I have a 2003 4Runner that is missing some umph, I hope that someone has a few simple upgrade tips that I can try. It is a 2wd V8 Limited that is totally stock, down to the air filter. Cold air intake, muffler, electric fan instead of engine fan, programmer , what do I do? Thanks

 

put a Hemi in there?

 

Find a supercharger. They should be available for your year.

 

how longzit been since it got a plain old tune up?
or do you mean you just WANT more oomph?

 

What's your budget? It sounds like you've read a bit and yes, all of those will help (depending on what you mean by a "programmer"), as will an freeflow cat.

A supercharger is the ultimate, but now you're looking at a good sized $$$ investment.


So... what _do_ yoou mean by a "programmer"?

 

Well thats the problem, is there a programmer for a Toyota 4Runner V8? Im unsure about putting a "inline chip" under the hood. Im sure that I will probably put a cold air intake, maybe a muffler but definitely can not afford the supercharger. Im used to performance upgrades on my old Fords. Total different ball game with this technology. I see timing marks on my crank pulley, is the timing adjustable? Worthwhile? Thanks for the input!!

 

What grade of gas are you running? For some weird reason, my 4Runner ran fine using 87 octane since 1999...but I find myself using minimum of 89 octane now for a much better throttle response and overall better pedal to the metal "umph." It makes a huge difference in my rig.

 

Umm, are you talking about a box like you see advertised for the diesels? Like the Banks Six Shooter?

There's nothing like that for these engines & ECUs. In order for "us" to modify fuel delivery and timing, we cheat and run a "piggyback" in front of the ECU. The piggyback intercepts the output of a couple of components that the ECU uses to computer fuel and timing, modifies the data, and thus fakes the ECU into doing something different.

There are two popular boxes for doing this... The Perfect Power SMT-6 & -7, and the SplitSecond FTC1.

Here's a thread talking about the SMT boxes:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/perfect-power-smt-piggyback-controller-56220/

And info on the FTC1 can be found here:
http://splitsec.com/products/fueltime.htm
http://www.urdusa.com/product_info.p..._id=1120000010

The 2nd FTC1 link is from URD USA, which is a company that's run by a guy we know as "Gadget". He's considered the main dude to talk to around these parts when it comes to the history of making our trucks run better/faster/stronger. Most of his research was done on the 3.4L V6, but a lot of it carries over to the V8.

His site is well worth the time to wander:
http://www.gadgetonline.com/4run.htm


In terms of an "inline chip", I'm still at a loss as to what you might be refering to. Are you talking about the $20 mods that you can find on eBay? Those are nothing more than a single resistor that's used to fake the ECU into thinking that either the outside air temp is colder than it is, or that the engine temp is colder than it is. In both cases, it will cause the ECU to feed more fuel to the engine (colder air is more dense, thus can handle more fuel; and a colder engine will push the ECU into it's coldstart mode, which also runs rich). More fuel = more power in this case as the engine will respond to it.

If that's what you're thinking, then read here:
http://www.midiwall.com/4Runner/ect.html

That's a real-world result from doing the "ECT Mod" as we know it around here. The next cost will be about $2 or $0.20 depending on if you run a pot or a fixed resistor.


If you're talking about the JET Performance chips, then save your money and go with an adjustible solution for less - use the SMT or FTC1.


A cold air intake will help, but it helps more from allowing more air into the engine, not so much from allowing cooler air. Because of the engine compartment design, the "boxes" that are sold as cold air solutions will work for about the first hour(ish) of driving. Past that, the box will heat up, heating the air inside, and you're back to where you were in terms of air temp.

But, what most of those solutions do is open up the airway by allowing more air into the box. You can do that cheaply with the "deckplate mod". This info is for a 3rd gen, but I'll bet it can apply to the 4th as well:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f130/deckplate-mod-75169/

You'll also want to look into the ISR Mod:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f130/intake-silencer-removal-mod-3rd-gen-4runner-2000-a-75168/
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f130/intake-silencer-removal-mod-update-2002-4runners-75164/

And the elbow mod if it applies for your rig (I think it does). Note though that this would be negated by doing the Deckplate Mod which is a better idea:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f130/3rd-gen-4runner-air-elbow-removal-75165/


If you're REALLY looking for a REAL cold air intake, then the best one I've seen was a custom piece that drew air in from under the headlights. The thread is here on YT... I'll leave THAT searching up to you.


Yes it's worthwhile, but you can't do it mechanically, you need to fake out the ECU, and that leads us back to the SMT or FTC1.

 

Thank you much for your time and knowledge! Do you think that these computer interceptors are bad for a daily driver? When I bought this 4Runner I was surprised how much was available for the V6 and not the V8. Maybe things will change with time. Have you come across anyone who has experience messing with these V8s?

 

Nope... many of us here run them, myself included, and I ran one pre-supercharger as well. But please keep in mind, that while you'll pick up _some_ HP (call it 20-30) doing EVERYTHING that you're thinking of, it's a "weird" power/dollar ratio. For all that you're looking at, you're sitting around $600, including the piggyback, freeflow exhaust, freeflow cat, deckplate & ISR. Possibly more if you need to pay someone to install it all.

For the 30hp that you'll get, that's a good bit of cash.

The upside is that if you do get to the point that you put a supercharger on, then ALL of that cost will add _a lot_ to the raw bolt-on performance of the S/C. So, none of that cash is wasted.


Nope, not personally, but I've seen guys talking about it. It's one of those things that since I don't have a V8, I'm not looking for info on it. But... I do know that things _are_ changing with time, and they will only get better. Toyota's pretty much made the statement that the V8 is here to stay in the product line, and that will bring out the aftermarket upgrades.

Have fun! (and get ready to hide the Visa bills from the wife!)

 

Midiwall - EXCELLENT post. Props!

 

Thanks Phil... One of these days someone (maybe even me!) will do up a FAQ and I won't have to type this out again... and again... and...