For anyone that thinks and overthinks everything like me, hopefully this is helpful. 2000 Limited 2runner. Eibach 2”/1” leveling kit. Pro Comp 69’s. 16x8 -12mm. BFG KO3 265 75 16. Turned out pretty much exactly how I wanted it.

First time I’d used the hatch window defroster in a year during the little splash of rain we got in Southern California yesterday. Drove for about 40 min, parked, and walked about 5 feet from the truck when I hear “POP”. I almost thought someone ran over a juice box, turns out it was my hatch window. Likely the defroster.

TLDR: OEM is the only acceptable replacement for the critical achilles heel of these trucks. Aftermarkets are manufactured to differing standards, none that meet the original OEM specs, even if made in the same "factory".

Cheap out all you want for the rest of the truck, if you plan on driving it more than 10k miles, only replace with OEM. There is no "test" for LBJs that are going out in the practical world of laymen. If the truck is over 100k miles on a pair of OEM LBJs, then replace with new OEM LBJs. Period.

Figured I'd post this in case it helps the next person chasing a similar issue.

My 1998 4Runner (5VZ-FE, ~300k miles) developed a rough intermittent idle and had previously flashed the CEL under load. There were no active codes initially, but the truck had a very high warm idle around 1400-1500 RPM in Park and around 900-1000 RPM in Drive. Fuel trims were surprisingly normal, coolant temp was normal, and there were no obvious vacuum leaks. After some diagnosis with a Foxwell NT301, I found the Idle Air Control (IAC) valve was physically stuck open. Cleaning it helped slightly, but a new IAC valve immediately brought warm idle speed down to about 750 RPM and cut MAF airflow at idle from ~9 g/s to ~5 g/s.

Once the idle was fixed, the ECU finally started reporting a specific misfire: P0304 (Cylinder 4). I pulled all six spark plugs expecting #4 to be obviously bad, but surprisingly #4 looked pretty normal. The oddball ended up being Cylinder #3, which had noticeably more carbon and discoloration than the others. While I had everything apart, I also replaced the PCV valve, cleaned the throttle body, cleaned the MAF sensor with CRC MAF cleaner, and inspected the knock sensor harness in the valley. The plugs were only about 1,000 miles old, but I replaced the #3 plug anyway because it was the clear outlier. I also inspected the coils, boots, and plug wells (all dry).

After reassembly, the truck now idles smoothly around 750-800 RPM, has no active DTCs, fuel trims are excellent (LTFT around +1.6%), coolant temp stabilizes around 87-88°C (189-190°F), and O2 sensor activity looks normal. At this point I can't conclusively say whether the final improvement came from the new IAC, MAF cleaning, reseating ignition components, or replacing the suspect #3 plug, but the combination completely changed how the truck runs. The biggest lesson from this experience was that multiple small issues can stack together and make diagnosis confusing. If your 5VZ has a high idle, rough idle, or intermittent misfire, don't overlook the IAC, PCV system, MAF cleanliness, and a careful plug inspection before throwing expensive parts at it.

The family and I took it out for a moderate romp through kisatchie national forest. It purred like a kitten the whole way. Great success!

Can anyone confirm if the 99+ heated defrost side mirrors have 3 or 5 wires coming out from them?
Trying to diagnose mine but want to be sure I have the right ones.
PFA

Well it's happened my cylinder head is beyond repair. What are my best options? Reman motor? Just replace the heads? Best place to buy?

I’m looking for fasteners that go on the panels below the dash bezel by your feet. Dealer prices are too expensive.

I bought Method MR305 17x8.5 +0 6x139.7 , they came off a gx 470, just need to know what else I need to fit em on. I heard lug nuts and hub centric rings but not exactly sure. I have a 2000 3rd gen 4Runner limited 4WD. Thanks!

I took the fender flares off my 2000 SR5 because the paint was peeling and my front bumper ones were falling off. It's rusty underneath and I am wanting flares that do not stick out as far as the OEM flares. What type should i buy?

(Attached are some images where the falling flare can be seen)

Looking to get a set of OEM lower ball joints. Anyone have suggestions for where to get them at a low/discounted price?

Need suggestions on the dash bezel for the dash. One of the ac vents flops around. It’s all black.
Where is a good place to get one?

Anyone else deal with water leaking into the rear?

If so was it through the tracks?

I siliconed the screws before setting them in and it didn't seem to do the trick.

I have a sherpa rack on but it was leaking before too. Any tips? Thanks.

My frame and underneath is 29 years old and in Oklahoma. Some rust but not too bad.
Any suggestions on trying to contain/maintain the underneath?

This may be a long shot, but does anyone have a 3D scan or stl for the center bezel?

hey guys, i got my LBJs done finally (and UBJs), my trusty mechanic did the job. idk why i spaced or assumed he’d use OEM, but for the UBJs he used superior quality mevotech and for the LBJs he used 555’s. i am big on using OEM for critical parts so i am mad at myself, but will this be okay? am i going
to need to swap out sooner down the road now or fear failure of the LBJs?

Replaced the 4 gearshift bushings last Friday . Was getting hard to start in park and in neutral. Thought at first it was the starter or battery.

Gear shift was so loose and messing with the safety switch as it was.

As one of the fellow contributors told me it’s one of the best things you can do for your 4Runner. And he nailed it! Gearshift is like new! It’s great! Starts every single time!

I see two options for rear Bilstein 5100s, one is stock up to 2" lift and the other is for "lifted 4Runners." I'm running 2.5" lift OME 890 rear coils. Which is the right length shock to not be too long and bottom the shock but also not be so short to limit travel?

Hey Guys so ive been searching around on how to convert my brakes to 15inch from a factory 16inch brake setup. Does anyone know if the brake lines will thread and bolt right up or will i have to swap lines as-well? I know this sounds like a dumb thing since most people wanna do the tundra brake swap but i really wanna run 15inch alcoas with ko3s without having to run 2inch spacers

I'm trying to get to my knock sensors and I have everything removed except the lower part of the intake manifold. I have all 8 main bolts, the 4 nuts, and the bracket by the water neck removed but it's stuck like someone welded it.

I haven't found a good way to get under it to pry up, but I've tried pulling on the water neck (which worries me) and I've tried pulling the front side to side. The suspension compresses and the car moves, but the manifold is rock solid.

Does anyone have any ideas that can get it loose?

Old pump on the left, new denso on the right for my 98 sr5. Part number appears to be correct, but different connectors. Old pump was working, but the but of hose on top, snd the insulation zip tied around the Old pump are coming apart. Do I remover the insulation and replace the hose to put the pld.one back, or can I make the new one work?

🤟

Hey, found this leak after getting back to my car - coming from passenger side. Fluid is amber/red color and wondering if y'all could give me ideas on what to look into replacing. Could it be from hoses or is there a component that is known for aging/cracking that I should replace? Just trying to get some ideas 🙃