Mark's 96' 4Runner

Here's the long and the short of it, decided I wanted a 4Runner but my budget was a little prohibitive, didn't think I would have much luck wanted a rig in good shape, mechanically sound, minimal rust (kind of like trying to find bigfoot) found one at Karl Malone used car lot, a cash and carry deal, no warranty. 2k later and I was the proud new owner of a 4Runner



The good
-Body and frame straight
-Not a rust bucket
-Strong motor
-Clutch and Transmission felt good

The bad
-No maintenance history (Will explain later)
-High mileage (236,xxx)
-Worn Tires
-Clear coat peeling in places
-Temp and Fuel gauge not working

The ugly

Someone stole the cat *Fixed



Previous owner hit something *Fixed thanks for the bumper Tyson



They also trashed the interior



I steam cleaned a small patch to show a contrast between what it is and what it should be, needless to say they smoked in it, had dogs, never cleaned it, it was a MESS! At some point I will do a new carpet kit and headliner as well as re-upholster the seats.

I detailed the inside here are some before and afters









Picked up some new wheels and tires, found a set of KMC Hoss on KSL for $250, wrapped them in some cooper Discoverer ATP

So this is how she sits now



A little TLC goes a long way i think, all that is left is a bit more maintenance

Here's the master list let me know if there is anything else I need to consider before I can consider the maintenance up to date


Oil Change
Spark Plugs
Ignition Wires
Clean MAF
Clean Throttle Body
New Air Filter
Reset EFI Relay
Fuel Filter
Lube Drive Shafts
Transmission Fluid
Service Diff
Replace LBJ
Replace O2 sensors

Wish list (any suggestions would be appreciated)
Brake upgrade
Addicted offroad front and rear bumpers, sliders, tire carrier
Suspension (was thinking sanoran steel 1.3)
Transmission (don't have the slightest idea where to start here, change the gearing, transfer case???)
SAS or Long travel kit?

That'll make Brady happy, there were getting to be a few too many black 4Runners around here for his taste.

With that mileage and no service history, I'd make a point of doing your lower ball joints right away. If it's an auto, you'll also want to add an aftermarket trans cooler or replace the radiator to avoid the Terrible Pink Milkshake.

Arm and Hammer carpet cleaner will help with the smoke smell - after I quit I used it about once a week for a couple months until the smell was gone.

How did you like New Zealand?

Man poor Runner. It looks like it has a good owner now. Keep us up to date on the progress. I'm sure we can give you some advice and ideas. Feel free to ask questions and ask for help.

We try to do something as a club monthly. Some months is hard but we make an effort. Feel free if you have ideas on runs or get togethers to chime in.

I love my 3rd gen. It has treated me great. I bought it in 2001 with 58k miles now in 2012 it still runs great with 260k.

I will have to give the arm and hammer a shot, detailed it, but the smell kind of lingers. Loved New Zealand everyone should visit at least once in their life time.

I like your choice in tire!!

Transmission Flush

I will never, ever, let anyone "flush" my transmission. My reason? The flush can usually do more harm than good. It is supposed to blast through the internals and remove any unwanted particles and impurities. The problem is, it doesn't guarantee everything it knocks loose comes out with the flush. Ever heard of a "floater?" :lol!:

For an auto tranny, drain the fluid, drop the pan, and inspect the filter - replace if needed. Otherwise, use an air hose and give 'er a good blow. Re-fill the fluid, done. I've heard too many horror stories about massive problems after a flush (granted these were older vehicles, newer ones might not apply as their internals are probably spic-and-span).

For a manual...drain the fluid, and then re-fill. Done.

Thanks for the tip on the transmission flush, makes sense to me to only change the fluid, and it's cheaper then a flush. I have a couple of questions.

I've been driving it for the last week and noticed a few problems that need addressed but don't know how to go about it. The first 2 are gauge problems, my fuel gauge is dead, fortunately the fuel light still works. The other is the temp gauge, it usually doesn't move but every now and again it feels a little frisky and will work for a few seconds.

The last thing is a little more problematic, as ultimately it is affecting my fuel efficiency. It idles high, usually around 1500 to 1700 rpm, even after driving it for a while the rpm stay high at idle. I thought the cold temps might have something to do with it but I pulled it into my heated garage and the rpm never dropped.

Anyone have any suggestions as to how I can take care of these things? For the fuel and temp I was thinking about buying an Ultragauge but the thought of leaving them as they are kind of bugs me.

welcome! that sucks about your Cat, I'm always worried about this happening to me.

Your sender in the tank is probably working if the fuel light is working. You may have a stuck gauge needle in your instrument cluster.

