ChildrenOfBodom's 1999 4Runner Build-Up Thread
05-18-2012, 08:05 AM
#121
Registered User
Thread Starter
ChefYota4x4, this update is all for you haha.
So my last post ^^ I mentioned that I'd be headed to pick your part, right?
After getting all of the required bolts, a new Mazda plate for the valve cover, and a thermostat, I came across a 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse with some OEM OZ wheels. There was only 3, so I'll have to find a 4th later, but I'm excited!
Paid for the wheels, went outside to load them up into my 4Runner. Just as we were leaving, an impound yard owner was dropping off two vehicles for junking, one of those vehicles being a 1st gen 4Runner with 3rd gen 5 stars.
I got into my truck, pulled around the lot to the driver and asked him a few questions.
They were leaving that 4Runner there for $800. Some specs: 1987 (IFS
) 4Runner 4x4 TURBO. Has over 225k, sitting since 2009 for unknown reasons of mechanical failure.
I could NOT let them crush that thing. It was too pretty. Literally, seconds away from offering them $1000 for it, he offers it to me for $900.
Definitely dirty under there.
After purchasing, I swung by my friend Jay's house. He pointed out that the starter was not fully secured. It turned out that there was a nut that has just gone missing. One of the steering column nuts from the my donor 3rd gen and we had this thing cranking. Added 2 gallons of 91 octane (mixed with whatever crap has been in there for who knows how long) and I'll see what it'll take to get this thing running. I do think it has the ability to run without any real reconditioning.
I'll have to get some better pics later, I haven't taken any daytime photos yet.
So my last post ^^ I mentioned that I'd be headed to pick your part, right?
After getting all of the required bolts, a new Mazda plate for the valve cover, and a thermostat, I came across a 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse with some OEM OZ wheels. There was only 3, so I'll have to find a 4th later, but I'm excited!
Paid for the wheels, went outside to load them up into my 4Runner. Just as we were leaving, an impound yard owner was dropping off two vehicles for junking, one of those vehicles being a 1st gen 4Runner with 3rd gen 5 stars.
I got into my truck, pulled around the lot to the driver and asked him a few questions.
They were leaving that 4Runner there for $800. Some specs: 1987 (IFS
) 4Runner 4x4 TURBO. Has over 225k, sitting since 2009 for unknown reasons of mechanical failure.I could NOT let them crush that thing. It was too pretty. Literally, seconds away from offering them $1000 for it, he offers it to me for $900.
Definitely dirty under there.
After purchasing, I swung by my friend Jay's house. He pointed out that the starter was not fully secured. It turned out that there was a nut that has just gone missing. One of the steering column nuts from the my donor 3rd gen and we had this thing cranking. Added 2 gallons of 91 octane (mixed with whatever crap has been in there for who knows how long) and I'll see what it'll take to get this thing running. I do think it has the ability to run without any real reconditioning.
I'll have to get some better pics later, I haven't taken any daytime photos yet.
05-23-2012, 10:05 AM
#123
Registered User
Heh, COB -- nice score on the 22RTE 4Runner. You might need to join my 22RTE-Trucks.com forum. 
06-24-2012, 01:17 PM
#125
Registered User
Thread Starter
I dont know what the problem is, but all of the pictures aren't showing for me. They're kinda doing their own thing, sometimes working, sometimes not, but only when posted on here. If for some reason this happens to you, here's a link to the same post on T4R.ORG without any problems. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-ge...ml#post1072909
Thank you guys! Sorry for the late replies.... I've got a big update here this time around.
Chef, I was at the Pick Your Part in Stanton, CA. I agree, very rare and not worth parting.
And Jeff! I was perusing through your site, WOW! You are a true encyclopedia of information! I only wish you lived closer. Oh, and BTW, I met up with a gentleman named Frank, popped his hood and saw your header in there. That's the closest the supercharger and header have been since you sold them, haha. Funny occurrence.
To the updates. Just an FYI gents, I've been busy with a lot on my plate lately, mainly with other cars and projects. I'll be covering the Probe and TurboRunner for a small bit before returning to the 3rd gen. Here goes!
Hehe for fun:
[YOUTUBE]em5T1dwgvgA[/YOUTUBE]
This is about the worst of the interior, the cargo area. The right panel has cracked and broken up. The headliner has peeled off the removable top. Both shouldn't be difficult to fix. The stock jack and tools are there and look pretty untouched. (Forgot to take a pic of the cluster and front seats... will do next time it's light out)
The paint is still looking good. It's been sitting since 2009. Some quick hand polishing:
Down to business. Aside from the bad head gasket, the fuel was spoiled and yellow, the oil looked like a really old chocolate shake, and the spark plugs were fouled up. Battery is some ancient Valucraft crap... hello jumper cables.
Cylinder 4 had a helicoil.
