Toyota Tacoma Care and Maintenance

jyd2 · March 2004

My 2001 tundra needs the required 30,000 mile service done.

My local toyota dealer is quoting $429.95 to do the job, while an independent mechanic is advertising something like $280.00 in the newspaper.

My question is whether or not i'm required under warranty to have the work done by a Toyota mechanic. Am I stuck having to pay the inflated dealer price if I don't want to void the warranty? I really don't have that much money and it would be a great help to save over 100 bucks.

i have the 3 extra year extended warranty with Toyota also..doubt that makes any difference.

doochem · March 2004

I would like to know if Tundra owners in southern states like Florida are using toyota recommended 5w30 motor oil. It seems to me that in hot climates it would be wiser to use something like 10w40 instead. I have been told that the only reason Toyota recommends the lighter oil is to eke out a little higher gas mileage. I have always used 20w50 in my former cars, and it worked out very well. I drove each one of them over 150,000 miles and neither of them was consuming any oil at that point. What is the general feeling among Toyota owners? I have a 2003 Camry and a Tundra that I have to service. each vehicle has over 1000 miles on it. Thanks

deritz · May 2004

Years ago I used to do all my own maintainance on my vehicles... & still do my own oil changes. But now with the high prices being quoted, am ready to do it again. However the manual makes sure there is NO information so you are enticed to go to the dealer or outlet.. What I need is the recommended brands of Transiition fluid, Differential Oil & Trasfer Case oil & the amounts needed for a 1999 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4 3.4L-V.6 As a female guess I am going to have to get over grease & dirt on my hand for the sake of economy... Found a great site at www.4x4wire.com but it just states fluid of your choice & it's been so long I am at a loss. Thanks for any help anyone can give.

baltychen · May 2004

My truck now have over 210k miles and recently I put a rebuilt engine. The only problem I have is it won't shift to OD drive and the manual OD button malfunctioning. Otherwise, everything runs OK. Anyone can give me some tips? Thanks.

ageyling · June 2004

Anyone know what the 2003 Tundra with a V8 has for timing? A belt or chain? I'm looking through the maintenance guide and it only mentions replacing the timing belt for the V6 at 90k. Nothing about the V8.

pamelaq · June 2004

I need to change my brake pads. I changed them once before, but had a friend help me. Can't ask him this time. I don't have $130 for a maintainance manual. Does anyone know the step by step directions to change my brake pads? Have a manual and can skan the page? Know of an on-line reference page that serves like a maintainance manual? All I need is something as a guide so I have confidence, I can take it from there.

dwbehrens · July 2004

Those 'caps' are power packs which contain an ignition coil and solid state switch (taking the place of the 'points') which receive their orders fron the on-board computer. The iridium core plugs are under the 'caps'.

dwbehrens · July 2004

2003 V8 Tundra has a belt, not a chain. Should be changed at 75,000 miles (I stretch it to 100,000 with no problems)

The dealer (Towne Toyota in NJ) that I bought mine from has a sign in her service department stating prices for common repairs. For the 4.7 V8 timing belt replacement is $525.00!!! I asked one of the service writers if people actually paid that. He said "Yup". I will be changing it myself when the time comes.

Toyota.com has a page which informs readers of 'belt or chain' for all Toyota vehicles for the last ten years or so.

morgan4 · July 2004

The book says change oil every five thousand miles.....just wondering what others are doing? I was thinking of sticking with every 3500 miles since I tow a boat......comments please.

also....don't most Toyota dealers use Castrol 5w30?

mmullin · August 2004

I have a 2002 4 cylinder Tacoma and am looking for information on changing the spark plugs. I found a web site with detailed instructions including photos but it is for the 6 cylinder. Has anyone found anything for the 2RZ-FE? Other than the manual? Thanks in advance, Mike

pathy04 · September 2004

I picked up my Tundra SR5 4x2 V8 last week, Which gasoline ocatane rating is recommended?. I don't mind using Premium as long as it does not affect the engine performance

Thx

playswithmud · September 2004

Toyota sais 87 octane for your truck- there is no reason to assume it needs anything but. Because the fuel injection is not mapped to use midgrade or premium, your truck will runn no differet. So, even if you dont mind paying for premium, I suggest you dont. As for 525 for a timing belt, take a moment and point to your starter. In a landcruiser they get you for $600- same motor.

