Camping Truck 04 DC Build (4x4 Conversion)

Cant remember off hand, but dont think that will work. I think I remember splicing in the 4wd vss plug into the factory harness.

 

Corrosion on the shifter plate is from a soda spill the original owner had early in the life of the truck. The acid actually ate up my driver front right seat bolt too but I replaced it a while back. Still need to smooth out the edges and clean it up some. I also need to find a transfer case rubber boot or make my own since the 4Runner boot had split in half and was flaking. I already have a brand new shifter surround/leather boot.
Mounted the front differential with a drop kit and brand new front arm bushings from @Plastics Guy. I'm putting the transmission back in later tonight.

 

That red looks pretty sic underneath there!

Nice work so far. This has been a cool build to follow

 

The plug on the tail housing is for the VSS, there’s a few sensors and this one has a gear on it like your 2wd transmission. The only splicing you need is to lenghthen the wires so they reach the back of the transfer case.

Wish I had a better picture but this is what that sensor looks like

 

Might just run a GPS as my speedometer for a while until I have time to deal with it. The plug my friend thinks is the speed sensor is labeled as the "O/D Direct Clutch Speed Sensor" in the FSM.

 

That’s one of the sensors, but the VSS is the one labeled No.1 Vehicle Speed Sensor. My 4wd transmission is in without it and I don’t get any speed reading

 

Might have found what I need here on ebay. If not then I can call some Toyota yards in California/Colorado and get them to pull one.

 

yeah that looks like the right one

 

Filled the tcase with gear oil and the trans with 5.5 quarts of ATF so far. Think I'll end up needing a bit more according to other people doing drain and fills. I'm done for the night. Edit: Interesting that my trucks manual calls for ATF IV when older Tacos and all 3rd gen 4Runners call for Dexron III.

 

Yeah I ended up using a lot more ATF than what the manual called for.

Let me know how your transmission behaves without the vehicle speed sensor, I feel like my torque converter doesn’t want to lockup on the highway, but idk if it’s my TC or because I don’t have the VSS connected

 

I’ll be adding a speed sensor this Monday hopefully. Haven't been able to find a press plate locally to press the hubs myself so I'm heading to a machine shop after class today to get it done. I'll do my road testing tonight if all goes well.

 

Right on man! Good luck

 

Bit of a hold up in the process again (can't catch a break but at least it's just minor annoyances) the shop I took the bearings to for pressing broke the first bearing they tried and corrected themselves on the second go. They didn't really listen to what I told them because I guess they figured I was some dumb college kid who didn't know anything about this. I try not to step on people's toes as they do this stuff for a living but in this case if they listened to me they wouldn't be purchasing an OEM bearing on their own dime. They did the same thing a lot of people have done and didn't properly support while pressing. Makes me wish I could've sourced press plates locally for my press at a reasonable price.

Thankfully the shop was able to contact the local Toyota dealer and get a new bearing ordered before the end of the week. I'll be putting everything together late Friday night.

 

Doing some extra cosmetic work on the locking hubs with the delay. Paint isn't perfect but solid for caliper paint. The machine shop gets the replacement bearing tomorrow morning.

 

Bolted everything on and started the truck. Truck threw 5 codes relating to the transmission. Think it’s just plugs on the trans not seated or connected correctly. Hopefully not damage or shorts.

Disconnected all the wiring on the trans after disconnecting the battery. I’ll mess with it later tonight.

Edit: It’s later. Plugged all connections back in and we’re good to go. Drove around the neighborhood a few times and slowly added more transmission fluid. Haven’t tried 4WD yet but that’s in the plans for tomorrow. Idle was really low for a bit but went back to a ~900 after a bit.

 

Truck just threw a code for the VSS. Figure it doesn’t matter at all that I drive it around and back home for thanksgiving. I get the speed sensor Monday hopefully and then I can install it before highway use.@BartMaster1234 @Lfaub03

 

Tested 4WD in various conditions. It's weird to drive around on some trails I used to hit in 2WD and not struggle at all. I've driven a 96 Suburban 4WD but it's way different when it's a vehicle you know so much better.
Transfer case shifts smoothly and highway speeds are fine although I need an alignment. I think I ended up putting 7.5 quarts of ATF in but that might be wrong.

 

without the speed sensor does the torque converter not lock on the highway? I've been having that problem in my truck and I'm hoping it's just the VSS

 

Everything seemed fine but I’ve yet to take it on a highway over 60mph and that was for about 5 minutes. If I have time tomorrow I’ll jump on the interstate and check again at 75mph.

 

Cool cool