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Anyway, you should look into a ScanGauge. The info it provides is awesome. It will probably pay for itself after a while, by making you drive more conservatively when you look at the real-time MPG. Plus it will tell you "Problem Codes" in the computer. If the code is an error or something that's not important then you can use the ScanGauge to clear the Check Engine light. No need to pay the Stealership to do it
As for the temp, I drove by the radio station today as they were saying the current temp was 47 degrees, and by God, my temp said 47 degrees. Around here the temp can be 10 degrees different in a mile or less, so I do rely on it for ice. My wife's van had a compass and I loved it, so yes I was looking for this stuff when I went shopping. As for the ScanGauge, I will have one within the next couple weeks. I think it will fit in the compartment in front of the shifter. If not, I will find a nice place to mount it. I think the fuel savings will pay for it in short order. Thanks for the tip. Never heard of this item before you mentioned it.
Oh, the ScanGauge will display the Engine Intake Air temp, so I can tell what the outside temperature is, at least until the engine gets warm and radiates heat into the intake.
We feel the Taco DC leaves a little interior room to be desired for the family. Love the Tundra DC but it is a whole lot of vehicle and we'd love to stick to economy of 6cyl powerplant.
FJ has runs the same 6 cyl engine as the taco. Interior capacity/family utility is greater, although i wish back seat windows would go down (but perhaps this feature is safer for out 15 mo. old (and No. 2 when we get around to him/her).
I need this board's insight re: i. fuel type, and ii. your satisfaction with the motor and it's towing capability. The FJ has no transmission cooling that i've read about although I only expect i would be hauling small trailer which would replace the Taco's bed.
Motor Trend indicates Toyota recommends premium fuel for. is Premium fuel really necessary?
What are people here running in their 6 cyl engines?
Any towing problems?
Any additional thoughts would be appreciated?
Regards,
damnedyankee
I've never used premium fuel in any car I've owned and frankly think it is a [non-permissible content removed] marketing gimmick employed by the oil companies.
I carry 5 people in my Taco with no problem. Might be tight if a couple were in car seats. My kids are 11 to 18 and all are atleast 5'5". as for fuel economy, my Tundra with a 4.7 got pretty close to the same mileage as my V6 Tacoma.
Motor Trend indicates Toyota recommends premium fuel for. is Premium fuel really necessary?
What are people here running in their 6 cyl engines?
The only people reccommending premium are the non-owners. If someone says they need it, they have probably never even sat in one.
As for towing, I have not towed anything other than a few Hondas out of the mud and a tree off the beach, but I am guessing that the 6 speed would be sweet for towing with all the gears. Always found other vehicles (including automatics) were constantly going back and forth because one gear was too short and the next was too tall. Think finding a happy medium would be easy with this.
other than the clank, i put 26000 miles in a year and this truck is awesome! the dealer did replace both my rear bilstein shocks. he said it was leaking.
anyhow, if someone has a picture of the TSB rear leaf fix, i would greatly appreciate it.
I was left with this message: "too many owners are reporting problems of others such as heard here on Edmunds as if like problems were imminent. Also, one must keep in mind that TSBs are VIN specific."
For now, the noise went away as quickly as it came.
In one, it went away for quite sometime, then eventually I had to replace the fan.
In the other, (years ago) I took down the fan, and "hosed out the bearing with electronics cleaner, then added some dry lubricant. (I had used the graphite in a solvent suspension. The solvent helps to flow the graphite in and distribute it, then evaporates, so as to not leave a liquid that attracts dirt.)
The screaching is usually due to contaminants (dust, etc) but may be caused by some galling of the journal. (Generally, these don't have roller bearings, just plain journal bearings or bushings.) If it galls, there's not much you can do for it. If it's dust, cleaning and relubricating may help. In my case, it wasn't making noise when I sold it some 5 or 6 yrs later.
However, if you do this, it may void the warranty.
You might look in the svc manual for the trouble shooting charts. See what it says about noise in the fan. If it has a procedure, I'd try to get the dealer to follow it. If he doesn't, then you could always do it, documenting that you tried to get him to do it, and failing that, you "performed it per page XX of the Toyota Svc Manual."
They might still give you some grief if it failed later, but (NOTE- I am NOT an attorney) I think you would have a
pretty good case in small claims court if you documented the several attempts you made to have them fix it, and then finally gave up and attempted the repair in compliancewith the mfr's svc manual.