Flushed the fuel rail and lines with Shell V-Power. Drained the oil and refilled with fresh Autozone bargain-oil to clean up the rest of the old oil, and new oil filter. Unfortunately, the head gasket is just too bad to allow for enough compression. I was looking to change the whole cylinder head to eliminate the bad spark plug hole, but Turbo 22RE motors have different compression and therefor different heads. I took videos of the 4Runner cranking, but they're not really that interesting without a startup.
-----------------------------------------------------
Allllrighty then... so, I'm sorry to inform you guys that I haven't touched my first gen at all since the last update. The Probe was my original project and the 1st gen came in very unexpectedly. It'll be some time until I can get to it. My first plans after making it mechanically sound: Paint top black with SEM trim black, deep clean interior, buff paint, change tires, paint wheels.
It's a real shame that Southern California... moreso southern Orange County... isn't an area with huge farm-sized lots. I'd love a huge farm or something to store my toys, but unfortunately, donor truck has to go. I've pretty much stripped it clean, but it was still nice having two 3rd gens. Gotta clean up the image of my house, starting to look like Santa Ana over here (brother's POS truck doesn't help).
So, as originally planned, here's the latest on my project Probe.
Picked up 4 Michelin 215/55/16's from work.
Scored some new toys: Front strut bar, lower tie bar, intrax springs, tokico blues, leather GT wheel, and cupholder.
New Slave Cylinder:
Blowoff valve
Small radiator leak fixed with JB weld. Foil/duct tape wrapped intake/charge piping: Spark plug boots, magnecor wires.
[YOUTUBE]iKjGrsx-huU[/YOUTUBE]
Front strut bar and heat shields are installed... needs a new battery, using the Optima Yellow top as shown from the beginning of my 4WD conversion, came from donor truck. Hardly starts... lol!
That video of the first start is quite loud due to the new lifters and overall freshness of the motor, though the car purrs like a kitten and runs like a cheetah. I'll get some more videos of the car when it's all broken in and ready for power.
Now that the Probe's doing my daily drive, my 4Runner can finally take a break while it waits for installation of a Shrockworks front bumper, Oil change, 1st gen roll bar, fuel pump, injectors, piggyback, CV axles, skid, and body lift. I've been putting these things off as the Probe and 1st gen have sucked my wallet dry. In due time, though, poor thing hasn't been garaged in years. CB antenna quick disconnect finally being put to use. Driving the Probe all day really makes driving the 4Runner special.
--------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: I've been in a bad mood since yesterday, so I apologize if I offend anyone. If you can't handle someone bashing American cars, please don't read the rest of this post.
Probe:
My friend was kind enough to let me borrow his blow off valve and Air Fuel Ratio gauge. He tuned the VAF for me and it's running 10PSI (flapper door? wtf? MAF<3). Freaking thing FLIES like a rocket.
Ugh... frustration grows inside of me like never before. You'd think that a company as large as Ford would design something a little bit better. Americans seem to be good at lots of impressive stuff, but if there's anything that America cannot do, it's make a car. Apparently, they can't even use another company's car without destroying the interior and exterior before it makes it to the lineup. PerformanceProbe.com is a boring forum full of idiots and lonely middle-aged jerks. The fact that they say "Blue Oval all the way!" makes me want to rip out someones eyes, because Ford had nothing good to do with this car. IMO, Ford, Chrysler, and GM are companies that never should have existed past the 1970s. People think I say these things because I drive a Toyota, no no, I drive a Toyota because I don't want to drive a piece of junk every day (I'm sure we all agree our trucks are very nice to drive).
I rewired the stereo harness yesterday. Let me tell you, the previous owner of this car was about as gifted as the idiots who designed this car.
Let's start slow...
Stereo harness = 100% hand-twisted. I pulled the radio out and tore the harness apart into 3 pieces without a single tool. Redid all of the wiring with butt connectors and a crimper. Only 2 of the cheap best buy speakers work, home-stereo speaker wire going to the front doors. All radio brackets are missing, including the bezel, broken. Antenna doesn't work. Radio was held in by hopes and dreams... and electrical tape. Top this off, you say? The radio is a Pioneer, somehow with a faceplate from a completely different Pioneer on it (probably explains why it hardly works).
I don't understand why people buy junk speakers like these. That money could have been spent on so many other things, in so many other places, on this car.
Alright, well, the center vent piece is broken, the dash is very ugly/stupid/poorly designed/cracked... the whole inside of this car is a nightmarish hell that I want nothing to do with.
Mazda MX6 GT seats and steering wheel:
New plan:
Remove all unnecessary crap. Keep seats, replace seat belts, cover dash, keep center console. No radio, no speakers, no headliner, no carpet, only basic panels. Avoid all remorse from buying Ford parts. After all, this car is just a cheap DD, I have a non-rattling/well-made/reliable 4Runner with a nicer roomy interior and music if I need it.
