HI Yall!

So I've been gone for a while...A friend borrowed my truck and totaled it then freaking dissipated on me (nice. class act right there). So I've been Yota-less for a while...After creeping on CL. I found this fine example of a 1995 4 runner. It had all my crucial desires. 1 it was cheap, had 5 speed and 4x4 and AC. So I drove an hour and negotiated it down from $1,500 to $900.



How I got it for $900 was the 4x4 would not engage and it would not rev up. If I stomped on the gas it'd choke out. Very doggy acceleration. Very choppy acceleration. I figured well its fuel or air so that ought to be fairly easy...I hope...Oh yah, 3VZE 6 cyl.

Rolled the dice and dropped the Bengy's.

Driving it home and everything works. Power windows work, sun roof, rear window, AC blows cold...freaking cruse control WORKS! I was ASTOUNDED! and quite pleased. I think I did well.

The Previous owner had a shop tune it up, cap rotor plugs wires air filter due to the choppy acceleration, no power... etc...

Drove it home babying it...and got it in the yard. Used the diagnosis port and it was throwing (I thin they were) codes 1 3 and 2 4 which were the air temp sensor in the VAF (Internal VAF component) and a VAF sending code error. so AH HA!

I checked all the stupid stuff like plug firing order, threw in a fuel filter for good measure and such anyway...Oh and it had a mess of Vacuum leaks I tracked down... but...the problem persisted...

The VAF was fubared the connections had come off the circuit board. Here is an internal pic of the Vain (Vane?) Air Flow or as some call it the Mass air flow sensor.



You can see on the right side it the little circut board deals are toast where they were tacked to the circuit board. No idea how that would happen except I guess perhaps heat?...I'd love an explanation...I Dont know and can not formulate a educated guess. I could not find a internal pic of the Vane Air Flow Meter or the Mass Air Flow Meter for a 3VZE so I hope this helps someone...

After one look at this (with the codes I did not bother to pull out the multi meter) I knew the truck was starving so...I ordered one from O-rileys and that was the total of the day yesterday (I got it yesterday) around 9:30 then it was Miller Time...

So this morning I got into the 4x4 as the Vane Vain Air Flow thingamagig was not due in till 12:30...the guy said he had a new motor put in about 6 years ago and after that the 4x4 did not work and has not since. (Motor has 80k he says he seemed legit so I believe him. He had a ticket from some shop for it...) So I'm thinking that the vacuum is just not right to the front dif. (THANK YOU YOTA TECH!!!) Either a bad line or blocked or such...(I had dropped in to Low and Neutral and that worked so I knew the T case and linkage was probably good to go.

Pulled the check valve and tested it. worked fine. Installed it the correct direction (was backwards LOL) then switched the 2 lines (were backward) and VIOLA! 4x4 works. On and off. Internal Dash light works now. Good to go. Got lucky right there...

Went to get the VAF and installed it after a fine lunch, a visit to the beer store and the post office...Cranked her up and Boom. Good to go. Vroom Vroom good RPMS no hesitation and no dogging out.

Whats next->

Exhaust is FUBAR (Truck lived on the coast for a while thus all the surface rust) so its going to a buddy's shop for a high flow exhaust and CAT Thursday. After that I'm pulling everything off it (bumpers, all the emblems, step sides etc) and its going in for paint (same color that dark red it is, or was...). I'm 86 ing all those emblems and just going plain Jane. Body is fairly straight.

After it comes home I'm fabbing up some tube bumpers for the front and rear and some tube step sides. Front will have a class 3 receiver hitch on it for my winch...Radio and seat covers then I'm pretty much good to go. Probably have it detailed interior is on the edge of nasty even for me and I'm a single guy that lives with a Lab and a German Short Hair with science experiments growing in some of the errant beer bottles laying around the house. Have some ideas for a gel cell in the rear so I can move my winch back there if I need it...I have often found when being stuck that I no longer desire to continue in the direction I was going...

Oh. Need to come up with a spare rim and tire but I'll hit the Llanta store for that.

Maybe I'll make a roof rack...Not sure on that one back burner for sure. Kind of wondering how it would mount on there...I'll waller it around my bean for a bit...

Between all that I'll fix the leaking transfer case (rear drive shaft seal) and change that fluid...Oil was changed so I'll run with that for a while...I'll probably go to royal purple in 3k...Probably change the trans fluid and the dif fluids...Elevate the breathers on all the under components...and tie up a few other nick nacky things.

So as it sits, with the VAF, a new battery odds and ends like PB blaster and such I'm in it right at $1200.00.

