Java's 03 4Runner

Im moving to the pnw in a few months and while im an extreme autophile, im kinda thinking if i should just get another 4x4 instead of some turbo car...87 octane and bad gas mileage or 93 and badish gas mileage...hmmm

In reply to chiodos:

Awesome, it's a great place to live! In true GRM fashion, I suggest both

Lots of twisty pavement and FS roads and trails too

In reply to java230:

Already dragging an old turbo volvo out there so maybe i should just find a 4x4 for the mean time, maybe an xj or 4runner(older than yours) cause ive had both before? Either way im so excited to get out there, and seeing your build/adventure thread makes me even more excited to get out there to do some adventuring of my own

In reply to chiodos:

You will be happy with anything that meets your needs, I love my yota, but whatever works for you is cool with me.

We need to do another PNW meet a greet, there are quite a few of us!

But it's still a awesome, I mean terrible! Place to live...

yeah and it rains all the time!

Chiodos: You really need both out here. The Volvo for the twisty mountain roads that ARE paved, and the 4x4 for the ones that aren't

Another boring update, trying to get all my little maintenance stuff done for the summer fun. Changed the plugs yesterday. They stick pretty good, even with anti seize after 120k. Dont look too bad. Valve cover gaskets are leaking a little around a couple plugs, nothing more than a little drip though, just enough to leave a little mark on the side of the coils. VCG's are on the list....

Now the transmission is next on my list.... Haven't done that before, slightly nervous. Pan is RTV gasket only, and the filter is a washable screen, so I should be able to do it...

Rejected.

We did make it to a nice spot to camp though, it was a couple miles of snow drifts in the shade, and they were getting deep.... Camping with snow behind us. It was nice, but got chilly at night.

Where's the furnace in that thing? Chainsaw?

In reply to Petrolburner:

No Furnace.... Chainsaw is fixed and ready for the next trip.

Dog barrier V3.0. Little Berker decided he could chew through webbing. Lets see you chew through stainless steel wire. I zip tied it in for the time being, and forgot to take a pic....

Just saw this thread and love what you've done to the 4runner. Keep posting your camping trips with these great pictures.

In reply to crankwalk:

Thanks! Its been a great truck. Needs a battery, damn thing doesn't want to start. I love my little li po jump pack!

Valve cover gaskets are in my garage. May get to that at some point as well.

Hows this for the most boring update ever?

Fixed my seat. A little button thread and its done.

Before

After

Dog Barrier works well.

Dog barrier could be used as gill net in a survival situation. Good planning.

2002maniac wrote: Dog barrier could be used as gill net in a survival situation. Good planning.

I have been waiting to come back to the truck to find a German shepherd suck in it like a fish. I wouldn't put it past him.

Getting ready for rain....

Mountains disappearing into the clouds

Well I had a fun morning. Stop for gas, jump back in the truck and i get click click click instead of start... WTF. Grab my jump box, still no start. Get a jump from a guy at the gas station, still nothing. Have a buddy come jump/charge my battery for a few mins, still nothing. Must be the starter right? (I replaced the battery literally a 5 days ago) Walk to the LPS, Order a starter and alternator just for good measure. Get a ride home, grab tools, and whatnot and go back to gas station parking lot. hmmm battery at 12.2V still, low but I have been cranking on it for a while now. Pull starter, its a bitch. Need a stubby box wrench a long skinny board and a mallet to smack said wrench from the top. A u joint and a couple feet of extensions work once its loose. Oh but it doesn't fit out the bottom, or top without unbolting things and playing tetris...

Anyway get the new one in and it berklying just clicks too. Check voltage at the battery, check at the starter, both are the same, swap relays, not change. Im going nuts here, think maybe its ignition switch as sometimes it works when you turn the key, sometimes its nothing, no dash lights nothing.

After poking around for long enough I finally used my jumper cables to bypass the main hot lead off the battery, it starts!! The main lead must have had a lot of broken strands in it, I was getting voltage, but it couldn't carry the amperage needed to start. Off to get a new cable. $5 part fixes it, and I now have a nice new starter because that Berker is NOT coming back out.

TLDR: had a bad wire, thought it was a dead starter. I hate working in parking lots.

damn man. Nice troubleshooting though, and now you have spares!

Does this look odd to anyone else?

https://www.youtube.com/embed/LDd4Rn4lpFU

Seems about a volt low low and not very consistent to me, but I've never monitored voltage output that close before.

In reply to Hungary Bill:

Yeah its weird, That is read at the OBD port. The thing that gets me is when it hits the 12.5V for a second, thats battery only voltage....

Yeah. If you still had the spare alt I might try to swap that in and compare notes. Maybe take the current one to your LPS and put it on their machine?

I guess it is feasible that your voltage regulator is ONLY providing what you need, and when it drops to 12.5v, it's because the demand is that low... but I kind of think something may be amiss.

What's TFT and fWT?

Hungary Bill wrote: Yeah. If you still had the spare alt I might try to swap that in and compare notes. Maybe take the current one to your LPS and put it on their machine? I guess it is feasible that your voltage regulator is ONLY providing what you need, and when it drops to 12.5v, it's because the demand is that low... but I kind of think something may be amiss. What's TFT and fWT?

No spare alt, and its a bitch to get out, could take it and have it tested tho. Im feeling like the voltage regulator might be dieing....

TFT=Trans fluid temp fWt= degrees fahrenheit water temp.

Dang. An amp clamp might be an option for "in car troubleshooting". Turn everything on and see if it can keep up? Should have a free rental option from ye olde LPS

Hungary Bill wrote: Dang. An amp clamp might be an option for "in car troubleshooting". Turn everything on and see if it can keep up? Should have a free rental option from ye olde LPS

Yeah I dont think they will loan it, but its only a few block from home. I do have a bunch of high draw stuff I could do at once.