Now that Probe was at least running well (thanks Mazda), I filled up for my first full tank (actual operating temperature with the heat-wrapping modifications done, oil pressure sensor not working):
It also failed smog, but it's because of the catalytic converter going bad from previous owner's advanced timing. It's registered and tags are still good until November. I borrowed my friend's extra smog-only catalytic converter and was planning (keyword: was) to install it today.
Now that that's out of the way, why didn't I install the cat? Note to self: water is not a replacement for coolant. Water + heat = vapor.
I had to think about it for a little. Vapor build up in a pressurized cooling system makes things go POP, or BOOM, or maybe PSSSSSSSSSSSSH. Sometimes, it might even go KABLAM! (yay childhood references!)
What's this loony talking about?! Onomatopoeia? The upper radiator hose was the weakest link (ironically not the radiator cap....?). On the freeway, the hose blew apart from the pressure... just after the head gasket blew. Lesson learned: Don't buy cheap head gaskets. After plumes of white smoke came from the tailpipe, I drained all of the remaining water. Some time to cool down, I drove it home with no coolant at all. Luckily, the failure did not allow for the water and oil to mix.
4Runner is back to DD duty. Not surprising, one week away and I went right back. As quick and fun as the Probe is, I'm a lot happier driving my 4Runner. I don't even want to look at that Probe until some serious things happen:
1. Head gasket
2. Front right fender needs to be replaced.
3. Front bumper needs to vanish from existence altogether, likely with fire (will make video). Got an 89GT bumper lined up along with the factory turn signals and marker lights.
4. Remove all exterior trim/cladding/lights/everything. Paint car with SEM Trim Paint, Charcoal Metallic #39033 (same color as my 3rd Gen's wheels). Paint trim with SEM Trim Black.
5. Install rear tie bar, rear strut bar, intrax lowering springs, cut off MagnaBLOW muffler, install wheels/tires/spacers.
Alright, enough about Fords. Let's talk TOYOTA.
1987 4Runner Turbo. I took the most perfect video of it's first start. Funny story, even after draining all fuel/coolant/oil and replacing it all, it wouldn't start the whole 3 hours I spent trying to get it to start again. It ended up sitting untouched for about a week, when I decided to randomly give it a go.
The SOB fired right up. In fact, now it fires right up every single time. Mind you, I didn't do one lick of work beyond fluid changes and reattaching the starter.
Blah blah blah why is this dude still talking?! VIDEO ALREADY!!! Haha... yeah, about that... just after I got finished with the most epic 2 minutes and 30 seconds of early 1st gen ownership, my iPhone decides that the days events actually never happened In fact, all of my pictures from that day just didn't happen.
TurboRunner LIVES. I promise you guys that you'll see a video of this beast running before I fix the head gasket. It's a spectacle to see a cob-webbed engine start up after sitting for 3 years. It doesn't stay alive lower than 1k RPM, and doesn't drive thanks to the automatic transmission. If this thing was a stick, I'd have driven it by now.
Further work will begin tomorrow, I will be updating with pictures and videos. Since I'm new to Toyota engine work and timing chains, I'm taking it back down to my buddy John's shop, Japanese Car Specialties, to hopefully leech off of John's 22RTE know-how. I'll still be performing the work myself, but with a helpful guiding hand. This is the same shop where I performed my 4WD 5-speed conversion.
After TurboRunner works, Donor truck will meet it's demise.
Anyway, that's my rant, hope you didn't fall asleep reading with this lack of photos
^^ For giggles, not actually stuck on ^^
--------------------------------------------
UGH... I DON'T UNDERSTAND! TurboRunner didn't want to start again today. This is a very bipolar truck. Oh well, I have AAA for a reason.
Immediately got to work. For some reason, the truck would crank, fire a few times, and die again.
The 22RTE motor uses a cold start injector with a coolant temperature sensor. I changed the sensor with a known good sensor to make sure it was correctly operating. While the original one did prove to be faulty, it didn't fix my problem.
There are no ignition or fuse problems, either... so we moved onto electrical possibilities. We pulled a pinout for a turbo 4Runner off the internet. Using a Vantage diagnostic scanner (the same one I used to test continuity for wires during my 4WD conversion), we checked fuel injection signals from the ECU. Signals were fine at initial start and then stopped as the engine died.
Now, here's another reason why the perfect mechanic is really a godsend. This guy has a 1985 solid axle Toyota pickup that he's converted to a completely OEM 5-speed and turbo. This guy knows his stuff. It's about this time when John asks me for the part number of my ECU, 89661-35050. He never ceases to amaze me... he hands me the keys to his 85 and tells me to test my ECU in his truck. Sure enough, ECU 89661-35050 with the dismantler's vehicle details "1986 4Runner 4x4 Auto Turbo."