Note on my brakes- they were rock solid for the first 40k, about 6-7k of that pulling considerable unbraked trailers. Now at 47k, the brakes are due, the tires are toast, and Im looking for better shocks. Otherwise the truck's only been back to the dealer to replace a corroded trailer connector (from running w/ the lights on) and to get some touch up paint.

billybob1 · September 2004

I just bought a 1998 Tacoma X-Tra Cab and it sways much more than I like. The local tire shop though it was the shocks so I had them replaced with the TRD Bilstein shocks. That helped a little, but it still sways a lot when cornering at high speeds.

I also replaced the front sway bar bushings with an "anti-sway kit" from Wheelers.com. That helped some, but it still sways a lot.

I'm considering replacing the springs or maybe installing a rear anti-sway bar. Does anyone have experience with this problem?

Thanks!
Tom

prozacaddict · October 2004

I was wanting to know if anybody knows anyone who has installed a TRD Supercharger on a 4.7L V8 Tundra. Any/All feedback is greatly appreciated.

pathy04 · October 2004

Thanks
i will use 87 grade, i guess i avoided a costly mistake :-)

ucsc · October 2004

Hi everybody,

I bought a 2004 Tundra Regular 2D long bed 2WD, and would like to buy the factory service manual to do basic and some advanced-level maintainance and repair. I called Toyota, and was told there are several manuals. Which one should I get?

Thanks!

UCSC

drag · October 2004

I bought a 2004 Tundra D cab 4X4 this summer. B F Goodrich Rugged Trail T/A P265/70R16 tires came with the truck. I am looking for recommendations for winter/snow tires. Any suggestions.

msibille · October 2004

Are you sure you're concerned about "sway" and not "roll"?

Sway is normally referred to when towing, and is affected by small turns, bumps, and the aerodynamics.

Roll is where the body tends to "roll out" toward the outside of a turn, particularly under hard turns/high speed. Some roll is unavoidable, unless you eliminate spring suspension and ride a vehicle like an old fashioned kid's Western Flyer red wagon. It's due to the acceleration of the mass toward the center of the turn radius by the force applied at the wheels, which is below the mass. The resulting moment will load the outboard springs more heavily than the inboard, resulting in roll, and at extremes, will lift the inboard wheels off the ground (also like that little red wagon...)

Sway is mostly a vibrational system phenomenon, which is affected by the tow vehicle mass, the towed vehicle mass, lengths of each, tow bar length, in addition to the roll stiffness of the vehicles, aerodynamics of the vehicles, and the damping between the two vehicles. Primary rotation of Sway is about a vertical axis, but the resulting turns induce roll, similar to an intentional turn. Anti-sway systems are generally an effort to dampen the system, to absorb the energy induced by a disturbance so that the natural frequencies of the system and disturbance(s) don't cause the cycle of sway to go out of control.

This is one reason why (true) trailer tires have stiffer sidewalls than passenger tires of the same load rating. The stiffer sidewalls raise the natural frequency and assist in damping the (secondary) roll induced by the sway.

If you're getting a lot of roll in a hard turn at high speed, you may just need to slow down in sharp turns.

magtx · December 2004

I have a 1986 Toyota 2WD pickup which has run fine since I bought it new. However, it just quit firing last week.

The problem is that the drive gear on the shaft of the distributor has slipped down on the shaft and locked up on the floor of the compartment. It completely dis-engaged from the camshaft drive gear. The teeth of the distributor gear have been broken and will require the gear to be replaced or the distributor itself.

I'm an old coot who has worked on cars all my life but, I have never seen this before. Does anyone know if this is a usual or unusual thing?

Tia,

MagTx

5150 · December 2004

My dad gave me his 92' 22RE 4x4 pickup w/ 155k miles. The engine looks like it needs some TLC since its dirty.