The temp gauge and high idle may be the same thing - the truck will idle high until it warms up, but if you've got a bad temp sensor somewhere that isn't telling the computer it's reached operating temp, it'll never drop the idle. It's also possible that a bad thermostat or water pump is stopping you from reaching operating temp at all. I don't know the 3.4 well enough to say more than that, but get your hands on a Haynes or a Chiltons, and check the troubleshooting guide for "high idle", it should give you a list of things to check.

You could also try pulling the codes from the OBD2 port - sometimes the computer will throw a code without illuminating the check engine light, so always check for stored codes.

After my little adventure the other day (https://desertrunnerst4r.forumotion.com/t191-ohhhh-man-israel-canyon-soldier-pass-road-warning-a-little-long-winded)
I have a better understanding of what direction I want to take my 4runner, heres my upgrade to do list


Suspension/Steering

Sonoran Steel 1.2
Replace steering rack
Replace outer tie rod ends
Replace lower ball joints
Replace cv joints
Replace front and rear sway bar bushings

Armor

Sliders (Savage or Addicted)
Savage skid plates
Lil' Skips Offroad gas tank skid
Rear control arm mount skids
E - locker motor guard
Bumpers - I'll think about replacing them if I mess them up

Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated

-Mark

That's an ambitious list, I think the sliders and skids are a great idea.  We should hook up so you can feel the OME suspension in my wife's '99 before you pull the trigger on that SS lift.  I'm a full-on OME junky, I love their stuff.

Be gentle taking off your tie rod ends and ball joints and such, the stuff you pull off will make great trail spares.

I've heard nothing but good about Sonora Steel lifts. Can't go wrong either way.


One suggestion! I stand by this 100%. Pull the rear sway bar. It will do amazing things for your ride, and it articulates like crazy! Sounds like you've got some big plans. Good luck!

Ditching my rear sway bar completely has been nothing but good. Ty is absolutely right about the ride being better both on and offroad.

Money is the root of all evil, I have big plans for my 4Runner but unfortunately reality isn't working with me at the moment.  Every time I get some cash saved up something happens, trips to the ER other vehicles breaking down, the list goes on. However I was able to do a few small things that all up cost just over $100

First - Ghetto Satoshi mod, found some wire and mesh and bondo in my garage, the grill was in pretty bad shape anyway so why not, and in the process found some left over plasti dip at the shop.
Whats the point of having access to this stuff if you're not going to use it, found a gallon of it at the shop left over from a job so I figured what the hell, sprayed my front and rear bumpers, grill, and hood in black and did the emblems in blue.
total cost $0





Then I had a my buddy wire up some led's in the rear hatch and put them on a switch, pretty dang bright and pretty dang handy,
total cost $0





Then while he was at it i had him put some led's in the dome light and cargo light, why not especially when the materials are.... you guessed it free, I know there are easier ways to do this, but it doesn't get any cheaper then $0





And I got my front drivers and passenger side windows tinted as well as the rear window
price $0



Last thing I had done actually cost me some cash, and 2 rockstars and a box of donuts
I had a kenwood deck installed, alpine amp and a pioneer 12" sub, the sub was free the deck and amp not so much, not a big fan of how much space the sub takes up or where the amp is, at some point I'll have the amp installed in the headliner above the cargo area, and probably get some 8" jbl subs hidden in the sides, but for now can't argue with the price
cost: sub $0
deck and amp: $100 plus 2 rock stars and 6 dunford donuts





I desperately need to get my struts replaced in the front but can't justify spending $200 when I'm going to replacing it all when i get the sonoran steel bits and pieces, oh well this will have to do until I get money saved up for the other stuff.

Dunford donuts?  Somebody works cheap.

Whose Scout?  That's pretty.

Kevin wrote:Dunford donuts?  Somebody works cheap.

Whose Scout?  That's pretty.

For the moment it's my father in laws, he's contemplating getting rid of it, I'm contemplating making a deal with the devil to get it. So for now mods on my 4runner are on hold while I try and figure something out...... suspension, armor and other goodies for the runner or have 2 projects (black holes) emptying my pockets... decisions decisions

Two projects FTW!  

I find that if you hold yourself to only one project, it gets done too fast.  You need multiple projects strewn all over your driveway to really enjoy them.

Kevin wrote:Dunford donuts?  Somebody works cheap.

Whose Scout?  That's pretty.

That is a pretty scout!!  Almost as pretty as mine!!

Kevin wrote:Two projects FTW!  

I find that if you hold yourself to only one project, it gets done too fast.  You need multiple projects strewn all over your driveway to really enjoy them.

Kevin's an expert at this..