New member says hellos and asks a few questions
11-24-2004, 03:34 PM
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New member says hellos and asks a few questions
Hi gang. Been lurking here the last few weeks and just wanted to step up and introduce myself. I just bought my '94 4Runner at the beginning of September. Picked it up for $4k. It's a v6, automatic, Fully loaded, leather interior, 135k overall miles with 10k on rebuilt motor, new p/s pump, new water pump, new cv boots. The rig is shiny black with one small ding on the passenger side front door. It needed some tranny work and a new tps, but even after paying to have that fixed I got it for about $1500 under blue book. It has Smittybuilt side rails (sliders?) and 31x10.5x15 Dominators on stock rims.
This is my first 4x4. I've never driven off-road, been on a couple of trips, though, as a passenger with a cousin and his Jeep buddies. I don't know a damn thing about working on cars, but I'm excited to learn. I am an electronics and computer technician so I'm not totally disabled when it comes to mechanical ability, just inexperienced in dealing with cars. I bought the FSMs off of Ebay and got a big old Craftsman tool set to motivate myself to learn to work on the thing.
Here are the questions I have right now:
1) How do I know if I have a lockers or a limited slip differential? Is there something I can physically check? The person I bought the rig from was not the original owner and after reading a thread here about LSDs and lockers, it made me wonder if I have one or the other. What made me curious was driving in the rain in 4H, I did a U-turn and it felt like either the rear tires were breaking traction or the tranny was slipping.
2) Is there anything I need to or should do to my 4Runner before I do any off-roading? Obviously I'm not going to go out and try to run the Rubicon this weekend, but to start out on easy trails and such, is there any modification that I need to do or is the truck good to go in its more or less stock condition? Are Dominators good tires?
3) Anyone in the Sacramento area willing to take a newbie under their wing? I want to learn how to work on my truck and I want to learn how to drive it off-road without wrecking it, killing someone, or looking like a fool. I'll help you work on your rig, fetch tools, refill your coffee, whatever, I just want to learn.
Ok, this got long, so just the 3 questions for now. Thanks in advance for any help, advice or just a "hey, how ya doin."
This is my first 4x4. I've never driven off-road, been on a couple of trips, though, as a passenger with a cousin and his Jeep buddies. I don't know a damn thing about working on cars, but I'm excited to learn. I am an electronics and computer technician so I'm not totally disabled when it comes to mechanical ability, just inexperienced in dealing with cars. I bought the FSMs off of Ebay and got a big old Craftsman tool set to motivate myself to learn to work on the thing.
Here are the questions I have right now:
1) How do I know if I have a lockers or a limited slip differential? Is there something I can physically check? The person I bought the rig from was not the original owner and after reading a thread here about LSDs and lockers, it made me wonder if I have one or the other. What made me curious was driving in the rain in 4H, I did a U-turn and it felt like either the rear tires were breaking traction or the tranny was slipping.
2) Is there anything I need to or should do to my 4Runner before I do any off-roading? Obviously I'm not going to go out and try to run the Rubicon this weekend, but to start out on easy trails and such, is there any modification that I need to do or is the truck good to go in its more or less stock condition? Are Dominators good tires?
3) Anyone in the Sacramento area willing to take a newbie under their wing? I want to learn how to work on my truck and I want to learn how to drive it off-road without wrecking it, killing someone, or looking like a fool. I'll help you work on your rig, fetch tools, refill your coffee, whatever, I just want to learn.
Ok, this got long, so just the 3 questions for now. Thanks in advance for any help, advice or just a "hey, how ya doin."
Last edited by gravman; 11-24-2004 at 03:36 PM.
11-24-2004, 03:46 PM
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Welcome,
I'm new here too, and should probably keep my mouth shut, BUT I think you can find out about the locker/LSD by looking in the drivers side door jam at the VIN sticker. I'm not sure about your model, but I know the newer ones w/ lockers are selectable, ie..button on the dash. your other questions will need someone w/ more experience.
Peace,
Derek
I'm new here too, and should probably keep my mouth shut, BUT I think you can find out about the locker/LSD by looking in the drivers side door jam at the VIN sticker. I'm not sure about your model, but I know the newer ones w/ lockers are selectable, ie..button on the dash. your other questions will need someone w/ more experience.
Peace,
Derek
11-24-2004, 03:54 PM
#3
Registered User
4Runners in the USA never came with a LSD or locker. (well the 96-00 did)
Easiest way to tell if you have something is to jack up the rear end, and spin one tire. If both tires spin in the same direction, you have a traction device. If one spins the other way, you have an open diff. Or you could pull off the side of the road, with one tire in the dirt and the other tire on the road, floor it, and if the wheel in the dirt spins, you have an open diff, and if they both spin, you have a traction aiding device.
When you turn in 4wd on high traction surfaces, you are binding up and damaging your drivetrain. Your front and rear driveshafts are turning at the same speed so you need some slippage between the front and rear axles. In the rain there was probably enough slippage and thats what you experienced. bottom line, dont drive on the road in 4wd. In straight lines it's ok, but when you turn you can damage things. If you really need it, just shift out of 4wd when you turn.
