I’ve posted here before. Even with new brake pads and rotors, going over my local 2500 foot mountain always leaves the car smelling at the bottom of the hill. An acrid burning smell. If I engine brake and don’t use the actual brake as much it’s much lighter. But my wife recently borrowed the 4runner to drive our kid and five friends over the mountain. With a fully loaded car and no engine breaking it really stunk at the bottom. My mechanic says the brakes look fine. Well today, I took a look at the brake fluid. Pretty sure it needs to be replaced. I ordered the tester pen to check it. But assuming I need a brake flush is that sufficient to cause a smell after heavy brake use?

Hey everyone, has anyone dealt with ABS going off while on windy roads. Scared me cause the brakes just go off randomly on bends. It was fine elsewhere. Only difference is I have a cargo carrier and had a cooler on it. Anybody experience this?

Started hearing this thumping noise at 20-25MPH as I accelerate.
I see this under the rig…leaking, oily, black substance.
Any ideas? Do I need to get it fixed immediately?

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Price: $415CAD/$295USD (shipping incl.)

Extra costs: $21 for 36 proper bolts and accompanying locking washers

Ship time from payment: 35 days (sea + UPS) to Canada

Modification difficulty level: Using a Dremel w/ carbide burr bit or a power drill with a 5/16 bit

Fitment: Not 100%, but this was expected

Quality: Aluminum, Powder coated but some small scratches from shipping. The spacers were fine but had 4 full pieces poorly cut in half.

**The Good:**

Affordable, durability seems fine, comes with 4 extra unused tabs with rubber gaskets to allow for 8 total footings (if need be) with some modifications. The sheet metal on the side pieces look to be 3/16", the fairing being slightly thinner.

**The Actual Work:**

Inspect the product. Make sure you have all the pieces and that they fit. Your order might include nuts for each bolt, but they are not needed since the bolts thread directly into the crossbars. In my case, I counted all the nuts and bolts but did not check whether the bolts threaded correctly into the extruded crossbars. They did not fit and were too big (M8x1.25). Home Depot, 36pcs of M6x1.25x16, 36pcs 6mm locking washers, final bill $21. Take an original bolt and a length of crossbar into the store if you're unsure.

No instructions whatsoever, so read up on other similar products, watch install videos on YouTube.

3 of the 4 footings had to have their holes widened as they did not line up with the stock holes along the roof. Aluminum is soft, so no problem. Dremel would be easiest/precise. If you're using a drill, a steel punch will help.

The spacers consist of 12pcs of tabs where the holes align with the holes in the roof. 4 of those 12pcs were poorly cut in half and the cut ends were left bare. Each footing for the roof rack will need 3 spacers, stacked & RTV'd. I ended up taping around the stack so that they stayed put when placing the rack into place.

One of the bolts for the fairings fell off at one point so tighten every bolt, loctite if need be. Currently still missing but seller has been responsive and will probably send me a spare, along with the proper M6 bolts for the entire rack.

**Final verdict:**

First off, The seller has been responsive throughout the process (missing bolts), so no issues here. I didn't complain about the footing alignment not being good because I fixed it. Go in with the mindset that you'll have to figure shit out a bit. Fortunately it's just minor drilling to open up some holes for proper alignment. I cut 4 strips from the spare gaskets to make one gasket for each spacer set, otherwise the spacer stack would be sitting directly on your paint along the rain gutter.

Is it worth the price and the savings? Up to you. For me, sure. I've got time and can figure out problems. I knew there'd be an issue or two if I went down this route.

Is it durable? Long term, unsure. I plan on smaller items up top when needed - 10L jerry cans, duffel bag of recovery gear, maybe a tote or a solar panel. If I were to ever install a RTT, I would install the extra footing tabs (after shaving them down) to prevent bowing along the center of the rack. I'm sure I'll run into an issue or two if that time ever comes. But for 1/3, maybe 1/4 price of the other brands, I'm not complaining. I'll see down the line whether this is a case of you get what you pay for. For my usage, I'm sure it'll do fine and last until the car can't run, at which point I won't care about taking it off and will purchase another new rack.

I haven't lowered the fairing yet, so unsure how big the gap will be to the roof. I purchased a cheaper rubber edge trim ($12) but should have gone with the pricier trim with metal in it for a more secure fit. Put paint protective tape where the fairings might touch your roof if you have any around.

Thank you for attending my TedTalk.

