Toyota Tacoma 2005+

054x4dc

Just added a drop in K&N Air Filter - p/n 33-2281. I noticed another filter of some type inside the air box and after the air filter. Is this the so called "charcoal filter" I've seen posted about here? Can or should this be removed? For sure it's restricting air flow, but should I remove it as well? I've got the Gibson cat back exhaust as well, trying to squeeze out as much HP as possible without impacting fuel economy.

pb2themax

It is some kind of emissions crap. It was not on the 04 4Runner V6, but it is now on the 05 and up V6s. It has something to do with gas fumes on engine start up/shut down. I, and lots of others have taken it out. It has 6 plastic rivets that need to be drilled out, and then it comes out. Pretty easy. Removing it seems to help the engine breathe a little more.

mtnman2

I saw a tacoma today that had some sort of polished metal plates (stainless, chrome?) approximately 10 inches tall that were attached to the lower body of his/her truck and ran the length of the vehicle. Does anybody know anything about this? Do they offer protection or are they just for looks? How are they attached -- glue? Just curious...it was a good look. Thanks for replies :shades:

mapmaker2

What is the "noise kit" that you referred to?

yrffej

i think the trd seats feel great. i'm also 5-8, first adj seat for arm position comfort, you've got multiple steering column positions and seat tilt.... after that the petal position. some add spacers on the pedals or bend them away...

mapmaker2

What do you mean by the term "work-around"? Not sure if I've heard that one.
It sounds like you're satisfied with the taco. Thanks for the positive posting.

woof

Just got it 3 weeks ago and wanted to share some observations and ask a few questions...
We tested the TRD 4x4; my wife and son did not care for the harsh ride and the "grid" pattern on the seats bothered my t-shirt clad son. Could find no PreRunner SR5s to test so we were amazed at the difference in the ride when ours arrived. The PreRunner is "tight" but not harsh, and handling is very good--more like a car than a truck. SR5 fabric is fine with my son.

I hope that the gas mileage improves. I've always found new Toyota enignes to need a long break in time but I was expecting a bit more than 17.5 mpg on the first tank of gas. My 1100 pound heavier '05 Chevy Silverado with a V8 was getting around 20 mpg.

Does a K+N air filter make a difference in performance or fuel economy?

I plan to get a cap and wonder if any thing special needs to be done to install the cap (any special clamps, etc.) for the special bed? Thanks...

mapmaker2

I'm one of the Taco owners that has the infamous engine clicking noise. Started at about 200 miles and I can hear it after the engine has been running for 30 seonds and continues until shut off. It seems to be on the drivers side only.
I've seen dozens of posts from other owners with the same noise. I have not heard what is causing this noise.
Does anyone out there have a solution or is this a "have to live with it" situation?
I have to say, I'm somewhat disappointed in Toyota for letting a vehicle be sold like this.

ustazzaf

There are special clamps that any reputable shell dealer will have. They fit in the rails and work like a champ.
As for the engine clicking, if the models on the lot don't do it, tell them to compare. If the dealer doesn't fix the problem go to another dealer. I do not understand the "I have to live with the problem" mentality. If I spend 30 grand on something, I am not going to live with the problem. I see people complaing about the seats being to hard or positioned bad. That is something that was no different when you bought it. You have to live with it because you bought it knowing how the configuration was. If the engine starts making funny noises a month down the road, that is not something to live with. E-mail or call the company. If that doesn't work, notify the BBB. Eventually, if there is a problem it will be resolved. I have never left the dealer without satisfaction. Maybe I just have a good dealer.

ecotrklvr

Hi -

I had an 88 Mazda B2200 Club Cab for several years. It was a great truck, an I do miss it. Mine was a manual transmission, and it was a lot of fun to run thru the gears - GREAT shifter. Now I'm looking at the Tacoma, and of course, it's a much larger, roomier truck. The Access Cab with a 4-cylinder engine is the one I'd get.

I drove both the 5-speed manual and the automatic. Strange, I love driving a stick, but the tall rear-end gearing made the automatic the better trans. The manual trans shifter was OK, but now automatic transmissions are much better, and the Tacoma's even has a gated gear selector. I noticed that the Tacoma seemed to have quite a bit more torque than my old Mazda. Instead of having to rev the engine to get power, with the Tacoma you can keep the revs lower.