Thank god I found another Toyota. I sure miss my truck. But things happen for a reason. I think this will actually be better for me. I use the yota for hunting trips with the dogs and friends so the 4 runner should work great. I need something that can haul a load of fire wood or a dead deer in the back, and I need a fairly serious 4x4 at my place. I live on 166 acres that caddo creek in East Texas cuts through and its a muddy booger. I've had NUMEROUS 4x4's and nothing can compare to my last two Yotas. NOTHING. (Well, that 1.25 ton Kaiser Jeep was a pretty bad boy...) I'll keep posting pics as I go. Thanks for looking at my rig. Keep your wheels down.

RJ

 

looks great! Congrats and welcome back.

 

Glad to be back. Thank you. I really appreciate this site. There are so many people on here that have forgotten more about Toyota's than I will ever know...This site pulled my bacon out of the fire far more than once.

 

Hey man congrats... I believe I'm gonna subscribe to this thread to hopefully see more details. Be sure to post lots of pics and throw in some videos now and then. Kinda anxious to hear that exhaust. What are you gonna go with. Flowmaster, borla, magnaflow, ext...... You gonna run tailpipe or tailpipes. What's the plan for the 3.0... You gonna add anything special to it. Headers.... Ext..... Anyways keep me posted man. Looking forward to following ya.

 

I'm planning on staying pretty close to stock. I dont have a huge demand for more HP coming from the 4 cyl. I love the pick up in this thing even with the non existent exhaust. Probably more just "usability" mods for me like the winch, extra batt...and some looks stuff like tube bumpers...

I'm not an exhaust guy but my friend is. Whatever he says will work will work for me.

I'll probably go with another Marlin Crawler tower shift kit. I liked what it did to my custom cab...was reasonable and high quality.

I'm planning on Daily Driving it too as my other truck is a crew cab F-350 4x4 (7.3 turbo diesel)with a utility bed...I have a saw mill so I use it to haul loads of logs on a trailer and keep all my chain saw stuff in it, log chains, binders, extra hydraulic fluid for the backhoe...kind of like driving a short 4x4 school bus so it needs to be a road truck too. As well as all the road trips...Thanks! RJ

PS probably not much video as I'm on satellite internet out here in the woods and bandwidth is limited. But I'll post lots of pics.

 

At least you do have internet. We're I'm located we are limited to dial up. So I don't own a computer lol. All my browsing and sharing comes from my little I-Phone 4 lol...

A side note: the flow master exhaust sounds pretty throaty one a 3.0 when backed by a high flow cat.

 

Your tow rig probably has a battleship turning radius like my dodge megacab...

good deal. . I moved your thread..you had it in the 84-85 section..

 

Exactly, I cant get to half the stands on my place with the trails like they are...But that Yota sure can! The Ford serves its purpose...

 

So does it have a 4cyl or 3vze 6cyl?

 

3vze...

 

Cool. i was confused when u said you werent asking for much from the 4cyl. Looks like a nice runner. Bodys pretty straight with not much rust.

 

Pardon. I meant from my dearly beloved and departed past truck. It had a 22re which got the job DONE. I hauled more crap and towed a bunch of crap and pulled a bunch of "big" trucks out with that 'lil yota...I know the 3VZE is an underdog but hey...so am I. I like the little guy!

Coming from as in...This is my new rig. I like it so far over 2 days...I think its BS they put all those easy break plastic vacuum lines BEHIND THE ENGINE...but...I think I'll like it for a long time. I need to research the longevity of the 3VZE vs the 22RE. I bet its no contest. This was just a heck of a deal I had to jump on.

I had to get another Yota. My ranch EATS TRUCKS. Its located in what everyone around here calls the Alligator bottom....Go figure.

Were well known...were a house hold name. HAHAHAHA

 

Since I worked the bugs out I find so far the 3vze kicks the heck out of the 22re in pickup and "highway get on ability"...

 

nice!! Sweet the ac works too

 

True Korn...I need it more for the dogs than me here in East TX...I plan on taking it hunting all over TX. I go up to the pan handle a lot and have seen it over 100 degrees well into fall on occasion...

If I had to wear a black fur coat all the time I'd sure want some AC and want it right darn now...especially after running after birds for a few hours....

 

nice looking runner. My truck was 900 dollars as well. under 1k Toyotas are the best. good luck

 

I thought it was a heck of a deal myself. I've had a FJ40 and several trucks and every time one leaves its just not the same. I think I'll hang on to this one...I'm not letting anyone else drive it. Period.

 

good plan!!! I plan on keeping mine for a long time as well.

 

Here is the begining thoughts on the rear tire holder/tool holder...

I like storage spot with cooler on there. I'm thinking double swing rear tire holder. With multi use. You could haul gas water or a cooler depending on if I was going bird hunting with the dogs or just out to girdle some trees for the saw mill. I think my farm jack is going inside. I've seen what outside storage does to these things.

Hope the link works, looks funky in this box.



This is just a pic I found on the internet to get my head going in the right direction for my tube rear bumper and tire holder...

 

Cool...worked...