Slartibartfast

The reason for putting the filter after the coolers is probably that the filter is designed to protect the trans, not the coolers. If there's gunk in the coolers, and it comes loose (think heart attack commercials), better to have the filter grab it up. Of course, whatever was in the coolers was going through the trans before, and hadn't made it explode... so... meh. If your trans is making enough crud for the filter placement to matter, filter placement is the least of your problems.

If this is what I'm thinking of (tar-like substance holding down the padding under the carpets), heat and scrape will take forever and you'll still have some left over. You'd probably get it out faster/better with the dry ice. Just don't asphyxiate yourself. It's still soft in my 95, at least under the carpet on the rear wheel wells. Maybe it hardens up given another four years? Or maybe they used different stuff?

That... sounds like something to sort out ASAP. I'd check under it first and make sure that the grease monkeys who aligned it put all the screws back in. My uneducated guess is that something is really loose somewhere, and when the truck tilts forward at the stoplight (from braking), or when you get on the gas again, something shifts around. Does it clunk at all when it does this? I've heard of the rear end shifting around a bit and making the car veer if the rear suspension bushings are hosed, but IIRC that was just when it hit bumps. Also, maybe check the bolt on the steering arm?

Sounds like the MAF has a vacuum leak, and you're probably right about it having some dirt in there. You may have dislodged something when you took the airbox apart. Clean it out however you can (suck the screen end with a shop-vac? A little duct tape should seal the hose to it) and try it again. It may just be worn out, like a plunger or a seal or something going bad and letting air whistle past, but I'd expect that to be more gradual. But yeah, if you can't get it figured, try a different MAF.

Sounds like a bad battery, bad alternator, or a wiring problem. The bonehead in me says clean the battery top, the posts, and the cables, and check the levels (if it's that kind of battery). The battery could conceivably be losing power through dirty connections or trickling power through grime between the poles. Can't hurt, right? But I doubt it's your problem. Put the battery on a trickle charger until it's at full voltage. If that clears it up for a while, maybe it's just not getting charged properly from the engine. If it's not getting charge, that suggests a problem with your alternator, or the wiring between the alternator and the battery. I guess it could be the belt but I'll bet you'd hear it squealing if it was slipping. If trickle charging doesn't help, it's your battery, though your alternator could still be responsible (killing the battery by overcharging and venting electrolyte). If the electrolyte looks fine, your alternator probably isn't to blame, and the battery's just worn out. Or, you left the dome light on.

Or just make yourself a little smoke bomb, put it in a Coke can, and set it off. Much cheaper.

Probably the first reason is, it already runs. Apart from that, they're pretty good trucks once you put some time into them. There are a few standard things they need fixed (check under the rear seats, and the frame behind the rear axle). Also check the transmission (check out the WD21 section, the auto trans sometimes has issues). If the running gear is reasonably solid, you can build it up pretty well. The exhaust leak is normal, they just do that. Just make sure it's not blasting the floor pan, or you could get a nice carpet fire. Also, that's half what my dad paid for my 95 SE, so, yes, good deal. If your heart's set on a 4runner, well, fix up the Pathy so it looks nice, and trade it in when you find a 4runner in decent shape.

Glad you got it figured.

When my uncle welded up the holes in mine, he went all the way around (spot and fill) with no sealer, except for the undercoating I'll be putting on soon. We used floor bits cut from a wrecked 93 at the local yard (cut a bit bigger than the holes for overlap). He used the wirefeed he uses for everything from thin sheets to frame steel. The patch wasn't cheap, but it looks good. One thing to look out for, the old undercoating (unless yours has all fallen off) will try to catch fire from the weld heat. We put a hose underneath the truck with a sprinkler sort of thing on the end to keep it cool under there. (Luckily the seatbelt mounts and all were fine, so we left them alone. Since we were cutting bits from a wrecked Pathy anyway, we would've just taken the brackets out.)

Tore it apart to put new belts in, only to find that the auto parts place gave us the wrong belts.

All I can think of is that you've got a bad harness to your new stereo, or the stereo itself is screwy. While direct-wiring your amp may not be a bad idea, doesn't sound like that's the problem. Definitely do the speaker test... if it fails, sounds like your new stereo is a paperweight. Just curious, what kind of stereo? I put an xplod in mine, no issues.

Take the following with a grain of salt, as I didn't even know what a swirl valve was until today. According to this http://forums.nicoclub.com/swirl-valve-control-solenoid-p1130-t339097.html, a little crud in the vacuum line keeps the actuator from working right, and generates an error code. Clean the hose, and, apparently, problem solved. I'd expect a solenoid to have a return spring, but it may rely on vacuum, airflow, or something else for this. Hopefully it's just your vac line, as these are apparently a PITA to get except from the dealer, and they'll charge you just to open the hood. Hope that helps, gotta love Google.

IIRC, there is an amplifier fuse in the fuse box. It may be blown out/missing. (Did the old stereo work before you pulled it?) Also, I have to ask... is the volume off on the radio? I only ask because that's the kind of herp derp I generally pull. Mine has some speaker hiss when it's on but not playing (aux mode w/o iPod attached). If your speakers are hissing, the amp isn't getting signal. If they're totally dead, the amp isn't getting power.