Good luck with which ever you get.

lingking

Hi bjw1,
What did you use to remove the 3rd light off from the inside of the cab. It looks like a 11mm nut, but I still can't remove it. Please help.
Thanks, Ling King

shuffles

I have heard that Toyota has begun selling diesel Tacomas in Europe. If so, would it be possible to import one into the U. S.? Does anyone know anything about this?

bjw1

hello, well it shoould be a small star shaped bit, i found only one that i had to fit it, so i hope you have one, i was going to have to go to the hardware store or tool store to get one, well hope you can find one to work.

typeoplus

Just got a 2006 Double Cab Tacoma V6 4WD. Great vehicle. Was concerned because I pull a 3700 lb fishing boat and got out of a 2003 Suburban. No problem. Have pulled the boat all over and the Tacoma does an outstanding job. Am a little disappointed with the gas mileage. About 18 on road without a load and 14 around town. Wife can drive fine, only problem is getting in and out. If you need more info, advise. Good luck in whatever you decide.

:shades:

mapmaker2

Thanks for your opinion. And you are exactly right.
It was not clicking when I bought the truck so I should not "have to live with it" now.
The dealer is my next line of problem solving and the "comparison to another new truck on the lot" you mentioned will be the suggestion I bring up. It is a reputable dealer so I expect some satisfaction.
Thanks again for your opinion and your post.

autobahntaco

I am stationed in Germany, and they don't sell any Tacoma's in Europe. It is called the Hilux here. I got my new american spec Tacoma through a military program Toyota has set up here. The Hilux is one sweet machine though. It has always been a diesel as most light trucks are in europe, and it has a real "stick" to shift into 4LO! As far as importing one, it is possible if you convert everything over to american specs like glass, bumpers, dash, and safety equipment. There are companies here that do the conversion for about $5000, but you could do it yourself cheaper. The sticker price for a loaded D-cab Hilux is about $34,500 BEFORE conversion and tax. She is pretty though! http://www.toyota.de/cars/new_cars/hilux/gallery.asp

westeem

Beginning April, 2006, our state has mandated use of 10% ethanol gasoline. Does anyone know if this will affect the octane level? I currently use regular gas with a 4.0 liter engine. Will I have to upgrade to premium?

pb2themax

10% ethanol is usually 91 octane. Compared to normal gas, the cost should be cheaper per gallon for the 10% ethanol, plus ethanol is made mostly from corn, so it supports your local farmers. But there is a down side. It usually has slightly less power compared to normal gas. So your MPG might drop a little.

ggdillon

I had same issue with my 05 access cab. Would first start buzzing at like 90, then over days and weeks it would start buzzing at lower and lower speeds until it came on like clockwork at 72 mph. After several trips to the dealer, what finally solved it was replacing the seal the whole way around the window. Only heard it once in the months since: driving fast into strong, gusty winds.

ggdillon

I have an 05 access cab TRD off-road, v6, manual with 'normal' CD player (NOT 6 disc changer) stereo. I've installed the Ipod2car device from Peripheral using the pxhty3 cable (This cable came as part of the 'asian import' ipod2car package from Best Buy and has three different connectors dangling from harness... Only one of which fits the empty 12-pin connector on the back of the CD player). It is connected to my 5G (video) Ipod. Easily routed the wire to the arm-rest bin for security.

Sounds great and it works pretty well, in general, but I wanted to know if others that have installed the ipod2car on this stereo have seen glitches similar to the ones I list below, or, perhaps, should I return the module for another one (after checking the dip switches one last time), as Peripheral's tech support suggested.

1 - it turns off automatically when I turn off the key, but it doesn't turn on automatically when I start the truck up. Hitting FM, then CD, turns the Ipod on, but it won't play without hitting the play button on the Ipod because it turns on in Pause mode, not Play mode.

2 - intermittent issue fast forwarding or skipping ahead one track using the stereo's controls, especially after not hitting any buttons for awhile. More specifically, I will occasionally need to hit either the 'reverse' or 'track back' button before either the 'fast forward' or 'track forward' button on the stereo will work properly.

Seems odd to me.

chivin

My tacoma just have 2500 miles and the muffler is full of black rust... like an old truck... I went to the dealer and they toll me that it is normal..is it true?

gandalf1

Looks like we have about the same vehicle, I also have the Off Road and Tow packages. My first fill-up came in at 17.57 mpg. That was about 50/50 highway/city driving, plus a handful of miles off road to make sure the 4x4 worked. However, I drove it like a granny most of the time just so I wouldn't have a heart attack when I checked my mileage for the first time!

