2013 Doublecab Worktruck

[hornytoad]

VVTI Mod

Start with a cold engine. Unplug the battery (10 mm wrench), remove the splash plate (12mm wrench). Now we are ready to start.

1. Loosen the tensioner and remove the belt from the alternator. 14mm socket and a breaker bar


2. Remove the plugs/ground from the alternator. 10 mm wrench (may need to loosen the bracket that holds the wiring harness too)
3. Starting with the passenger side look through the wheel well and find the 14mm "bolt" that appears in the photo.

Using a couple of 12" extensions and a "U" joint and a cheater pipe remove the bolt. It is held in place with lock tight so it will need some force.


This is your bolt/ crush washer and filter. Remove the filter and insert bolt and crush washer back into block. Tighten until you fell the crush washer "give" a little.

Do the same thing to the driver's side.



Reattach the alternator to the block, reattach all the plug connectors. Put the belt back onto the Alternator pulley. FIND a Diagram! Don't be like me and slip the belt over the top idler pulley (it runs but has bad coolant flow and no AC). Reattach the battery.

Bolt up the splash pan and your good.

Note: If you do this with an AFE air filter, the air box mod and spark plugs you will notice that it runs smoother and might give you a little more "mppphhh" off the line. It also reduces the diesel rattle that Toyota built into these trucks. You will be able to hear the VVTi kick in at mid throttle now. You have unplugged the ECU for an hour or so, it will need to reset itself which takes a 1/2 tank of gas to do.

 

[hornytoad]

Spark plugs....

Why Toyota, why do you use two different brands of plugs???? They are even different types of plugs as well....

Sigh, go to your auto store of choice and pick up 6 NGK iridium spark plugs. Pull out the old plugs and install the new ones. No major improvement but one less thing to fret about.

 

[hornytoad]

URD to the rescue

And while i was doing all the little things to the rig (Redline fluids, VVTi, spark plugs, AFE air filter and airbox mod, oil change ect...) I also installed a URD MAF recalibrator...

Go to URD for details but in a nutshell is works on the MAF to alter the A/F ratio in closed loop mode to make your FI system more efficient and make more HP.


here is the start of the project, battery unplugged, glove box removed, wired located and ready to start soldering.


All connected and the URD box is zip tied under the dash.

Since I did everything (all the hornytoad mods and the URD black box) it is going to take a little while to separate the wheat from the chaff. The idle is a lot smoother and quieter. The engine is new but it will rip to red line a bit quicker than before. The engine will need a little while to relearn all that has been tweaked to it but in the mean time I am learning how to feather the throttle around town so I don't set off traction control. heheheeheh

 

[hornytoad]

UhOh...

So I found Rhino Roofracks while cruising around on the internet. The 5mm welded wire panels caught my eye because I tried to do a roof length rack that I could stand on with the 2012 worktruck.
Some measurements and some internet searching found two Medium sized racks at my door . http://www.rhinorack.com/AccSubCategory_Steel-Mesh-Platform-Racks_71.aspx


One will fit onto the cab and one will fit onto the topper when it shows up. A quick test reveals that it will take the weight of a person but it would be a lot happier to have three bars under each panel.

Fortunately Thule makes 1/2 kits for the roof and I have a couple of extra bars lying around the shed so between the shed, Amazon and craig's list I should be able to find the parts I need for a 6 bar system (3 on the cab and 3 on the topper) that will allow me to have the mega rack of my dreams. Sigh it's only money....

 

[cs0430]

Coming along nicely!

In case you are interested, I have 3 Rhino Rack bars and feet that would be perfect for your application. I mounted them for literally 2 days then decided I wanted to go a different route. I had mine on my DCSB camper shell. All you would need to buy are the tracks that they go in (again, CL or Amazon are good places to look for these tracks. The bars are heavy duty square bars. Let me know if you are interested! I paid 340 for all 3, but I would let them go for 250 plus the cheapest shipping option I could find.

http://www.rhinorack.com/BarType_Hea..._900030_1.aspx

That is the link to the bars. Mine are all black which is a much sleeker look.

