thook

Sounds like you're on the right track with the cat. Pull it off and have a look. Soak those bolts and connectors real good.

rowdy235

ps the white smoke when its cold is normal. All vehicles I've ever seen do it.

24Runna

Yea I figured the white smoke is normal. I didn't think it was anything serious, but it doesn't hurt to ask. As far as the cat, I'm pretty sure I'll just need a whole new muffler. I can see the vapor coming out before the cat when started. And since I was on a steep hill (drive way) when it happened that could have also help my cat fail.

What if the connection bolts are too far rusted?

rowdy235

try pb blaster, heat, etc. If they still won't budge,

saw + zall

24Runna

Yea, I was thinking of sawzall'ing it in the first plce.

So heres a list of what I'll be doing because it might not actually be the transmission.
-Fuel filter (possibly clogged) (0$)
-Clogged cat ($99.29)
-New set of wires ($36.16)
-Compression in the cylinders

Would any of those cause the problem I'm having? A strong vibration feeling (shakes the whole car a little), lower than usual idle, increases with RPM & speed, and exhaust smells REALLY strongly of a sulfur-like smell. It happened when I dropped a friend off after school, his drive way is REALLY steep. I think I noticed something like this before, but it went away.

24Runna

Well I'm pretty sure it's the cat (I hope). I started up and had a strong light under the truck. I noticed that alot of water vapor was coming out before the cat and airflow was notably reduced. Gonna spray alot of PB blaster on it and try sometime to get the bolts off.

24Runna

Ugh my dad is pissing me off. So working 20 hours a week with school ain't no easy thing. And plus I earn minimum wage, so that doesn't help.

Anyways, he starts telling me how I need to come up with the money to pay for what it needs, (he and my mom brought it to a shop for diagnostic testing, without my permission or knowledge while I'm sitting here at work. $105), and then he has the nerve to tell me that I need to come up for what it needs. Ok first of all, I wanted a 4Runner, but knowing the 2nd gens were the only ones in my price range, I was just going to get a Camry or an Accord. It was him that found it, and I was a little bit leary of it (it had 93k at the time) and told him that I would pass it up. He bought it for $4,200, and then made me pay him. It was a week after I realized that the PO purchased it for $1,500. Anyways, I'm no master mechanic, but I can do my own maintenance. He was saying that he would rather have dome mechanic who does it for a living, which I understand, to a degree. There was no way in hell I was going to pay $350 to have the valve covers done. The seals are $10! I told him that if he wants a mechanic to do it then you pay for it. I'll pay for the cost of the parts that it would have cost me, and pay the rest. He of course got mad at me, as always, we have always butted heads. I understand about getting a car has its price, BUT hes treating me like I have a large income as I would if I was older. (I pay for gas, and insurance, and maintenance, and when I used my moms 4th gen, I payed for everything then too)

Ugh. I don't need this. I knew I should have just sold it, bought a little sedan, saved my money, and got a 3rd gen.


So I'm waiting to hear back from the shop, by noon tomorrow. Which is also me and my GF's 1 year anniversary, which we are in a fight right now, great, awesome.

Anyways, sorry for the really long rant. And FTR the title is in my name, as-is the registration.

thook

Pull the cat off and see how it runs. A clogged cat will make the motor run as if the valves are way out of adjustment....like the symptoms you are having. Also, if exhaust can't escape, you will burn valves. Really bad news, so make some determination quickly before you drive anymore.

Cheap ATF mixed with acetone works better than any other penetrant...so I've read. I've not had the opportunity to try it. I believe the mix was 10% acetone, though. However, if the bolts and connections are so rusted that the metal is "welded" together, nothing but cutting may work. Sawsalls work okay, but I like using the metal cutting blades for circular saws. Goes right through in a jiffy. Wear some goggles....the sparks do fly.

I can't give you much personal advice on how to deal with your old man. Me and mine butted heads enough when I was younger. But, I have learned from marriage that the only way to work with conflict amicably is understanding where the other is coming from. With your lack of experience for auto mechanics, it sounds like he's afraid you're going to mess it up. Plus, he may just want the situation resolved already. If you feel the urge to complain.....don't. He probably doesn't want to hear it. He's already stressed, eh.

24Runna

Thanks thook. I would hope that th cat isn't all that clooged, seeing as my dad drove it for awhile. I only ran it a mile with it, all below 20 MPH. So i would hope I didn't do anything.