Some questions:

1) When should i change the distributer and plug wires?

2) Can I switch to platinum plugs like Bosch's 4+?

3) Do I really need to repack/grease the wheel bearings every 30k miles?

4) Next to the brake master cylinder there's a small reservoir. Is that for the clutch fluid? When should this be changed?

5) What else do I need to do to keep this baby running to 400k miles so I can jump and say "Oh, what a feeling?" Thanks in advance for responses.

tomg49 · January 2005

I have 85K on my 98 4 cylinder Tacoma, 2WD. Clutch pedal comes out a good ways before engaging clutch. Seems to grip OK, but I smell it occasionally. I am not a hard driver. About 20K miles are highway, rest are local.

Is this typical clutch life?

Can I inspect for life left without dropping the trans?

And yes, I am quite ignorant!

Thank you.

buffalonickel · January 2005

I have 85K on my 98 4 cylinder Tacoma, 2WD. Clutch pedal comes out a good ways before engaging clutch. Seems to grip OK, but I smell it occasionally. I am not a hard driver. About 20K miles are highway, rest are local.

Is this typical clutch life?

Can I inspect for life left without dropping the trans?

tomg49:

The way one drives, the topography, whether you tow or not, and many other factors determine the life of that clutch. Even the materials the clutch is made of affect the life. But I can tell you that my son owns my old '94 Toyota Hilux and with 160,000 miles the original factory clutch is doing just fine. We live in Ozarks in MO. and we have some hills and windy roads that used to be cow paths, so the clutch hasn't had an easy life. One thing the Toyota service manager told me was that whenever you find grinding, sticking, and a hard time jamming the gearshift in reverse, then maybe it will be time to take a serious look at the clutch.

B

punahou · January 2005

I have a 2000 Tacoma Prerunner that has a locking rear differential. Every now and then, the rear makes a squeaking noise, sometimes very loudly, when I take my foot off of the accelerator. It has absolutely nothing to do (as far as I can tell) with the braking system. Any ideas as to what may be causing the problem, and what I can do to fix it?

jmourik · January 2005

Hi all..

Just took a test drive in a 2005 Tacoma. The sales guy told me the first scheduled maintenance is at 120,000 miles. Until then, it's just an oil change every 5000 mile.

Is this true?

Thanks for any info, jan

engineerboo · February 2005

Jan,

I just looked over the maintenance schedule for my 2005 Tacoma...

Kinda yes and kinda no!

We have to rotate tires every 6 months and inspect brakes every 6 months

If you get a Tacoma with the 1GR-FE engine, the spark plugs are replaced every 3 years. (Which is surprising to me, because that's my engine!)

The first major maintenance is replacing the timing belt at at 90,000 miles or 108 months.

Of course, these are for normal driving...if a person drove in extreme conditions, they have more maintenance.

Listen to all salesmen with skepticism, that's for sure!

Rick

jmourik · February 2005

Thanks Rick!

Still looks pretty good though! Looks like most maintenance jobs should be fairly cheap...

jan

lostwrench · February 2005

I specifically asked the Toyota salesman if the Tacoma engines have timing belts or timing chains. He said, timing chains. Now I see the post which says the maintenance manual requires the changing of the timing belt at 90,000 miles. Help! Do the Tacoma engines have timing belts or timing chains? Thanks.

lostwrench · February 2005

Rick:

Please confirm that your Tacoma engine has a timing belt and not a timing chain. 4 or 6 cyl? Thanks.

engineerboo · February 2005

I have the 4.0 V-6 engine.

My manual says to replace the timing belt at 90,000 but has an footnote that says that's only for Highlander, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Tundra, and 4Runner.

It says replace spark plugs for Tacoma...let me look for timing belt/chain..

The maintenance guide doesn't say anything about the Tacoma and a timing belt. (But it never says timing chaing anywhere, for any vehicle.)

I went to Toyota.com and downloaded the maintenance guide which, unfortunately, is the same I have. But I could search it and, still, no mention of if the Tacoma has a chain/best OR when maintenance is due on it.

