After the train run in June, I noticed a small coolant leak on the 4Runner. Took a deeper dive, and my head gasket is leaking (again). Then, about a week later, I started to hear a slight knock. It's still drivable, but a ticking time bomb at this point. Found a new motor with under 200,000 miles in Idaho Falls and picked it up last weekend. Before it goes into the runner, I plan to do an oil pan seal, rear main, exhaust gaskets, knock sensor, and intake manifold gaskets. I'm hoping to get it in sometime in August when time allows.
What have you been doing with your Toyota?
- Thread starter JohnnyOshow22
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I took my dad out for his first trail ride in my FJ40. He's visiting from Michigan and my 40 never seems to be 100% mechanically sound when he's here; this trip was no exception. The rear main leak has not improved with 2 bottles of stop leak, but I packed extra oil and kept an eye on the oil pressure gauge. We ran the Ringing Rocks trail clockwise. It was 161 miles driveway to driveway, and we used 2-1/2 quarts of oil. We lost the oil fill cap about 15 miles into the trail and got a pretty bad vacuum leak that made it tough to idle, but I just used the choke to keep the RPMs up a bit. We pulled winch line once. I probably could have figured it out without the winch, but there was a good tree 50 feet directly in front of me. I couldn't find an open parts store until we got back to Belgrade, but replacing the oil fill cap fixed the idle issue. The new cap fits so much better that I wonder if I've had a vacuum leak there for a long time. We had good interactions with most of the other trail users (trucks, motorcycles, and 4 wheelers), but the SXS drivers were 50% okay and 50% completely lacking in trail etiquette. I don't know what the deal is with SXS drivers, but they aren't doing themselves any favors.
theres a couple new rental outfits that operate SXS around pipestone. They were probably tourists.
Seth, when you have time bring it out and we'll put er on the lift and get it ship shape again. shouldn't be to big of a job, let me know
also Seth, what side of the engine is the dipstick on? if memory serves me right if on the drivers side it's usually a 2 piece pass side is usually a 1 piece. you sure it's not the valve cover leaking, sbc are notorius for that and it looks like the rms. oil pan can often be a sob also
I'll definitely take you up on that!
It's drivers side on this engine. I don't know that it's not the valve covers as well, but it's a bad enough leak that I think rear main is likely. I have gaskets for the valve covers, so maybe I just swap those out next weekend and see. I've also got a gasket for the oil pan. The only seal I don't currently have on hand is the rear main.
That could be.
One of the best things a club like ours can and should be doing is educating everyone about trail etiquette and stewardship. Those are the things that build community and keep trails open.
the only, and i mean only valve cover gaskets that we found would work are the blue felpro. make sure you haven't warped the covers from over tightening, use the torque spreaders or whatever they're call and tighten to specs and no more. oil will gush out of them and as far as i'm concerned is the main issue with the sbc.
It's got a set of "fancy" Mickey Thompson aluminum covers with only 4 bolts holding them on. I'm pretty sure they are the cork gaskets on it now. I can't see they wouldn't be a bit warped with only 4 bolts. Maybe I'll replace the gaskets with the set I have and some permatex and see what happens, but I'm pretty certain it's coming from the rear main seal. Fingers crossed.
i hope it works, they leak out of the rear and it runs down the back so it looks like it's the rear main. frustrating is an understatement. they get warped due to leakage so people think they need to tighten them some which actually magnifies the problem due to location of only 4 bolts holding down the cover, still leaks so you tighten some more etc. the engineer that designed the valve covers needed to be kicked hard between the legs. really hard
I bet it was a cost savings. Less machining and fewer fasteners.
When @elkun1 says that your "rear main seal" oil leak is probably just a valve cover gasket, don't waste a bunch of time planning and fretting about how you're going to drop your transfer case and transmission. Just replace the valve cover gaskets. He's probably right. Even if it wasn't the valve cover gaskets, it's only a 20 minute job, but it probably is the valve cover gaskets. (It was absolutely the valve cover gaskets.)
Well that’s clever. Nicely done
Anyone want to come do a knuckle rebuild with me? lol
Pulled off the turbo and intake manifold in preparation for a new, bigger turbo. Discovered what I suspect to be a badly leaking valve stem seal, lots of oil in the #4 exhaust port, each exhaust valve stem is pretty oily when I reach in and touch them.
Here's what blew out the old turbo when I started the engine after sitting for a month or so:
A new or rebuilt cylinder head looks like an unfortunate necessity right now.
The new turbo looks pretty sweet though, but will require some modification to get everything to fit.
Here's what blew out the old turbo when I started the engine after sitting for a month or so:
A new or rebuilt cylinder head looks like an unfortunate necessity right now.
The new turbo looks pretty sweet though, but will require some modification to get everything to fit.
In July of '24 I had a shop do some work for me to replace the kickdown cable, brake bleed, ATF fluids/gasket, and rear drive shaft u-joints. They indicated the new brakes I had installed and the bleed they performed were a good start but for the vehicle to be safe it would need a new master cylinder. I bought this but didn't get around to looking at the truck further until March of this year. Those of you who follow this thread might remember that I accidentally started the ignition with the shift lever in "drive" and proceeded to watch my car crawl forward into a steel beam, crushing my air conditioner, smashing my headlight assembly, and generally mangling the whole front-driver corner of the rig. You all were helpful in pointing out the Neutral Safety Switch as the culprit for the truck driving forward during ignition but I was so incredibly frustrated by the $675 of replacement parts and dozens of hours I spent in my cold garage rebuilding the front end I said f' it and parked the truck for the Winter and most of this Summer.
I got my head straight about the truck again and finally decided to install the master cylinder this weekend which seems to have gone pretty well. But, while I had it in my garage I was poking around underneath and I noticed a couple clean threaded inserts which looked like they should have bolts in them and upon further inspection noticed the part they should have been attaching was the Neutral Safety Switch.
The throttle cable that I had the shop install happens to be located directly behind the safety switch so it appears very, very likely that they unbolted the switch to install the cable and then forgot to re-bolt it back on.
I'm kind of in a daze after finding this just an hour or so ago. I was looking forward to sharing a photo of the master cylinder because it was a small victory for me but instead I'm typing up a novel about my continued trials and tribulations.
I got my head straight about the truck again and finally decided to install the master cylinder this weekend which seems to have gone pretty well. But, while I had it in my garage I was poking around underneath and I noticed a couple clean threaded inserts which looked like they should have bolts in them and upon further inspection noticed the part they should have been attaching was the Neutral Safety Switch.
The throttle cable that I had the shop install happens to be located directly behind the safety switch so it appears very, very likely that they unbolted the switch to install the cable and then forgot to re-bolt it back on.
I'm kind of in a daze after finding this just an hour or so ago. I was looking forward to sharing a photo of the master cylinder because it was a small victory for me but instead I'm typing up a novel about my continued trials and tribulations.
Getting ready for deep snow wheeling season and making the old 85 much more comfortable. Added new/used seats and the big flotation tires i always wanted. Took lots of rear fender cutting and welding, but we'll worth it for that Icelandic artic truck look I love.
1995 4runner SR5 seats.
Trail gear 12in mono tube shocks
38x15.5x15 Nitto Mud Grapplers
15x12 Mickey Thompson wheels
1995 4runner SR5 seats.
Trail gear 12in mono tube shocks
38x15.5x15 Nitto Mud Grapplers
15x12 Mickey Thompson wheels