Currently its at *shrugs* Car-X where the first 30 minutes of diagnostic testing is free. Complete BS, I hate those chain stores. I have no idea why he brought it there.

24Runna

Got it back today. Thank god for that coupon. All he said is, well I think it is either the cat. or the wires.

Dumbass I already knew that, AND to top it all off he didn't know what to do with my new CEL! Awesome!

Well I have a new list of stuff to do:
-New NGK wires (purchased at 11:30 AM 3/12/08 with 1 day overnight) (53) DONE
-Passenger side valve seal (10)
-PVC valve (0)
-Plenum gasket (10)
-Trans/T-case flush (170)
-Coolant flush
-Fuel filter (0)
-Timing belt (260)
-o2 sensor (100)
-new belts (50)
Total looks a little over $750

I searched but still am not sure about the transmission flush, whether or not to do it myself.

The good thing though, is that after this, this should be the end of spending my paychecks on the Runna.

Since it is still not drivable (to me) I'm probably going to start on the pass. side valve cover & PVC, that probably the most time consuming. I already cut off the cage for the fuel filter, then PB blastered it for awhile, so that should only take like 30 minutes. I should also get my wires this weekend too, so I will install those, and saw off the cat.

My plan for the weekend:
-Wires
-Saw off cat
-Diag. CEL
-Fuel filter

pruney81

I know on my old 95 4Runner the Cat just unbolted from the pipe. There was no sawing involved. I just unbolted it then bolted in a magnaflow cat that I bought off Ebay for 50 bucks.

904_runner

Have you taken the plenum off yet?

Ive stated this before, the fuel pressure regulator underneath the plenum has a little screw in the middle of it underneath the plastic cap. If you take the plenum off, just check and make sure it is in there good! Mine caught on fire from fuel leaking out, because the screw fell out!

Not all have this problem, but i have heard it from others!
Just giving you a heads up!

Good luck fixing it, i was starting to give up on mine when fixing it, just stick with it, man is it sure worth it! I love this truck!!

24Runna

pruney81 (BTW nice name, lol) I'm not sure where you live, but here in th Chicagoland area, salt is the street. They salt so much here it makes me cringe. Our '04 4Runner with 70k already has surface rust on the frame. The bolts for the fuel filter just snapped off, lol. I tried using an air ratchet, well bye bye screw head. It just snapped it clean off. I was starting to saw between the flanges, but its taking way too much time. I'll end up sawing it off, and then weld new ones on, or just weld on a universal magnaflow. Either way will work for me, and I pray to god it is just the wires, and cat causing the problems and poor MPG, and poor performance.

904_runner: No not yet, it is currently sitting in the driveway. Thanks for the tip though, the last thing I need is it to catch fire!

Thanks for your responses guys, I was starting to think I was becoming crazy just talking to myself, or a select few. The main reason for doing all this crap now is that in June I'll be taking the Runna on a 6k mile roadtrip with me and my two buddies (desert heat too). I have no doubt that it will be just fine (I'll take my mom's car, even if it had 200k, in a heartbeat because I've done all the maintenance) BUT, I'm still a little worried. This weekend I'll be visiting the dealer with my VIN, so that they can look up service records. Cross your fingers they have them.

THANKS!

24Runna

Good news guys! I got my sparkplug wires today, took less than 20 hours to get. NGK of course. Installed them in 20 minutes, and was on my way. Now I have a small and noticeable exhaust leak (caused by me) Any idea on how to patch it? How can I tell if my cat. is bad?

CEL light was still on for the first mile, but then I watched it go off. Now a few questions.

Since it is warm out, the belts don't squeak as bad as they used to. Should I replace the belts when I get the timing belt done?

How would I test my o2 sensor to see if it causing bad MPG?

I see my local stores sell coolant/anti-freeze flush kits (no fluid), are they any good? And how would I go about flushing it? Also what coolant from Toyota should I use?

What lines are the Transmission cooler? If I were to do this myself what would the procedure be? Also I've heard that I can use T-IV fluid in this transmission, is that true? IF not, what should I use?

Thanks!

24Runna

btt.............

thook

That wasn't your fuel press. regulator, mate. That's the fuel pulse dampener.

24Runna

Damn HD, and Lowes. I'm in the process of doing the ISR mod, and I cannot for the life of me find 2.5 - 3" cuff links! Blah!

Question, how are some of your guys' results when switching to manual hubs? Been thinking hard about picking up a pair for cheap (70 ish total) I'm curious if this will net me any MPG gains.

