Dat 4Runner Life Doe - Adventures in a T4R

Strut your greasy stuff!
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Dbest
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Thursday we went for a hike through and ancient forest of 1000 year old trees

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Dbest
Meat Patty 1st Class
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Drives: Built 4Runner & Pontiac Vibe
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Dbest
Meat Patty 1st Class
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Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2016 3:20 pm
Drives: Built 4Runner & Pontiac Vibe
Location: Colorado
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Dbest
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Flying home
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This was election day, we voted dirt!
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Dbest
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My son said he wanted to replace the clock spring with me. He wants to use his little camera to take pictures of each step how to do it, then print them out, and staple them all together so we can send a copy to everyone in the world. That way everyone will know how to do it should the need arise lol. Here it goes...

Clockspring replacement as seen through the eyes of a 4 year old, documented with a kid's digital camera.

Remove the plastic covers on both sides of the steering wheel
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Heres a close up so you can see it better
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They pop right out with a pocket screwdriver
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Unbolt the airbag
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Unplug the 2 stage ignitors
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Remove this steering wheel
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Use a pick to score the steering wheel and the steering column shaft to aid with proper alignment during reassembly
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After you mark them remove the center nut
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Unplug the connectors and wiggle the steering wheel off.
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Next is the plastic trim pieces
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Remove the screws
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Split the clamshell
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The clockspring is now fully exposed
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Unplug the harnesses
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Release the tabs and remove the clock spring
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It's out, halfway there!
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Dbest
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Install the new clockspring and plug in all the connectors while carefully listening for the click on each connection
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Pull the grenade pin that's installed in the new part to keep it from spinning during shipping
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Feed the wires through and reinstall the steering wheel.
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Make sure to keep the grenade pin forever because it's soooo cool, try to refrain from stabbing the touchscreen radio display with it
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Tighten the steering wheel
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Ready to install the airbag and column trim
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Plug in the bag
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Then get distracted by the garage heater and wander off when its almost finished
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But make sure you’re back in time to give the horn its first test
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Dbest
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Another thing I should have done a long time ago but didn’t want to commit the money to - transmission fillers!

With the 4Runner and the Highlander both running the same transmission fluid and the same differential fluid I finally bought 2 fillers for home. The capacity is kinda small but the convenience is definitely worth it.

One is dedicated to WS trans fluid and one is dedicated to 75W90 GL5 gear oil. You take the orange cap off. Fill the reservoir with a funnel. Pump the bottle up to 10-15 psi. Pick a hose attachment - the 90 degree hook is perfect for diffs. Open the valve and sit back as it pushes all the fluid through. No trying to line up and squeeze bottles or paying a bunch of money for boutique fluid in bags, it’s quick, it’s easy, and there’s no mess!

Filling the front diff on the 4Runner
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Knocking out the trans service on the Highlander
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**Parts**
Drain and fill:
-Transmission pan drain plug crush washer (35178-30010)
-Transmission pan check plug crush washer (35178-30010)
-5 quarts of WS transmission fluid

Transmission service:
-Transmission pan drain plug crush washer (35178-30010)
-Transmission pan check plug crush washer (35178-30010)
-Transmission pan gasket (35168-60010)
-Transmission fluid strainer (35330-60050)
-Transmission fluid strainer o-ring (90301-31014)
-6 quarts of WS transmission fluid

**Torque Specs**
-Transmission fluid strainer: 10 n/m
-Transmission pan: 7 n/m
-Transmission fill plug: 37 n/m
-Transmission check plug: 20 n/m
-Transmission drain plug: 20 n/m

**Draining Transmission Fluid**
Make sure the vehicle is cold and on level ground. There are 3 plugs (drain, check, and fill), loosen the fill plug first, loosen and retighten the check plug second, then remove the drain plug completely. You always want to do it in that order because if the fill plug won’t come out or the hex on the check plug is stripped you want to know that before you drain all the fluid and the vehicle is no longer drivable. After the fluids drains put the drain plug back in with a fresh crush washer and tighten it. Move onto replacing transmission fluid strainer, or to directly to filling transmission fluid.

**Replacing Transmission Fluid Strainer**
Unbolt the transmission pan leaving one screw loosely installed at the front and one screw loosely installed at the back. With a rubber dead blow hammer gently hit the transmission pan sideways to break it loose and remove the pan. There will be quite a bit of fluid still in the bottom of the pan. Unbolt the transmission fluid strainer and wiggle it off, this will release more fluid that will drain out the bottom of the filter. Use transmission fluid to lubricate a new o-ring and install it in the strainer. Push the strainer up into place while gently rotating it back and forth to avoid pinching the o-ring. Once seated bolt it back into place. Using lint-free rags, clean out the inside of the transmission pan, the magnets in the bottom of the pan, and the gasket mating surfaces on both the pan and the transmission itself. Reinstall the transmission pan with the new gasket making sure to start each bolt before tightening any of them.

**Filling Transmission Fluid**
Remove the fill plug and add transmission with fluid using whatever method you choose. Reinstall and tighten the fill plug. **Setting Transmission Fluid Level** On level ground start the engine and let it idle for 15-20 seconds. Shift from park, to reverse, to neutral, to drive, then back up through the gears to park and repeat a handful of times, just a couple seconds in each to help circulate fluid. Then let it idle in park and monitor the transmission fluid temperature. You can let it idle in gear or gently brake torque the engine to build up temperature in the fluid faster. When transmission fluid temperature reaches 100-105 degrees 100-105 degrees (official Toyota specification is 40-45 C which is like 103-113 F) let it idle in park and pull the check plug back out of the transmission pan and let the excess fluid drain out. If no fluid comes out the fluid level is too low. Once it slows to trickle put the check plug back in with a new crush washer and you’re done.

