Tbars Project "X" begins

[Tbars4]

..After Moab trip vehicle report..

..The Project "X" had never been on the highway for half as far one-way nor has it been driven over the road and offroad with out either being trailered home or at least some type of carnage..:shifty_ey

..I am glad to say it did fantastic..:biggthump

..My best gas mileage was hwy = 18 even and offroad everyone got the same, 12.5-13 mpg's..

..The only problem it did have on the trip was due to it's age..

..Heading out to the first trail in Moab and we had a nice canyon breeze blowing with all the windows down...All of a sudden the headliner started falling and shredding over the front seats..

..So, a new headliner, rattlecan some paint, and fix the steering for alignment and she will be back in top shape..

..Side note..Ping is still there on/off and never changed the whole trip..:scratch:

 

[Tbars4]

..So, a new headliner, rattlecan some paint, and fix the steering for alignment and she will be back in top shape..

..Well I need to add that she sprung a water leak...It's not the water pump weep hole and on a quick inspection it is somewhere between tunder the a/c compressor and the timing cover..

..I'm going to try and tighten the bolts up first and I'm hoping it's not in the same location as Ranger X's leak was..

 

[Tbars4]

..I was a bad boy yesterday..

..I got a front bearing squeal on the drivers side that needed immediate attention...and the water leak was quickly getting worse..

..So I pulled it apart, saw a groove in the snout, threw some new bearings on her, added 1 tube of aluma-seal to the radiator, and on a moments notice I decided to say heck with it and went camping..

..After all, it was the Fourth of July..

..on a side note..While inspecting the problem it turns out the manual hub O'ring has shrunk in size and is so flat I thought there wasn't even one on it..

..Apparently the water was going right by the O'ring and getting into the grease..Not a good thing at all when you like water crossings..

 

[Tbars4]

..Heading out to the first trail in Moab and we had a nice canyon breeze blowing with all the windows down...All of a sudden the headliner started falling and shredding over the front seats..

..The X got a new headliner installed today and I also went by O'reilly's and picked it up it's very own 400 watt inverter with usb port..It's one of their brands and it has a 2 year warranty at any of their stores So it's a goody..

..No more moving the inverter over between the trucks..

 

[adamsbro2]

 

[Stic-o]

Though you would appreciate this. Stumbled across this

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/off-roading-home-monst4rs/67331-4runner-kitchen.html

 

[Scott B.]

Though you would appreciate this. Stumbled across this

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/off-roading-home-monst4rs/67331-4runner-kitchen.html

Looks nice - but heavy.

 

[Tbars4]

Though you would appreciate this. Stumbled across this

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/off-roading-home-monst4rs/67331-4runner-kitchen.html

..Thanks Steve..I'm going to also include it in the "Getting ready for an Expedition" thread for those who are also interested in these type of projects..:biggthump

 

[Tbars4]

..Finally got around to changing the drivers side tie rod today and quickly headed over to Firestone to get her aligned after I rotated my tires of course..

..3 hours or so later with some coaching and rooting them on, we got her done..:biggthump

..Decided to head down and pick up a hayden severe duty fan clutch as I'm not having problems cooling the truck but it appears I'm not pulling any airflow thru the tranny cooler and the fan clutch has probably medium resistance when it's hot out..

..I'm also trying to find some hose for the tranny cooler as one side appears to be leaking and about broke..

I'm hoping to pick up the hose when I find the fan clutch tool to rent this week amongst my travels..

 

[Tbars4]

..The X got lots of lovin' this weekend..

..It got the severe duty fan clutch installed, a new oil cooler, and a new pair of front seats...

..After all...Who would only replace one seat?..

 

[Keeper0311]

Pics!

 

[jwrezz]

Pics!

agreed

 

[Tbars4]

..Aw crop...I knew I forgot something..

..I'll snap a pic this week and hopefully I'll start a couple write-ups including one on the new Accel coil pack..

 

[adamsbro2]

Sweet can't wait for pics

 

[Tbars4]

..Before I forget I need to add that my replacement of the PCV elbow with a high temp heater hose elbow failed...:thumbdwn:

..I just replaced that also with one from Ford P/N#F0TZ6A664AA - LIST PRICE $30.16

..Here are a couple pics of the seats...They are the XRC seats GREY/BLK and they recline and mounted right up to the factory brackets..

..:scratch:..well..I did have to use a few machine washers to level them up and a couple of zip ties to hold them in place but they are in there..:biggthump

..While I was pulling the seats out I found these..These were a gift from Brian1 and his "Dimple Die Fab Shop"...

..Again, Thank you Brian...

 

[Tbars4]

..I finally got around to replacing the fuel pump in hopes it would cure the ping under load..Other than that it seemed to work fine but I had heard some take a long time to die and even though mine didn't die, I believe it was only a matter of time as I think it might have been original..

..I added a lot of "How To" information in this thread for those wanting to tackle swapping their fuel pump themselves..
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=367949&page=2&highlight=fuel

Hopefully I remembered to remove the fuel line tool..:scratch:

..Thankfully I researched the fuel pump on here first as all the local parts houses are selling the "Airtek" brand and search results shows this is a common failure part as soon as a week to a month after installation..

..Further search results said the Carter fuel pump was the one to get so that' s what I wound up seeking out and purchasing...Oddly, it's only a couple bucks more than the p.o.s. Airtek fp out here..

..It came with some handy little instructions and a 12 month warranty however..

..In order not to void warranty you must also buy and install a new fuel filter...No problem..:biggthump

..I'm glad I did swap my fuel filter as my existing fuel filter with probably less than 10,000 miles looked like it was getting corroded pretty bad..

 

[Keeper0311]

..:scratch:..well..I did have to use a few machine washers to level them up and a couple of zip ties to hold them in place but they are in there..:biggthump

That sounds safe.

Spiffy plates, what do you plan to do with them?

 

[Tbars4]

..I'm pretty sure the Harbor Freight zip ties will hold you in..I always install the victim seat first so I can work the bugs out before I install the drivers seat..

..The plates have several uses...They can be used to "brand" wood, as a stencil with paint, or as an awesome detail welded onto sliders or a roll cage..

 

[Keeper0311]

Sounds awesome man!

 

[Tbars4]

...Out with the old...

..and in with the new..