I'd say replace the timing belt/chain at 90,000 anyway. (You don't want to have it break inside the engine....a very bad thing!)

Rick "Boo"

leob1 · February 2005

It's a Chain on the 05 4.0L. Toyota.com has a FAQ section and apparently has a search box for keywords. You guys made me curious since I have one. I just got off the phone with a Toyota rep who told me what I just told you.

leob1 · February 2005

I just looked it up myself. Start in the Toyota.com home page and click on the "search/help" section. Then click on the FAQ section and it's simple after that.

lostwrench · February 2005

Why I believe the 05 Tacoma V6 has a timing chain is because I read it on Toyota.com. Try this: Go to toyota.com then click on search/help then click on frequently asked questions then in the search text box type in timing chain then click on number 10-timing belt and timing chain. There you will see a list of all Toyota models going back to 1990 and whether they have a timing chain or belt. It says the 05 Tacoma V6 has a timing chain.

leob1 · February 2005

Hey 4.0L 2005 Tundra owners,

What grade of fuel is recommended for your 4.0L?

I have an 05 Tacoma with the 4.0L and premium is recommended.

Thanks

accesscaber · March 2005

the maintenance req'd light came on at 5,000 miles in my '05 tundra. i replaced the oil and filter like the maintenance book says. but how do i get the light to go off? or is there something else wrong with the truck?
thanks a lot for any help.

engineerboo · March 2005

Accesscaber: Procedure to turn off the eng req light is in your owner's manual. (I remember reading about mine but I have a Tacoma so not sure if it's the same for a Tundra.) Mine has something do with the ignition key.

Hey, I was parked next to a Tundra and I thought it was a Tacoma until I really looked at it...very similar design! (Both are sharp!)

Boo

jjohnson16 · March 2005

Greetings. I recently noticed that the temperature control knob and the knob for selecting the vent control (dash, feet, other vents) are not being lit on my Toyota Tundra (2002). It appears that the light is out? The light on the guage for setting the level (low to high) still works. (If you are having trouble picturing it, there are three knob style guages - Left is for High/Low control of the fan - Middle is Hot/Cold - Right is vent select.

Is there a way to replace the light? Is there a place to find the part? Do I have to open the entire dash or just remove the knob? Any help would be great.

mauigrom23 · March 2005

hey, i need help with my truck. i have a 94 toyota pick up that idles really rough. i think its the fuel filter, but i cant find it. the chilton says it should be up against the firewall, but its not. wondering if anybody might now, cuz i cant find it anywhere on that line.

also, could rough idling be my injectors slightly clogged? im getting less than great gas mileage right now, and im wondering if that could be a problem too. what can i do for that? will running the fuel system treatment stuff they sell at wallmart do bad things to my car?

any help would be great. thank you much.

bayvilla · March 2005

I have a 93 Toyota Pickup and I am having a problem with the manual transmission popping out of gear. It only happens in 1st, 3rd & 5th and never after the clutch is engaged. I saw the comment about replacing the shifter linkage bushing and was wondering if that fixed a similar problem with your truck. I was also told that a new rear mount for the transmission might help, since it might have sagged over the past 12 years.

Anyone have any ideas on what I should try?

Thanks

sillyfeet · April 2005

My 90 toyota 4runner v6 idle will jump back and fourth from 900rpms to 1500 rpms when im am sitting still with the brake on. Only does it with the brake is pressed?
I have sprayed small amounts of propane around the vacuum lines in engine to see if i could locate leak but havent had any luck. Anybody have any Ideas?

idahoron · April 2005

My 88 does this. Try this the next time it does it. Tap the gas or put your foot under the gas pedal and lift it. Mine only does it when the idel is a touch high. After you tap the gas then try the break. Ron

dwbehrens · April 2005

link titleTiming Belt or Timing Chain

ddees · April 2005

disconnect the + battery cable for 15 minutes. it will erase the computer memory

ddees · April 2005

you will have to remove some fasteners and replace the lamps. they are available at your local auto supply shoppe...probably 14v # 73...just replaced 2 in my tacoma day before yesterday. the front of the dash panel is pretty easy to remove if you are careful....do not force anything..it is all clipped in or snapped in...may be a screw...you will have to unplug some connectors, but shouldn't be a prob getting them connected back correctly

msibille · April 2005

The appropriate method is outlined in the owner's manual.
It does not entail disconnecting the battery (which will erase radio station presets and a number of other things).

