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“Fuji” - 2008 Titanium Metallic

9K views 44 replies 15 participants last post by  CafeRoaster  
#1 ·
Hey y'all. I'm excited to have joined the club a couple of weeks ago. Picked up this beautiful 2008 Platinum FJC with Auto, A-TRAC, Rear Lockers, and parking sensor. Just under 183,000 miles for $15,500 here in Seattle.

I'm moving up from a 2005 Honda Element AWD that I highly modified, but still found it lacking in areas that I need my rig to be strong in. I will definitely miss the cargo space in the Element, but ultimately, I've landed myself in my dream truck. I'll be selling the Element if anyone is interested. ;)

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In Progress:
  • Desert Armor UL RTT (sitting in garage right now)
  • Sherpa Equipment Fuji roof rack (on the way)
 
#2 ·
Today, I installed my dash cam that I had in the Element. It's a lot less clean than it was in the Element, as there is far less room in the headliner. In the Element, I was able to tuck all of the extra cable up in the headliner. Not so with the FJ. So for now I've zip-tied them into bundles behind the mirror.

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For the rear camera, I'd like to install some sort of "stay" that will ensure the cable doesn't get shut in the door. I don't know of anything like that though, so if y'all have ideas, let me know!

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I took a look at the engine filter yesterday. Looks like I have the discontinued TRD intake with that silly conical filter in it. Because I can't find any conical air filters with a 5.5" flange inner diameter, I'll be removing the adapter inside the air box so that I instead just have a 4" flange inner diameter to work with.

To my eyes, this filter needs replaced. The crumpling pleats don't give me confidence.

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#10 ·
Today, I installed my dash cam that I had in the Element. It's a lot less clean than it was in the Element, as there is far less room in the headliner. In the Element, I was able to tuck all of the extra cable up in the headliner. Not so with the FJ. So for now I've zip-tied them into bundles behind the mirror.

View attachment 1222875
View attachment 1222876

For the rear camera, I'd like to install some sort of "stay" that will ensure the cable doesn't get shut in the door. I don't know of anything like that though, so if y'all have ideas, let me know!

View attachment 1222877

I took a look at the engine filter yesterday. Looks like I have the discontinued TRD intake with that silly conical filter in it. Because I can't find any conical air filters with a 5.5" flange inner diameter, I'll be removing the adapter inside the air box so that I instead just have a 4" flange inner diameter to work with.

To my eyes, this filter needs replaced. The crumpling pleats don't give me confidence.

View attachment 1222878
Regarding the reusable air filter: make sure to let the oil drip dry overnight before installing and using, each time you clean and re-oil it because excess oil will quickly cause issues with your MAF.
 
#7 ·
I routed it along the driver side because the rear camera is on the driver side. I've done exactly what you're saying in my Honda Element, though. Maybe I'll watch a video about taking some of the panels off to get better access to the A pillar.

Right now, the power supply is just the 12v DC adapter. I've wired to a fuse before, but not sure it's worth all the extra cables. Hah!
 
#9 ·
Yeah A Pillar trim comes off super easily. Unbolt grab handle and then it just pulls outward from top.

There is a ton of room in the headliner. Pull off the cover where the rear view mirror mounts and unscrew the mirror. Then twist the sun visor retainer 90 degrees and it will unclip from the roof letting the headliner come down slightly more. If you are routing wires from A pillar to the middle also unscrew the sun visor mount as this too holds up the liner.

When I did my dash cam I just ran power from one of the available keyed fuse locations, ran that right up the Apillar and then over.
 
#14 ·
Today, I finally determined my FJ's name. "Fuji". Makes plenty of sense. The brand of camera I use are Fujifilm, the FJ is a Japanese vehicle (albeit only in brand), the rack I have coming is the Fuji, and my favorite work of art is Thirty-Six Views of Fuji by Hokusai.
 
#22 ·
Due to life circumstances and trying to sell my Honda Element, I have yet to get into the wild with the FJ.

That said, I’ve got some goodies heading my way.
Expedition One was having a 25% off sale on their rock sliders, so I pulled the trigger, which lead to me having a bit leftover since I’d budgeted more than what they ended up being. In all, here’s what’s coming:

  • Expedition One rock sliders
  • Bison Gear spare tire mounts
  • Bison Gear propane bottle holder for spare tire mount
  • Bison Gear diff breather kit
  • Bison Gear drop down tailgate table
 
#23 ·
I've been pretty quiet on this thread. Not much to report other than regular maintenance items. I've also installed everything from my list below except for the diff breather kit and propane holder. The propane holder is too large for the tank I have. I'm also not happy with my JM-2 mount because I haven't figured out a good way to secure the tank to it.