[YOUTUBE]KqMuxhPINIg[/YOUTUBE]
If my phone didn't start acting up again, I'd have had a short video of it driving into the shop under it's own power. Too bad, my phone sucks. So, now I've just gotta find myself one of these ECU's. I may have found one for $100 in Maine at a dismantler. I'm happy it was something as easy as an ECU, it runs and drives without stalling now.
The engines main problems: bad head gasket = low compression in cylinder one/three, rod knock, helicoiled spark plug hole cylinder 4. Engine hardly creates enough vacuum, often dies while selecting gear. Lots of white smoke due to bad piston rings.
I was hoping it would only be a head job, but now it would make more sense to pull the whole motor and rebuild it. It's a shame I won't be keeping this truck... John's got an LCE pro crankshaft and H-beam rods that use bigger rod bearings, CP forged pisons (.040 over) and new piston rings... all for a 22RE... omfg haha... that'd be NUTS with boost. (boring with an auto... and IFS). Truck will have to go to a good home, not selling it to just anyone.
Used an old fuel injector harness to test each injector. 1 injector is completely the wrong injector. The other 3 are the right ones, but one of them does not flow very well.
Cylinder 1-3 spark plug holes have seen better days. The threads are mostly crossthreaded and jagged, it should not take excessive force to unscrew a spark plug. Another one of John's toys: Self tapping spark plug. All 3 non-helicoiled holes are smooth as butter now. As far as the helicoiled plug, lots and lots of loctite so I can remove the plug from the helicoil itself.
Compression tests: Cylinder 1 and 3 have very low compression. The other two have good compression.
2 out of 3 piston rings are fried on all 4 pistons. This truck is an oil burners cartel member. Hot side of the turbo was cracked and poorly welded by previous owner... this truck won't be making ANY boost...
... so what's good about this truck? It's actually running on all 4 cylinders again (barely). It runs without stalling. It actually drives, too. Went for a nice journey around the area, put a good 15 miles on it. Testament to Toyota... leave a horribly maintained engine sitting for 3 years and it will still run and drive. At least it doesn't burn too much oil.
This is where the decision gets difficult. This thing is totally worthy of a new engine and turbo. It deserves to run for another 264k, at least. This vehicle is still an investment, though. There are a few engine/turbo combos online that I may consider. $500-$1000 may net me something in running condition. I would hate to install a used motor without rebuild, but given the right motor, I could just do a swap.
I put up a craigslist feeler at $3500 or trade and got 3 bites, as well as a trade for a 2nd gen with a rebuilt engine. These results make me happy, as I have yet to clean the truck up, fix the engine, or paint the top/wheels.
Truck is at home now while I decide what I want to do.
If you keep tabs on this thread, you may remember a cop hassle I had in my 3rd gen. I was out, but the cops came over for a visit, this time with a tow truck. They had TurboRunner about halfway up the ramp. My dad stopped them and I spoke with the cop over the phone.
Cop: "Why is this truck parked on MY street?"
Me: "I just brought the truck home from the shop yesterday, I just needed to clear some space out of the driveway. Pink slip is in the house."
Cop: "I'll give you one hour. If I ever see this truck in the street again, I'm taking it."
Thanks again, jerkoff. Someday, I'll be moving out of this area with such douchebag cops on power trips. If only they would actually protect and serve as their job entitles... not bring out the big guns after a vehicle with bad registration sits for one day in the street. Maybe it's the lack of action over here, they're forced to spend their time giving innocent people a hard time. If no one stopped him, TurboRunner would have been impounded and likely handed away with the title. All my life spent here, only time I ever see nice policemen are when they're consoling accident victims. I understand you're mister Johnny Law, but you don't have keep up the act in front of my elderly father. We're innocent people, talk to us like a human being should.
Drove home, got in the truck, started it right up and drove straight into my driveway. Of course, they were expecting me to push it.
Get a good look... won't be long now...
------------------------------------------
It appears this is the first time she's ever been topless. I also find it very cool that there's one bolt for the top that has a switch in the bolthole to toggle the back window power.
COB's 4Runner Build kinda turned into COB's 89 Probe GT/87 4Runner Turbo Build... Major derail lol. Follow me as we get back on track...
Body lift (Thanks for the order steezemcqueen :thumb3:
I very much like the extra 1" gap between the body and sliders now, no more rocker contact. The rear bumper will be adjusted, but even the 1" doesn't quite bother me much right now.
Well, hello there You've been a long time coming, haven't you? UPS Freight dropped this off on Tuesday, results of http://www.toyota-4runner.org/genera...-part-2-a.html
I have hardly any photos of me working on the truck since I'm always the one to take pics. Good to have friends around, thanks to my buddy Jake (no I did not plan that shirt):
Brackets installed, bumper next:
Done!
