2000 Limited TRD refresh/repair story

I can now confirm: No resistor included if you buy the single pack. But looking at the double-pack, it appears no resistor is included there either. The single bulbs look identical to the ones in the 2-pack. I also see a Q&A in the scAmmerzon page for the 2-pack saying 'newer cars will need a resister to use these with high/low beams working correctly in many cases'. I'm going to try w/o a resister and see what happens. If I need one, I'll just buy it.

Oh, and I heard back from BraveWAY - the single bulb package is the exact same bulb, so ... save yourself some $$ - convo with them is below.

​

 

When I bought my LEDs (Katana) they had a note in the box that said something like "if you need a resistor, write us...we'll send it for free". And so they did! Maybe send a note to your supplier?

 

I think I'm going to give that a shot, I'll message the seller on scAmmerzon and see if/what they'll do.

 

I thought that the little boxes that are shown were resistors? Maybe not, but in the youtube video I linked, no extra step is needed. The bulbs worked fine with whatever box comes attached.

 

Little box is a driver, similar to a ballast for fluorescent lighting. If it's not clear the difference between the two, since they behave a bit opposite, some reading.

 

Replaced the sway bar link that had broken… feels really nice to take turns at normal speeds. The truck felt like a school bus without the sway bar connected.



Didn’t even have to remove the wheel!

 

Wtf caused that rubout on your shock body? Looks almost like it's inline with your axle boot.

 

Not sure. Probably something from when the ball joint went out. Between the frame replacement, ball joint, and various work over the years, that shock has probably been removed and installed numerous times. Could be from a mechanic too.

I’ll be replacing all four shocks sometime this spring, as they’re all in pretty rough shape.

My plan is to keep the 4600s, because they just ride so good, and buy either Timbren or Sumo spring active bumpstops, which would allow me to use the 4600s to their full potential with significantly decreased risk of damage if I use them a bit harder than they’re intended for.

 

I'm shopping for sway bar links now. Which one did you use?

 

I used pretty cheap TRQ ones, because I’ll likely be making my own disconnectable links when I do a bunch of other suspension work.

They seemed to be of good quality though, they looked really similar to the OEM ones.

 

Thanks. TRQ? Where did you get them?

 

1AAuto.com

I’ve used them before, they make pretty decent aftermarket stuff. Awesome videos about our trucks too.

 

So I'm still preoccupied with the boat stuff, so I won't be able to diagnose or fix this right now, but I want to get the discussion started.

The same P0441 and P0446 codes have been coming up at seemingly random times since 2014. We've had it diagnosed three or four times, each time with a different diagnosis. Never officially fixed, just diagnosed. It's popped up a few times during my ownership, and I've simply cleared the codes and It's been fine.

A few weeks ago, the same codes came back, so this time I purchased a new gas cap as well. Since the fuel door was broken for so long, the old one was in really rough condition. I assumed this was the problem and forgot about it. Last week, same codes. Cleared. And of course, they're back again today. The light is already driving me nuts.

What should my first move be? Since the initial issue in 2014, we've had it diagnosed as the fuel filler, charcoal canister (engine bay), and a vacuum line. I replaced the vacuum line myself but I have no way of knowing if that was the problem. I've done a visual check of all the hoses and vacuum lines. The canister looks pretty rough but I want to rule everything else out before I go to that.

I'm thinking it might be best just to send it to the mechanic and have him do a smoke test.

 

I would either build or rent a smoke leak detector, attach it to the hose at the intake and start looking for where the smoke may be leaking out. Could be something as simple as the Charcoal Cannister being filled with fuel and causing problems as well.

This is one problem I haven't had to deal with on mine.

 

I'm not as familiar with EVAP system on our trucks. Smoke test is a great next step, but most systems have a purge/vent valve somewhere in the EVAP system, and those two codes together make me think your purge/vent valve may be periodically misbheaving, or maybe a critter got into it and nested, or some other obstruction or corrosion is preventing the vent from operating correctly.

EVAP is pretty simple, in theory. You have a sealed, pressurized system that can hold and relase vacuum running between the fuel tank and the fuel rail. There's always a pressure sensor somewhere on that line (a lot of times at the tank, or on the pump housing depending on the vehicle) to monitor for hi/lo pressure. If pressure is too high or too low, the ECU can command the purge/vent solenoid (valve) to open, to bring the pressure/vacuum in the system to an acceptable range.