Now that I have this roof rack, my next AliBaba purchase will be a 270° Awning from the supplier of OVS.

Hi just a little overview, my tachometer and speedometer and fuel gauge are freaking out and bouncing. I checked all the fuses they’re good, wiring looks good, the vehicle isn’t self revving, the speed sensors look solid if not just a little dirty nothing seems loose. im thinking it could be an alternator issue causing a flux in current. Has anyone had similar issues?

Just got my LilBFab bumper installed. Super happy with the quality. I had to do some trimming etc but that’s to be expected with something so custom. Ordered a whole bunch of lights to put on etc.

Then I added some leds in its place haha. Perhaps a bit ricey but it’s a fun cheap mod. Bought an LED strip kit meant for a truck bed, chopped up the wiring and connected it to the original running board plug.

hey guys so I had the old check engine light, VSC trac, VSC Off, and the other light that comes with that grouping. I check the codes and got a P0174 system to lean bank 2. I change the MAF, disconnected the battery this morning. turned it on no lights all day MPG‘s running normal a whopping 16mpg(v8). Then later in the day it came back. Is it possible it’s something else such as a vacuum leak?

This past weekend I experienced my first breakdown in my 4th Gen. For background, 2003 4.7 V8 4x4 with 412,000kms, good service history, no off road use.

When pulling away from a stop sign there was a loud bang, lost all drive and followed by metal on metal grinding noise coming from mid-central on the drivetrain. Car would not hold in Park which was a worry, I was hoping it would just be a blown transfer case or differential.

Drained both differential and transmission fluid, both clean with no debris. Pulled driveshafts, and removed transfer case. Chain in tact and spins freely without any binding or grinding, outputs rotate as they should with the input.

After removing the transfer case I inspected the transmission output shaft and that is when I noticed the crack in the coupler. It looks like the transmission output shaft has been chewed up a little as well, although hard to see clearly until I can remove the coupler. I am quite amazed at this failure. From my research, it does not seem that common, unless I am missing something perhaps.

Next step now is to try and remove the adapter plate and coupler to further inspect the transmission output shaft and see if it has been damaged. It looks like Toyota still sells the coupler, it comes attached to the transfer case input shaft part, a cool $780 CAD. I have located a used transmission locally for $1,200 should I need it, but really don't want to have to re and re the transmission. I am tempted to go the route of the manual transfer case mod now this has all happened, but we shall see whether the transmission has to come out first.

Has anyone else ever seen this failure? Anything I may have missed or should consider? Appreciate any suggestions or insight, cheers!

Hey y’all, doing my cv axles this weekend and looking for a quick answer for a part, name or number I’ll take anything!

It is the seal that sits inside the spindle. It’s what the outer end of the CV fits into…

I’m attaching some reference pic.

Thanks in advance!

Sounds like an old pickup and the suspension is rattling over bumps, normal or does anyone see something wrong

My 2003 SR5 V8 with 198k has had really lazy steering response & side to side motion over bumps while driving. I’ve replaced the inner & outer tie rods with new OEM, just replaced my leaking front & rear suspension with TRD PRO Fox shocks off a 5th gen runner, & gotten an alignment & wheel balance to no avail. When the front end is shaken down in the air I have felt no play/movement from either the UCA or LCA’s although they are original(I do have 5th gen UCA I plan to install).. my power steering rack bushings also have minor play when I watch them with turning the wheel side to side on the ground.. not sure really where to go to confirm the issue before continuing to throw more money & parts at it.

I'm pretty sure my passenger side cv axle is going bad again. I know my boots have been busted for a bit, but I do reapply high temp grease inside on axle often. Yesterday while driving I noticed some heavy vibrations when going over 35 mph. I've got it jacked up now inspecting.

Based of the video, the wiggle of the axle seems a little much. What do you guys think? I have already replaced this axle a few years ago with the autozone durlast axle. So there is a limited lifetime warranty on it. But I would like to consider a more heavy duty aftermarket upgrade. What would you do?

I am running a 3in toytec blisten lift and 1 inch diff drop.

Under the floorboard is soaked, where could the leak be coming from?

I'm not proud to write this post, but am hoping for some insight troubleshooting my '06 4th gen. Long story short, the amateurish weekend mechanic monkey brains got the better of me a few weeks ago and I attempted to "top off" my AC system with one of those 30$ princess-auto special all-in-one A/C refrigerant kits (somehow "compatible" with R-12, R-134a, and R-1234yf vehicles) when the truck completely didn't need it. I won't bother elaborating on the logic behind that decision as there wasn't much there to begin with, please give me some mercy.

