2000 Limited TRD refresh/repair story

what is this magic? checking on that!

 

The cheap IKEA blue zipper bags are perfect for moving blankets.

 

For on the go:

• Knipex Pliers - slotted
• Long-nose needle nose pliers
• Extending magnet grabber for dropped bolts/nuts
• Extended wire cutters for cotter pins and wiring
• Ratcheting flex wrenches are awesome, but expensive
• Short/Med/Long 3/8 socket extensions for hard to get to places
• Cheap multimeter
• Take your big 1/2" sockets for hubs and front end, and a cheap breaker in case of CV break-down

^^too much, there is always too much stuff to take

Few folks I know and I are going with roll bags or heavy duty small duffels to take up less space and keep noise down. I have a couple leftover Aerostich messenger bags that I have also been filing up.

I need to get my stuff together and have a dedicated set of tool bags so I can just throw in the car and go.

You can throw the bags behind your seat and kinda hide, too vs a tool chest.

 

A small tool bag/duffel is what I used for a long time. It served me well, but the peace of mind that having a full toolkit brings is worth it to me.

I’ve mentioned it before on here but my girlfriend’s college is a 6 hour drive away from me, and I regularly visit. Being stranded in the middle of nowhere Wisconsin, at night, in the winter, would be no good.


Also- update on the new fan clutch. Same drive, same traffic, same time of day, and even hotter outside at 94°. Temps are upwards of 30° cooler across the board! Coolant temp didn’t even hit 190°!

 

I don't even lock my SwingCase most of the time. I would if I parked outside. I keep most of my tools in the cab though.

 

So I finally got around to replacing the PS pump and reservoir today, with mild success. I purchased a used OEM pump off of a truck that had around 40k miles.

I started by cleaning out the new reservoir real good. An astonishing amount of gunk came out of it- not a great first sign. Much of it was caked into the screen on the bottom.


I got it all put back together with the new pump and reservoir, and used some new clamps as the old ones were getting weak.


So, it steers with less effort. But It whines worse than the old one! I’m not sure what to do. I’m considering putting the old pump back on. The old reservoir was disgusting and I’m sure that the screen in the bottom was gummed up, which makes me think that the old pump is fine, it was just really having to work to pull fluid through the reservoir. It actually got so hot that it was melted on the inside:



I feel like with a clean reservoir screen and the old pump it would be good. But I’m not sure. Thoughts?

 

Some guys on here swear by 1 TBSP of liquid fabric softener.

 

Snuggle? Or Downy? Wonder which scent tightens the turn radius and which one reduces the ratio

 

Did you jack the front wheels up off the ground and turn back and forth a million times to bleed the system? Could be just some air in there. You can do some turns with the truck off and some with it on and it should help get any air out. I think pulling the cap off while doing this would probably be best.

 

Yeah, plenty of turns back and forth, and I’ve driven it about 30 miles since on the new pump. I’ll give it a couple days to see if it gets better, I guess? Not really sure why it would but who knows.

 

Snuggle helps those snug corner like u-turns in a 2-lane

 

Alright, PS update.

I drove it around all day and the whine is mostly gone. You can still hear it just a little bit, but I’m not super worried about it.

However, it started leaking. I wasn’t able to easily see from where, but the suction hose was wet on the bottom, so I cranked down on the clamp real good as it was just barely snug before. We’ll see if that fixes it.

 

I finally got the truck back yesterday after three and a half weeks at the mechanic. I had them do a bunch of stuff that I’m not able to do, or things that I simply haven’t had the time for.

They cleared the airbag light, and it didn’t turn back on, which is great. Really really great. I’ve been staring at that stupid blinking red light for years. So glad it’s gone.

They also fixed the EVAP leaks, which turned out to be a rotted line by the gas tank, as well as a bad solenoid vent valve. Been driving on expired registration for a while now, very eager to finally get a new sticker for the plate.

I also had them install a new parking brake cable, so I now can confidently say that the whole braking system is working at 100%. Brakes feel gooooood.

And most importantly: THE 4WD IS FINALLY FIXED!!!! After two summers, three shops, and $2000 spent, finally someone could figure it out. There were two culprits: first, a very corroded connector on the wires that go to the front actuator. Secondly, a faulty position switch on the transfer case. I can’t believe that nobody (including myself) ever thought to check these, but sure enough, it was the issue. 4WD hadn’t worked for at least a decade on this truck.

Total bill at the shop was around $900, which I am very pleased with. I was expecting it to be a lot more. It feels nice to be driving it again. Really really nice.

It was there a lot longer than I expected it to be- I go back to school in two days, and I still have a ton of stuff to fix. That said, here’s what I’ve done since yesterday morning:

1. Finally got new tires. Finally. I’ve been talking about getting different sizes for a while- but I ended up getting Falken Rubitreks in 265/75. They look so great. It’s crazy how much an inch of diameter fills up the wheel wells.