Naturally, when the fuel pump is pushing fuel to the rail for consumption, that creates vacuum inside the tank, and there is an overflow return line as well, which can stabilize. Again, I don't know exactly how Toyota works. I also don't know if the gas cap is a one-way or two-way valve, but fuel caps on EFI vehicles usually have a one-way valve so when you reach a certain PSI (either high pressure or low) the cap will let air in or out, in the event the purge/vent valve isn't working right.

Because it's intermittent, smoking it may or may not do anything for you. It's why I'd suggest finding, pulling, and inspecting the purge/vent valve first, and consider replacing if you have a JY nearby with a spare.

 

Well, rough day.

I decided to try and hammer out this dent in the front bumper:


So I removed the fog light, and apparently it was only held in with one bolt. That bolt? I snapped it right off. Cracked the light bracket as well as the housing. Great.


Then, I went to hammer out the dent, and couldn’t get enough force with the hammer to actually bend the metal. So in my infinite wisdom, I got a bottle jack and put it in between the frame and the dent, to pop it back out. Worked great, until I realized that instead of removing the dent, it was pulling the whole bumper downwards, and the rusty bracket holding the bumper on cracked. Now, the gap between the fender and top of the bumper is much larger on the drivers side, and I’ve turned a minor dent into a $300 bumper and $50 fog light replacement. Great. Gonna be a while before I have the extra cash for that.


On a higher note: sticker update! I’ve gotten a bunch recently.

The Wisconsin sticker and the one above it are both new. My family is from Wisco, so I spend a ton of time there. That design on the sticker is actually from the WS license plate, which most people wouldn’t know unless they were from Wisconsin themselves, or has the license plate memorized for some reason. I like it, makes it a lot more unique and cooler than others. The other one is from the Outdoor Gear Exchange store in Burlington Vermont, as I went there over spring break.


The Sub Pop sticker is new but we’ve discussed it, and the Patagonia sticker is also new. I’ve been wanting one for a while, but I haven’t gotten any of their stuff in a while.

 

I think I still have my fog brackets somewhere. I’d have to find them but I might even have labeled the box. Hit me via DM if you don’t want to repair yours.

 

I learned the same when someoen tapped my original OEM painted Limited bumper in the parking lot when I was dropping a load of stuff off to charity: Once it's dented, you're not doing shit to get that dent out. anything you do to knock it out is just going to twist the metal in unexpected ways. You can roughly coax it into shape, but you're not popping a dent, it's not body sheet metal. And if it's a small dent, you'll just be replacing it with more small dents

I just bought a new bumper. You can find deals on them, or pay half as much for a clean one from a JY if you've got a donor nearby

 

I’ll see if there are any in junkyards nearby…

The real annoying part is that there are other things on the truck that need replacing/fixing much more urgently, and now that list is even longer. Oh well.

 

Always a storm before sunshine. You'll make it through, and it's one more item you can check off the list that needs no care later.

 

@KNABORES replaced his with a black OEM style bumper and I think I remember him saying it wasn't too expensive. Hopefully he'll chime in.

I also have an extra fog light bracket if @daveeasa doesn't have one/can't find one.

 

Hit a deer and ruined mine. I had previously removed my dented bumper from the truck and using a 3# sledge and some wood blocks, I removed some smaller dents from it. Then deer happened. I purchased a new one from Carparts.com that included front bumper, crash bar (the actual structural bumper) 2 new fog lights and new fog light and bumper brackets for $440 or so.

https://www.carparts.com/bumper?&ve...undra&vehicle[make]=Toyota&vehicle[year]=2002

 

Small update.

Haven't had a chance to get a whole lot done, end of senior year has been killing me.

Here’s the list of stuff I’ve done since the last update:

Adjusted the tracks for the windows with the 10mm bolt in the doorjamb. Made it a tad better, still not great.

Pushed foam backer rod into the door seals, (through an existing small tear along the bottom) and coated them with Aerospace 303. The doors close much better now, and seem to have less play when you push/pull on them when closed.

I’ve also been slowly changing the PS fluid, by sucking a bit out with a turkey baster and refilling it with good Valvoline stuff. I think the pump is still on it’s (second to) last legs, but it’s made the pump significantly quieter and made me bump it’s spot on the to-do list a bit further down.

I also purchased a can of foamy tire shine. Clean truck makes me happy.

