What have you done to your 4th Gen 4Runner today?

What are your recommendations for testing out 4LO on a 4runner that i have no idea the last time 4LO was actuated? This is my DD and my family vehicle, so i don't want it to A. get into 4LO then not disengage and be stuck in 4LO, B. break something trying to engage 4LO.

I've owned her since March of 2023 and i have never tried going into 4LO, so i know at least its been a year and a half. My parents owned it before me, and i asked my stepdad when he last did it and his response was well since its full time 4wd we've never needed to. I don't need to go into 4LO, but also don't want to 'lose' it since its been so long, or maybe its already been too long.

On my Tacoma i don't do it enough, but i engage all the 4wd stuff somewhat regularly (not 10 miles per month like you're supposed to) more like 1/4 mile every 3 months, lol. But everything still works fine on it and it has no trouble getting in and out of all the 4wd selections.

 

If it goes I dont think it will get stuck, from my investigation into it, its more likely to not go in if hasnt been used for years and will just flash at you.. make sure to be in neutral for the switch. I just tried my down hill assist, everything worked well and i have no idea when 4lo or the down hill assist has been used.

 

Realised my new to me 4r is missing the thin trim peices on the out side of all 4 doors. Heck of a time trying to find those part numbers with certainty on the diagrams.

 

Which "thin trim pieces" are you referring too?

Exactly where on the door is this trim piece?

 

Right above the bottom panel, so about 1 foot from the bottom or 1 foot below the door handles.. approximately. Running horizonally.

 

I don't know of a trim piece in the location you're referring too, there's no trim piece between the lower "cladding" and the window/door handles.

Can you post a photo of such a piece of trim, it's not on my 2004 model and I can't find a photo on the internet of a 2006 model showing a trim piece as you describe?

 

I'm curious. Maybe you could grab a pic from this thread and circle what you mean. link

 

Maybe im ignorant and there isnt a piece that goes here.. but this is where i expected trim to be

 

Here's my 2023 The 1st 1 is @ home couple weeks old 2nd & 3rd are when I took delivery to see the sides W3 miles on it if that.

 

Beauty, i see theyve changed the doors completely on the new ones, my 2006 has plastic moulding over the lower 1/3rd of the door, i expected trim to seperate the moulding from the metal door, seems theres a groove and even a couple small holes where it could clip in. But i may be ignorant. This machine was debadged at some point by a past owner, so wasnt surprised if trim was also stripped off.

 

Sorry, I just realized my mistake as your is 4th Gen.
I get the "Alerts" & sometimes like this one don't pay attention as to where they came from i.e. which Gen. they are in. I agree after reviewing your picture as it does look like there are cut outs for a piece to fit into them. Hope you find out!

 

If I understand correctly, you're looking for #7 in the top diagram and #4 & #5 in the lower one?






If so, these may be what you need. As with everything, please verify fitment for your vehicle before purchasing.

 

That may be the parts, unless thata showing the weather seal thats between the lower moulding and the metal door above.. does your 07 have a strip of plastic there?

 

Not if you're talking about those old-school ding-prevention strips vehicles used to have. Here's the best closeup I have at hand. There's nothing other than the cladding and the thin "weatherstrip" thing between that and the door.

 

Thanks for posting the picture. Seems i was assuming wrong as yours is the same. Just looks a bit unfinished but am happy to live with that since its the way they are lol

 

Here's a photo of my doors on my 2004 Limited:

 

Your 2004 has a cleaner look.. cant see the seal at all

 

Some have them and some do not….mine has them and they suck….. Each time I wash I can spray mine with water and I can clearly see the brown water just rolling out of them. My 2004 did not have them. When I decide to paint this thing I might just seal them up.

 

My 2005 also doesn't have the trim-bead...

 

Painted my side step trim semi-gloss black. From my photo above (post #1066) you can see the trim was silver/gray. From a little ways away it looks good and i think ties in the black wheels better. But up close it looks a little cheapy (as it is, a rattle can job), 50% regretting doing it, 50% leave it be and see how it fairs. I'll take some photos later i didn't drive my 4runner to work today.

 

Some photos:

Old:


New:





I feel like i should have gone flat black, not semi-gloss. I also need to reapply some back to black plastic restorer on the steps, they look so faded against the new black paint.

 

Looks much better to me.

 

Threw a lunchbox locker in the rear diff. We'll see what the traction gains are like but I can say the drivability feels nearly unaffected with the full-time 4WD.

 

Badass!!

 

Changed a rear axle seal...putting the parking brake back together was the most fun Ive had in a long time.

 

I'm asking for a friend, but what makes it so FUn?!

 

The fact that you can spend pretty well half your day blindly fiddling with the damn retainer springs.

Worst part is I need to do the other side as well.. at least I maybe learnt a few things to make it go a bit smoother. Compressing the hold down springs with thin wire, then snipping it off after helped.(good ole youtube vids).

 

Parking brake was hands down the most frustrating thing I’ve done on my truck.

 

Interior is now all black with exception to the seat belts……they require a lot of cleaning prior to dying them. I enjoy the cloth seats and black interior way more than the tan leather.

 

Not my prettiest repair but it works. Found a tiny slice in my pax side outer CV boot. Imagine a 1/2 inch cut by an Exacto knife on the face, not down in the groove. Very little grease had come out. Saw a forum post suggesting Permatex gasket maker as a temporary repair. Went a bit overboard so it’s not the neatest job a number of people in 4R FB groups have said they've had repairs like this last for years. I know I’ll eventually need to reboot it but won’t have time for awhile so I cleaned off the grease and will monitor it.