From past experience, I don't expect the best mileage until I get at least 10k miles on the truck. It takes a while for the engine to get 'untight'.

len888

I got covers at Wal Mart. Made by BELL. Mine are grey with a pattern almost identical to the factory upholstery.

len888

'work-a-round' = 'to innovate a fix to some design problem'

len888

Whenever I have used 10% ethanol the mpg drops slightly which means more frequent fillups. The Feds have the right intention to reduce reliance on foreign oil/byproducts but how that translates in changes in consumption for my '05 SR5 V6 I have yet to figure out. In fact, the Taco now has 9K mile and I have kept a diary for each fillup mainly to get a mileage/mpg trend line. I still keep a diary on my 'sunday' car a 1995 Lexus SC400 V8 which has 40K original miles on the odometer but only use ethanol-free Amoco 93octane for that engine. Your SR5 engine will accept any octane seamlessly without knocking so the only issue may be with mpg. Keep a fill-up log.

taco2times

I use regular unleaded and got right at 20 mpg, driving like a granny when brand new, with the same vehicle. I have gotten 21 mpg on a hwy trip driving a steady 65 mph. When driving normal (50/50 - city/hwy) I get about 18. This was a huge improvement over the Chevy 2500HD that I was driving though - 12 mpg overall!

ltmar

I am preparing to order a 2006 Double Cab TRD Sport. I believe that the available skid plate was modified from 2005 because of stability problems. Does anyone know if the skid plate that is a dealer installed option for 2006 is functional and/or worth $199?

boone88rr

Yes it was modified. They are not allowed to sell the original design. They simply added two support arms in the middle of the plate to stop vibration. It is not worth $199 because you can order it from various online suppliers for $165 or less. It mounts with existing bolts over the standard black plate. Do it yourself or have someone put it on for you and save yourself 30 bucks.

It is functional. I 4x4 on the beach and my front end occasionally bangs the dunes. I would not want a cracked oil pan out there. Let it take a beating, if you choose to sell your truck in the future you can take it off and you'll be scratch free underneath. I think it looks good too.

coldfoot

When I put my 05 Taco in 4-wheel drive and take it out it makes a banging sound. It does it moving or sitting still. Dealer says it is normal. Anyone else had the same problem ?

pb2themax

That's normal. All 'on the fly' 4WDs do that. But it engages/disengages smoother if you turn the 4WD knob when you are coasting in a straight line (not pressing the gas).

mapmaker2

I have a '06 Tacoma Sport with the factory installed skid plate and I have not noticed any problems with vibration or swaying at high speeds. I been at 75 mph and it's fine. If there was a problem with the '05 skid plate, it must have been fixed. I don't know what the '05 looked like though.

len888

I'm getting alot of use from my 2005 4WD SR5 access cab here in the ice & snow road conditions of northeast PA (Pocono Mtns. Very easy to punch thru plow plugged driveway too. I always come to a complete stop before switching into and out of 4WD. Never 'thumps' hard or loud but occassionally does so slightly upon pulling out in the 4WD mode. That's normal. This isn't to say you cannot shift on the fly. I just prefer stopoping first.Happy 4-wheelin'.

raswank

Has anyone used the SwayAway 2.0 series coilovers in there 2005 2006 Tacoma 4x4 and kept the factory O.E.M. rims? And how do you like the ride, and quality. Do you have to get the nitrogen recharged or anything. Or is it put them in, align it, and go. Any help will be great.

2112beans

My Taco is less than 24 hours old and I've already got the itchin' to put a new sound system in it. Are there aftermarket head units that allow the steering wheel controls to remain usable?

len888

I have port installed running boards on my 2005 4x4 Access cab. Now that the sloppy weather is here in the northeast, I find the running boards a HUGE benefit in keeping road spray from getting on the rocker panel and lower doors. This further indicates protection from gravel chips beyond that which is offered by mudflaps alone.. A + for running boards over round bars.

len888

Toyota's cargo divider itself is not flush with the top of the bed, but its two top tensions knobs are very slightly higher that the bed sides. Unscre to remove the two upper knobs and replace with stainless steel washers and acorn nuts. This will not interfere with the Fold A Cover.

len888

My 2005 Taco V6 Access Cab had the same black carbon in the exhaust pipe and was first noticed around 200 mi. (you refer to it as black rust). No sure if it's a normal condition due to some additive they put inside to lube the engined when transporting the engine by boat from Japan to the Calif. assembly site. Did you hear from your dealer what exactly caused the carbon dust and if it would go away with time?

gandalf1

Has anyone gotten their bed extender ripped off? I just took delivery of my truck (with extender) and realize that it would take about 5 seconds for someone to walk off with it. Of course, they would then have to buy the mounting brackets (assuming they can be purchased separately from the extender itself).

