Gatorgrl's Grand Gen2 4Runner makeover

Well, I know it has been awhile. The 4Runner is still running strong and looking great! She gets lot of love here in TN.

 

Good to see your doing well Gatorgrl.

 

That’s awesome. Glad to see you and the 4Runner are still around doing good.

 

Haven't seen this thread in my feed for a very long time. Guess that's a good thing, means it isn't misbehaving.

 

She is still living her best life here in the Tennessee mountains. Her only issue currently is a/c. We have changed her compressor several times already. Guess they are just made like shit. And we have driven her so much, her valve covers are starting to leak.
Thanks for the love!

 

Just finished reading of all your trials and tribulations with your baby, enjoyed it very much, kudos to you and your hubby for sticking with it!!

 

Gatorgrl & Tony,

It seems the blue colored Feld Pro cam cover gaskets work the best from what I have used. But make sure they have the tiny little ribs on the bottom side that interfaces with the head/cam towers aluminum surface. After I have washed the cam covers in the garage sink with liberal amounts of Dawn and plenty of warm-water I dry them with compressed air and line the gasket channel grooves with Right Stuff Gasket maker. Then seat the gaskets into the groove and try to get the insertion and squishing of the gasket maker to be as even as is possible from a visual perspective. All around the inside of the gasket I will add more Gasket Maker so the cover and gasket are oil tight with each other so that the oil cannot climb up and over the top of the gasket while in the groove. Clean the surface of the heads where these gaskets seal with carburetor cleaner and make sure they are spotless and have that raw bright aluminum surface with no oil staining anywhere in sight. Then load up the corners were the cam bearing caps are making abrupt transitions from the heads surface to the cap with Right Stuff. Do not use anything on the remainder of the gasket to heads surface interface because they need to be able to move about with the first several thermal cycles and then they will seat and seal. Now with the gasket well stuck into the covers groove it will stay put while you invert the cover. Position it and evenly draw down the fasteners to squash the steel bushings in the covers holes and replace any that were lost or missing. I use 8-10nm of torque on the screws applied with a torque wrench for hardware on mountain bikes and some blue Loctite on the threads. This will set the gasket and load it against the heads surface without undue levels of compression. Just make sure the head to gasket surface is dry and oil free because if it isn't it will leak right away. This is why you have to make the inside of the covers spotless or the residual oil in the cover will drip down and bugger your effort before you have even restarted the engine.

As for AC I'm stricken at present with my original system not making it super cold anymore and cannot seem to get the FSM's pressures for the high and low sides of the system when I add propane to it. I know my high side Schrader valve is a leaker so that needs to be replaced but am suspecting the compressor which is OEM is shot. Super bummed-out to hear the replacements you have gotten are crap. I may try to see if I can tear down my original compressor and see if I can understand what has happened too it. I know that if it is a scroll type pump that the internal fit and finish is bordering on clean room levels of cleanliness to prevent contamination with degradation to the surfaces leading to short longevity when crap goes through them.

Always good reading on the many adventures with our Gen-2 4Runners. Bonnet is up and AC work is looming but the real annoyance is the power steering pump is spewing yet again and this time it is going in the bin and getting replaced with a Trail Gear uprated pump kit they offer with more pressure and flow rate along with a huge radiator that will be a challenge to fit and keep the AC pusher fan in place.

Cheerio,
Andrew