fortinbras

I am the proud owner of a 2002 Toyota 4Runner since April of this year. I couldn't be happier. While the ride is sweet, there have been some struggles.

Below are some of the stories:

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A friend of mine was moving across town and so I quickly volunteered my new 4Runner for the task of towing a 5x10 Uhaul trailer . Everything went great from the start. After picking up the trailer we loaded it up to the gills with various items such as a couch, dinner table, chairs, and other apartment items. I was confident that we were far below the 5,000lb mark. We took a short break and started on our one hour trip.

The 4Runner pulled the trailer with confindence until we got to the highway... stuttering, bucking, hesitation... it wouldn't get out of its own way. The problem became worse the further we went. As soon as we got to our destination, I borrowed my friend's car and I picked up some spark plugs. At this time, it was the best guess as I had resently purchased the vehicle and I suspected that it had not had them replaced. It made sense to me that the increased load on worn spark plugs would be a probable cause. Luckily, I was right. PROBLEM SOLVED!

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One thursday, I was without much to do, I decided to give the Deckplate mod a try. I visited West Marine and purchased a 5" deckplate. The mod was pretty simple and I was quite content with the results. I didn't record any mileage info so I don't know whether it was a benefit in that area but it surely did bring a welcome sound of "performance". I went fishing and on my way back the road to the beach had flooded due to high tide. I went through the water as slowly as possible remembering that there was now an opening in my air box. Unfortunately, I thought, I had allowed some water to enter the box as the engine seemed to struggle as I crossed the water obstacle (which was no deeper than a few inches). Once across, I inspected the air box only to find that it was pretty dry. Oddly enough, what did get a bit wet was the front of the engine and the ignition wires. The engine seemed to misfire and hesitate and the problem persisted until I was about 15 miles from home. Suddenly, the truck was "fixed". The next day, I started the truck and it ran without problems. I went back into the apartment and grabbed a water spray bottle. I then sprayed the ignition wires down... BEHOLD, SHE HESITATES! Needless to say, I replaced the wires and since then PROBLEM SOLVED!

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Recently, I applied the ISR mod to the truck. I cannot say much about the performance increase if any. It sounds loud (this a good thing to me) at mid to high RPM. It almost sounds like the engine was upgraded to V8 with open headers... or maybe not. I was very happy with it until I started to experience some hesitation. AGAIN?!! Well, I kept a cool head and I reviewed my installation. Sure enough, I found that I had neglected to secure one of the clamps and this caused a minor air leak. PROBLEM SOLVED!

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So, what am I thanking the community for? I've noticed that all of the problems I experienced had been addressed in one thread or another extensively. So I am thankful that one has a place such as this that makes one more comfortable about making modifications. I am thankful as I have very much enjoyed my ownership of my 4Runner and thanks to the community I have really made it my own.

Thank you, thank you all.

Sincerely,

Ricardo

P.S. Brake upgrade is up next! Oh, and I'm looking for a fishing pole rack for the roof rack of my 4Runner. Any suggestions, links, etc? Thanks.

Oh, yes, pictures of the truck will be coming soon.

4biker

Let me be first to welcome you - I'm pretty new here myself. I agree that there is a lot of content here, and the search engines are suuuuuper helpful, especially with the small stuff. Regarding fishing pole transport, I've seen a lot of people just use long PVC pipes with caps that can be easily added to the roof temporarily. Best of luck with your new rig!

rocket

iTrader: (1)

Welcome to YT. It's cool to know some people like yourself actually spend time searching, modding, and buying before asking.

fortinbras

Rocket;

I'm am stubborn so I usually try to address problems on my own before I bother others with them. So I usually resort to deduction when in a jam and I try to do the best I can. When I am not able to resolve issues on my own I then move on to research. It is after all has failed that I bring my problems to others.

Don't worry, I'm sure I will need to address some problem or concern here with the community but I am also sure that I will be well treated and helped.

Oh, by the way, I just replaced the front and read diff fluids with full synthetic. I also replaced the transfer case fluid and switched to full synthetic. What difference have I experienced? None, but I have peace of mind as I now know the life expectancy of the lubricant in those components. Oh, mobilONE in the engine as well... I know some say it is not worth the expense... but the peace of mind is priceless.

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4biker;

I was thinking along those lines. I'm going to try to design something that is removable and transportable. What do I mean by that? Well, you'll see soon enough. I just need to get some measurements.

Bandit Runner

Welcome! I am pretty new here myself. I hardly ever post, but I read tons of threads every day. By searching, I have found answers to almost every question I've had. I agree, YotaTech has all the answers, you just need to search for them.

rdharper

To my knowledge there is no other vehicle/forum combination that matches this forum.

In other words, the forum itself becomes a reason to stick with Toyota.

My only wish would be that Toyota sell their diesels in this country.

RacerX

I am on quite a few forums for different vehicles due to my cars and my job I have to say that this forum is by far one of the best... upon my first few visits I picked up my wheels and have done the sound deadening throughout the doors just to make it more quite along with all the usual maintainence items... the information database here is pretty impressive and as someone who mainly posts to give knowledge, its great that I can search and find generally everything.... now if only USPS can find my brake upgrade they misplaced I can continue getting it how I want it

What stands out the most is the lack of people having overbearing egos... its peaceful here, no one trying to "out do" another unless its friendly competition...

Tron

http://www.thuleracks.com/thule/prod..._id=10&sku=885

That is Thule's fishing rod holder. I have never used it so i can't vouch for the quality.

Red3.slow

welcome to YT I know i feel the same way about yotatech. I can't start to think how much YT has increased my knowledge of my truck, I actually have started to feel comfortable making somewhat substantial repairs and modifications to my truck. It's kind of a blessing and a curse at the same time.

razrwild

I'm yet another new member and wanted to chime in with another WELCOME! I also agree this forum is a great place for info, which is why my post count is so low. Enjoy the site and the wealth of information inside

fortinbras

Thank you for the warm welcome all. I think I will attempt to make my own fishing pole holder for the rack. I want something that I can use not only on the truck but also to transport the poles to and from the fishing spot... I know, I'm being ambitious but something tells me that it can be done!