Alright first off I DID search and couldn't find the answers. Just a few various questions here.
1-Is it legal to have a custom bumper? I mean I can't beleive so many people would do it w/o it being legal but just want to check. Do the airbags still work with these bumpers?

2-When offroading do you leave the abs fuse in place or do you turn it off? I have been on some rough roads and slammed the brakes to slow down and the pedal shakes while slowing down but obviously not skidding. Going down rocks with a steep decline i can't slow down but I'm not sure if it is the abs or i'm just going to fast

3-I have removed the splash guard by my right front wheel to work on the antenna. I replaced it and went off roading, I soon heard a scraping sound and to much dismay found that all of the clips were either gone or not doing their job. do the clips you buy from say Autozone work better? (just find a bigger size maybe?) Has anyone had this problem with the plastic not staying in place?

4-I have been looking at ^ that same place and wondering if anyone has made a better panel to fit in there, one that maybe covers up all the holes so water/mud doesn't spray up into the engine and intake elbow. Just a thought.

Thanks everyone!!


edit: is there anyway to check the rear differential oil to see if it needs to be replaced? Just take off the filler cap maybe? But what is it supposed to look like? I've been going through lots of water, not sure how deep i'm not sure that it even went over the diff. I'm doing the diff breather mod monday, toyota parts dep. is closed today:-(

 

Im curious about #2 and the differential oil. So if anyone knows any of the answers it would be great to know.

 

#1 I don't know, but I'm pretty sure there are laws against it depending on the state. ARB's are pretty dang tough and with all the aftermarket things you can buy, if it looks decent you should be ok. (just don't go around hitting mail boxes or trash cans )

#2 I've never done it, but it's not a bad idea. Most cases I think you'll be fine leaving it in.

#3 I'm not too sure about the clips, but I'd suggest grabbing some zip ties, they always work.

#4 Mud and water will ALWAYS find a way to your engine, it sucks to clean, but that's what we get for playing in the dirt.

and to your edit:

Pull the fill plug and stick your finger in the liquid, better yet, grab a paper towel and do that, you'll be able to see the color of the oil easier. If you don't have diff breathers and have been going through water quite a bit, I'd suggest that you change the front and rear anyways.

 

doesn't the front have a pretty long breather in it already?

 

no, not really. if the water went any higher than the hubs of the wheels, i'd be considering an oil change in the diffs.

 

Well last night I drained the rear diff into a milk jug(clean) and let it sit. No water! Thats a good sign. I tried to put it back in w/o a little pump thing...bad idea! I spilled all over :pat: So My truck is out of comission till I can get a good funel tomorrow. sad story I know. But it was really easy to drain it just a 24mm socket and a regular ratchet.

I used my ABS yesterday. I was driving along and somehow zoned out and had to slam my brakes to avoid running a red light. ABS was working and it did its job very well. I stopped JUST in time to avoid getting a ticket from the cop crossing the street!

 

The laws pertaining to bumpers almost all have to do with bumper height, not anything about having the bumper itself. If you were to weld giant spikes on to it to impale tourists, well that'd be different. This is inferential, but there are too many aftermarket bumper, grill guards, etc. for it to be universally illegal. YMMV, check your state laws for specifics.

On the airbags, that's an iffier subject. Neither TJM nor ARB have gone through the humongous expense of trying to get their equipment airbag certified (for all models, anyway). It *should* work, but they make no guarantees, and neither should you. And no custom build you get will say any different.

By armoring your vehicle, you are changing the design factors that were built in for your safety. For some things you will be more safe, for some others you will be less safe. Adding rigidity to a vehicle that is carefully designed with crush zones, etc. will compromise the safety of the vehicle. Live with it, or don't do it.

(blah, blah, blah, this is an opinion of a person who is not a materials or mechanical engineer specializing in automotive design... blah, blah, blah).

No opinion on 2-4... sorry!