T100
- Thread starter jonathon
- Start date
aknightinak
Active member
Yup. You also can run the same mini-truck 8" diff breather mods on the 8.4 to keep water out of the vent. Maybe someone wrote one up using the 3.4 by now. I did the old one using the Nissan pickup fitting.
jonathon
Active member
I’ve driven it quite a bit in the 5 days I’ve owned it and identified some minor issues. Figured I’d document it here.
First some pics of recent drives.
I noticed it was a little loud... guess 269k isn’t bad for a muffler and tail pipe?
Local shop installed a new muffler and bent up a new tail pipe. No idea what brand the muffler is, but it’s welded and it sounds good but mellow. Stainless is pretty much unnecessary here in Oregon.
Last night was the first time I’ve driven it at night. First most of the bulbs in the HVAC controls are out. Also need to replace the corner marker bulbs. More importantly when I was driving down the highway I hit the high beams and discovered they not only didn’t work but completely shut the head lights off. Pull the lever to flash them and it works fine. The contacts in the switch just needed to be cleaned, which of course mandated tearing apart the column. Got that done today and now the highs work fine. First time tearing apart a column on a truck with a driver airbag. It all worked out.
Took a couple times to get it assembled correctly but it was pretty easy.
Next up are ball joints and wheel bearings. The driver side ball joints are shot and the passenger ones are not too far behind as they are the originals. Passenger wheel bearing is groaning and it is unknown when they were packed. I also ordered a set of Bilstein 4600 shocks.
First some pics of recent drives.
I noticed it was a little loud... guess 269k isn’t bad for a muffler and tail pipe?
Local shop installed a new muffler and bent up a new tail pipe. No idea what brand the muffler is, but it’s welded and it sounds good but mellow. Stainless is pretty much unnecessary here in Oregon.
Last night was the first time I’ve driven it at night. First most of the bulbs in the HVAC controls are out. Also need to replace the corner marker bulbs. More importantly when I was driving down the highway I hit the high beams and discovered they not only didn’t work but completely shut the head lights off. Pull the lever to flash them and it works fine. The contacts in the switch just needed to be cleaned, which of course mandated tearing apart the column. Got that done today and now the highs work fine. First time tearing apart a column on a truck with a driver airbag. It all worked out.
Took a couple times to get it assembled correctly but it was pretty easy.
Next up are ball joints and wheel bearings. The driver side ball joints are shot and the passenger ones are not too far behind as they are the originals. Passenger wheel bearing is groaning and it is unknown when they were packed. I also ordered a set of Bilstein 4600 shocks.
jonathon
Active member
Figured I’d keep a running thread in case it helps someone out.
Changed the oil in the diffs last week. The crush washers were probably last changed when the Toyota dealership serviced the axles in the late 90s, but no leaks. Oil looked good so it’s been changed since. The truck has been maintained by local independent shop for the last decade and they do solid work.
I replaced the rear shocks since they arrived before the snow storm. Installed Bilstein 4600s and am happy with the ride. The KYB Gas-A-Just shocks that were on there were installed in 2005 at 160k. They appeared to be working fine however the ride was terrible. The fronts are absolutely original and the driver side is blown.
To do:
Service transmission with Valvoline MaxLife
Service transfer case
Ball joints - replacing with Moog
Front wheel bearings - Replacing with Koyo
Front shocks - Bilstein 4600s
License Plate Lights
Changed the oil in the diffs last week. The crush washers were probably last changed when the Toyota dealership serviced the axles in the late 90s, but no leaks. Oil looked good so it’s been changed since. The truck has been maintained by local independent shop for the last decade and they do solid work.
I replaced the rear shocks since they arrived before the snow storm. Installed Bilstein 4600s and am happy with the ride. The KYB Gas-A-Just shocks that were on there were installed in 2005 at 160k. They appeared to be working fine however the ride was terrible. The fronts are absolutely original and the driver side is blown.
To do:
Service transmission with Valvoline MaxLife
Service transfer case
Ball joints - replacing with Moog
Front wheel bearings - Replacing with Koyo
Front shocks - Bilstein 4600s
License Plate Lights
jonathon
Active member
Took the T into the forest to go sledding. Very pleased with how it handles snow. The Nokian Rotiiva tires are awesome, wish they made them in a 35 for my Ram.
We got some sunshine today so I decided to start on the ball joints. Got the driver side lower in and yanked the sway bar because the links were shot. May or may not put it back on. I’m hoping the Bilstein 4600 shocks mitigate the lack of a sway bar. I ran my Tacoma without one and never had an issue.
The front OE shock was done.
Now that I have an idea what I am doing the upper should be quick. If the weather holds I’ll be able to get the passenger side done Thursday.
We got some sunshine today so I decided to start on the ball joints. Got the driver side lower in and yanked the sway bar because the links were shot. May or may not put it back on. I’m hoping the Bilstein 4600 shocks mitigate the lack of a sway bar. I ran my Tacoma without one and never had an issue.
The front OE shock was done.
Now that I have an idea what I am doing the upper should be quick. If the weather holds I’ll be able to get the passenger side done Thursday.
FJOE
Regular Dude
I took a '95 T100 DX to the Middle East for 2 years ('16-'18) and brought it back. It was a great truck. Do the Aisin hub swap in the front, and rebuild them yourself. Parts are still available from Toyota. Swap in the factory CD player from the same year SR5 4Runner to retain the stock look but still be able to have some tunes. I used KYB shocks, and they took me across the Jordanian desert and up and down mountains and wadis with no issue. The Bilsteins you suggested should be fine. Stay on top of the ball joints, and put on a solid steering stabilizer and you should be relatively vibration free. I'd put new bushings on the sway bar and do the end links and bushings too. Might as well do it right the first time, and it's cheap. Look into the Trailsafe oil seals from Trail Gear. They are a great replacement when your rear axle oil seals finally give out.
I loved that truck. The guy I sold it to is still driving it around. Congrats. They are getting harder to find.
I loved that truck. The guy I sold it to is still driving it around. Congrats. They are getting harder to find.
Last edited:
jonathon
Active member
Finished up the driver side ball joints. I did not tackle the passenger side due to the weather but I did replace the blown OEM shock. The ride is much improved with the 4600 shocks in the front. No issues with the sway bar removed. The front end clunk is gone and was presumably the driver side upper ball joint. Steering feels a lot better too. The tie rod ends and idler arm are all in good shape.
I had to test everything off road. I was able to max out the front suspension on the droop and bump stops and get a rear tire off the ground. I’m pretty impressed, this is a very capable 4x4 even with open diffs.
The passenger side front wheel bearing is growling pretty good, but isn’t getting hot. I’m hoping it can wait until it gets warmer. I’d also like to source a set of Aisin manual hubs.
I had to test everything off road. I was able to max out the front suspension on the droop and bump stops and get a rear tire off the ground. I’m pretty impressed, this is a very capable 4x4 even with open diffs.
The passenger side front wheel bearing is growling pretty good, but isn’t getting hot. I’m hoping it can wait until it gets warmer. I’d also like to source a set of Aisin manual hubs.
plh
Explorer
Being Moog (parent company is Federal Mogul (Tenneco Inc.) who also owns Beck/Arnley) changed their business model a few years back and really do not make anything anymore, I assume the ball joints you received were marked 555 (Sankei 555)?
Last edited:
jonathon
Active member
Similar threads