Also:
1. Reinstalled skid plate as shown above
2. Removed rear flares and trimmed for body lift.
3. Wired lights
4. Waiting for Monday, when the turn signals arrive from Shrockworks, as they forgot to include them with the original shipment.
Initial thoughts: I LOVE IT!
So far, my favorite thing about this bumper are the two bottom holes. Reaching inside of this bumper is incredibly easy, getting back there for wiring and adjustments would have been a nightmare compared.
The strength, construction, and rigidity are exceptional. Even off the truck, you can tell this bumper can plow right through another car. Very impressed. The front suspension (OME 883/Bilstein 5100) rides much smoother with the extra weight. The truck feels more stable. If anything, it actually rides like a V6 4Runner with a little bit of extra weight.
I only have one complaint with the whole thing: The left fog light mount tab is crooked. I had to put half of a lock-washer on one side to compensate. I don't mind if it's only one flaw, CBI welded in my hitch receiver very crooked and I just deal with it.
The lights are awesome, too, but in all honesty, I'm not wowed. The PIAA 510 Ion Crystal fog lights are too dim (simple bulb change I believe). The PIAA 580 driving lights are awesome, but the covers did not fit behind the single hoop without pushing the light up towards the sky. No big deal, though, I think I prefer them without the covers anyway. I'm also going to look into changing the stupid PIAA switches with OEM rocker switches.
As far as the frame's End Cap mod, I've saved that for winch installation. I still have to get the bumper's alignment just right and drill the two extra 3/8" holes into the brackets to eliminate possible movement.
More pics coming later this week. Thanks!
Thank you guys! Sorry for the late replies.... I've got a big update here this time around.
Chef, I was at the Pick Your Part in Stanton, CA. I agree, very rare and not worth parting.
And Jeff! I was perusing through your site, WOW! You are a true encyclopedia of information! I only wish you lived closer. Oh, and BTW, I met up with a gentleman named Frank, popped his hood and saw your header in there. That's the closest the supercharger and header have been since you sold them, haha. Funny occurrence.
To the updates. Just an FYI gents, I've been busy with a lot on my plate lately, mainly with other cars and projects. I'll be covering the Probe and TurboRunner for a small bit before returning to the 3rd gen. Here goes!
Hehe for fun:
[YOUTUBE]em5T1dwgvgA[/YOUTUBE]
This is about the worst of the interior, the cargo area. The right panel has cracked and broken up. The headliner has peeled off the removable top. Both shouldn't be difficult to fix. The stock jack and tools are there and look pretty untouched. (Forgot to take a pic of the cluster and front seats... will do next time it's light out)
The paint is still looking good. It's been sitting since 2009. Some quick hand polishing:
Down to business. Aside from the bad head gasket, the fuel was spoiled and yellow, the oil looked like a really old chocolate shake, and the spark plugs were fouled up. Battery is some ancient Valucraft crap... hello jumper cables.
Cylinder 4 had a helicoil.
Flushed the fuel rail and lines with Shell V-Power. Drained the oil and refilled with fresh Autozone bargain-oil to clean up the rest of the old oil, and new oil filter. Unfortunately, the head gasket is just too bad to allow for enough compression. I was looking to change the whole cylinder head to eliminate the bad spark plug hole, but Turbo 22RE motors have different compression and therefor different heads. I took videos of the 4Runner cranking, but they're not really that interesting without a startup.
-----------------------------------------------------
Allllrighty then... so, I'm sorry to inform you guys that I haven't touched my first gen at all since the last update. The Probe was my original project and the 1st gen came in very unexpectedly. It'll be some time until I can get to it. My first plans after making it mechanically sound: Paint top black with SEM trim black, deep clean interior, buff paint, change tires, paint wheels.
It's a real shame that Southern California... moreso southern Orange County... isn't an area with huge farm-sized lots. I'd love a huge farm or something to store my toys, but unfortunately, donor truck has to go. I've pretty much stripped it clean, but it was still nice having two 3rd gens. Gotta clean up the image of my house, starting to look like Santa Ana over here (brother's POS truck doesn't help).
So, as originally planned, here's the latest on my project Probe.
Picked up 4 Michelin 215/55/16's from work.
Scored some new toys: Front strut bar, lower tie bar, intrax springs, tokico blues, leather GT wheel, and cupholder.
New Slave Cylinder:
Blowoff valve
Small radiator leak fixed with JB weld. Foil/duct tape wrapped intake/charge piping: Spark plug boots, magnecor wires.
[YOUTUBE]iKjGrsx-huU[/YOUTUBE]
Front strut bar and heat shields are installed... needs a new battery, using the Optima Yellow top as shown from the beginning of my 4WD conversion, came from donor truck. Hardly starts... lol!
