Grinding noise and a shiny workaround

[4LoLo]

Monday I was driving Fluffy on my daily routine of dropping the kids off and heading to work. I got up to highway speed and the R151 sounded like it was going to explode. Great - just what I need since my crawler has been promoted to my primary transportation/kid hauler for past few months.

I promptly turned around and headed back home, keeping the speeds low. I told Mrs 4lolo that my best guess is the Marlin Growler's bearing gave up the ghost and I would need to tear it down to be sure. Pending surgery for a total disc replacement suggests I don't need to be wrangling transmissions solo anymore. Mrs 4lolo reminded me of this and offered a really nice workaround as opposed to fixing it right now.

Get one of these. :D


It's a bit of an upgrade from the Rusticle but I think I will adjust.

So... anyone know some really good Ramen recipes?

[Patrolman]

Nice! Does the TRD have the e-lockers still?

[Pathrat]

:rant:We had been looking for an affordable, non-POS one of those for months! So jealous!

Your new Toyota looks great!

Hot dogs and Spaghettios to break up the monotony of Tuna Ramen Casserole? Bulk buying at Costco helped us out. :)

[4LoLo]

Nice! Does the TRD have the e-lockers still?

Thanks! :D

Yes, they do still come with an e-locker but you have to look pretty hard to get one. Most of the TRDs are just equipped with a rear LSD. I looked at handful of these at the dealer and this was the only pre-owned Taco in this body style that they had with an e-locker. Having an e-locker was one of my requirements. :smokin:

Before anyone goes thinking I'm a bit on the :princess: side... I more than paid my dues driving s**t boxes for the past several years. This is the first vehicle I have brought home in the last 8 years that didn't need work to get back on the road.

Most recently the Rusticle was my DD. When Mrs 4LoLo got her new job I needed (safe/legal) seating for 3 to haul two kiddos, so I was driving Fluffy. The kids like Fluffy and all, but they don't seem to mind riding in this. The attached pic of the Rusticle is it's *good* side. I loved that pickup, it's gone on to another Toyota guy and he has been beating it accordingly.



:rant:We had been looking for an affordable, non-POS one of those for months! So jealous!

Your new Toyota looks great!

Hot dogs and Spaghettios to break up the monotony of Tuna Ramen Casserole? Bulk buying at Costco helped us out. :)

Thanks Pathrat - keep'em coming. Wifey just hit Costco the other day, may have been woman's intuition? Tuna mac will be on the menu a lot in the next few months.

[Patrolman]

The Rusticle... Nice. I suppose someday I will be driving a vehicle that didn't need work when I acquired it. Must be a nice feeling! At least you know that it will serve you well for some time to come!

[4LoLo]

The Rusticle... Nice. I suppose someday I will be driving a vehicle that didn't need work when I acquired it. Must be a nice feeling! At least you know that it will serve you well for some time to come!

Jeff, it's nice not have things that *need* to be done. I can't remember the last time I had a vehicle with zero need-to-dos. Of course I can't leave well enough alone and I am already starting a list of things to do to this one.

Before I got one I already knew I would want to get sliders ASAP and bumpers to follow. I'll probably make the bumpers myself and buy sliders. I am going to mod the e-locker ECU so it doesn't decide when I can and can't lock in the rear diff.

I finally had a chance to look it all over last night and saw a few more things to add to the list.

I don't like how they did the exhaust and will fab a skid plate so I don't crush the crossover pipe. The pipe runs right under a crossmember and looks pretty vulnerable to me. I am not sure the TRD tuned exhaust is any different. It came with the stock exhaust.

The bed is a plastic/poly (of sorts) on the inside skinned in sheet metal outside. I will be putting some more anchors in the bed for junk wrangling and want to do backing plates under the tupperware to keep my anchors anchoring for years to come.

Problem there is, when I shake my piggy bank it makes no sound. :pig: :(

[4runner freak]

Nice new rig, Bear!

Terah said those sweet words about 6 months ago: "Honey, why don't you just buy a Tacoma or NEWER 4runner and keep this one as a play toy"
I was shocked. Of course that only lasted about 3 weeks until I got laid off.
I looked for work, got a new job, and then Terah got laid off. :(
Well,.....




She got an offer today that she is going to take.
I'll have to ask if I can start looking again :D

[Patrolman]

You can make the argument too that a 3.4 should get about as much MPG as your 22re, if not better. The Tacoma with the 4cyl is kinda hard to find, but gets very decent mileage and still has decent power. Bad part is no TRD with the 4cyl. Glad that everyone is employed again and can support their "habits"!

Does BudBuilt make a crossmember for the new Taco's?

[Chris]

Congrats Bear, looks nice!

Yeah, too nice really - needs some pinstripes at least :D

Total disc replacement tells me the even pinstripes won't be for a while. Good luck with that. Are you going bionic like Pathrat did?

:cheers:

[Pathrat]

I don't like how they did the exhaust and will fab a skid plate so I don't crush the crossover pipe. The pipe runs right under a crossmember and looks pretty vulnerable to me. I am not sure the TRD tuned exhaust is any different. It came with the stock exhaust.


Problem there is, when I shake my piggy bank it makes no sound. :pig: :(

Now I need to go look under mine...I have the TRD set up but it never occurred (Brody, spell check this word for me!) to me to see if I could smash it under a cross member.

Yes, the monies...:2c: x about 10,000 should do it :)

[Brody]

Hey Buddy

DO NOT TOUCH YOUR NEW RIG WITH THE THOUGHT OF MODIFYING IT! Just say 'NO', Bro....

You already have a project/4x wheeling rig....

