mrmojorisinphan

SO I just purchased a sweet ride for a great deal, here's specs:

00 4runner Limited
107K
Limited
Hood Scoop
RR Diff Lock
and a SUPERCHARGERwoot woot

all for $11K So stoked, the lady I bought it from didnt even know she had a supercharger. when I opened the hood my heart dropped I was like oh my gosh...she said Yeah I know the motors dirty isn't it?....

Anyway...There's a 3 prong power cord in the front near the bumper... i havent traced it yet, but the cord goes somewhere under the engine.

Is this an engine heater to keep the block from freezing (required in canadian vehicles)

was this OEM or an aftermarket addition?

thanks,
trevor

MTL_4runner

While it's hard to tell if it was aftermarket or a dealer add-on, that cord is definately a block heater.

Sounds like a very nice truck, make sure to do those fuel mods to go with that S/C!!!

mrmojorisinphan

Thanks MTL_4runner

Yeah I need to do some research on the fuel mods, although more power would be nice, I dont want to sacrifice MPG ( if that's the case)...I know I will be changing the oil on it soon and may replace the bearings.


Hey, how do you like your OME lift? I'm thinking about going with the same setup you have. I've read a little bit about the TRD/TUNDRA coil set up lift, but I dont want to have to track everything down, and dont want to spend more than $700.

tre

MTL_4runner

No prob Tre,

The fuel mods are not just for more power, they can in some cases actually save you from damaging the engine (unless there was a 7th injector on there as well.....you should definately check for that). There's tons of info on here for the mods, what they are, why you do them and what happens when you don't. There are alot of guys on here that can help you out in that dept (Midiwall, TRDOLMAN, etc).

I love my OME setup (should run you less than $650 for shocks and springs all around), but if you want the OEM Tundra coil lift, you can get it all in one place from Steve out at Sonoran Steel. Some of the complete lifts can get quite expensive but it all depends on what you want. http://www.sonoransteel.com/store_co..._liftkits.html

northfacer581

great catch man.

as per fuel mods, in my opinion, the power/mpg werent even factors in making my decision. it was, do i think i can get away with not damaging the engine by doing minute mods and driving carefully? and i answered no.....my 7th injector kit is going in next week.

in short (by the way, im no expert at all, for your s/c questions, ask midiwall/trdolman and there are others (gadget of course) but in short, if the pinging wasnt an issue/it wasnt possible to damage your engine by running lean, toyota (trd) wouldnt have come out with the 7th injector kit.

kvanderploeg

Could very well be a lower radiator heater. This can be added aftermarket by a dealer or the user. I used to have one in my old '90 Ranger and loved it so much I put one in my '91 Accord of the time. I would run an extension cord to it and plug that into a timer set to come on about an hour before I was ready to leave for work on the really cold mornings. Makes for a much faster starting engine and you'll find you get heat much faster as well. Sounds like a great Runner you got your hands on! Congrats!

Elton

does sound like a block heater

montypower

Incredible deal. I'm guessing a Salvage title? Or it was wrecked... Seriously, that rig is worth 15-16k here in the Portland area.

Elton

lets see some pics

gregbreakseverything

I always thought it was funny when people didnt know what a block heater was, but I guess there is absolutely no use for it down there, eh. hahaha

mrmojorisinphan

I Know, I got really lucky, I've been searching everday for the past 6 months, to try and find a nice ride at a great price... I called within 2minutes of it being posted on Craigslist, and it all worked out well...no salvaged title, no wreck, no dents, or rust, the thing is in awesome shape. The lady I bought it from started suffering from arthritist and is not able ot drive anymore so she just wanted to get rid of it....

I'll post pics soon...

I've got a tranny cooler on the way
will be doing the Free FMU this weekend, and well probably change the oil and bearings in the SC next weekend.... I cant afford any fuel upgrades right now (baby on the way), but will probaly get those done withing the year...but honestly I have no pinging issue that I'm aware of, and it seems to be performing great.

Thanks for all the advise

rimpainter.com

Well, if its any consolation, I purchased a supercharged "donor" 1997 4Runner with 197K trailer-toting miles on it. 100K of those miles were supercharged. That thing pinged something fierce when I drove it home from CA though.

Keep in mind, you are playing roulette with your engine. Just because you can't hear "ping" doesn't mean it isn't there. Not only that, but the WOT fuel-starvation can get so bad that power will drop completely off; not something I wanted to experience passing a big rig on a two-lane road with my family in the car.

Anyway, at the very least get the Walbro 190 and some type of timing control device on there. My engine in its current form is retarded 10 degrees in places all over the map.

Let us know if there is anything else we can help you with.

MTL_4runner

Excellent advice as usual.

mrmojorisinphan

Damn, you are scaring me a little bit. Um okay I dont really have the $$ for this, but maybe I should do something soon. Although I'm thrilled I have a SC, there's alot of excess baggage ($$) that comes along with it...

What's the consensus on what is best to do:

A: 7th injector ( is this a solve all?)

B: the URD fuel upgrade

I think they're both around a grand so which optionis better... not looking to do both too much $

Since the SC has been running without the fuel modifications during the past 100K, has the engine already suffered excess wear and tear that will shorten the life of it? Is the damage done...and the fuel mods will just prevent it from getting worse...any advise is appreciated...who knows maybe I'll end up selling the SC and just running the 3.4l straight up

mrmojorisinphan

MONTY POWER

do you know any mechanics in the portland area that have great knowledge of the Supercharger (ToyDoctors, Dealers, etc)? Since I dont know too much about them it would be cool to have some one check it out and make sure all is well and is performing adequately ( i dont have a boost gauge)

I know yotatech user DR. Z lives around here and seems to be very toyota savy (but not sure with the SC)....maybe I'll track him down

rimpainter.com

Another option is to sell the SC for $1000 or so in its current form and put it back to stock. I realize you may not have the stock parts, but you could probably score them for $50 - $100 from someone on YT. I know I have mine in a box, but I am going to save them just in case.

With a baby on the way, this might not be such a bad decision for you.

Elton

also its going to cost more money for gas as you have to use plus or premium

MTL_4runner

I don't think anyone is trying to make you get rid of the S/C, instead they are simply trying to make sure you are informed about the issues with using it and there are some things required to make that added power both useable and reliable. The fact is that there have been cases where engines were destroyed using the TRD S/C with no fuel/timing upgrades. There have also been people who seem to be able to have a S/C with no upgrades and report that all functions well (ie they claim not to "hear any pinging" and the engine still appears to run normally). As long as you are making an informed choice to run with/without upgrades, that is totally up to you. I think most on YT would either pay to play (fuel/timing upgrades and premium fuel only) or take off the S/C and perhaps regear to give you that little added umph we are all looking for. Again it it totally up to you.

As for the choice A or B, I'd have to say that the URD upgrade would be my choice since the 7th injector still doesn't come with a Walbro pump, 2 step colder iridium plugs and an injector controller.....all of which are required to perfect the system (you'll be looking at $1200+$330 for the 7th injector setup vs $1000 for the URD). So for me, I'd go with B for sure.