Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
Well, I'm happy to say that the "baselining" of my new-to-me '99 4Runner is nearly complete. I had the T-belt/Water pump replaced at a local independent dealer, and had a few other odds and ends done too (seals and swaybar bushings.) A bit costly but at least now I can breathe easier since, at 118,000 miles I was almost 30,000 miles past due o the T-belt!
The other annoying issue was the dead power antenna. Last night I bit the bullet and pulled off the fender liner to get to the antenna. I ended up breaking several of the plastic "plugs" that the fender liner screws go into, but I'm guessing that if I really need to replace them I can get a bag full of them from my local Toyota dealer for 10 or 20 bucks. Good news for anyone else with a similar problem (dead power antenna that makes a godawful noise when turning the ignition on or off): Once you get the fender liner off, there's a plastic electrical connecter on the inside of the fender just forward of the antenna. Disconnect that and PRESTO: Noise gone (and the antenna still works - yes, I checked!)
Final bit of work was to install the XM receiver. Not a lot of room on the dash but I ended up putting it in the same place it was on my Tacoma, just left of the steering wheel, and above the diff lock switch. It does hide the diff lock switch a bit but that's not a big deal to me, I know where it is and there's a dashboard light that comes on when the diff lock is activated anyway.
Only other remaining detail is to replace the shattered glass of the driver's side mirror, which I hope to do next week.
The luggage rack crossbars and the running boards are off, so once I get the mirror fixed I can start thinking about mods. What I'd like to have eventually would be a 2.5" OME lift, an ARB front bumper (with the possibility of a winch in the future although that's a long ways off) and some low profile rock sliders. Beyond that, the only other mod I'd make is something to convert the inside for sleeping (probably a removal of the lower back seat cushions along with a removable platform of some type.)
Taking a trip to the mountains for some flyfishing this weekend so I'll have a chance to see if the MPG is any different with the crossbars off and the transmission in "power" mode.
The other annoying issue was the dead power antenna. Last night I bit the bullet and pulled off the fender liner to get to the antenna. I ended up breaking several of the plastic "plugs" that the fender liner screws go into, but I'm guessing that if I really need to replace them I can get a bag full of them from my local Toyota dealer for 10 or 20 bucks. Good news for anyone else with a similar problem (dead power antenna that makes a godawful noise when turning the ignition on or off): Once you get the fender liner off, there's a plastic electrical connecter on the inside of the fender just forward of the antenna. Disconnect that and PRESTO: Noise gone (and the antenna still works - yes, I checked!)
Final bit of work was to install the XM receiver. Not a lot of room on the dash but I ended up putting it in the same place it was on my Tacoma, just left of the steering wheel, and above the diff lock switch. It does hide the diff lock switch a bit but that's not a big deal to me, I know where it is and there's a dashboard light that comes on when the diff lock is activated anyway.
Only other remaining detail is to replace the shattered glass of the driver's side mirror, which I hope to do next week.
The luggage rack crossbars and the running boards are off, so once I get the mirror fixed I can start thinking about mods. What I'd like to have eventually would be a 2.5" OME lift, an ARB front bumper (with the possibility of a winch in the future although that's a long ways off) and some low profile rock sliders. Beyond that, the only other mod I'd make is something to convert the inside for sleeping (probably a removal of the lower back seat cushions along with a removable platform of some type.)
Taking a trip to the mountains for some flyfishing this weekend so I'll have a chance to see if the MPG is any different with the crossbars off and the transmission in "power" mode.