Today, I changed the fluids on the front and rear differentials and the transfer case. All fluids still looked really good even though the last documentation of it being done was 100,000 miles ago (at 90,000 miles). No metal on any of the magnets either.

I still need to perform a drain and fill on the transmission, and I'm pretty nervous about it. I do wonder how important it is to get the vehicle perfectly level. I have nowhere that is perfectly level and don't have a good way to do so. I have ramps and leveling blocks, but none of those are safe to use on pavement. And my jack is too low profile for the FJ.
 
#24 ·
@CafeRoaster wrote- "I still need to perform a drain and fill on the transmission, and I'm pretty nervous about it. I do wonder how important it is to get the vehicle perfectly level. I have nowhere that is perfectly level and don't have a good way to do so. I have ramps and leveling blocks, but none of those are safe to use on pavement. And my jack is too low profile for the FJ."

My garage floor isn't level either (almost none are). IIrc I had my FJ up on jackstands at the front with the rear wheels on home made ramps and used the floor jack at the rear differential to bring it up 1" or so (I used a level on the driver's door jamb). That way the front was super stable and the rear wheels weren't really off the ground- the rear springs were just unloaded a wee bit.
 
owns 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser
#25 ·
You want it level. Can you drive the lowest wheels up on some plywood or 2X6's or other type of wood to lift the low sides? In my garage, I have to put the rear wheels up on 3/4 inch pieces of plywood to make my FJ level. If you find or make a level spot, at your mileage, I'd perform one trans pan drain and fill and drive it for awhile to see how it operates. If it seems OK, perform another. Still OK, do another for a total of 3. I'd recommend Toyota WS ATF.
 
#28 ·
I'd perform one trans pan drain and fill and drive it for awhile to see how it operates. If it seems OK, perform another. Still OK, do another for a total of 3. I'd recommend Toyota WS ATF.
I've always wondered about the thought process behind doing multiple changes at very short intervals. By the time you drain and fill; the second time, everything is already a mix of new and old fluid. Doing another won't really dilute the old with more new, per se. At least, not in a measurable way.

I was hoping to figure out which hose goes from the transmission to the heat exchanger, and drain there. Or just drop the pan. Any reason not to do that?
 
#29 ·
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Did the transmission fluid change today! 3 Liters came out, but only 1.5 Liters went back in. 😬 This leads me to believe it was overfilled whenever it was done last. I put in another 1/2 a quart after running through the gears again, and made sure it was idling with the check plug open. I'll be re-checking in a couple hundred miles, but the 30 miles of errands I ran after that didn't give me reason to be worried. Felt just like it had before.

I've officially [finally] replaced all fluids. I've lubricated the driveshafts at every oil change - though I have missed a couple of fittings every now and then - and with each oil change, I've forgotten to send the oil in to Blackstone Labs. 😆 Also forgot to grab a sample of the transmission fluid to send to the lab. Whoops.

Replaced the PCV the other day as well. Did the differential fluids, spark plugs. Running great! Hit 194,000 miles the other day. Here's to 500,000 more! 🍻
 
#31 ·
Hey y'all. I'm excited to have joined the club a couple of weeks ago. Picked up this beautiful 2008 Platinum FJC with Auto, A-TRAC, Rear Lockers, and parking sensor. Just under 183,000 miles for $15,500 here in Seattle.

I'm moving up from a 2005 Honda Element AWD that I highly modified, but still found it lacking in areas that I need my rig to be strong in. I will definitely miss the cargo space in the Element, but ultimately, I've landed myself in my dream truck. I'll be selling the Element if anyone is interested.



































In Progress:

Desert Armor UL RTT (sitting in garage right now)
Sherpa Equipment Fuji roof rack (on the way)
Welcome! Your Element looks pretty awesome, you did a great job modding it. Looking forward to see what your FJ will look like in a few years.
 
#32 · (Edited)
Hmm. I don't understand the mechanics of it, but I don't really have to. I did the drain and fill already, and was planning to do another next weekend. Is that too soon? About how many miles is good before doing again? I feel like if I only do it once a year, I might be doing them once every single year. Haha.

Welcome! Your Element looks pretty awesome, you did a great job modding it. Looking forward to see what your FJ will look like in a few years.
Thank you! I really miss that vehicle. I put a lot of money, time, love, and elbow grease into it. And it was running perfectly. I miss how much space it had in it, especially since I have two medium-large dogs.

