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Toyota Tacoma: Problems & Solutions

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Comments

  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    From what I could gather on www.tacomaterritory.com site, it's called Axle Wrap.....and seems like a natural thing, but fixable. Well, there are two ways to deal with it:
    1. Use some special tranny oil/lubricant, which I don't have a link for right now.
    2. AAL: add a leaf to the rear suspension.
    I agree that my tranny feels a little notchy, however, thats only in 2nd for me. If I rev correctly, I can switch into 3/4/5 without any problems.
  • halogenhalogen Member Posts: 20
    Greetings,
    After washing my 2002 Taco at a high pressure
    self-service carwash for the 1st time.I noticed
    quite a bit of moisture/condensation on the inside
    of both rear tailight lenses.Could there be a missing gasket, or have others experienced this problem? Thanks.
  • chiweihochiweiho Member Posts: 51
    I had the same problems with my front turn signals, the dealer replaced them at no cost. (quiet recall)
  • tbundertbunder Member Posts: 580
    with a toyota, they're all quiet. or re-named "maintenance" repairs. hilarious. but oh, that toyota quality. NOT!!! ive heard the tacoma's leak real bad through the firewall as well. can't toyota build them watertight? i doubt it.
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    Oh yeah? Take a look at the Ranger + Explorer TSBs about "01-14-3 JUL 01 Fog Lamps - Moisture/Condensation Inside"

    Sounds familiar, doesnt it? I guess Ford is just like Toyota: can't build them watertight.
  • tbundertbunder Member Posts: 580
    how often are fogs used (never if one chooses) in contrast to turn signals and taillights? and what about the leaky firewalls that soak the interior carpet in tacomas? and AT LEAST ford offers fog lights.........hmmmmm.
    also, my fogs never did give me any problems with water.
    aaaaaah.....those quiet recalls. you guys said it, not me. sounds like a quality foreign automaker to me.
    hehe
  • thehitcherthehitcher Member Posts: 56
    Have two 1999 4x4 Tacomas extended cabs with the V6 and get about 22 to 24 mpg on the highway mostly at 65 mph or more. I do keep 170 lbs of sand plus the cap on the truck yearly.

    No water retention in the lights and just routine maintenance.
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    What leaky firewall? It's been rainy here in Texas, I havent had any water inside. Making things up again?
  • truckdude1truckdude1 Member Posts: 88
    Yesterday we were at the Toyota dealership. My Son really likes the New 2002 Tacoma's or 2001, but the BASIC cheapest regular cab, he's 6'2 but he fits good enough and they have automatic and Air conditioning for around 14 thousand ! Is this price good or what? What would we expect from it, down the road,does the 2.4 four cylinder engine match up good with the automatic and air condition and doing some hauling? How realiable are they? thanks
    Truckdude1 Wife
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    To realize the full potential of a 4-banger you need manual tranny, I doubt automatic would be enough. It's apparently a pretty reliable engine, it's been around for many years now.
  • ochizonochizon Member Posts: 25
    I have a 96 2wd standard cab...whatever, I have the same truck. I love the damn thing, but GET THE MANUAL! More power, acceleration, better gas mileage, and a lot more fun to drive. If I were you, I might consider bucket seats.

    Either way, its a great truck with a great little engine.
  • indacurl2kindacurl2k Member Posts: 54
    Approaching 75K miles on my white 1998 V6 Xcab 4x4 (non-TRD) and everything is working fine. Been off-road several times over the past 3+ years too and she's very relaible. The most reliable vehicle I've ever owned.

    Only problems to date were a mysterious crack and subsequent leak in the radiator at around 60K (dealer replaced at no charge under warranty) and one dirver's side parking light that went about 2K miles ago.

    Other than that, I had the tires replaced at around 57K miles. Also, the clutch is a little squeaky when it's humid and/or raining but otherwise works fine.

    I've been test driving some vehicles over the past few months including a new Ranger 4x4 and a Frontier 4x4 (both Xcabs V6's). They are both very nice trucks. I also like the new Dodge Ram's too (but haven't test drove one).

    After washing, waxing and detailing my Tacoma; the thing looks brand spanking new and I realize, once again it's not worth getting rid of it.

    I love this truck!!!
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    if you want to talk about quality, check out the ranger vs. taco thread.....or just look

    here. Can't Ford make trucks that.....well, act like trucks?
  • paul_ppaul_p Member Posts: 271
    I have the 2.4 engine in my 1993 2WD pickup - at 140,000 it runs perfect. Also has the manual transmission & I wouldn't want it any other way. Fun to drive and ultra reliable, only problem was the water pump that I fixed myself at 121,000 miles. If you maintain these things, you can't kill 'em.

