The Sound Ordnance B-8PTD. It’s an 8″ sub that is built into a nice sturdy enclosure. It has a flatter shape and it conveniently fits right under the seat. The install is quite easy; the front passenger seat was removed for easy access to the new subwoofer location. There will be several connections to the subwoofer: one from a grounded location on the frame, one from the head unit, and another from the positive terminal of the battery. There are also connections for RCA cables for the subwoofer to plug into the radio or head unit.

I’ve replaced the head unit/radio in my 2003 Toyota 4Runner countless times for various stereo upgrades, so I’ve gotten familiar with taking the trim apart to get access to the head unit. After doing it so many times, I’ve been able to get my time down to less than five minutes. I figure this tutorial would be helpful for anyone trying to remove their radio and want to get to the head unit quickly.

After upgrading the 4th generation 4Runner stock head unit with a Scion T1806 and then a T1814, I finally ended up with a T10015. In my opinion, this is the ultimate, stock-looking, head unit for the Toyota 4Runner. I realize that I could probably do a similar radio swap with a Scion T10017, which is offered on Scion vehicles in 2016+. Since I had already done most of the work on installing the adapters on the Scion T10015, it would probably require minimal work to get the newer T10017 unit working.

It’s an inevitable issue on the early model 4th generation Toyota 4Runners: the A/C Light suddenly starts flashing or blinking and the cold air coming from your vents suddenly becomes warm. This happens to almost all of us 4th gen 4Runner owners; it’s happened to me around the time I bought my car more than 7 years ago, and it happened to me again recently. The issue is typically not simply that the air conditioner system has failed, but simply an electrical relay that was destined to fail over time. This magnetic clutch relay is located in the fuse box located under the hood. This relay will need to be replaced in order for the a/c light flashing issue to be resolved.

Years ago, the speedometer on my 4th Generation 4Runner had been working intermittently; it appeared that the stepper motor had stopped working. I replaced the stepper motor and the speedometer had started working again. About a year later, my speedometer had failed again but this time several of my gauges stopped working. Since stepper motors can be costly, especially if you’re replacing more than one, sometimes it’s more cost-effective to replace the entire instrument cluster.

Replacing the front shocks and coil springs is not difficult to do. However, it’s very important to understand how your front suspension works before doing this. Just like I did, I’d recommend reading guides, watch videos, and do as much research as you can when dealing with compressed springs in a suspension system. Here’s my guide for replacing the front coil springs and shocks using the “No Spring Compressor Method” on the 4th generation Toyota 4Runner.

There are a variety of reasons for needing to change out rear coils on any car, but there are typically two main reasons for changing them out on the 4Runner. One is to simply replace damaged or worn coils for factory stock coils. The other is to lift the vehicle to a higher ride height. Changing out the rear coils is very easy to do and doesn’t require much time nor tools.

Pretty much every 4th generation Toyota 4Runner owner will find themselves with climate control bulbs that go out. I’ve provided some diagrams together showing what part numbers would be needed depending on whether you have the SR5/Sport or Limited model, as well as what bulbs power what on the center dash. You may choose to replace the bulbs whole (bulb with bulb holder) or you might want to save some money by wiring up bulbs to the existing bulb holders. I’ve shown both methods below as well as the products you’ll need whichever way you choose to proceed with.

If you’ve owned your vehicle for long enough, interior bulbs going out won’t be an uncommon occurrence for you. On my 4th generation Toyota 4Runner, I’ve had my fair share of interior bulbs burn out, but recently half of the climate control LCD screen went out. This is the screen that displays the trip computer, clock, outside temperature, and climate control information. The fix is extremely easy and doesn’t require many tools to replace. Just make sure to order the right part and you can switch the bulb(s) out in less than 5 minutes.