That video of the first start is quite loud due to the new lifters and overall freshness of the motor, though the car purrs like a kitten and runs like a cheetah. I'll get some more videos of the car when it's all broken in and ready for power.
Now that the Probe's doing my daily drive, my 4Runner can finally take a break while it waits for installation of a Shrockworks front bumper, Oil change, 1st gen roll bar, fuel pump, injectors, piggyback, CV axles, skid, and body lift. I've been putting these things off as the Probe and 1st gen have sucked my wallet dry. In due time, though, poor thing hasn't been garaged in years. CB antenna quick disconnect finally being put to use. Driving the Probe all day really makes driving the 4Runner special.
--------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: I've been in a bad mood since yesterday, so I apologize if I offend anyone. If you can't handle someone bashing American cars, please don't read the rest of this post.
Probe:
My friend was kind enough to let me borrow his blow off valve and Air Fuel Ratio gauge. He tuned the VAF for me and it's running 10PSI (flapper door? wtf? MAF<3). Freaking thing FLIES like a rocket.
Ugh... frustration grows inside of me like never before. You'd think that a company as large as Ford would design something a little bit better. Americans seem to be good at lots of impressive stuff, but if there's anything that America cannot do, it's make a car. Apparently, they can't even use another company's car without destroying the interior and exterior before it makes it to the lineup. PerformanceProbe.com is a boring forum full of idiots and lonely middle-aged jerks. The fact that they say "Blue Oval all the way!" makes me want to rip out someones eyes, because Ford had nothing good to do with this car. IMO, Ford, Chrysler, and GM are companies that never should have existed past the 1970s. People think I say these things because I drive a Toyota, no no, I drive a Toyota because I don't want to drive a piece of junk every day (I'm sure we all agree our trucks are very nice to drive).
I rewired the stereo harness yesterday. Let me tell you, the previous owner of this car was about as gifted as the idiots who designed this car.
Let's start slow...
Stereo harness = 100% hand-twisted. I pulled the radio out and tore the harness apart into 3 pieces without a single tool. Redid all of the wiring with butt connectors and a crimper. Only 2 of the cheap best buy speakers work, home-stereo speaker wire going to the front doors. All radio brackets are missing, including the bezel, broken. Antenna doesn't work. Radio was held in by hopes and dreams... and electrical tape. Top this off, you say? The radio is a Pioneer, somehow with a faceplate from a completely different Pioneer on it (probably explains why it hardly works).
I don't understand why people buy junk speakers like these. That money could have been spent on so many other things, in so many other places, on this car.
Alright, well, the center vent piece is broken, the dash is very ugly/stupid/poorly designed/cracked... the whole inside of this car is a nightmarish hell that I want nothing to do with.
Mazda MX6 GT seats and steering wheel:
New plan:
Remove all unnecessary crap. Keep seats, replace seat belts, cover dash, keep center console. No radio, no speakers, no headliner, no carpet, only basic panels. Avoid all remorse from buying Ford parts. After all, this car is just a cheap DD, I have a non-rattling/well-made/reliable 4Runner with a nicer roomy interior and music if I need it.
Now that Probe was at least running well (thanks Mazda), I filled up for my first full tank (actual operating temperature with the heat-wrapping modifications done, oil pressure sensor not working):
It also failed smog, but it's because of the catalytic converter going bad from previous owner's advanced timing. It's registered and tags are still good until November. I borrowed my friend's extra smog-only catalytic converter and was planning (keyword: was) to install it today.
Now that that's out of the way, why didn't I install the cat? Note to self: water is not a replacement for coolant. Water + heat = vapor.
I had to think about it for a little. Vapor build up in a pressurized cooling system makes things go POP, or BOOM, or maybe PSSSSSSSSSSSSH. Sometimes, it might even go KABLAM! (yay childhood references!)
What's this loony talking about?! Onomatopoeia? The upper radiator hose was the weakest link (ironically not the radiator cap....?). On the freeway, the hose blew apart from the pressure... just after the head gasket blew. Lesson learned: Don't buy cheap head gaskets. After plumes of white smoke came from the tailpipe, I drained all of the remaining water. Some time to cool down, I drove it home with no coolant at all. Luckily, the failure did not allow for the water and oil to mix.
4Runner is back to DD duty. Not surprising, one week away and I went right back. As quick and fun as the Probe is, I'm a lot happier driving my 4Runner. I don't even want to look at that Probe until some serious things happen:
1. Head gasket
2. Front right fender needs to be replaced.
3. Front bumper needs to vanish from existence altogether, likely with fire (will make video). Got an 89GT bumper lined up along with the factory turn signals and marker lights.