See the video for detailed views and to get a better understanding of everything. Let me know if you have any questions.
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Dbest
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This past week was pull your hair out levels of stress at work. Seriously l’ve never been that stressed ever. With COVID well on its way to fucking up another ski season I was looking for some dirt therapy.

My 4 year old knocked out 11.2 miles of dirt singletrack with 840 feet of elevation gain or Saturday and another 5 miles Sunday. He wanted to get his 2 favorite trails on GoPro... who am I to say no :)

I’m so impressed with how fast he’s getting!

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Dbest
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Dbest
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That’s quite the difference in size.
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The left front did not go well. The lower bolt was seized solid onto the spherical bearing. Penetrating lube, air hammer, heat, no luck. Pulled the lower arm with coilover and cut it out through the misalignment spacers. This is what prompted Superpro lower control arms. One was off, needs an alignment at this point anyway, 135K on the lower ball joints and bushings. I was really tempted to do the Dirt King ball joint arms but they are just to much money for what you get.
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The shock guards got pretty well sand blasted, I’m hoping powder coat will hold up better.
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Dbest
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Today I picked up the front coilovers front from getting resprung, revalved, and rebuilt.
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One of the flaws of King, they have used the same rod ends for a million years, so for the 4Runner application the sleeve fits over the bottom the shaft. The rod end and the sleeve need to be removed to disassemble the damper, well, dissimilar metals corrode to each other. If King would make a shorted shaft and a longer rod end it it would be a nonissue, but because of the design it IS an issue.
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The spherical bearing I had to cut out of the arm.
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The new spherical bearings.
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Pro tip... a bearing CAN’T corrode if moisture can’t make it to it. I don’t really care if dirt and debris sticks to the grease on the outside, it seals the whole thing.
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Front suspension refresh is finished.
- King OEM 2.5” diameter remote reservoir extended travel coilovers (freshly rebuilt and revalved)
-King 3-14-600 front springs (replaced 550lb springs)
- JBA caster corrected upper control arms (freshly rebuilt with the updated Cerakoted high articulation ball joints, updated ball joint boots, and updated bushings)
-Superpro front lower control arms
-Overland Custom Design forged ball joint sway bar links
- DuroBumps bump stops
-Toytec braided stainless brake lines
-ARK full coverage splash guards
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Dbest
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Today’s project

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Some tin snips, a heat gun, dead blow hammer, and a 2x4 got them cut down and flattened out nicely.Image

Finished product
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Then we hit the dirt
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Had a snack in the shade
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Then some bags (or cornhole as the hillbillies call it) with my nieces.
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Dbest
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Dbest
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I need to figure out something for the hyper blink when using the KC cyclones as front turn signals.
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Dbest
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Headed to the cabin for the weekend.

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Dbest
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Shrockworks trail rocker panels
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Dbest
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Fixed the hyperblink of the KC Cyclones that I’m using as turn signals with some Morimoto HD resistor packs.

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Dbest
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I originally started doing a headlight restoration but there were so many small stress cracks and rock chips that I decided to just replace them. So I got some new trail headlights and aimed back to where the originals were. I didn’t want to spend the money for OEM but I’m a stickler for quality so I went for it.

What a difference with the haze gone.

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before you take it apart back up about 20 feet from a wall and mark the top edge of the hot spot. Swap the housing then adjust it to realign the hotspot. New out of the box is always aimed low for safety sake.
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Dbest
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I got 2 more things done yesterday.

I raised the coilovers to gain back what I lost from the springs settling and the added weight of the bumper/winch.

And I installed the snorkel. I got a really good price it on a while back so I bought it, under the mentality that I **should** be able to resell it brand new in the box for the discounted price I paid for it. It’s just been sitting in my garage because I wasn’t convinced I’d benefit from it. When I installed the plate bumper, the fenders liners needed to be cut way back in the front. The factory air box has a big wide open hole inside the fender that is now significantly more exposed. Driving up to the cabin after installing it the dirt road was snowed in so bad that a neighbor cut his fence in 2 places so the couple people further down could drive the inside of the fence line in the field for 1/4 mile to get past the snow drifts. It was super sloppy mud, about 5” deep based on the ruts left behind. I drove though it to get in, and again to get back out. I was conscious of the new added exposure so I checked the air box after and found a bunch of mud in the bottom of it and about 1/4 of the air filter was caked in mud. That was my motivation to actually install the snorkel.

Mud in the air box.
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Marked out and ready.
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My friend Jerry gave me a little liquid courage before starting to cut and drill.
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Everything cut
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Test fit.
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I brushed on some clean metal primer, then hit it with some paint to prevent rusting. I also siliconed the shit out of the inserts for the screws in the a-pillar. Did the final install and then took her for test drive with the adjusted ride height, snorkel, valve cover reseal and the new headlights - what a huge difference in visibility at night! I should have replaced those hazy lights a long time ago.
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Sunday Funday

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Dbest
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It was her birthday, we went up into the mountains for a hike, found the troll, and stopped at the distillery on the way back. Image

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Doing some maintenance with the minion

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