Nice balmy 28 degree start to the day today, what a good time for a quick power wash underneath in preparation of another coat of Eastwood Rust Encapsulator.

 

I think I found what was the problem with the starter. Both ends of the positive cable were frayed. I thought the ROC starter was giving out on me this morning. It was clicking not engaging and not even clicking at times. Hopefully this fixed it. Or it's time to hurry up and rebuild the old one LOL new positive cable in and I think it's even thicker.

 

That's the problem with those open wire cables, coupled with a standard lead/acid battery. The battery outgasses hydrogen, and acid mist, when it's charging. Like right after a start. The cables with the big gap between the insulation and the copper ring terminal allow the acid mist, or vapor, if you prefer, to not only corrode the heck out of the open wire area, but it wicks down the copper strands of the cable, down inside the insulation. You might be shocked if you were to strip back the insulation a ways. Many of the strands may well be broken. Inside the insulation. Causes all kinds of "mystery problems" that have no obvious cause.

I cut back to clean copper inside the insulation, slip a 2-3" piece of meltwall heat shrink on, then crimp on a new ring terminal. Slide the heat shrink down over the ring terminal as far as it'll go, and shrink it down. The inner wall melts down, and fills in all the gaps that would allow acid vapor in, preventing that trouble. It also reinforces the joint so the wire strands don't flex and break right at the ring terminal's crimp.

If I were you, I'd buy a length of cable, about 1-0 or 2-0, in red and black, and some ring terminals, as well as some heat shrink, and make your own cables. It will work better and last a LOT longer. Remember you need 2 negative cables. One to the body, one to the block, usually bolted to the AC compressor mount. Or straight to the block where the AC compressor mount would go, if you don't have the AC system. Then the positive directly down to the starter, so just one cable there. Crimp the fusible link going to the fuse block right into the ring terminal with the cable, or crimp it's own heat shrinked ring terminal to it. I always thought having bare wires wrapped around a bolt looked amateurish. It's also bad electrical procedure. they rot off fast, and flexing they do will break the wire off quickly.

Another thing that helps, is switching to the Optima type gel-cell batteries. I have heard Optima's quality has dropped off of late, I don't know. I use them, and they're a bit expensive, but so far, they've worked fine for me. They don't produce anywhere near the acid vapor when charging, preventing many of the corrosion problems.

Finally, I prefer the "marine" terminals on the battery, as opposed to the cheap-o thin metal, circle terminals Toyota seems to prefer. It's very easy for them to rot through, and get a lot of corrosion under them. A marine terminal is a good, sturdy lead terminal, with a screw post to accept ring terminals. Quick and easy to pull the wires off and put them on, to clean under the ring terminals, etc. I pull mine up off at least once a year, and take a brass wire brush to the ring terminal, and the marine terminal. There's always SOME differential metal corrosion, but very little. It comes right off with the brass wire brush. Polish the ring terminals right up, and back on they go.

I'm sorry if you already were aware of all this. I just hoped to make your truck more reliable, and look better
Pat☺

 

One word Pat, salt. It's just as bad as the battery gassing it. Both ends of that cable were like that. I would bet if I strip the wire it is corroded 6 inches on both ends. I did build my own ground wire to for the back of the engine during the rebuild. Complete with the heat shrink and I put RTV on it before heating it. A little trick I came up with for boat trailer wiring. Water still got in without it.

But thank you for that information! That's a future project on my list now for sure. I'm not a fan of them Optima batteries though, not from experience but have heard of quality issues lately. It seems everything has quality issues now a days. Im cheap going with the Interstate batteries eventhough I've never seen one last longer that 4 years. I liked the Panasonic batteries I've gotten with Toyotas new . None died before 10 years and one made it 12 but pricy.

Next project is that headlight harness with relays and cleaning up some wiring I added with the duel horns. I guess some people aren't impressed with the wiring that comes with the headlight harness but I'm thinking it's thicker than what is stock. We'll see how it works out.

 

That's great idea! Since I've always used the meltwall heatshrink for not-in-a-case type wiring, like everything in an auto's wiring harness, I just never really saw a need. But that's a really good idea! I can see the RTV getting squashed down inside the insulation.

I never looked, but are there other companie making gel-cell, or Optima type, batteries? I'll do some research on that. Maybe another company makes better quality, more reliable, batteries, but still don't have the outgassing problem, not to mention the level of "water" in the cells dropping down over time.

Something I've found that really helps make connectors last longer is to put a little dab of silicon dielectric grease in every female connect you work on. Pull a plug apart, always put the grease in before connecting it again. Makes them last a LOT longer before corrosion and crud manage to creep in, if ever. I did that to my headlight connectors years ago, and they're still looking new. I do it to all the connections I touch. Plug wires, smaller connectors, everything. Works great.

No salt here, though. The ocean's on the other side of the Cascades, and I hope it stays there! They use crushed lava rock on the roads in winter. Really great for grip, even on ice. It gets pushed down in, and gives tires something to grab hold of. Little tough on the lower painted areas, not to mention windshields, if you follow too close, but IMHO better than salt

Anywho, have a great time! Winter is a great time for working on your truck, IF you have a garage
Pat☺

 

Just regular every day daily driving chores...