4. Remove all exterior trim/cladding/lights/everything. Paint car with SEM Trim Paint, Charcoal Metallic #39033 (same color as my 3rd Gen's wheels). Paint trim with SEM Trim Black.
5. Install rear tie bar, rear strut bar, intrax lowering springs, cut off MagnaBLOW muffler, install wheels/tires/spacers.
Alright, enough about Fords. Let's talk TOYOTA.
1987 4Runner Turbo. I took the most perfect video of it's first start. Funny story, even after draining all fuel/coolant/oil and replacing it all, it wouldn't start the whole 3 hours I spent trying to get it to start again. It ended up sitting untouched for about a week, when I decided to randomly give it a go.
The SOB fired right up. In fact, now it fires right up every single time. Mind you, I didn't do one lick of work beyond fluid changes and reattaching the starter.
Blah blah blah why is this dude still talking?! VIDEO ALREADY!!! Haha... yeah, about that... just after I got finished with the most epic 2 minutes and 30 seconds of early 1st gen ownership, my iPhone decides that the days events actually never happened In fact, all of my pictures from that day just didn't happen.
TurboRunner LIVES. I promise you guys that you'll see a video of this beast running before I fix the head gasket. It's a spectacle to see a cob-webbed engine start up after sitting for 3 years. It doesn't stay alive lower than 1k RPM, and doesn't drive thanks to the automatic transmission. If this thing was a stick, I'd have driven it by now.
Further work will begin tomorrow, I will be updating with pictures and videos. Since I'm new to Toyota engine work and timing chains, I'm taking it back down to my buddy John's shop, Japanese Car Specialties, to hopefully leech off of John's 22RTE know-how. I'll still be performing the work myself, but with a helpful guiding hand. This is the same shop where I performed my 4WD 5-speed conversion.
After TurboRunner works, Donor truck will meet it's demise.
Anyway, that's my rant, hope you didn't fall asleep reading with this lack of photos
^^ For giggles, not actually stuck on ^^
--------------------------------------------
UGH... I DON'T UNDERSTAND! TurboRunner didn't want to start again today. This is a very bipolar truck. Oh well, I have AAA for a reason.
Immediately got to work. For some reason, the truck would crank, fire a few times, and die again.
The 22RTE motor uses a cold start injector with a coolant temperature sensor. I changed the sensor with a known good sensor to make sure it was correctly operating. While the original one did prove to be faulty, it didn't fix my problem.
There are no ignition or fuse problems, either... so we moved onto electrical possibilities. We pulled a pinout for a turbo 4Runner off the internet. Using a Vantage diagnostic scanner (the same one I used to test continuity for wires during my 4WD conversion), we checked fuel injection signals from the ECU. Signals were fine at initial start and then stopped as the engine died.
Now, here's another reason why the perfect mechanic is really a godsend. This guy has a 1985 solid axle Toyota pickup that he's converted to a completely OEM 5-speed and turbo. This guy knows his stuff. It's about this time when John asks me for the part number of my ECU, 89661-35050. He never ceases to amaze me... he hands me the keys to his 85 and tells me to test my ECU in his truck. Sure enough, ECU 89661-35050 with the dismantler's vehicle details "1986 4Runner 4x4 Auto Turbo."
[YOUTUBE]KqMuxhPINIg[/YOUTUBE]
If my phone didn't start acting up again, I'd have had a short video of it driving into the shop under it's own power. Too bad, my phone sucks. So, now I've just gotta find myself one of these ECU's. I may have found one for $100 in Maine at a dismantler. I'm happy it was something as easy as an ECU, it runs and drives without stalling now.
The engines main problems: bad head gasket = low compression in cylinder one/three, rod knock, helicoiled spark plug hole cylinder 4. Engine hardly creates enough vacuum, often dies while selecting gear. Lots of white smoke due to bad piston rings.
I was hoping it would only be a head job, but now it would make more sense to pull the whole motor and rebuild it. It's a shame I won't be keeping this truck... John's got an LCE pro crankshaft and H-beam rods that use bigger rod bearings, CP forged pisons (.040 over) and new piston rings... all for a 22RE... omfg haha... that'd be NUTS with boost. (boring with an auto... and IFS). Truck will have to go to a good home, not selling it to just anyone.
Used an old fuel injector harness to test each injector. 1 injector is completely the wrong injector. The other 3 are the right ones, but one of them does not flow very well.
Cylinder 1-3 spark plug holes have seen better days. The threads are mostly crossthreaded and jagged, it should not take excessive force to unscrew a spark plug. Another one of John's toys: Self tapping spark plug. All 3 non-helicoiled holes are smooth as butter now. As far as the helicoiled plug, lots and lots of loctite so I can remove the plug from the helicoil itself.
Compression tests: Cylinder 1 and 3 have very low compression. The other two have good compression.