    Took out my heater fan becasuse it was squeaking, whacked it with a hammer to get the plastic wheel off and the dang thing froze up. Great, now I'll have to spend $100. for a new one - no, wait - take it out of the housing and whack it on the other end. Now spray it with WD-40 & put it back in: good as new, no more squeak! I love these things!
  • wheeldogwheeldog Member Posts: 39
    That's a spooky post, Paul_p. I'll just change a couple of letters here and there, for my truck:

    I have the 2.4 engine in my 1995 4WD pickup - at 140,000 it runs perfect. Also has the manual transmission & I wouldn't want it any other way. Fun to drive and ultra reliable, only problem was the water pump that I fixed myself at 70,000 miles. If you maintain these things, you can't kill 'em.
  • tistevetisteve Member Posts: 142
    My truck has never had a drop water inside of it (other than from my shoes) My old '97 drove through some salt water flooding we had a few years ago that was up to the top of the wheel wells, half way up the doors!. Scariest 200 yds of my life. Not a drop came in, the truck never hesitated, I just idled through slowly in 4hi. Passed an Exploder that had stalled and floated off to the side. He was hating life. Right after that I took it to my shop for a full fluid replacement and they said a little water was in the rear differential, but nothing bad.
    28,000 miles on my '99 Ext Cab 4x4 TRD 2.7 5spd and she runs like a champ, I plan to keep this one for a while.
  • paul_ppaul_p Member Posts: 271
    tisteve,

    How has your truck's body been since that run-in with salt water - are there any signs of rust?

    Due to a job change I have to bring my truck to New England and drive it in the salt and snow, I'm not really looking forward to that and will try to wash it every week.

    - Paul
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    Take it to the dealer, have it replaced under warranty. You trying to sound like this is the end of the world, and your truck is going to eat trannys once a month, and blow an engine once a year. Aint gonna happen. Have the dealer replace it. If another major repair happens (engine blows, or something like that), check out the lemon law in CA.
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    I wouldn't get too worked up over it. I've bought alot of new vehicles for personal/business. When stuff happens during the first couple thousand miles, it's usually a seal/gasket/etc that was faulty and failed astronomically early. When something blows at 40K, that scares me.
  • tistevetisteve Member Posts: 142
    Well, I traded that truck in early (lease) to get my '99 w/TRD and a few options my '97 didn't have. So, I'm not sure if any rust problems developed. But, after having destroyed a Samarai by going through the salt water in Hatteras, I'm a lot more careful now when I do encounter salt water and try my best to avoid it. As I mentioned I had the shop change all of the fluids, and took it to a car wash and really blasted it good underneath. Buy the time I traded it in it had 38,000 miles and no sign of any rust. My '99 goes on the beach a few times a year and I try my best to avoid actually going through any salt water. Then on the way home I stop off at a car wash and rinse, rinse, rinse very well.
    To date my '99 has 28,000 miles and no signs of any rust what so ever.
    We don't get much snow here in SE VA so road salt is not a big concern, but when we do, I wash it real well.
    My biggest finish problem is little stone chips. There are dozens on the hood and rocker panels, about the size of a pin head. I have a hood deflector, but I still get them. I heard something about newer water based paints aren't as tough as the older ones. It does seem thin and chips real easily. But the finish (gloss) is holding up real well, but I wash and wax regularly.
  • paul_ppaul_p Member Posts: 271
    Yes, I get the chips as well - at 9 years I have what must be a couple of hundred or so on the hood. From a distance it isn't that bad, I use touch-up paint every so often on the worst ones.
  • tistevetisteve Member Posts: 142
    Do you use a brush-on or a spray? I haven't fixed any of mine yet, but need to. In the past, I've found the brush on jobs usually look pretty bad, but have never tried the sprays(seems messy).
    Any tips?
  • sonjaabsonjaab Member Posts: 1,057
    Try using Q tips when touching up stone
    chips when using liquid touch up paint.
    But remember you will need a bunch of them
    and prob. use a fresh one every time so
    no lint in paint...just a thought !!!!!!
  • alkoalko Member Posts: 13
    I just bought a new 2002 PreRuner V6, SR5, no TRD, and a few days ago noticed a whining noise coming from the steering when I turn the steering wheel all of the way in one direction. Everything else seems to be fine except for the noise. Does anyone have the same problem? Is this something to be worried about or is this normal for this truck?
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    take it to the dealer
  • tistevetisteve Member Posts: 142
    Hold on a minute, are you saying you only hear it when the wheel is turned ALL the way over to one side or the other? When you reach the end of the steering wheel travel (as far as it will turn), the power steering unit will make a grunting, straining noise as you're trying to force it to turn further than it physically can. This is normal on all cars with power steering. Just don't try to force it past where it stops.