I don't know that I'll be doing much more than I already have to my FJ. I should post some updated photos and a list of things I've done. All very purposeful things.
 
#33 ·
Hmm. I don't understand the mechanics of it, but I don't really have to. I do the drain and fill already, and was planning to do another next weekend. Is that too soon? About how many miles is good before doing again? I feel like if I only do it once a year, I might be doing them once every single year. Haha.
It's chemistry. Have you ever used paint remover? You'll notice dry paint is pretty solid and not slimy. You won't slip when you walk on it. Start dissolving it with a chemical and it turns into very slippery snot. It will stay that way until it dries out again. Same with ATF varnish. Varnish is pretty sticky, so sticky that it will cause the torque convertor clutch in the transmission to start hanging up and sticking. But start dissolving that varnish with new fluid, it can't ever "dry out" again because it stays wet bathed in new fluid, so you get wet snot and no grip at all. That varnish also coats the friction surfaces of the trans clutch plates and it'll grab as long a nothing dissolves it. But start dissolving that varnish with new fluid, the surface of that varnish is now wet grease on the surfaces of the clutch plates and they'll no longer grip to drive the gears. It's now permanent too, because that varnish surface has turned into a lubricant and has to be removed via harsh chemical cleaning by tearing down the transmission. A thin coating of varnish might dissolve away and solve the problem on its own. A severe coating of varnish won't ever dissolve away and you now need a new transmission.

Drive for a few days and see how it shifts. If it seems OK, then perform another change and drive again, checking for shifting issues. If it's OK by now, perform a third and call it good if no shifting issues occur after that. Then it's up to you how often you want to refresh the ATF with a regular drain and fills. But remember, doing this is a hell of a lot cheaper than replacing the transmission.
 
#35 ·
No. What happens when petrochemicals like ATF age through sitting or use, the lighter volatile chemical components break down first. Some even evaporate through the seals, but you will never see it. They are the solvents and components that keep the fluid stable in heat and use and at the correct viscosity AND more importantly, keep the fluid from depositing some of itself inside the machinery. Once they break down, which is inevitable with heat, time and fine metal contamination from the parts of the transmission, the heavier components begin to stick to the interior surfaces of the transmission, including all the clutches. That film is what's called varnish. The longer the old fluid remains in the transmission, the film or "varnish" gets progressively thicker in layers. By 200,000 miles, it's gotten pretty thick, so any sudden influx of new ATF will be self-solvent to the old film and pretty much grease things up. Not something you want on a clutch friction surface.

If your transmission has only 100,000 miles, that film is pretty thin and will mostly be slowly dissolved by the new ATF. You may have some slipping issues for a bit, but once the film is mostly dissolved, things work fine. But after 200,000 miles, a really thick film of varnish only dissolves on it's surface, so then it becomes extremely slippery and affects the friction of the clutch plates. Slipping clutches result. The only way to remove it is a complete teardown and harsh solvent cleaning.

In between those mileages, partial changes of fluid is best to prevent the wholesale dissolution of the film of varnish and the formation of a slippery surface. The first symptom of varnish film buildup is called "shuddering". This happens when the torque converter lockup clutch has a layer of varnish from old fluid. You'll get shuddering from the transmission as that clutch is activated and deactivated, which is quite frequent during normal driving, especially at 40 mph. A lot of people with over 150,000 miles on old ATF experience it. That's the weird thing about ATF varnish coating clutch surfaces. When it's thick, it causes the clutches to stick or grab. When it's being dissolved, it's like snot, the total opposite.

The total capacity is around 11 quarts, depending on if you have any extra coolers installed.
 
#36 ·
Just performed the second oil change and second transmission fluid drain and fill. Both looked great, and I have samples of both on their way to Blackstone Labs.

This time, the transmission level check plug didn't drain anything out. At the drain plug, 2 liters / 2.11 quarts came out. I put in 2.25 quarts just to be sure. Warmed the transmission back up afterwards and got a small but steady stream at the check plug, so I'm happy.

The fill plug did take a part of me with it, which was to be expected. There's a sacrifice to be made. 😅
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I'm setting plans for suspension, both for my FJ and for my wife's Fit. For Fuji, I'm thinking I'll go with the following:
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I've had good experiences with Moog in the past, so I feel good about this setup. For the rear springs, I'll be getting the heavy duty version, I think. While I really don't want a stiffer ride, I also really don't want Fuji's rear to sag during camping trips.
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