I believe it is the same as on my Honda (but look in your Tacoma owner's manual), where, with the ignition off, you press and hold the odometer reset button, turn on the ignition (while still holding the button), then release it after the maint light goes off. This is probably covered online at Toyota.com as well under FAQS.

duckshooter · April 2005

msibille has it right - at least on my wife's Sienna it's that way and I recall using that same trick on the Tundra. I never could find it in the owner's manual, though. I read it somewhere on here or the Toyota.com FAQs.

pb2themax · April 2005

Any of you guys that have changed the oil on the 05 V6, what filters are you using and how did everything go? Since Toyota made the oil filter so easy to change, I think I'll be doing all of the oil changes myself. I'm not ready for an oil change yet, but I bought a K&N air filter and also a K&N Gold oil filter. I plan on using Royal Purple synthetic oil, once the engine has 5k miles on it.

msibille · April 2005

Ya gotta luv that filter location, eh?
After years of maintaining family vehicles (since middle school), and 25 yrs of practice as a mechanical engineer (knowing part of the design criteria should be ease of maintenance), I'm with you. Of course, when you can save $1 on 200 000 vehicles, you can justify your job. Hopefully, the word will get out that expectations of owners regarding ease of service will make a difference in our purchase selections.

As for filters, I'm a fan of Purolator, but find AC/Delco and Wix reasonable substitutes. I used to buy FRAM, but have to admit that a few studies of sectioned filters turned me off to the "Walmart of oil filters". Fram does make some OEM filters (I found a Honda filter that was a FRAM) but they build something different for the low end mass market.

As for oil, I go with conventional motor oils. The oils refined and packaged by majors these days are just so much better than years ago, that they truly do handle the more severe requirements better. Synthetics have their advantages, but I think that consistent oil changes with a good quality oil, within the recommendations of the manufacturer are a better investment than synthetics, and FAR better than trying to stretch the intervals by using synthetics. As in previous discussions, no matter how good the oil is to begin with, the contaminants are going to build up with time. Additive packages that meet the current API standards for gasoline engines (per the vehicle mfr's specs) are going to handle the contaminants just as well in a conventional oil as in a synthetic. You may start with more consistent molecule chain sizes with a synthetic, but you won't end up any better, and the contaminants don't care what the base oil is.

A good filter and a good oil are a good investment if applied as prescribed.
You can do more damage w/ a synthetic by stretching the time interval, or not changing the filter.

It makes even less sense to spend several times the price for a full synthetic, and not prefill the filter.

Happy trails.

msibille · April 2005

I just re-read what I wrote and realized that the last couple of sentences were not very clear. :confuse:
What I meant was, that you can do more harm by using the excuse of synthetic oil to increase the oil change interval, than if you used the less expensive conventional motor oil with the recommended oil change interval.

Sorry for any confusion.

peggy5 · April 2005

We have a 99 2wd Tacoma. Its a great little pickup. very reliable. no problems, with 60 plus k on it now. we keep getting a mailer from our local dealer, telling us that we are overdue for our 60k maintenance. It will cost $500.00. We kinda of don't really feel that we need to have anything done, we regularly change the oil and have replaced tires and do what is ever needed if something goes wrong. I'm wondering if anyone has any opinion about this? Should we just go do it? I always feel that if it ain't broken don't fix it. Maybe I'm wrong?.....I'm sure there are things that we haven't done but should we??? We also hate the mechanics at this place but its local and convenient..but we really don't trust them.

spencer4 · April 2005

Look under the frame just rear of your driver's side door.

Toyota Tacoma Care and Maintenance

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