[gragravar]

Hey Buddy

DO NOT TOUCH YOUR NEW RIG WITH THE THOUGHT OF MODIFYING IT! Just say 'NO', Bro....

You already have a project/4x wheeling rig....

Thats advice I need to take, but it is so hard to follow.

The new toy looks nice!

[Brody]

Yeah....know the feeling, too, which is why I posted this for Bear. When I get a real DD, I have promised myself not to mess with it-absolutely no performance mods, suspension mods, bolt on crap, etc. I will just leave it alone. I neither want nor need another project vehicle anyway...I don't even have enough time to keep mine running/repaired/modified as it is ...and I don't even have kids....Nor do I have the extra $$ to have a couple of project rigs.

Bear's rig, Fluffy, sounds like it needs a $90 bearing from Marlin and about a day's work to get it back on the road. Mine had the same problem and it turned out it was a design flaw that got fixed later on. Something about oil starvation to the bearing causing it to trash out.

Anyway, Bear got the same rig I want to get and I know how much I would have to resist the urge to modify it. I have also promised myself to never ever start doing modifications on anything that isn't totally paid for. Especially having been down that rather dark road before....

[4LoLo]

You can make the argument too that a 3.4 should get about as much MPG as your 22re...

Does BudBuilt make a crossmember for the new Taco's?

Actually I can't make the 3.4 argument. I have the 4.0 :D It does get about the same mileage, surprisingly.

No idea on the BudBuilt, no money to get one if he did. I'll keep them in mind though, thanks.


Congrats Bear, looks nice!

Yeah, too nice really - needs some pinstripes at least :D

Total disc replacement tells me the even pinstripes won't be for a while. Good luck with that. Are you going bionic like Pathrat did?

:cheers:

Thanks Chris.
Got a couple pinstripes from Bren and I taking the boys camping last weekend. Now it's broken in :cool: I had to get the trip in before surgery or we'd probably be snow camping by the time I recover, I was also just a teeny bit anxious to get the new Taco on the trail to get familiar with it.

Yes, I am getting the very same disc, just for the lumbar. :thunb:



....Anyway, Bear got the same rig I want to get and I know how much I would have to resist the urge to modify it. I have also promised myself to never ever start doing modifications on anything that isn't totally paid for. Especially having been down that rather dark road before....

Once again... VERY sound advice. Mrs 4LoLo was very happy to hear you telling me things things at the b-day party. She knows the hard part will be if I will actually listen... SO tempting to do mods. :wrench: Luckily (or unluckily) I can't afford any Taco mods at the moment anyway. I'm with Brody on this too, I already have a built trail rig I can't afford.

Thanks for the info on the doubler bearing. I didn't even start looking up prices since I will not be tearing it down for a couple months at this point.

[4LoLo]

Now I need to go look under mine...I have the TRD set up but it never occurred (Brody, spell check this word for me!) to me to see if I could smash it under a cross member.

Yes, the monies...:2c: x about 10,000 should do it :)

Pathrat, Mine is all full-fledged TRD package, but the TRD tuned exhaust is another buy-up option. I stopped by the stealership on the way home from my pre-surgery appointments this evening. While I was there I crawled around a number of vehicles. Pretty funny really, getting approached by salesmen asking if they can help me while I'm under vehicles :lol: . I got a lot of funny looks crawling around but that may have been the bandage on my arm from drawing blood and the hospital bracelet? I may have had that escaped mental patient look about me? :confused:

I do have to say that the Burt salesmen have very good ethics and manners. No circling shark feelings at all. They were also very willing to pass me off to more knowledgeable salesmen during my initial buy. Now that I think of it, maybe I'm a bit of a pain in the .... [/rant]

Um, I'll stop hijacking my own thread now.

Pathrat, your FJ has the same vulnerable exhaust. On your FJ, if you are standing next to the drivers mirror and get on the ground, you'll see the frame cross member spanning both frame rails. Just behind the cross member towards the rear end, you'll see the exhaust pipe. I should mention that I don't know of anyone having issues with it but it just looks like it could get some hits.

I found a new TRD Taco with what looked to be the TRD tuned exhaust, it was a TRD Sport FWIW. Maybe someone can correct me here but I think the only difference is stainless steel, tuned muffler and mandrel bends. Anyone have any idea if this is correct?

I'm curious enough to look it up, just not right now :)

[Pathrat]

... Pretty funny really, getting approached by salesmen asking if they can help me while I'm under vehicles :lol: . I got a lot of funny looks crawling around but that may have been the bandage on my arm from drawing blood and the hospital bracelet? I may have had that escaped mental patient look about me? :confused:

.....

Pathrat, your FJ has the same vulnerable exhaust. On your FJ, if you are standing next to the drivers mirror and get on the ground, you'll see the frame cross member spanning both frame rails. Just behind the cross member towards the rear end, you'll see the exhaust pipe. I should mention that I don't know of anyone having issues with it but it just looks like it could get some hits.

I'm curious enough to look it up, just not right now :)

LOL...you should have seen the salesguys when I grabbed the sheet out of the back of my rig and started examining the undercarriages when I was helping Hugh get his truck.

I see what part of the exhaust system you are talking about. I do have some scrape marks on that part. My skid goes back to that cross member. What can be done to protect that part? Besides another skid plate going even further back? Even then, the pipe is flush with the cross member so that would take some finageling.

More importantly, thanks for the information and your post. This prompted me to go out and get under the FJC where I noted that the T-case is hot (came back from Littleton at around 730pm) and I have evidence of fluid seepage around the seal. :confused: What the hell? (I swear, I am trying to learn the simple things about engines!)