    If you're hearing the noise WHILE the wheel is turning freely, that's not normal and might be a problem.

    On any car or truck with power steering it's not a good idea to turn the wheel all the way to the stopping point and force it hard to stay there, it puts too much strain on your power steering and will shorten it's life.
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    when you turn it all the way out, which is pretty much normal. If it's whining while you are still turning the tires, then take it to the dealer.
  • fltsafetyfltsafety Member Posts: 1
    I just bought a 2002 PreRunner DblCab TRD V6 4x2 2 weeks ago. I just noticed two different
    rattles coming from either the airbag or behind the glove box. One is a deep rattle and the
    other is like a chirping sound. Does anyone have any similar sounds? Does anyone have any
    thoughts or ideas? It happens on smooth road as well as bumps.
  • smgillessmgilles Member Posts: 252
    Go to Menards and buy some window foam. It costs $4.00 and comes in gray or tan so it will match your interior. The foam is 3ft. long and 1.25 inches thick. Take the foam and put it between the dash and the windshield, the noise will be gone because the foam expands with the dash. Don't worry foam can't be seen from inside or outside the cab. This will eliminate all the rattle! Good luck!
  • tbundertbunder Member Posts: 580
    speaking from experience?
    menards? foam on your new dash? omg. toyota quality, gotta love it.
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    Small problems here and there arent anything big.
    Its your truck, you'll be driving it for several years, get to know it. Fix it yourself from time to time. I see nothing wrong with this rattle....yeah, it rattles a little, well, fix it. It's not rocket science.
  • smgillessmgilles Member Posts: 252
    I wouldn't drive a Ford it was given to me for free! Hey, my wife thinks she knows who you are, she graduated from that "wonderful" place you call Simpson. Did you used to work campus security by chance?
  • tbundertbunder Member Posts: 580
    guys, foaming up your dash to stop rattles on a brand new '02? come on.

    sm-nope, (how would she know me, you don't even know my name or how old i am) sorry. im an old fart that took courses in the evening. never worked campus security, do they even have any? btw, that "wonderful" college is ranked very highly by us news & world report. it puts most other colleges to shame on requirements. graduating from simpson college means you can write well. something most colleges are lacking these days. not to mention requiring a foreign language as well. btw, i finished with a 3.562 gpa. one test kept me from [non-permissible content removed] laude. damn that class.
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    after OJ?
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    but I'm fairly positive they would fix the rattle, judging from buying experience I had with them.
    Just like the snapped axle: they'll take care of the problem, but guys, replacing an axle on a brand new '02? come on.

    Not to nag or anything: you know you are supposed to start each new sentence with a capital letter?
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
  • smgillessmgilles Member Posts: 252
    I have heard of people going to the dealer for the rattle and all people got was a tore up dash, some scratches and the same old rattle. I figure for $4.00 and 5 minutes of my own time it would be much easier, plus the rattle does not exist.

    Yes, I agree Tbunder, any new car should be tight as a drum. NO RATTLES. I hate rattles worse than anything, that is why I chose to fix it instead of letting the dealer screw it up.

    Simpson College is where George Washington Carver went. It a small private college in Iowa that ranks as one of the higher in the midwest. My wife went there and now goes to Law school and the U. of Iowa so it had to be okay!
  • tbundertbunder Member Posts: 580
    probably went to some blue light tech school. he wouldn't appreciate a good intellectual education if it jumped into his tacoma's bed. iowa has some of the finest schools in the nation.

    scorpio, how old are you 20? seems your immaturity is beaming.
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    Close, I'm 23, and I got 2 bachelor degrees: mathematics and comp. science. Granted they are not from the best university, but it's a start. I'm starting masters in comp. sci this fall at UT.
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    reason why I said it about the capital letters: you talk about how great the college is, and "graduating from simpson college means you can write well. something most colleges are lacking these days", yet you yourself do disregard the simple rule of starting each sentence with upper case. Are you just being lazy, just don't care, or what? If you got great education, use it.
  • tbundertbunder Member Posts: 580
    why, to impress some computer geek who knows nothing about western civilization and how the world evolved? yep, ill admit it, im very lazy. hehe

    btw, what's "UT"?
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    University of Texas, Austin.

