I'm back in a Toyota!!!

[jh504]

After a year of absence I am back in the Toyota saddle again! This weekend I sold my XJ to a highschool kid, with visions of mudbogs and ragging out in his eyes, and layed down cash on a 4runner. I felt bad for the Jeep as the kid stomped the pedal and sped off towards his favorite "no trespassing" trail. The feeling lasted only as long as it took to jump behind the wheel of my new toy.
I picked up a 1991 4runner, 3.0, standard, with less than 1,000 miles on a top end rebuild. The previous owner has had it for 8 years and was very meticulous with its care. The interior is near perfect and the exterior is not far off. Its running 32X11.50 BFG MTs on stock suspension. I am very excited about where this build will take me. I already have an 8,000 lb winch sitting in the box ready to be mounted. Which brings me to my first question;
has anyone ever seen one of these 4runner winch mounts?http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/details/QQToyotaQQ4RunnerQQWarnQQWinch_MountQQ19842006QQW3 611078.html
Is it made to work with the stock front bumper? I was originally going to replace the bumper with a steel winch bumper, but I wouldnt mind keeping the stock bumper because it is in good shape. I will have sliders on the sides for jack points. Anyone know of a good product that works with the stock bumper?

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j286/jharris504/4rnr.jpg

[cid 96]

Congrats on getting back to Mr. T. Don't know much about this generation 4runner, but it sounds like it is in good shape.

Sid

[Cackalak Han]

I don't have anything to add, either, but the truck looks cherry! I also sold my ZJ a few years ago to get back into a Toyota. Have never looked back.

[Willman]

Welcome back:)

[tacollie]

I dig the 4runner

[sidearm]

now we def gotta get together to wheel, now that you got a good rig!, by the way that winch mount is a universal mount, I would suggest looking a a mileamarker winch mount/brush guard. They are around 200$ and are funtional and I believer they offer one for our trucks.

[jh504]

now we def gotta get together to wheel, now that you got a good rig!, by the way that winch mount is a universal mount, I would suggest looking a a mileamarker winch mount/brush guard. They are around 200$ and are funtional and I believer they offer one for our trucks.

Thanks for the info, I will check them out. I will post some better pics of the truck soon. Anybody else have suggestions on a winch mount?

[Tucson T4R]

My last 4Runner was a 90. I ran a Warn winch mount with the brush guard loops on each side. It worked well for many years. I prefer a full plate winch bumper like the Shrockworks I am now running on my 2004 4Runner but at the time, the price was right for the Warn brush guard mount.

The negatives were that is subtracted a bit from your approach angle when four wheeling and did not add significant impact protection like a full plate bumper does. The positive was the attractive price.

[jh504]

My last 4Runner was a 90. I ran a Warn winch mount with the brush guard loops on each side. It worked well for many years. I prefer a full plate winch bumper like the Shrockworks I am now running on my 2004 4Runner but at the time, the price was right for the Warn brush guard mount.

The negatives were that is subtracted a bit from your approach angle when four wheeling and did not add significant impact protection like a full plate bumper does. The positive was the attractive price.

I wondered about the approach angle on those things. I prefer a full bumper as well, but this truck is in great shape and I will wait until I beat it up a little (the bumper) to add steel bumper protection. Do you have any pictures of your old 4runner with the winch mount?

[sidearm]

I know its not a full plate bumper, but i have the allpro double tube wrap around type winch bumper, and it looks great, heres a bad pic

[tanglefoot]

I run the All-pro bumper as well, but single-tube. I was originally going to try to put the winch in a removable cradle and put a class III hitch receiver on the front but I couldn't find a front receiver for the '85, and by the time the prices are added for the cradle and the receiver, it was getting close to the All-Pro bumper, which is very nice BTW. It's great for approach angles and protects the corners well. The stock bumper doesn't hold up to very much.

Enjoy the Yota

Eric

[jh504]

The All-pro bumper looks great, and I have always liked them. I am trying to steer away from replacing the bumper for now though. It will not be a hardcore trail rig, just trips on fire roads and mountain trails. My XJ was a lot more on the "trail rig" side of things with a 6.5" lift among other things. I am trying to go the other direction with this rig. Minimal lift, only the offroad necessities, and try not to beat it to a pulp. If I do end up going with a full bumper I will probably design and fab it at work, where I have access to AutoCAD, a waterjet, and a good welder. I will be designing, and building my rocksliders at some point. I might just fab up a winch mount to go with the stock bumper. I was just trying to get around this because the price of steel is close to what I could purchase one for.