Thanks,
Colton

 

[killahaas@gmail.com]

awesome write ups! i have the AFE, now to do the plugs, and air box mod. maybe do the VVTI mod. now you DID unplug the ECU?

 

[hornytoad]

pbcolt - Thanks for the offer but I have Thule stuff crawling out of my ears. Maybe somebody here can use them for their RTT project???

killhaas@gmail.com - No you do not have to unplug the ECU for the little mods to take affect. Unplugging the battery "wipes" the short term memory that the truck has learned, if you do this when you do the airbox mod, plugs, VVTi Mod, synthetic oil, etc...It will "learn" all of the new things at once. And they all work together making the engine and FI system more efficient.
Plus the VVTi mod requres moving the alternator around and that's better done with the battery disconnected.

I unplugged the ECU to hook up the URD AFM recalibration box. And the battery was unplugged for that too.

 

[BenMara]

Good deal ill have to get this done next time i have a couple days that it isnt forcasted to rain, not looking forward to doing sparkplugs, damn SCer....

 

[mike.alison]

View attachment 157165

So these two filters are supposed to keep debris that somehow came from your engine from getting into the VVTi actuators mounted at the front of the engine. All well and good but there is nothing mentioned about maintaining these screens, ever.

.

Does any one know if that can be done to the 2.7L 2TR-FE? I might do it when I change my oil next

 

[hornytoad]

BenMara - Even with the extra SC stuff it should not be that hard. I took the engine cover off, undid the passenger side of the air box and that was it on the passenger side. On the driver's side you have to move some of the vent hoses and use a 10mm wrench and 1/4 drive socket with some caution and you can pull the coils and swap plugs without taking the engine bay apart.

mike.alison - I think that a screen of some kind is in all VVTi engines, I read about it on a sports car page and then found it on a Tacoma forum. Mine is in the block under the exhaust manifold towards the front of the block. It will be a drain bolt in a funny place 1/2 between the pan and the head, no wires, no label. They are locktighhted in place so make sure you can carefully pull it out and put it back if needed. Extensions, a cheater bar, a swivel joint and a 6 point socket are recommended. Good luck and let us know what you find!

 

[mike.alison]

VVTI MOD

This does work on the 2.7L 2TR-FE, the cam change is smoother and more noticeable, and I would agree on the better mid-high end response. I'm doing a road trip tomorrow and will post on the highway use and see what it improves. For those interested in testing it out, it is behind the power steering pump on the block, and only requires an 8mm Allen key, you may need a cheater on it.

 

[hornytoad]

Nice Work! It will take a few drives for your computer to re program itself. Have you done the airbox mod yet? I understand that this "really" works on the 4 cylinder motors.

 

[mike.alison]

ohh yeah, running an AFe Pro Dry and the Charcoal filter delete. The biggest difference had been the LC-Engineering header, and then gears to come this winter

 

[Brentc]

Just curious if you guys could help? my googlefu is weak. My wifes 10' rav4 with the 2AR-FE, anyways i cant find anything about a vvti mod for them. I've been searching all week for anything on that subject. Thanks

BTW: Horney Love your build threads!

 

[hornytoad]

Just curious if you guys could help? my googlefu is weak. My wifes 10' rav4 with the 2AR-FE, anyways i cant find anything about a vvti mod for them. I've been searching all week for anything on that subject. Thanks

BTW: Horney Love your build threads!

Closest I was able to get is this - http://www.rav4world.com/forums/99-4-3-mechanical/108634-2008-v6-2gr-fe-vvt-i-failure-help.html It is for the V6 though.

The Taco has it easy with the filters being in the block. On toyota cars it's inside the VVTi actuator? I would try some more googeling and see if a similar style actuator come up.

Good luck!