see the brackets I installed for the 3rd row. The seat comes to the edge of the hump so I will have to see what thickness of wood will work. The Sub will not fit facing up like the one in the video, because of the 3rd row I cannot make it come out that far past the hump toward the center. I think I am going to mount it facing towards the center behind where the seat sits. Looks like I will probably install an amp in the portion under the window, at an angle. There is a thread over on DIYmobileaudio.com of a 100 series with a similar set-up: 2000 Land Cruise SQ install completed Pics - DIYMA.com - Scientific Car Audio - Truth in Sound Quality

I am mainly trying to get ideas from everyone and making it work for me.

I think I may end up with an amp in the cubby too, but I am not 100% sold on it, mainly because I want to keep some storage for random stuff.

Still probably going to trade for one of the Sundown e8 as it keeps me from having to sell my JL 12w3d4 and then trying to find something else. Several people have mentioned the new Alpine 8" sub as a great sub for what I want.

Pics of LED side marker bulbs and DDM 6K HIDs
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I love the light output may start saving for a projector retrofit after I get all this other stuff done. Speaking of which...I need to make a todo and want list for the 4runner.

I also need to do a write up on the lift, but I think several have already done a good job of that. Its doing great, and averaging 17mpg with the lift and tires on. I expect to hit around 19 on a full tank on the highway.

Need to either install the BL or start trimming some as I have rubbing just driving around town on the front bumper, the running board is really close in the rear as well, but they will be coming off when I get some sliders.

Still having a little noise from what I think is the driver front. Not sure if its a wheel bearing, CVs or auto hubs.
 
did you ever get rid of the stock roof rack? my :princess: 2000 is naked. if you don't want it taking up space I could put it to good use.
 
Still have the stock rack, but I'm using everything except the large factory bars with my Yakima setup.

I really need to update this thread, we recently made a 7,041 mile trip the end of July. Took us from Upstate, SC to Orcas Island off of Seattle, WA and back in 15 days. 23 states, 11 national parks and tons of memories.
Thread about the trip that also needs to be updated found here: https://forum.ih8mud.com/sc-upstate-cruisers/599357-10yr-anniversary-trip.html
 
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Little late, but beter late than never. This all actually happened before my trip.

Long overdue update:

The last few weeks I have gotten a few things done mounted one of my Q tower sets with another Yakima bar, I like the look and it gives me flexibility on mounting more ites, although the height is different from the Yakima mounts on the stock rack.

Mounted B&M tranny cooler and did a low pressure flush of the trans, lubed all zerks, and installed a new rear wiper. :)
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I finally mounting the rear bumper I bought in January.
Begining
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Droping the spare and getting everything removed.
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Done:
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Cleaned it up a little
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Back end sure did rise up without 100lbs of spare and stock bumper back there. :roadkill:

I had to drive it a week with no rear bumper trying to line up someone to weld up the mounts for the new bumper. I finally got the welding program at the school I work for to mount it up.

Getting it there proved to be a chore. When I picked this bumper up I had 3 guys total to load it up and it was rough. My wife and I had pulled it out when I brought it home so I figured we could put it back in for the ride to work. It didnt exactly go as planned but I did get it there.
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Welding shop mounting it up:
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Done:
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Spare tire was mounted by automotive so I did not have the dinky stock spare hanging on the back. I moved the liscence plate and did a few things last night.
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Tinted windows 20%
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Mounted my Light Force 140's on the stock bumper for now until I can find a steel front bumper.
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Notice my helper?
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Now I just need to get them wired up to be my high beams. I have a few different filters for them, hoping they do as well as the 240's I have in the garage. Really would like a LED light bar to go on the front Yakima bar, but they need to drop a little more in $ to make that happen.
 

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