2 out of 3 piston rings are fried on all 4 pistons. This truck is an oil burners cartel member. Hot side of the turbo was cracked and poorly welded by previous owner... this truck won't be making ANY boost...
... so what's good about this truck? It's actually running on all 4 cylinders again (barely). It runs without stalling. It actually drives, too. Went for a nice journey around the area, put a good 15 miles on it. Testament to Toyota... leave a horribly maintained engine sitting for 3 years and it will still run and drive. At least it doesn't burn too much oil.
This is where the decision gets difficult. This thing is totally worthy of a new engine and turbo. It deserves to run for another 264k, at least. This vehicle is still an investment, though. There are a few engine/turbo combos online that I may consider. $500-$1000 may net me something in running condition. I would hate to install a used motor without rebuild, but given the right motor, I could just do a swap.
I put up a craigslist feeler at $3500 or trade and got 3 bites, as well as a trade for a 2nd gen with a rebuilt engine. These results make me happy, as I have yet to clean the truck up, fix the engine, or paint the top/wheels.
Truck is at home now while I decide what I want to do.
If you keep tabs on this thread, you may remember a cop hassle I had in my 3rd gen. I was out, but the cops came over for a visit, this time with a tow truck. They had TurboRunner about halfway up the ramp. My dad stopped them and I spoke with the cop over the phone.
Cop: "Why is this truck parked on MY street?"
Me: "I just brought the truck home from the shop yesterday, I just needed to clear some space out of the driveway. Pink slip is in the house."
Cop: "I'll give you one hour. If I ever see this truck in the street again, I'm taking it."
Thanks again, jerkoff. Someday, I'll be moving out of this area with such douchebag cops on power trips. If only they would actually protect and serve as their job entitles... not bring out the big guns after a vehicle with bad registration sits for one day in the street. Maybe it's the lack of action over here, they're forced to spend their time giving innocent people a hard time. If no one stopped him, TurboRunner would have been impounded and likely handed away with the title. All my life spent here, only time I ever see nice policemen are when they're consoling accident victims. I understand you're mister Johnny Law, but you don't have keep up the act in front of my elderly father. We're innocent people, talk to us like a human being should.
Drove home, got in the truck, started it right up and drove straight into my driveway. Of course, they were expecting me to push it.
Get a good look... won't be long now...
------------------------------------------
It appears this is the first time she's ever been topless. I also find it very cool that there's one bolt for the top that has a switch in the bolthole to toggle the back window power.
COB's 4Runner Build kinda turned into COB's 89 Probe GT/87 4Runner Turbo Build... Major derail lol. Follow me as we get back on track...
Body lift (Thanks for the order steezemcqueen :thumb3
:I very much like the extra 1" gap between the body and sliders now, no more rocker contact. The rear bumper will be adjusted, but even the 1" doesn't quite bother me much right now.
Well, hello there
You've been a long time coming, haven't you? UPS Freight dropped this off on Tuesday, results of http://www.toyota-4runner.org/genera...-part-2-a.htmlI have hardly any photos of me working on the truck since I'm always the one to take pics. Good to have friends around, thanks to my buddy Jake (no I did not plan that shirt):
Brackets installed, bumper next:
Done!
Also:
1. Reinstalled skid plate as shown above
2. Removed rear flares and trimmed for body lift.
3. Wired lights
4. Waiting for Monday, when the turn signals arrive from Shrockworks, as they forgot to include them with the original shipment.
Initial thoughts: I LOVE IT!
So far, my favorite thing about this bumper are the two bottom holes. Reaching inside of this bumper is incredibly easy, getting back there for wiring and adjustments would have been a nightmare compared.
The strength, construction, and rigidity are exceptional. Even off the truck, you can tell this bumper can plow right through another car. Very impressed. The front suspension (OME 883/Bilstein 5100) rides much smoother with the extra weight. The truck feels more stable. If anything, it actually rides like a V6 4Runner with a little bit of extra weight.
I only have one complaint with the whole thing: The left fog light mount tab is crooked. I had to put half of a lock-washer on one side to compensate. I don't mind if it's only one flaw, CBI welded in my hitch receiver very crooked and I just deal with it.
The lights are awesome, too, but in all honesty, I'm not wowed. The PIAA 510 Ion Crystal fog lights are too dim (simple bulb change I believe). The PIAA 580 driving lights are awesome, but the covers did not fit behind the single hoop without pushing the light up towards the sky. No big deal, though, I think I prefer them without the covers anyway. I'm also going to look into changing the stupid PIAA switches with OEM rocker switches.
As far as the frame's End Cap mod, I've saved that for winch installation. I still have to get the bumper's alignment just right and drill the two extra 3/8" holes into the brackets to eliminate possible movement.
More pics coming later this week. Thanks!
Last edited by ChildrenOfBodom; 06-24-2012 at 02:01 PM.
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