92 4runner PROJECT

[ldivinag]

Flex – Tested to see if the control arms hit the bump stops. In this position the rear lifts off the ground but the front still has an inch or two before hitting the bump stops. Should I loosen up the front torsion bars to allow the control arms to hit the bump stops?

holy carp dude... that is a scary looking RAMP you made there... lucky you didnt have an accident...

as for loosening the TB, it will cause the front end to lower. but you will get more "travel".

another option is to get upper control arms ball joint spacers. what this does is maintain the lift on the front end, while you can loosen the TB just a bit.

http://www.sdori.com/SDORI_Products.html


another is to go back to OEM TB too, if you have aftermarket ones. the OEM is 24mm. aftermarket ones, like from downey were like 26mm and they were harsh. even newer 25mm aftermaket ones will be "softer"...

 

[ldivinag]

Scanner? Is that the diagnostics tool you plug into the diagnostics outlet next to the fuse box? What kind of things can the scanner tell me?

the scan tool is nothing but a wire shorting out the E1 and the T connector in that puny diagnostic port.

it aint like the OBD ports on the 1995+ year vehicles.

you can find all the codes all over the place on the internet, including how to diagnose them.

if you have some spare $$$, go buy the 5 volume shop manuals for it.

ok... my 90 came with 5 volumes. 1 was a skinny updated volume. 1 volume is engine. one is tranny. one is rest of car. and one volume is just electrical diagrams. this is one is worth the $20 or so.

although i dont know how much they are these days...

 

[ldivinag]

I think there is a problem with the design. The 4wd light indicates if the diff connects properly but it does not indicate if it has disconnected. If you have a faulty solenoid, a leak in the vacuum hose or faulty actuator then the ADD will stay locked but the 4WD Light still turns off when you shift to 2wd. You can be driving on the freeway with the front diff connected and not know it.

actually, if you look at the wiring diagrams, only when the sliding sleeve is connecting the driver's side axle, will the switch be activated.

check out page SA-90 on the factory manuls (on my 90 4runner set) and it shows the diagram for the ADD setup.

so the setup is rather well put together. that light on the dash will not light up if the ADD sleeve isnt connecting the driver's side axle. of course, i dont know what the tolerances is on the switch.

so there is a possibility that the ADD sleeve moves just enough to trigger the switch while not actually making that connection of the 2 axle parts...


one more thing, if you havent noticed yet, driving while in 4wd on the street vs 2wd is quite different feeling.

so even if the light on the dash burns out (which btw is a very expensive bulb at $8 a piece from toyota...), you can still tell if you are in 4wd.

and visa versa is true. like when i sheared that ADD axle (dont lift tires off the ground when you have dual marlin transfer cases and you are in 150:1 crawl ratio), the 4wd light lights up, transfer case is it 4wd, ADD sleeve connecting... but the axle, where is sheared is closer to the hub, than the diff, wasnt connected to the outer joint.

and since i had a detroit tru-trac limited slip diff, the right side was NOT turning...

so instead of having 3wd, all i had was the rear axles turning. not a good feeling.

 

[gofalls]

simple solution?

ditch the entire ADD asembly completely.

Found a set of Aisin Hubs for $50. So now I have both ADD and Manual Hubs. I am going to keep the ADD b/c Its there and it works now. If it stops working then I will just plug the vacume lines and clamp the actuator in position. I dont think I will need the thicker axle, Im a light foot.

 

[gofalls]

actually, if you look at the wiring diagrams, only when the sliding sleeve is connecting the driver's side axle, will the switch be activated..

Its what deactivates the light that I think is the problem. My sleeve was stuck connecting the axles but the light would still turn off when I put it in 2wd. Shifting to 2wd independently turns off the light. So I was cruising down the freeway with my front drive shaft spinning and didnt even know it (still in 2wd but all shafts and axles were spinning). I guess my concern was that I was wearing out the Diff gears and bearings, front drive shaft joints, and front carrier bearing much faster than normal.

 

[gofalls]

.. If a gear goes out on the manual, you can at least use another gear to limp yourself back to town. When the auto goes out, it's pretty safe to say that you would be essentially stranded.

This is my biggest concern with the Auto. My question is if a gear goes out in the Automatic cant I just unplug the electronics and manually shift 1,2,D = 1,3,OD? I really like the auto. I think using the left foot brake while engaging the torque converter is a big luxury over slipping the clutch during those times when you need the really slow controlled power.

 

[gofalls]

Broken Arrow Trail
Sodona, Arizona

 

[gofalls]

Coke Ovens, Arizona - FEB 2010

Glamis Dunes, CA - MARCH 2010

 

[macguyver]

transmission problem

Did you flush out the tranny or just replace fluids ? I'm not exactly sure if this fits your truck since its rather old. On newer 4x4 there sensor that will only allow your car to shift to certain gears depending on the temp of the fluid.

 

[gofalls]

Did you flush out the tranny or just replace fluids ?

I pulled the pan off, drianed the fluids, checked the solinoids, cleaned the filter, and put new AT fuild back in. It seems to work fine now. I think maybe the filter was too plugged up or the fluid level wasnt perfect or some combo of the two that was causing it to shift late or never. I have put about another 2k miles on it since the repairs so far without any problems. I did get the AT FLUID TEMP light to go on at the dunes but I stopped for about an hour to let it cool down and then kept going.

 

[gofalls]

New body work done

Worked it pretty hard over the weekend. I put 100+ miles of dirt and sand on it and put a nice dent in the front left fender. Adds character. The A/T FLUID TEMP light went on again, maybe its time to add another transmission fluid radiator.

 

[gofalls]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I4WMucF08k

Found out why the Transmission was overheating. The radiator was clogged with dirt. I sprayed it out and now its been running great again.

 

[Wheelingnoob]

Cool video, the random bit at the beginning is a bit strange lol.

How do you find those narrow tires handle the sand?

 

[gofalls]

How do you find those narrow tires handle the sand?

I am a big fan of the tall skinny tires for road/dirt/rock/sand. The tall skinny tires while aired down worked great in the dunes. I was very surprised how well I was able to keep up with the newer FJ40's with 11" wide MT's. I was climbing everything they climbed. Traction was never an issue, lack of power was. I have little experience in the mud with skinny tires so I cant comment on mud.

I sold the 4runner and haven't been wheeling for a couple of months. I am currently traveling through Asia but I am already thinking about what vehicle to buy when I return. If your interested you can follow our travels here. After we complete backpacking through Asia we are thinking of driving the Americas next.

http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?go=notomorrow