Still dunno if my O2 is bad or not, same with the cat. Good news is that the leak has gotten smaller every week. Hopefully by spring break I'll be DONE with all this crap.

24Runna

Good new guys. (again) Just flipped over to 100k today!! Bought it in Oct. with 93.5k.

MPG is through the roof. 20!!! Mainly highway with some city.

That makes me happy. I also did the ISR mod, I initially removed EVERYTHING, but then whenever I let off the accelerator, a loud rattling like sound would come into play. I put the one that has the service interval sticker on it, and it was all good. Total cost was ~$20.

I'm debating if my o2 sensor is bad, and also my cat. Since I was running on only 5 cylinders dues to bad wires, alot of unburned fuel got to the cat. Also since was trying to (unsuccessfully) cut off the bolts, I made a small hole. I can hear the exhaust now bad style under the car. Before that there would always be water vapor that comes out upon start up at that location.

Since Illinois recently did away with emissions testing, can I TEMPORARILY saw off the cat and weld in a straight pipe? Any idea on how it would sound?

The leak again has gotten smaller now, and it doesn't look like I'm burning oil at all. Spiffy.

I'm going in to Toyota soon so they can check if the T belt has been done before. If it hasn't been done, then at the same time I'll have them replace the drive belts, flush the coolant, and flush the trans. If it has, I'll likely do the belts over the summer (squeaky), same with the coolant (no idea on how to though). The next thing that it need is a trans flush, since there is some gear oil that was added to the t-case. I don't know how to do it my self though.

The pass. side valve cover can wait, and so can the PVC and fuel filter, till the summer time when it is 1) warm, 2) no school, and 3) I have lots of free time.

Air filter, throttle body cleaning will get done really soon, as it is an easy job.

Been thinking hard about getting manual hubs. I've heard nothing but good things about them, and since I've lately seen them cheap on craigslist, I figured it would be time to buy.
The only problem is one has one of the outer bolts broken off which would need a easy out to remove it. As said by the seller, what is the outer bolt, and how easy is it?

Thanks!

Phil

24Runna

Little bit of an update...

Went on some small 200 mile trips, and it ran like a top. Now it has 104.5k on it.

Still leaks oil out of the rear main, but I keep up with it.

Few things that concern me is:
-Don't know when the timing belt and water pump was done.
-Possible bad heater core, friend said "ow your car just dripped on me and it burned". It was only one drip, came from somewhere in the pass. foot well.
-On long highway runs, with high humidity, and temps in the lower 80's, if you turn on the A/C, some sort of smoke or vapor comes out, couldn't really get a smell out of it.
-Spare tire carrier is pretty much rusted to itself, can't get it to move. Any ideas?
-Tires are crap. 4 Goodyear wrangler RT/S.
-2 made in Week 6 of 2007, wearing nicely, no signs of dry rot. Good amount of tread left. Both load range C.
-1 made in week 8 of 2005, middle tread blocks have no siping left, 60% tread left. Load range C.
-1 made in week 10 of 2004, middle tread blocks have no siping left, 50% tread left. Load range B.

Would it be wise to get new tires soon? if so what would you recommend for highway characteristics and off-road performance.

I was thinking maybe Firestone Destination AT?

Thanks in advance for your responses guys.

24Runna

Little bit of an update...

Went on some small 200 mile trips, and it ran like a top. Now it has 104.5k on it.

Still leaks oil out of the rear main, but I keep up with it.

Few things that concern me is:
-Don't know when the timing belt and water pump was done.
-Possible bad heater core, friend said "ow your car just dripped on me and it burned". It was only one drip, came from somewhere in the pass. foot well.
-On long highway runs, with high humidity, and temps in the lower 80's, if you turn on the A/C, some sort of smoke or vapor comes out, couldn't really get a smell out of it.
-Spare tire carrier is pretty much rusted to itself, can't get it to move. Any ideas?
-Tires are crap. 4 Goodyear wrangler RT/S.
-2 made in Week 6 of 2007, wearing nicely, no signs of dry rot. Good amount of tread left. Both load range C.
-1 made in week 8 of 2005, middle tread blocks have no siping left, 60% tread left. Load range C.
-1 made in week 10 of 2004, middle tread blocks have no siping left, 50% tread left. Load range B.

Would it be wise to get new tires soon? if so what would you recommend for highway characteristics and off-road performance.

I was thinking maybe Firestone Destination AT?

Thanks in advance for your responses guys.