Cam's Garage

June 24, 2024 In case you weren't aware, I purchased a new (to me) 2005 Lexus GX470 about 2 months ago (see my full post here ). Over that period of time, I've been doing a LOT of maintenance and livability improvements to better enjoy my 20-year old car. GX470 Modification Breakdown at Purchase As you can probably tell, my GX470 was not quite "factory" when I bought it. There were a number of modifications that had been completed; albeit these modifications were relatively tame with nothing too crazy. Suspension ( before you ask, no I do not understand why the previous owner installed suspension that didn't match on front and rear and I did not ask at time of purchase ) Front - Old Man Emu (OME) 3" lift with comfort springs - link Rear - Dobinsons Nitro 3" lift with heavy springs - link Freedom Offroad Upper Control Arms (UCA) - link I ran these on my LX570 that I lifted, but that was due to a limited market for the 200-Series platform Ideally, I will n...

April 9, 2024 I'll go ahead and preface that all information coming from this article comes from Forbes who seemingly accidentally released the 2025 Toyota 4Runner press release at 10:15AM EST on April 9th rather than 10:15PM EST on April 9th. Their post has since been taken down, but not before information could be grabbed. Obviously, I am a fan of the Toyota 4Runner. In total, I have had 4 of them and am actively looking for a fifth (and potentially a sixth depending on next generation). If you want more information on my favorite 4Runner, see my article here . Release of the 2025 Toyota 4Runner Forbes accidentally released the first information and images on the next generation (6th) Toyota 4Runner. Here's a quick recap of that information: Like prior 4Runners, the new model also shares a lot with the latest Tacoma midsize pickup including the powertrains. Toyota’s increasingly ubiquitous 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder will be under the hood of all sixth-generation 4...

April 20, 2023 Upon purchasing the 4Runner  about a month ago, I found that I had 3 key issues that essentially prevented me from driving it. Those issues were: Temperature creeping up at idle when sitting for more than 3-5 minutes Coolant leak directly underneath radiator Brakes so shaky that it can only be compared to riding my jet ski during a busy day at the lake Neither of those issues are terrible, however the 2UZ-FE is somewhat notorious for blowing head gaskets if overheated (even once). With that knowledge, I decided to essentially keep the car parked and limit my use to avoid causing any kind of catastrophic failure. I did some inspections on the car to identify what the two failure points were. Here's what I found: Overheating issue at idle can be caused by a bad fan clutch in the 2UZ-FE. To test the fan clutch, I followed the below video (no it's not a V8, but the Tacoma is very similar in a lot of ways and figured this should be pretty accurate). My findings (espec...

April 10, 2023 As of April 2023, Toyota has produced 5 iterations of the beloved 4Runner. Each of the generations have received love in their respective era and praise decades after from enthusiasts. Below is a list of generations aligned to their respective years: First Generation (1986-1989) Second Generation (1990-1995) Third Generation (1996-2002) Fourth Generation (2003-2009) Fifth Generation (2010-Current) While I appreciate each of the generations, there has always been a special love in my heart for the 4th generation (Gen). This is probably a surprise to many as its often thought of as the ugly duckling to the group. So why do I have a special place in my heart for it? When I was growing up, it was the newer body and my father actually purchased one new in 2006 (white, SR5, 2-wheel drive, and V6 variant), so its just what I always envisioned a 4Runner should look like. In 2016, my first car (the Mazda 6) was on its way out mechanically and it was time to look for a new car. Af...