My 4Runners -Past and Present

MY 4RUNNERS
Past and Present
1990 Toyota 4runner
Purchased April 3, 2002@184,500 miles
3L V6, 5 speed manual, SR5 ADDITIONAL FEATURES at time of purchase 4/2002
full power accessories, moon roof, rear mounted spare tire carrier, 31x10.50 tires on alloy rims, a/c, cassette, long scratch on driver's side (past conflict with a mailbox) New Goodyears installed at time of purchase

Daily driver, currently 19 mpg with hard driving. Less with a/c running
Future work: roof rack, fix my rear window relay, better pics for this site.
Timing belt, water pump, radiator core, fan clutch - expensively done as result of out of town breakdown @192,000
8/23 -- 193,000 A great ride. A good upgrade from my 1st Gen, on which I logged 110000+ miles.

1988 Toyota 4Runner
Purchased January 10, 1998 @ 139,900 miles
2.4 liter w/ EFI, 5 speed manual, and factory air conditioning

Traded away on March 23, 2003
Farewell to a good freind. This truck was the most trouble free auto I ever owned. Never left me stranded due to any breakdown, only one flat tire ever, never ran out of gas. Approximately 115,000 miles of good service. Even at the end, after sitting neglected for months, needing a new front axle, battery and alternator, I got $1500 in trade-in value, sight unseen by the salesman making the deal. Toyotas do hold their value.

1988 4runner, July of '98, Clam Gulch, Alaska
use your browser and view these pics individually for better resolution

ADDITIONAL FEATURES at time of purchase 1/98
tinted windows, Kenwood in dash CD w/ remote amp, BFG P235/15 studded tires on original rims, Yakima Rack and basket, aluminum running boards (much appreciated), K&N air filter, dent in driver's door.

Upgrades added by me
Extra leaves on rear springs, rear air deflector (formerly on an S-10 Blazer), 12" spoked rims with 31 x 10.50s, rear interior switch for back window.

Other Toyotas featured here

A DWI CLAIMS ANOTHER TOYOTA. Beware, these shots are graphic.

FROM AMERICA'S HEARTLAND
via email to me and you, a family project
Kristen and her '85 4Runner

Helpfull downloads for electrical problems are available below; repairs, schematics and troubleshooting tips.

    'Having trouble with your back window? It usely starts with sluggish operation, and that can quickly deteriorate to intermittant or inoperable.
    In general, try to operate the window only with the engine running. Full alternator voltage of 15-16 volts is a lot better than the 12.5-13.5 you'll get from the battery. The lower voltage of the battery promotes sluggish operation, which in itself leads to a greater load, demanding even more power. It builds on itself, intensifying the heating and arcing that eventually destroys the contacts in the window relay assembly.
    An easy thing to do that will help even a working window is to get into the tailgate and lube the window mechanism. Its awkward, and if you're doing it right, you won't be able to get to all you'd like. You will need to raise and lower the window in increments to get to differant sections of the mechanism. It gets worse; you work from the inside of the rig. (It is possible to fool the system and extend the window with the tailgate open, but I won't reccommend it. If you can do this, it makes the job much easier.)
    Another cheap strategy is to go over every plug connector associated with the system... in the tailgate, in the rear fender well, in the front console and at the relay. The objective is to clean the connections, lowering resistance in the circuit. Use aerosol electrical cleaner or brake cleaner, and light emery cloth. Really, spraying the fittings then working the plugs in and out will address the worst of the corrosion/tarnish.
    The switch in the interior console can be removed, and gently disassembled. The mechanism is stone age easy... clean up the little brass or copper peices and put it back together.
    I have never torn into the rear switch, but I have read where others have.
    Ultimately, we're trying to avoid buying the toyota replacement relay assembly which goes for $275-350, depending on your area and model. Low battery voltage, sticky mechanisms, extra resistance in the circuit, all contribute to the demise of the undersized contacts.
    If your electrically competant or want to try a new challenge, there is enough info below to allow you to avoid the Toyota parts counter. Whether you want to do a little or a lot, the information is here to use. Attempt to service just the contacts on a single relay, or build yourself a whole new relay assembly. The parts are a little over $50, and while its not nearly so compact as the factory circuit board, it can be concealed where the original is installed.

Rear Window	and Washer Pump info
For 2nd Generation 'Runners, this relay assembly will substitute for a failed factory unit.. Compliments of Donald.Tong	Schematic 237k Text File 3k
Another site I found with great info. Definitely check this one out.	4Crawler cheap tricks page. A good resource!
For 2nd gen rigs, this really good .pdf article deals with individual relays on the circuit board... removal , swapping relays, cleaning the relay contacts.	acrobat file 138k
For 1st Generation 'Runners, this is my revision on Mr Tong's design. It is fairly complete and should operate the window normally. Additionally, I have a line drawing that shows the layout of components on the factory OEM circuit board and details what each of the thirteen differant wires going to the relay assembly does.	Basic layout of stock relay, troubleshooting tips and wiring identification. 54k MS WORD .doc file; save to drive, then open Replacement schematic 50k Wiring diagram from repair manual. Hi res for print quality, color codes were accurate on my '88. 374k
A little blurb on my attempted repair of my rear washer pump	diagram and text 46k MS WORD .doc file; save to drive, then open
The quick install of a window control switch inside the 4Runner cargo area. 1st generation specific.	HTML file 2k
Replacement of tailgate, glass and drive motor	HTML file

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