[sidearm]

def gotta get that winch on there, i used to not care for them, but after i finally got one on my rig, it has been a godsend(toobad my controller is shot!)

[Corey]

Welcome back.
My last rig was a '91 4Runner.

[jh504]

Welcome back.
My last rig was a '91 4Runner.

Nice, how was it set up? Did you SAS it or deal with the torsion bars? That is another thing that I am contemplating. Although I love SASed 2nd gens, we are a long way off from that. For now I am trying to decide what the best suspension option will be. My goal is to run 33X10.50s and have some decent performance offroad. It is definitely getting new shocks and coils, and I have been considering a ball joint spacer in the front. Also quick disconnects on the swaybars and I am restraining myself from cranking the torsion bars. I am thinking maybe LC coils in the rear and BJ spacer up front. Anyone ever run a similar setup?

[Corey]

Nope, no SAS.
Just Downey coils in the rear, and SAW swaybars up front.
Here is the old site for it, and the mods for it are in the table of contents at the bottom of the page.
http://www.pnw4runners.com/tando/

I have read many run the LC coils in the rear and do the BJ spacers up front, as better option I think than the harsh ride from the SAWs.
I ran the SAWs though as I also had an ARB bumper and Warn XD9000 winch.
The SAWs helped with the sag, as the stock bars could not handle the weight when coming to a stop, it really took a dive.

I traded it in summer of '06 though for a new rig to build up.
http://www.pnw4runners.com/fjc/

[4Rescue]

Nice truck mate. honestly If and when you go for a new Front Bumper, I'd highly suggest Badlands Bumpers. THat's what I'm leaning towards becasue I like the covered top section more than the full Tube versions like Marlins (I have his rear bumper it's awesome) and All-Pro. It's like a combo between an ARB and an All-pro.

Nice truck and glad to see you back with the Big T.

Cheers

Dave

[dieselcruiserhead]

Welcome and congrats. I've had a killer romance the last year with the same era pickups for a lot of the same reasons and have been having a blast, you'll dig it. Same tires size, same drivetrain, and it has been a lot of fun...

[jh504]

You could definitely use the Downeys (basically these *in the pic below* were the one's Toyota used for the service campaign, made for them IIRC by either Downey or their supplier) or just find a set of FJ Cruiser Coils, they're the exact same thing.
Yes, I said "they're the exact same thing"...trust me!!! Try a local lift shop, so many people have been tossing 2" lifts on their FJ's and tossing out their O/E coils needlessly. As for the BJ Spacers, Frank (SDORI) is the main source these days for them and they work great, in fact we're about to pick up another pair for another rig. :D
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2303/2248945907_1436d7d0cc.jpg

Oh I didnt realize the FJ Cruiser coils would fit as well. Do they provide any lift? From what I have been reading the FJ80 coils can give anywhere from 2.5"-4" of lift depending on the spring size of the cruiser. I really would like to keep it down around 2"-2.5".


Bumper wise, I would really like to throw on an ARB but I am not going to shell out that kind of money for a bumper. Unfortunately I was laid off theis week from my job so fabricating a bumper is now out of the question since I no longer have access to the machinery.

[jh504]

BTW, forgot to ask before, I didn't see it in the original post, 5 speed or auto?? I've some auto tech I'm happy to share. :D Is that what you meant by "standard"?? As in "manual transmission"??

Yes, it is a 5 speed. I guess I have some terminology from MS that might not be used everywhere else.

[jh504]

Here is a little update of the truck, with a better "parking lot poser" image.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j286/jharris504/IMG_1139-1.jpg

I bought some rear LC coils, ball joint spacers, and shocks. Everything is on order and should arrive this week. Hopefully after the new shocks are on, the truck wont "glide like a caddy" anymore.

I've been looking at this winch mount from Trail Gear and it might be what I want. It is made to be a base for a fabricated bumper. I was thinking that I could hook it on and form the stock bumper around it for now. Down the road when I am ready for a full steel bumper I would already have the base to work off of.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j286/jharris504/winchmount.jpg

[Tucson T4R]

I wondered about the approach angle on those things. I prefer a full bumper as well, but this truck is in great shape and I will wait until I beat it up a little (the bumper) to add steel bumper protection. Do you have any pictures of your old 4runner with the winch mount?