I'm thinking of putting one of those cable bicycle locks on it when not in use, attached to one of the rear frame bolted tie downs.

Am I missing something here, other than just leaving it in my garage when not in use? But that's not really a good option, as I am finding that it's very handy in the non-extended position to just secure stuff in the back of the bed.

araomd

Why such a good deal? I just bought a 2006 4x2 double cab with sr5 package new for 20,977 + tax etc. Price was listed in the dealership ad in the paper.

pb2themax

Fujitsu is the company that makes radios for Toyotas. Fujitsu also makes Eclipse aftermarket radios. I've heard that the steering wheel controls plug right into certain high-end Eclipse radios, like thier double-din navigation units. I really like the Eclipse AVN5495. It does Everything.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-FnpWG2AK4zk/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=182350&I=099AVN5- 495

sevigny17

If this is some kind of emissions crap, does it affect passing emissions tests? I don't know much about emissions, the State of NH just started testing in '05. I bought my '05 DC TRD Sport before I needed to inspect my previous vehicle for '05. I would think that if they put it in for emissions, that it would affect passing. Does anyone know if it will pass without this filter?

linkfeeney

hi
I notice the 2006 lost 9hp compared with 2005... and also lost the torque too... just want to know what happened? I mean it still pulls 6500 lbs... but why does it need to lower the HP? thanks!

pb2themax

The '06 has just as much power as the '05, but they now use the SAE rating system. If you do a search you should find more info about it.
Basically, they went to the SAE system so that both foreign and domestic automakers are on the same page as far as claimed HP. Its a fairer way of comparing different makes.
One thing to note, Ford as of yet has not retested their engines using the new system and GM has done it on only a few models. I'm not sure about Nissan.

pb2themax

Yes it will pass without that filter. Toyota likes to over-kill when it comes to emissions stuff.

The '04 4Runner has the same V6 engine, but without that new filter, and it passes emissions easily.

jfigueroa1

Happy new year,
I was reading the news paper from Puerto Rico and on the classify a toyota dealer in P.R they have a picture of a tacoma dc look like a trd off road and the $ is 25,395. the model is PU81. ANYBODY KNOWS WHAT THE pu81 IS?

chivin

Yes, I refer to black carbon on the pipe... the dealer told me that is it normal.... and as reference... all the 2006 tacomas are made in Mexico!!!

mapmaker2

The dealer has proven to me the engine noise that sounds much like a clicking or ticking is inharent to the newer 6 cyl. that comes with the Tacomas.
We listened to mine, pulled a Tacoma off the new vehicle line and listened to that one, listened to two other customers that were in for regular service, and finally started his up (2006 Tacoma TRD Off Road) and listened to his.
All five 6 cyl. had the clicking noise. I would rather not have it make that noise but if they all do it, at least I'm not alone.
Anyone else have this "known" noise with their new Taco's?

pb2themax

This has been talked about a lot on this forum. I think that the stock filter is a little restricting when it comes to getting oil to the top end of the engine. The noise seems to go away or get much quieter if you switch to a good synthetic oil and filter. I have had good luck with Amsoil and then a Mobil-1 filter (filter model-102). You don't have to try Amsoil, but at least try the Mobil-1 filter. Puting some mileage on your engine will help too.

nedkelly

Is it possible to get a trd sport 4 door 4x4 with the vsc + trac?

I'm up in the snow belt and can't find the vsc + trac as an option for sport but have seen it for off road.

demoncleaner

NOpe. TRD Sport uses a mechanical limited slip rear axle. Love mine in the snow, many times dont bother with 4wd anymore. Of course snow tires all around help too. VSC and Trac work by braking wheels. Only the open diff is available if you order that (off road is open diff till you manually lock it, at which time VSC and trac is disengaged).