You should really just get out and learn how to drive offroad before you make any modifications. Never go out alone. Go with an experienced driver. Start with the easy stuff and work your way up. Once you have the hang of it and want to modify your truck, nothing compares to a locker offroad. Second would be more agressive tires and a lift. Third would be more detailed suspension modifications to get more axle articulation. But start off with practicing offroad. Offroading is 50/50. 50% driver skill, and 50% truck.
Never heard of dominators. A google search brings up a few pics, which they appear to be your average all terrain tire. Good for dry, hard pack trails, bad for anything else like mud or loose soil. It's really hard to reccomend a tire without knowing what kind of terrain you plan on covering. Goodyear MT/R's are a good comprimise, and Super Swamper Radial TSL's are a great extreme tire!
Easiest way to tell if you have something is to jack up the rear end, and spin one tire. If both tires spin in the same direction, you have a traction device. If one spins the other way, you have an open diff. Or you could pull off the side of the road, with one tire in the dirt and the other tire on the road, floor it, and if the wheel in the dirt spins, you have an open diff, and if they both spin, you have a traction aiding device.
When you turn in 4wd on high traction surfaces, you are binding up and damaging your drivetrain. Your front and rear driveshafts are turning at the same speed so you need some slippage between the front and rear axles. In the rain there was probably enough slippage and thats what you experienced. bottom line, dont drive on the road in 4wd. In straight lines it's ok, but when you turn you can damage things. If you really need it, just shift out of 4wd when you turn.
You should really just get out and learn how to drive offroad before you make any modifications. Never go out alone. Go with an experienced driver. Start with the easy stuff and work your way up. Once you have the hang of it and want to modify your truck, nothing compares to a locker offroad. Second would be more agressive tires and a lift. Third would be more detailed suspension modifications to get more axle articulation. But start off with practicing offroad. Offroading is 50/50. 50% driver skill, and 50% truck.
Never heard of dominators. A google search brings up a few pics, which they appear to be your average all terrain tire. Good for dry, hard pack trails, bad for anything else like mud or loose soil. It's really hard to reccomend a tire without knowing what kind of terrain you plan on covering. Goodyear MT/R's are a good comprimise, and Super Swamper Radial TSL's are a great extreme tire!
Last edited by Adam F; 11-24-2004 at 04:00 PM.
11-24-2004, 03:57 PM
#4
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Oh, and the smittybilts are not heavy duty enough to be considered sliders, they are just steps. Sliders have to be strong enough to support the full weight of the vehicle. The smilttybilts are thin wall steel, and if you try to put the entire weight of the vehicle on them, they will bend right up into your body.
11-24-2004, 04:00 PM
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Originally Posted by Adam F
4Runners in the USA never came with a LSD or locker. (well the 96-00 did)
Easiest way to tell if you have something is to jack up the rear end, and spin one tire. If both tires spin in the same direction, you have a traction device. If one spins the other way, you have an open diff. Or you could pull off the side of the road, with one tire in the dirt and the other tire on the road, floor it, and if the wheel in the dirt spins, you have an open diff, and if they both spin, you have a traction aiding device.
When you turn in 4wd on high traction surfaces, you are binding up and damaging your drivetrain. Your front and rear driveshafts are turning at the same speed so you need some slippage between the front and rear axles. In the rain there was probably enough slippage and thats what you experienced. bottom line, dont drive on the road in 4wd. In straight lines it's ok, but when you turn you can damage things. If you really need it, just shift out of 4wd when you turn.
You should really just get out and learn how to drive offroad before you make any modifications. Never go out alone. Go with an experienced driver. Start with the easy stuff and work your way up. Once you have the hang of it and want to modify your truck, nothing compares to a locker offroad. Second would be more agressive tires and a lift. Third would be more detailed suspension modifications to get more axle articulation. But start off with practicing offroad. Offroading is 50/50. 50% driver skill, and 50% truck.
Easiest way to tell if you have something is to jack up the rear end, and spin one tire. If both tires spin in the same direction, you have a traction device. If one spins the other way, you have an open diff. Or you could pull off the side of the road, with one tire in the dirt and the other tire on the road, floor it, and if the wheel in the dirt spins, you have an open diff, and if they both spin, you have a traction aiding device.
When you turn in 4wd on high traction surfaces, you are binding up and damaging your drivetrain. Your front and rear driveshafts are turning at the same speed so you need some slippage between the front and rear axles. In the rain there was probably enough slippage and thats what you experienced. bottom line, dont drive on the road in 4wd. In straight lines it's ok, but when you turn you can damage things. If you really need it, just shift out of 4wd when you turn.
You should really just get out and learn how to drive offroad before you make any modifications. Never go out alone. Go with an experienced driver. Start with the easy stuff and work your way up. Once you have the hang of it and want to modify your truck, nothing compares to a locker offroad. Second would be more agressive tires and a lift. Third would be more detailed suspension modifications to get more axle articulation. But start off with practicing offroad. Offroading is 50/50. 50% driver skill, and 50% truck.
11-24-2004, 04:35 PM
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welcome aboard! take some time and look around at the different forums, read some posts that are similar to questions you have. check out the search feature, type in ' lockers' and see how many hits you get. then, start reading! there are people on here who are very willing to answer questions and offer suggestions. dont hesitate to ask, even if it seems like a 'dumb' question. we all had to start somewhere. oh, as for the mods, be brave, be strong, dont give in to them! your wallet and bank account will never forgive you! enjoy your stay.
lee
lee
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