Sorry for the delayed response, I just noticed your question. I went back and looked but I can't find any pictures of my old 4runner with the winch mount. My son has since taken it off the 4Runner so I can't go take any new ones. :(

[jh504]

Sorry for the delayed response, I just noticed your question. I went back and looked but I can't find any pictures of my old 4runner with the winch mount. My son has since taken it off the 4Runner so I can't go take any new ones. :(

No problem, thanks for checking. Does the Trail Gear mount look similar to what to you had, as far as departure angles? It looks like since this is made to be a base for a steel bumper, it would not be that bad, the same as a bumper would be I guess.

[Tucson T4R]

No problem, thanks for checking. Does the Trail Gear mount look similar to what to you had, as far as departure angles? It looks like since this is made to be a base for a steel bumper, it would not be that bad, the same as a bumper would be I guess.

Yep, looks similar on the approach angle. The Warn mount bolted directly to the frame with lower and upper support attachment points. If I remember correctly, the lower mount bolted to the same holes as the stock tow hooks and the upper ones came through the decorative grill below the bumper and bolted to the top of the frame.

Looking at the current Warn website, this mounting system is similar to what I was running:

http://www.warn.com/truck/mounting-systems/trans4mer_mount.shtml

[jh504]

Yep, looks similar on the approach angle. The Warn mount bolted directly to the frame with lower and upper support attachment points. If I remember correctly, the lower mount bolted to the same holes as the stock tow hooks and the upper ones came through the decorative grill below the bumper and bolted to the top of the frame.

Looking at the current Warn website, this mounting system is similar to what I was running:

http://www.warn.com/truck/mounting-systems/trans4mer_mount.shtml

Thanks for the info.

I have a new problem with the truck. I have all of my suspension components in but all of my time has been devoted to finding out what is wrong with my power steering! At first it had a small whine when turning and braking, then it got louder and louder. I replaced the power steering pump and it fixed nothing. Next I bled the steering system for air. Nothing. Today I replaced the ABS pump because the power steering lines are run through the ABS pump. The truck no longer whines when turning but the power steering does not work anymore. It has a slight whine when braking but not like before. This problem is really testing me. I am not the best mechanic in the world but I do like to think that I can fix a problem like this. Anyone have any suggestion?? I am not familiar with this generation of Toyotas so I am running out of options here.
It could be that the ABS pump was bad but being that I drove it some before replacing it I damaged the new power steering pump that I installed which is why the power steering isnt working now. I dont know????

[jh504]

I guess no one has any suggestions for my power steering, its a tough one.

Heres a few snow shots from this week:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j286/jharris504/IMG_1280.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j286/jharris504/yota-1.jpg

[jh504]

Have you tired turning the wheels lock to lock with the rig running to burp the system and clear out any pockets of air in the ABS box yet? Took us 3-4 tries last time I did one of those.

I'd have to pull out my FSM to see if there's something more that might be an issue there if this trick doesn't work for you.

..and yeah, it's possible you might have worn the steering pump a little, but you'd have to look at the fluid to find bits of seal/junk to know for sure.

You did use only ATF, not power steering fluid, right? Toyota's are only ATF, never power steering fluid, it blows seals.

I did try doing that once and some air did come out. I stopped after I couldnt see air coming out anymore though. I might have stopped too soon. I will give this another try.
The truck has always used Dex III but I unknowingly put ps fluid in it a couple weeks ago. I have since been repremanded and I am going back to Dex III. The problem started way before any of that though.

[jh504]

We bled the system again today and things seem a little better but really no major change. I have formed a plan of action though I think. I am goning to remove the ABS all together. It is a bad way of doing things anyway. I should just be able to find a non-ABS donor vehicle and take the brake lines and high pressure steering lines from it. Ill bypass the ABS actuator and remove it. We will see if it works.

[jh504]

Just wanted to give an update if anyone is still interested. I picked up a Warn winch mount/brushguard for my 8,000lb winch yesterday. Here's a picture of one (not my truck):

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j286/jharris504/warnguard.jpg

I also ordered a Lock Right rear locker, and it should be in this week. I will be locked and winch ready by the weekend!

[Wheelingnoob]

What was the problem with the P/S?

Winch mount looks good.

[jh504]

Thanks, I like the old warn grill guards. Im glad I found one intact.

The power steering is whining and spitting because it is routed through the horribly designed anti-lock brake system. The ABS is malfunctioning and it is putting too much back pressure on the power steering pump. I am currently in the process of removing the entire ABS system. It is crap.