    Why did you get your education then, if you don't use it? A diploma is a piece of paper, nothing more, unless you put the knowledge you have gained to use.
    I'm not going to get impressed by your correct spelling. However, seeing obvious grammar mistakes in your post doesn't give your education too much credibility.
    For one, I'm not boasting about my writing skills. I do know something about history and the world. I don't know about US history of 60s, 70s or 80s in great detail, I wasn't in the country. I wouldn't expect you to know history of my country in great detail.
    And by the way, calling someone a computer geek is not an insult anymore. It may have been years ago, but here at work we are rather proud of it.
  • allknowingallknowing Member Posts: 866
    Tbunder's statement "scorpio, how old are you 20? seems your immaturity is beaming".

    The goal of every US citizen should be to present ourselves in the mature fashion that tbunder regular exhibits.:)
  • tbundertbunder Member Posts: 580
    allknowing. i like to present the facts and prove anyone who disputes those facts wrong. you don't get anywhere in life by sitting there quiet and letting people walk all over you.

    scorpio- i dont waste my skills on this little forum. however, i will spell words correctly. that's second nature. when my skills are called upon, they get exhibited.

    computer geek- a person who delved into the thought that working in the computer industry was a safe and secure trade. i have three friends who range from programmer to network tech that were all laid off in the last three months. the industry is flooded with workers and on its way down as far as being a secure job category. i wish you all the best and hope you don't get laid off. but you know this is true. however, i have one of the best degrees around- criminal justice. when people who work your trade or any other get laid off or feel harsh times, they almost always resort to crime. imo, the best job security in the world.
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    So you think that majority of laid off people will go to robbing convinience stores and banks? Thats really interesting. I'm sure that all the hightech experienced people will appreciate your view. Typical cop.

    Computer geeks are people who work with computers professionally. They are not the dreamers who thought the dot.com bubble would be the answer to everything. You know, I work for a company that makes hardware and software for everybody, from NASA to Solar car group at the university I went to. So no, I don't work for a dotcom, and we've survived the last year without layoffs or paycuts, and picked up quite a few good engineers along the way, as well as quite a few new college grads. I say it's a pretty good job security. The moment test and measurement industry goes crashing down, everybody else will feel the impact, because even your Ford uses our boards to work on prototype cars.
    No job is ever safe. Neither mine, nor yours. You can get laid off just as quick.
  • smgillessmgilles Member Posts: 252
    Criminal Justice, give me a break, why didn't strive for a degree you had to work at. Best degree? Let me guess it is the best degree because you got one? Now I know why you graduated with 3.6????

    Gosh, tbunder, all my friends from the U. of Iowa who graduated with MIS or computer Sci. degrees are all still employeed and make well over $40,000. This is right out of college. Three of them work in Omaha, one in DesMoines, and the other two in Chicago. Seems okay to me.

    If you were to be a cop why would you go to College when you can just go to the military? Both my brothers are cops and neither has ever stepped foot in a college classroom. One works in Council Bluffs and the other in Omaha. Both got jobs in their respective position straight out of the military. No, neither was a MP either.
  • tbundertbunder Member Posts: 580
    hope not.

    ps. im not a cop. hehe

    and i didn't say that they will rob "banks" or "convenience stores". i said they ALMOST always resort to crime. you took it all out of context my man.
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    attitude of "Everybody is a criminal, they just haven't done it yet". My criminology professor would have a great time talking to you. His name is John Galliher....maybe you've heard of him. He wrote the textbooks on the subject, red Criminology book.
  • tbundertbunder Member Posts: 580
    true. oh, and just fyi, everyone at simpson takes the same cornerstone courses which requires taking so many hours in everything offered at the school. which means everyone must take algebra, statistics, calculus, foreign language, science, history, etc. ranging from western society to foreign language to the finer arts. so to say a cj degree is a cakewalk, maybe at some schools. not simpson though. a simpson cj degree is highly regarded because employers and agencies know that simpson graduates have been subjected to a wide array of subjects, not just criminology or sociology.

    ps. have either one of your brothers ever tried applying for a state special agent job or a federal job like fbi or cia? maybe dea? without a degree, they're flat out of luck bud. you can be a general in the military, but unless you have at least a BA, you can't even apply for the fbi, or a state level special agent for that matter. kudos to them, but they're lifers unless they get an education. who wants to be a patrol officer their whole life?
  • sc0rpi0sc0rpi0 Member Posts: 897
    they'll be cracking sites for money instead, is that right...being high-tech and all?
    To your information, great majority of computer crimes (such as cracking and defacing sites, etc) is done by "script kiddies", 13-18 yo kids who have nothing better to do. Do you honestly think that a 30yo man with family, mortgage and car payments is going to go all out and start robbing people just because they got laid off?
This discussion has been closed.