Great write up. One question though, I was underneath checking out what I had to work with, and noticed that the ends aren't even. One T bar has its back end outside of the crossmember (like the OP), the other has its end tucked inside. Is something worn out, or was some mechanic sloppy? Or are the adjuster bolts just out of whack? (Maybe the previous owner had a go?) Or is this normal/unimportant? Driver's side: Passenger's side:

Oh man... Reindex the torsion bars Undercoat Oil change Trans cooler/ATF change Replace an exhaust gasket where the local grease monkey half welded the pipes together Driver side door hinge Tinker with the headlights/install driving lights Then I need to actually take it off road. Priorities have changed a bit. Fix frame rot. Undercoat. Undercoat. Undercoat. Fix exhaust. Trans cooler. Lights, maybe. Probably more undercoat.

^ Hadn't thought of that. Locked out it is.

I only use overdrive once I'm up to about fifty, and I've yet to find a situation where I needed the E-AT "power" setting. The overdrive makes the trans heat up more during stop and go traffic, or city driving, or towing, or driving 4x4. (Heat and automatics don't like each other.) It also makes the truck sluggish at lower speeds (it feels like there's a little old lady pedaling as hard as she can under the hood, especially on hills). It's a highway gear. Turning the overdrive off also gives you more engine braking when you let off the gas. Let off in overdrive and you coast; disengage the overdrive and the truck slows pretty quickly. My commute includes a couple decent-sized hills, and in underdrive (dunno what else to call it) I seldom have to touch the brakes. Also, according to my dad, don't use overdrive in snow. Apparently it kicks the gearing around more, making the truck more likely to slip, or something. I don't usually drive over fifty in snow, so I don't worry about it. (I'm new here too, and sites like this are why I love the Internet. )

When I got my Pathy, it had a hole in the headlight. It was near the bottom, so I just sealed it up with a little epoxy. I replaced it later with one from the junkyard, which I don't think cost more than $5-10. It's not like it could the headlights any worse, right? There's a steering idler arm which is apparently a weak spot, you can buy/fabricate a brace that strengthens it. A word of warning doing the exhaust, the old headers will be a pain to take off. The studs don't like parting with the block. Poke around a bit and you'll find loads of info... that's what I'm doing.

Thanks. Silverton said it looked like the torsion bars could use adjustment, and I assumed that's what he meant. EDIT: Nevermind, got it figured out. Herp derp.

Today, I discovered the "sport" suspension mode.

Thanks guys. The white helps loads with finding it in a parking lot. Luckily they don't salt here, but it does need new undercoat on the frame rails. I took it down to the self carwash and blasted the dirt off, and I'm just waiting for a few hot days before I spray rubber, assuming the famous Pathy frame rot hasn't moved in yet. The driveway's a little crooked where I took the pictures, but I'll check the height side to side next time I'm parked somewhere flat. (That's how you tell if the sway bars are wonky, right?) I knew about the headlights (found this site looking for a wiring diagram ) but when I hooked up a spare light direct to the battery, it didn't seem any brighter. Then again, I'm running the stock 55/65 watts, so the drop may not be as pronounced as with better bulbs. I'll get to it eventually, just figured driving lights would be easier for now. (That, and I'd rather have the driving lights as backup in case I have to go somewhere before I finish the rewire.) And yeah, the fogs are good, my dad rewired them with a relay. I don't know if they got brighter, though, as they didn't work when we got it. The trans cooler is definitely on the table. I did a little research and found a few that weren't too expensive (especially compared to the cost of a new trans!). Do you guys recommend a specific unit? I know to get 20k GVW or better, but are there better/worse brands or styles? I'm just finding all sorts of places to put money into this thing!

Figured I'd quit lurking around here and join up. I've got a 1995 SE 4x4 Pathy with the three liter, the auto trans (no issues yet!), and a few bumps and scratches (mostly from the previous owner, though I've added a few scuffs). First thing I did with it was blow out the factory Clarions in the doors. Of course, I had no idea what had happened, so I ended up walking around the truck on the side of the road looking for what was making the whump whump whump sound. Since then I replaced the factory stereo and the front speakers. I don't take it off road much, but it's done beautifully in the snow. I don't have much of a budget to pour into it but I'm considering a set of driving lights to supplement the Bic lighters it comes with. Future plans depend mostly on how much more I find wrong with it. I do plan to undercoat it once it gets good and hot outside. I found out that replacing a headlight involves tearing the whole front end apart. The rear floor, of course, needed some work. My uncle welded in two patches, one cut from a wrecked 93. We also snagged a fender flare from the 93, but to our surprise, the mounts were totally different. After I got the seats back in, I noticed that all of the little clips that hold up the seat belt receivers were broken off. Good idea, lousy execution. Nothing a little fence wire can't solve! I plan to take it out camping this summer, and perhaps have some fun on back roads. Maybe get it good and dirty and get you guys some better pics. And maybe, I'll get it to stop smelling like pine-scented kerosene. (Long story.) I've looked around here a bit, and seen some really cool stuff. Can't wait to see what you guys come up with next. (If my pictures are too big let me know, and I'll resize.)