Then after that installed the headlight harness relay kit and cleaned up the horn wires. Plus a coat of Rust Encapsulator under the battery. Lots of dielectric grease and seam sealer added to the plugs as well.

 

I've spent 3 days painting underneath the 4runner now. I kept finding spots that I missed. Also had to get above the spare tire.

Enough of that so I decided it was time to spend some time in it for a while 😉 Another trip out to Union CT to the Mountain Laural Sanctuary.

This is our little Toyota

 

I thought I was just taking it for short drive today to look at some new storm doors for the house then next thing I know I'm looking at the back of the 4runner and realized that they could fit in the back if I do find what I'm looking for.

 

So after doing the headlight relay harness I decided to change the negative battery cable. It was just a big wire going to the fender secured with an 8mm bolt. Until I get ambitious enough to build my own cables like mentioned earlier I found a negative battery cable more like what we have in the FJ and echo. It goes to the block and fender. Plus I left the old cable from fender to block. It is in kinda tough shape but I figured I would leave it there as well.

luckily the weather is beautiful today so I painted the last remaining section of original exhaust pipe between the cat and muffler. I'm in the process of replacing the muffler again as well. The last one leaked right from day one.

 

Another job done before breakfast. One of the reasons I wanted to replace the muffler was because the pipe going into it was moving and seemed loose. I think partly because the bracket was missing for the catalytic hangers. The truck came to us without that bracket. I made something but found one better and modified it to fit. I think it's for a Toyota Camry. Of course pulling that Pipe out of the muffler that made it really tight and had to fight to get it apart though. I really thought I was going to have to do some welding on that old pipe. turns out it's really solid and I thought it was rusting . That's why I thought it was moving so much inside the muffler.

 

Thought I would show off all the exhaust work at a local cars and coffee in South Windsor CT😄

Not much interest in the 4runner at this one. Should have brought Herbie lol.

saw another one of them Nithems. An AE 86 came in but I forgot to get a photo.

 

Out Christmas shopping with the 4runner yesterday and a quick breakfast stop.





I also wasn't the only one driving an old vehicle . We always seem to find something interesting in the HD parking lot.

 

A few shots from last night at Bright Nights in Springfield MA. Yes, we paid to be in a traffic jam. Lol they really put something cool together with this though . It's been a thing since the mid 90s. We even saw an old Yota go by us when waiting to get in. Kinda looked like the Back to the future truck but it was dark...

https://www.brightnights.org/

 

Kinda reminds me of "Midnight at the Oasis", an annual event they throw in Yuma, Az. every year.

Similar, not identical. Yuma, the nights are still pretty warm. Over 100° F generally. The event is 2 days, one night. Car shows, contests, and so forth during the days, and a cruise down 4th Ave. at midnight. The main drag in Yuma. Lots of older cars, trucks, the works. I could have entered either of my 87s before I moved out, once they got old enough, just not my bag. Besides, I didn't want to spend the time, and money, "blingin'" out my trucks. They're my work vehicles, and they look it. We did have a bunch out at my work that were entered every year though. Even won sometimes.
Main fun, though was the midnight cruise. Kinda like they did way back when. Before TV got so big, or at all good. Everyone who was "cool" would cruise every weekend night. It's a recreation of that. Kinda like a remake of Yuma's Happy Days.

Edit: It dawns on me that with flood of illegals flowing through Yuma, they may not have this for the foreseeable future. I dunno.
Yuma is in that corner where California, Arizona, and Mexico all come together in that weird looking corner. Go North to California, West to Mexico. Colorado River, what little bit's left of it, runs right through it. It peters out shortly past Yuma. Almost nowhere more than waist deep, mostly knee deep. Makes for a perfect, easy, crossing point. Even before I left, it was bad.

Hope you had a great time. Sure looked like it
Pat☺

 

Another adventure with the 4runner yesterday. We've been hearing about Amato Toy and Hobby in New Britain CT, so we had to go check it out! Real cool place. The display window kinda reminds me of the scene from A Christmas Story. That and it's cool to also find antique toys for sale too.





https://amatosnewbritain.com/
Cool place.

And we weren't the only classic lifted vehicle on the road.


So as we're cruising through Hartford we and smell something bad. we're like what is that smell and my son says " maybe a homeless person under the bridge". out of nowhere Google maps chimes in " chances are " and said nothing more till we exit the highway.



Ahhh and now the 4runner is all decorated for Christmas!

 

Ha! I think I had that Texaco truck.

 

I saw one of the old HESS trucks I remember as a kid there too.


It was time to change the tail light lenses. For some reason the right side was as orange as the signal light. I had 2 sets that came with it and both looked that way. I even tried red bulbs at one time. They unfortunately were starting to show their age.

 

We took a late season trip to Vermont today and managed to leave a snow free part of our state and ended up in a snow covered part of Vermont.






here is a map a few spots we found up there out antique shop hunting. I still can't remember this place we went one time and have searched every time we went this year. It could be gone now. Anyway the hart icon is were this nice little river is.

 

I forgot to add that snow covered river is in Jamaica, VT. I guess that's how Jamaica is this time of year. Next time I'm going back to Florida, MA😄

 

Somehow "snow" and "Jamaica" just don't seem to go together...

Not counting the Jamaican Bobsledding Team

Of course, Florida, Ma just isn't quite right either, somehow...

Have fun!
Pat☺