1st Gen Lunchtable Thread - General Discussion

My list should help you out lots. I recommend replacing all the seals and getting as much preventative maintenance done as you possibly can. Also, buy a remanufactured torque converter. Don't be me and use a collision warped TC and shatter two flexplates over the course of a week and end up with a $1,300 shop bill.

Preventative maintenance wise: I did the rear main seal, both axle seals, and rebuilt the manual hubs. I also had the dial faces sandblasted and powdercoated by a shop. I sandblasted and painted the front differential, and replaced the 4Runner vacuum ADD tube with a Tacoma manual hub axle tube. I took the differential apart and hammered the ADD gear stub out to allow for the longer manual hub jackshaft.

Transmission and transfer case wise, buy a transmission that already has a transfer case mated to it. Too many variables at play when buying two different ones. I read a few threads where the t-case grenaded itself due to improper installation, and another one from using the wrong transfer case. The 4Runner transmission and transfer case should work, however there are some electrical differences regarding sensors and the location of the VSS.

Don't bother trying to find the correct length rear driveshaft, I had a lot of issues with the wrong sized ones. I used Driveline Services of San Leandro and they cut the tube, welded a non-flared one on, and balanced it for about $100.

One thing I would recommend is doing the wheel bearings. I didn't do those because I didn't have a press or the time.

 

very.. my im the guy that marks every single bolt on his truck after its been torqued to spec... i have issues..

I also have to have my stereo turned up to even numbers or multiples of 5. lol

 

Thanks for the info - much appreciated. I've read your horror story a few times now about the torque converter incident... will take the advice lol.

 

You know how rare it is to have a warped torque converter right? lol your like one in a million

but a new/reman TC is cheap insurance in the long run

 

hahaha totally understand. If I haven't taken care of an issue completely or know it could have been done better, seriously - i'll wake up at 3am and think about it and know I have to take care of it. hahaha multiples of 5... damn!

 

I'd even go for a remanufactured transmission if you can swing it. If I were to do this again I would probably buy a transmission from a truck that I have personally seen run and drive, or just buy a reman unit.

 

reman aint cheap. and they dont come with transfercases or PRNDL switches. you have to install that yourself

 

And depending which company remand it sometimes it isn't better than an old one out of a good running truck

 

The mechanics at the shop were stumped. They thought it was just a normal routine broken flexplate, however when I went to drive it out of the shop a few days later, the flexplate broke again as I was driving it out of the garage. The owner of the shop called me a day later and told me "We checked every measurement in the AISIN A340 manual - runout, depth, etc. and it looks like your mating surface was warped and uneven."

I gave them my A340E TC to use, even though the stall speed is 300-400 RPM different, and they used that.

 

Toyota Reman is the only one id trust.. but your talking 3 grand sometimes..


best bet is cheap used trans.. have a reputable trans shop rebuild it.

 

That's why I said if you can swing it. Otherwise I'd only buy one from a truck than I know runs and shifts smoothly. That's the thing about junkyard finds, you don't know the condition of the part you're buying. My transmission had black as molasses ATF.

 

So I have an A340E with a 4:10 ratio. So the front has to be a 4:10 as well. Joyous. Searches.

I figured for the transmission, I would do just that - look for a re-manufactured/rebuilt job and be done with it. Hmmmm. Going to get complicated (the search).

 

4.10 is the most common.. diff out of a 1st gen tundra or sequoia should work too.

 

The 4.10 differential is probably the most common 1990's/2000's Toyota truck and SUV gear ratio. It's common as dirt. You can find it in anything and everything.

The Newark Pick-n-Pull probably has three 4x4 4Runners that have a 4.10 front diff right now.

 

hell thats what i'll do tomorrow.. test the sequoia diff

 

Post results. I need to finish that 4x4 swap writeup I've been working on since last year.

I bet the mounting brackets are different.

 

this then. unless I get lucky and some bloke around the corner from me decides his truck is old and ready to sell cheap

I'll head over there tomorrow and take a look to see what they have. You know better than I but every single time I have come across a taco or 4runner it is literally picked clean. nothing worth writing home about. I went up to the oakland yard with my brother in law who needed a part for his accord. checked their site and it said they had an 03 taco which arrived 2 days prior. there was nothing left.

 

no all thats identical. its the splines inside the diff im curious about.. im confused why TC has 1000 dollar modified axles for the LT trucks

 

I've never seen a 4x4 4Runner or Tacoma that has had the front differential removed. No one ever wants it. I've seen a million 4x4 4Runners and two 4x4 Tacomas. All of them still had their front differential.

 

I forgot who it was who told me it was different, but the tooth count for 4.10 in the 4Runner versus the Tacoma are different.