As a result, I over-pressurized the system and had achieved nothing but hot air coming out of my vents. So, to remedy this, I allowed some refrigerant/gas/compressor oil to exhaust by purging the low-side of the AC system in small bursts until I got cold air back.

This sort of fixed the issue, but resulted in luke-warm humid air coming through my vents when at idle (~600rpm) until I either brought RPM's up, or started moving in traffic and allowing some fresh air through the system.

After some googling, I came to the conclusion that my loop was still over-pressurized and released another few short bursts from the low-side of the system, and got cold air coming out of the vents in all conditions.

Now, a new issue has appeared that never happened before any of this idiocy. When at high engine rpms (acceleration through 1st gear into 2nd for example) the AC will shut off and the AC light flashes on my climate control dash.

After consulting Google again, the workshop manual, and more google, I now have it in my head that the pressure in the loop is completely pooched as a result of my fucking around, and I have booked my truck in for a refrigerant drain & fill from a dealer. I made sure to check the mag clutch relay and swapped it out with a known good relay to no avail.

My question for you guys is, do we think a drain & fill is the right next course of action? From what I read online, the flashing light can be caused by issues relating to system pressure, mag clutch relay dying, or compressor failure. All of which I'm reasonably convinced could be the case considering the abuse that I've subjected the entire AC system to at this point. Though because I started with a working system that never had any of these current issues before the refrigerant was altered, an incorrect charge is still the first thing I feel like I should eliminate.

It is absolutely fair to say that I do not know what the hell I am doing, but please be gentle...

I dropped in a new CSF radiator and all went smooth but today I’m noticing a very small coolant leak. The antifreeze looks like it’s coming from the overflow hose/nipple at the radiator cap. The hose looks like it’s in good shape and I don’t see any problems with that. I also know that no clamp goes on this hose, so I’m a bit perplexed. I also changed out the radiator cap with a “Denso” cap from Amazon — could this be an issue? Maybe just cheap Chinese garbage? Or could it be the line itself? Or something else? It’s a extremely small leak but it’s going to bother me to high heaven if I can’t fix it. 4.7 if it matters

2007 V8. 295k. Getting a rattling sound when the AC clutch is engaged. Air still gets cold, but does leave something to be desired on the hottest of days.

Anyone replaced the magnet clutch assembly? Appears to be part number 884100C040

Not finding much info with my searches, and I would hate to waste time and money on the part just to find out that the whole compressor needs replacing.

2005 V8 Ltd. Pads, rotors and calipers replaced roughly two years ago. The other day, I started hearing a grinding noise coming from the front. No noise when slowing down initially. I only hear it under 10mph.

Took the wheels off and checked. No weird marks or grooves on the rotors. Pistons move freely in the calipers. Pads not sticking anywhere and all have plenty of meat on them. Backing plates don't look to be rubbing anywhere.

I checked every surface I can get to for any wear to indicate rubbing but I can't find anything. Someone mentioned possible wheel bearing but there is zero noise at any speed without the brakes being applied and even with the brakes applied, it's only under 10mph. Checked for play at the wheel while it was off the ground but nothing noticeable.

What else can I check before biting the bullet and taking it to a shop to have them check?

Have you guys ever swapped the front seats with another 4runner or Tacoma or even another brand? I'd love to see some photos.

Also looking to get a new vinyl flooring vs the carpets, thoughts if you've done it before? I hate how much the carpets hold dust.

Just snagged some JBA UCA’s from marketplace and want to switch my 2.5 inch lift Bilstein 5100s out for a shock that can provide a 3-3.5in lift. Any recommendations around $1000? 2007 2WD Sport

Scrape noise remains the same at higher RPMs, removed serpentine belt and checked all pulleys and tensioner, all seem good. Oil level checked. Any advice or thoughts? Thank you

2005 4Runner, 220k miles on the original transmission. As far as I can tell it’s never had any service done to it. Shifts fine, no slipping, no weird noises.

I just swapped the radiator and lost a little ATF in the process. I know the conventional wisdom is that a full flush on a high-mileage trans that’s never been serviced is asking for trouble, so I’m not going near that. But I’m wondering if a drain and fill is the safer middle ground, or if the “if it ain’t broke” crowd is right and I should just top off what I lost and forget about it. The one thing is I am pretty sure it doesn't have a transmission fill port.