Truck Tech

 

 

Hi Roger;

I have a 94 4Runner, 5 speed, that is starting to jump out of gear in first and third.  It has about 150k miles on it.  Any thoughts? 

·        David Emmet

 

Hi David;

If there is a lot of play in the shifter, this web page may help:

http://www.off-road.com/toyota/tech/shifter/index.html

It covers replacing the shifter seat bushing.  When its worn, it can allow excessive play in the shifter and that can lead to difficulty shifting into gear as well as letting it pop out of gear.

·        Roger

 

(A reply from David)

Hi Roger;

I did the repair you suggested to the shifter of my 4Runner, and it now shifts perfectly and no longer jumps out of gear!  Thanks so much!

·        David

 

Hi David;

I’m glad the article was helpful, the real thanks should go to Ken Flesher for writing the article.

·        Roger

 

 

Hi Roger;

The rear axle seal in my Toyota 4Runner is leaking and I need to replace it.  The shoes are wet from the axle oil and I am worried about safety.  The part was only like $6.00 that I bought.  I would appreciate any tips as how to do it and what’s involved.  Thank you.

·        Matt

 

Hi Matt;

The replacement procedure is covered in the Factory Service Manual and likely in other repair manuals.  There is also a full write-up on-line:

http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/maintenance/rear_axle/wheel_bearing/

If the oil is getting past the wheel bearing and oil seal and into the brakes, then you’ll likely need a press to remove and replace the wheel bearings.

·        Roger

 

 

Hi Roger;

I have an 87 4runner and my AC just quit one day.  Now the button doesn’t light up when pushed.  I can’t find a fuse either.  Any ideas?  Thanks

·        Dave

 

Hi Dave;

Pull the glove box and look on the passenger side of the center section of the lower dash.  Also, if the Freon pressure is low enough, the A/C is prevented from turning on, no light on the dash, no compressor clutch.

·        Roger

 

(A reply from Dave)

Hi Roger;

Thank you.  I have had the glove box out before and couldn’t find any fuses there, but you say lower left of the hole, once the box is out?  Is there a cover that makes it look like part of the heater ductwork?  The AC seemed good and cold when it stopped so do you think low Freon is still a possibility?  Thanks

·        Dave

 

Hi Dave;

It is located in the center of the dash, just to the left of the glove box.  There are a few relays and fuses tucked back in there, above the radio.  Regarding the low Freon, it may have blown a hose or something like that, I’ve had that happen before.

·        Roger

 

(Another reply from Dave)

Hi Roger;

I don’t know how I missed the fuses there before.  Found the A/C and heater fuses.  The A/C 10-amp fuse was blown.  All I had was a 15-amp fuse and my A/C worked fine going home for lunch.  I got in to show my wife after lunch and it must have blown the 15-amp fuse, nothing happens again.  Maybe the hot wire to the compressor clutch is shorting against something.  Now, what do you think?  Thanks

·        Dave

 

Hi Dave;

To troubleshoot further, you’ll need to get a wiring diagram and start checking out the circuit.  Use and ohm-meter to check for resistances in the circuit itself as well as from that circuit to ground (i.e. a short circuit).  Best strategy is to “divide and conquer”, try to split the circuit in half (approximately) and see if you can rule out one half as being good, then concentrate on the other half, repeating the troubleshooting strategy if needed.  Finding intermittent electrical problems can be frustrating and time consuming.  One other strategy is to see if you can bypass the factory wiring with some new wires and see if that fixes the problem.  If so, either run with the new wires, or dig into the stock wiring and try to find and repair the problem.

·        Roger

 

 

Hi Roger;

I hope you can help me with this problem I am having with my automatic transmission.  I have an ‘85 4Runner with an A/T and around 278,000 miles on it.  When I purchased this truck about a year ago, it had a block lift and stiff 18-year-old leaf springs.  When going over bumps, it would sometimes pop out of gear into neutral.  Then while driving on the highway at 65 mph, my transmission decided to drop into 1st gear.  So it was replaced with a slightly newer transmission with around 100,000 miles on it.

I replaced the suspension with AOR set of springs and crossover steering.  So now, on the street, I don’t have trouble with the transmission popping out of gear.  However, you knew this was coming, when I am off road it will pop out of gear while I am climbing (and bouncing) up a hill.  I’ve been told there is an adjustment, but I need to be careful about the indexing.  Can you give me any direction here?  Might there be any other causes to this behavior?

Thanks for your help.

·        Matt

 

Hi Matt;

Is there any body lift on the vehicle?  If so, that is the likely cause.  I would look at the area where the shifter passes through the floor of the vehicle.  Its likely when the body shifts relative to the frame off-road, there might be some interference between the shift linkage that is mounted to the transmission/transfer case and the shifters.  One way to check is to try and remove all the shifter boots and console covering so you can see what’s going on.  Then try and find a safe, out of the way place where you can test it out.  If you find you can’t repeat the problem it could be just the boots and console are causing the problem.  I have some adjustment instructions on my web page; they are a bit detailed, with pictures, so best to read it on-line:

http://www.4Crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/Docs/BodyLift_HowTo.shtml#AutomaticTranny1

·        Roger

 

(A reply from Matt)

Hi Roger,

There is no body lift on this truck.  You do have some good suggestions that I will look into.  Thanks.

·        Matt

 

Hi Matt;

Even w/o a body lift, there can be binding in the A/T shift linkage.  With the brackets I make for the body lifted trucks, there seems to be a wide amount of variation in the stock shift linkage.  Most work fine lifted 1”, but some need brackets there.  At 2” most need brackets, but some don’t.  At 3” of lift, all need some sort of bracket, but some run a 2” bracket, some 3”; some need to bend the linkage and/or brackets to fit, etc.  In your case, since the common factor you have between the two transmissions is the shifters and shift linkage, then I would look to that as the source of the problem.  There are also some pivot points in the linkage that can get loose over time.  They can usually be tightened up with new bushings.

·        Roger

 

 

Note:

If you are searching for, building, modifying, or maintaining a Toyota 4WD mini-truck (Pickup, Hilux, 4Runner, Surf, or Tacoma), send your Truck Tech questions to Roger Brown at <TruckEditor@tlca.org>.  I’ll try to answer your questions with authority!