For anyone wondering, the paint on the wheels is holding up great. I haven’t noticed the lack of paint on the inner barrels, even though I was worried it would bug me.

I also manually adjusted the drum brakes. I know, I know, I should be using the parking brake, but the pivot on the axle is rusted solid. Definitely not moving. Before, the shoes weren’t touching the drums at all, and the wheels would free spin endlessly. I adjusted the shoes so that they drag a slight amount, and the brake pedal feel is so much better. I can’t believe how much of an improvement it made. I’ll be replacing the entirety of the brakes this summer, so I don’t think it’s the end of the world if I adjust them manually. Since I can’t use the parking brake, they won’t be over-adjusted any.

So that’s all… serious lack of photos. Not good. But, there’s more stuff coming soon, I’ve got plenty of parts piled up. Headlights, shocks, bushings, more paint stuff, and audio stuff are cluttering up my room right now. Can’t wait to get those jobs done.

 

As promised- updates!

For those who didn’t see my posts in the General Discussion thread, I’ve been having reoccurring issues with a P0441 code. I diagnosed it as a EVAP purge valve that was faulty, and I ended replaced it with a $13 part from a Supra instead of the $130 part that fits exactly. After a little bit of bracketry, the one from the Supra fits perfectly. I might improve the bracket more in the future, but right now this works great. Sometimes I love Toyota and their parts-binning.



I also added these mirror visor things. I’ve seen these on a few cars before, and I always chalked them up to being a useless gimmick. However, I drove my friends car with them a couple weeks ago in the rain, and they’re awesome. Ordered them right away. I like these, they’re subtle and they actually work.


I also just installed the BraveWay projector bulbs, they’re awesome. Super super bright, and installing them wasn’t too bad. I snapped off the plastic tabs that hold the wire clips down, so I built two little plates out of some aluminum strip to hold the bulbs in place. Worked great.


Very little light scatter, (at least compared to before) and the beams are plenty wide for me. This photo isn’t a great representation, as the truck is parked between a white house, white garage, and white fence, so a lot of light is being thrown around.


The high beam indicator and fog lights no longer work, but I think those functions will come right back when I buy ballasts. I’m not worried about it anyway. These are a massive improvement, I’m pumped.

 

Not ballast. They already came with drivers. You likely just need a single resistor on the circuit somewhere. If you contact the manuf'er (or, uh, seller, since these are basically same as CO bulbs) via scAmazon they may send you one. Braveway offered to send me one at least, if I needed it.

Guys on here were curious about night time driving shots, if you happen to take some, I know @FirstGenVol would probably be interested, maybe some of the TX crew too.

 

The only other thing with the EVAP system and replacing the gas cap, in my experience, the Stant and aftermarket brands are crap. If you can get an OE cap, that might help as well.

 

Ah. I’ll talk to the seller, see if they’ll send me a resistor. If not, no big deal. I’m plenty satisfied with it. Is it possible to get one that just plugs into the wiring? I’m pretty clueless when it comes to lighting stuff.

I’ll try to get some good nighttime shots, there aren’t a ton of unlit streets here in suburbland.

Gas cap was replaced with OE, I was really hoping it was the issue, but of course! It was not.

 

Yep it's plug and play, and you can probably get away with just one, passenger side has more room I think, so I'd drop it over there.

I started a conversation with them via Amazon, by clicking on my order, then clicking the "Ask Product Question" button.

​

Basically this is the thing I mentioned, but you may want to mention "I think I need a resistor for my application, because XYZ is not working, but everything else is!"
I saw someone else say in the comments BraveWay sent them a resistor for free.

​

 

Just to keep in mind, the resistor box gets super hot so you'll have to mount it somewhere either with bolts or epoxy (@Tundra2 did this), you don't really want it flopping around.

There was a non resistor plug and play harness but on some trucks it would burn up the integration relay box so it's no longer in production.

Work in what sense? Keep the rain off the mirror

I assume these are the projector type bulbs where you remove the inner reflector shroud correct? Never saw a pic with the bulb installed.

 

Thanks for letting me know that they get hot… I’ll make sure to mount them properly.

For the mirror visors, yeah, they keep rain off of them when the truck is sitting, and I think they’re going to be very helpful in the winter when it starts snowing.

And you’re right, they’re the projector bulbs. After driving around with them for a few days, I can confidently say that they’re awesome.