Took my 4Runner in to the dealership for the steering relay rod recall. Got it back washed and waxed (cool) with a nice Christmas list of more stuff to fix:

Shifter bushing worn out and old
Clutch worn out
Power steering pump leaking
Valve cover gaskets leaking
Brake fluid flush
Power steering flush
Fuel induction/injector cleaning service
Steering stop caps worn
Rear differential leaking at speed sensor
Upper and lower ball joints worn out

I'm wondering:
What on the list is the most important to get done right away? (Ball joints?) (I noticed top-to-bottom play in the driver's side front wheel when I jacked it up)
What can I do myself easily?

Any suggestions from the wise members of this forum?

Ted '94 4Runner 3VZ-E 163,000mi.

Yea get some headers. Seems to be the best preventative maintenence you can do.

Easy Stuff.....

Shifter bushing worn out and old
Power steering pump leaking
Brake fluid flush
Power steering flush
Steering stop caps worn
Rear differential leaking at speed sensor

Little bit harder stuff......

Clutch worn out
Valve cover gaskets leaking
Fuel induction/injector cleaning service
Upper and lower ball joints worn out


Now, first thing I would attack would be the ball joints. They can cause premature tire wear, and if they completely fail, they can cause an accident. Check out the FSM manual posted in this forum at the top for a repair guide.

Degrease the power steering pump and hoses and go from there to find your leak. Does it groan and moan, or is it hard to steer? If so and your fluid level is full, the pump is on its way out and needs to be rebuilt or replaced.

Shifter bushings are a cheap easy fix. See here for the fix
http://www.off-road.com/toyota/tech/shifter/index.html

Power steering and brake fluid flush are pretty simple. For the brakes I'd just keep bleeding each corner, pushing all the old fluid out while keeping the master cylinder full until only clear fluid comes out. Power steering fluid I would drain whats in the reservoir and just replace with new fluid.

Steering stops, well, just dab some grease on the stops at ever oil change. You can buy replacement plastic covers, but they will wear out quickly.

Rear diff leak, just unscrew the ABS/Speed sensor and there's probably a o-ring or it just needs to be tightened down.

The leaking valve covers can be more of a pita, especially the passenger side. You have to remove the intake plenum to get at the pass. side cover.

Fuel injection cleaning service, well, I don't know, if your getting good gas mileage and everything is running smooth, I'm not sure you need it.

If your clutch is truly worn out, you need to look into replacing it before it goes out and leaves you stranded. It's not really a extremely difficult job, the the proper tools are required, like a trans jack that you can rent, multiple ratchet extensions, and a good set of hand tools. Everything is tight and hard to get to, but with patience and time it can be done. Does it slip? Make noises?


hope this helps.

Adam F, thanks for the very thorough response!

For a '94 4Runner, do I need special machinery to replace the ball joints? Somebody told me I better go to a shop, because I need some kind of press to take the ball joints out, or put the new ones in, or both (I can't remember). I called one shop though, and the price they gave me was $600 for the top and bottom driver's side ball joints!

I really haven't noticed any problems with anything else, except maybe the shifter bushing, and there's fluid gunked up on top of the differential where the speed sensor is. No problems shifting or steering.

Also, you wrote:
Check out the FSM manual posted in this forum at the top for a repair guide.

Where is that?

I've never done balljoints on a Toyota. It looks like they have 4 bolts on them, but they are still pressed in. The FSM shows a "SST" but I'm sure you could rig up a ball joint press tool to do the job.

Hopefully someone who has done it will chime in.

the ball joint should just pop out once you undo the 4 bolts (and undo the tapered end). it may be frozen in, but just tap 'em out with a hammer.

You can usually get a press through a load-a-tool at shops that do that. I'd check there first, it could be rather cheep if you do it yourself.

At BAP they want $32.29 a piece for the uppers and $26.99 a piece for the lowers for my '86 I assume that it'll be about the same for yours.....if you're goin to the stealers you can probally add about 40% to those prices. I'll be doin that job pretty soon, along with new CV axels on both sides....I swear the PO of this truck was a COMPLETE idiot. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

Ditto eighty-eight. You can pop the bj's out with a hammer.
You'll want PB Blaster or Aerokroil to soak things if there's a lot of rust in those areas.
Antiseize compound for reassembly.
A good axle grease for the spindle needle bearings, esp if you like to go out into water crossings

Wire brush to clean up mating surfaces before reassembly
Bungy cord to support brake calipers
loctite for the caliper bolts
cotter keys as applicable; your replacement bj's may have nylock nuts instead of castle nuts

Special tools
pickle fork
torque wrench A MUST; you can rent one

Do a read, and take a couple notes.