They ride great, they are quiet, smooth, but there’s one thing: they rub. Right on the mudflap and fender liner where they are messed up from the ball joint incident. Damn.


I then replaced the rear bumper and bumper structure, as the original one was dented, scuffed, and so so so rusty. It looked awful and made the truck look terrible. However, once I removed the old bumper, I found this:


Rust! The old bumper had been rubbing the body and wore through the paint. So, I decided to repaint that spot like I did with the bed corners above. I sanded:


Threw on three coats of primer:


Three coats of base:


And two heavy coats of clear. I forget how nice the paint I have for the truck is, it lays down so smooth and is so easy to work with. That little chip also got sanded and painted so it won’t continue to rust.


End result looks fantastic: it’s hard to see that anything was painted there.


I didn’t tape anything off, just removed the taillight and blended everything outwards. I also kept a box fan nearby to pull overspray away from the truck, and wiped down the bedside with a wet rag after every coat.

With the new bumper, the truck looks so great. I can’t stop taking photos of it.


Also @shifty` my Sub Pop sticker is peeling. Sad.


More to come in the next day or two.

 

Sad times for SUB POP

You can "fix" the rub by doing this. It's grabbing onto that raised spot.

 

Ooh I need a tool box like this. I think I'd bolt it to the bed though.

 

I was just looking for that thread. That’ll definitely fix it- it only rubs when going up a steep driveway while cranked to the right.

Yeah, I’m debating bolting it to the plastic liner. I think it would be sturdy enough. That said I really like being able to remove the toolbox easily and quickly.

 

Agreed. Very reasonable price for all that work. Glad they got your 4x4 sorted out too.

 

Trimmed up the mudflap. No longer rubs, even with the tire fully stuffed. Confirmed by driving up the decorative rocks next to my driveway. Which was made possible with 4LO.

It’s not pretty but there isn’t much that is underneath this truck. Might have to cut a tad more but I think it’s alright.


And you betcha I’m about that double spring life.

 

Why is the retention slide sticking out so far? It is clipped on the other side, right?

 

Not sure what you mean. This part?


That whole area is wonky from when the ball joint broke. None of it is in the right place. The drivers side doesn’t rub at all, with no cutting.

 

I see you've got the clip in it (I hate that style of clip), just weird it's out so far. And I'd grease 'em too, for corrosion's sake. Not too late, you can slide em out any time.

​

 

Ah. I noticed that too- but it’s clipped on the other side. Greasing them is on the list, I ran out of syl-glide when I was finishing up the brakes.

 

Forgot to update yesterday, was moving in to my college dorm.

Truck passed the emissions test for the first time since like 2012. Felt good.

Attempted an oil change without removing the skidplate. Went very poorly. Not sure how I did this last time- but it went terribly this time. Oil F'n everywhere. Thinking about cutting a hole in the skidplate on the driver's side, on the vertical part. The removed piece could easily be reattached to the skidplate with a hinge, allowing for easy access to the oil filter from the wheel well. Like here:

Just a thought. The oil that came out was still golden brown, with 7,000mi of highway trips on it. Did a transmission drain & fill too- bright red.

 

My vote is remove the skid plate for oil changes on FGG. It’s 4 x 12mm bolts and 4 more if you have the plastic wings on your truck. Gen 2.5 lots of folks get the TRD skid plate with the removable door.

sounds like your engine internals are in good shape without a lot of sludge. You should be good to go till Xmas or winter break for your next change. Maybe longer depending how much you drive.

 

Yeah, I usually do 3 oil changes a year. One before school in the fall, another during winter break, and one at the beginning of summer. I don't drive a ton, so it usually comes out to roughly 4,000 mi between changes, which is a bit overkill but that engine deserves it. I'd bet there has been times that the oil wasn't changed for 15k miles.

I actually forgot to change it at the start of this summer. I only did 2500ish miles this summer, so I didn't worry about it. I'm glad that it was still golden brown.

 

My Land Cruiser (same engine) has a hole in the skid plate to remove/replace the filter, but it's a colossal pain in the ass, and it still gets oil everywhere! So now I just drop the skid plate (6 bolts)...still a colossal pain in the ass, but a lot less messier.

My favorite Oil change is the 08 4Runner (1GR-FE)...the oil filter is on top!

 

is that oil or fluid film on the frame? It looks good!

 

Thank you! It’s the Blaster Surface Shield stuff. I buy 3 or 4 cans every year and use them all. It doesn’t stay that shiny for long, but it does a phenomenal job of protecting the frame. It’s hard to spray off with a hose or pressure washer, and much more resistant than fluid film, which was my hope. I get my truck washed regularly in the winter and it doesn’t get washed off.

Here’s what it looks like after a year:


It’s hard to see but there’s a layer of dried oil on everything. 100% would recommend.

 

Truck did the Click Of Death yesterday. Probably had to click it 20 or 25 times before it would crank. Hoping that was a one-time deal. It seems to do that just once every 6 months or so. So weird.

 

Check your batt terminals.