frosty

I've got a small handfull of little annoyances in my '96 4Runner with 225K miles.
1. The ashtray won't stay shut. You drive up a hill and it slides out throwing my change everywhere. I'm sure the little rails on the sides are worn smooth and it's supposed to be held shut by friction. Anyone tested ideas to fix this? I'm thinking of laying down a strip of Gorilla tape, or other "sticky tape" on each rail to give it some more grip. Smooth plastic on smooth plastic is not cutting it.

2. About 2 years ago, I swapped in a Yellow Top Optima which works fine except the battery cable connection on the 4Runner is a bit too big for the stud on the battery. I've had to crimp it a bit to get it stay on. I often have to pop the hood and yank on the cable to get a solid connection. I drove to work today on alternator power after a jump start. I also had to lose the battery hold down stuff because the new battery is too tall. Anybody had any luck with this battery? Ideas?

3. Brakes. I put new pads on a year ago and had the rotors turned, but I'm still getting some heavy shuttering when I brake going downhill. Anybody had especially good luck with any particular brake setup? Brands?

4. [EDIT] One more thing. When it rains, sometimes my alarm goes off randomly. I'm not talking about major storms where the vehicle is blown and sets off the motion sensor. I'm talking about normal rain, just getting wet kind of rain. Also, my alarm doesn't chirp all the time - sometimes, but mostly not. Does this sound like a short/ground issue? Thanks again. [END EDIT]

That's about it. I'm going to let the dead CD Player and Power Antenna go for now. Good to know I'm not alone.

Nuthuts96

iTrader: (1)

1. How much change are you carrying around!? $20 in pennies!? I haven't heard of this problem, but like you said, most likely just worn out rails.

2. I don't have the yellow top (or an optima for that matter) and I probably won't be getting one anytime soon because of their incompatibility with our trucks- not to mention some members' experiences with the poor CCA's and/or fitment issues.

3. Brakes. This is the achilles heel of the 4runner. Many people do many things- I went with Brembo Blanks and Hawk LT pads, and the braking is superior to the sqeals and shuddering I was getting with the previous rotors/pads. I haven't experienced anything poor related to the setup, and I've had a few hard brake situations recently with seattle traffic-- just make sure you bed the rotors in to spec's: http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/tech/....jsp?techid=85

Good luck and welcome! great community, and a bunch'o'knowledge!

frosty

At lunch today, I took it into Autozone and they tested the battery. It was BAD. So, that is the end of the Optima for me. It lasted about 2 years under very normal conditions - no winch, etc. I bought the Autozone brand battery with the 3 year warranty. Everything started up just fine. I was out the door for about $85 dollars, after a $12 core for the Optima.

I don't know if it was the Optima, but I've never had a battery perform so poorly.

One more quicky annoyance.

5. The cigarette lighter exploded about a year ago. I don't often pop things in and out of it - the cell phone charger lives in there - but when I did, a plastic retainer broke and the thing just dangles in there. There are about 6 pieces that work to hold the thing in there. Has anybody had any luck installing a normal over-the-counter parts store lighter in this hole. The problem I have is that the matte black dash trim is sandwiched in place by the cig lighter and the retainer. It's not otherwise attached to the dash. I guess it could be epoxied, but the pressure of pulling an accessory out of the cig lighter would probably break it free - maybe a little screw. Thoughts?

frosty

Well, I took it in this week because my front brakes were shuttering, impulsing, etc. The NAPA roters that were installed last Oct. were shot, but they were covered under warranty. The shop replaced at no cost. Hopefully, we'll have better luck with this set. NOTE: I do not drive a ton of hills or ride my brakes or anything else to ruin a set of rotors in 6 months. The last set lasted about 4 years. I'm glad NAPA stood by their product and warranty.

cackalak han

Did the shop also replace the pads? Get a good set of brake pads. I would get a set of Hawk LTS pads (tirerack.com) or some high quality ceramic pads. That will help with the warpage issue. I put on a set of ceramic pads from Autozone (~$50) and their Duralast rotors. Tons of miles going down the canyon with heavy braking and they've held up fine.

Oh, and the exact experience you had with NAPA is why I like to shop local. If you'd bought a set online, it would be a nightmare to send back (if they'd even take it back) and wait for it to arrive--tons of downtime. Autozone exchanges their stuff with no hassle and I can get my truck back on the road that same day.