Anyways, I've had some other problems:
They also changed:
- 4th gear (sleeve and hub) (It would shift to neutral without direct action from the driver........);
-A Shock (rear left);
-The roof light inside the cab;
-A door bushing, the one the door hits when you close it. The door was shaking on its seat....
and they had to oil the clutch pedal pivot, it was making a queek when pushing on it. It solved the problem temporairily, but now, a few month after, it'seems to be reapearing.
I was deceived from these problems but I still love the Truck for its great qualities.
An almost fully satisfied owner.
Francois
About the Tundra double: I traded one of those to get the Tacoma. Never got better than 13mpg city in 14 months. Solid, dependable truck, but very thirsty. And I don't drive crazy. I try to accelerate slowly and keep it around 65 mph.
Good luck.
I have no problem viewing mine during the day or at night. Matches the interior orange gauges.
The only reason I use 89 occasionally is for clean burn and to deter spark plug fouling. The main reason I us 87 is cost-averaging. Current mileage: 11,550
My truck is a '05 V6 4WD Access Cab with a Fold-A-Cover tonno which may influence fuel consumption but I have not had the truck long enough without the tono to comment on mileage effect. I do 50/50 hghy/town driving and the gas log reveals an average 23 MPG. I drive at and above speed limit when on the interstate(shame on me for trusting K-40)
Thanks,
Chintan Talati
Corporate Communications
Edmunds.com
Yo, could you please explain this a little more, sounds interesting .... but what is a 'double din'? And did you say to 'removed' the stock temp/compass and then, did you say, you 'installed' a "ScanGauge" .... what is that?
thanks in advance, sounds interesting but I'm not sure what those things are. thanks
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/832238/13
A single DIN radio is the size of most aftermarket car radios, which is about 2" tall by 7" wide. A double DIN is twice that size, 4" x 7". Most navigation units have a LCD screen that needs a double DIN space. The spot in '05/'06 Tacomas are pretty big and can occomidate a single or double DIN dash kit. For info on a good dash kit for an aftermarket radio, Google "Scosche 2005 Tacoma Dash kit."
Until I read the posts about the Scan Gauge availability. One of the reasons for getting a Tacoma was for the gas economy. It would have been nice to have a MPG readout in the Compass/Temp display, but I thought that it must be too expensive for Toyota to put it in. Now I see that the capability already exists thru the obdii port. You would think that Toyota could have wired this capability into the existing display for just a few dollars and allow everyone to see real MPG for their trucks. I think it is shamefull that they don't do this for all of their vehicles.
Toyota, if you are reading this, you should put MPG capability in the display. It is wrong not to.
I will shut up now and go order a ScanGauge.
Any comments for or against it being necesary to undercoat composites against the effects of road salt?
I'm interested in the Fold-A-Cover as well. Great feedback. I have a couple more questions.
1. How long does it take to come on and off?
2. When it is off, how much room does it take (would it fit in the back seat?)
3. How much to do you have to modify the truck to mount it? (ie. drilling of box, extra hardware, etc.)
4. Does it interfere with the existing tie-downs?
5. You mentioned the Access LE cover, who makes it? Does it fold the same way the fold-a-cover does?
Thanks.
Ken
06 TRD Double-Cab 4x4
2. It would be a close fit to lay it across the back
seats. Need door to door ID to know for sure. Why
take up seating space with a dormant accessory?
3. No mods and no drilling needed.
4. The cover rests entirely on the side ledges of the box and does clear Toyota brand tie'downs.
5. I have no experience with the Access LE brand.
Ken, I suggest that you contact Fold-A-Cover.COM to verify that a cover is designed and sold for your model/year.
If there's a retrofit that makes a significant difference, I would suspect it will be pretty widely available as the part mfr should bear a large part of the responsibility.
Just a guess, based on our own mfr/vendor relationships.
Do you also know that when car companies test their vehicles to get their MPG for highway and city that they use 100 octane level so that they can get the highest miles per gallon. Many car users do not know this.
The higher the octane the more miles per gallon. It is a fact.
2. Use highest octane to get higher horsepower and more miles with less gas.( cleaner burning )
3. Inflate tire to the highest recommended PSI level that is posted on the tire- close to the rim. Tire last longer and will respond to acceleration, turns and stop much better.
4. Use pure silicone spray on any rubber or plastic on your vehicle. Silicone will make any plastic or rubber keep its flexebility and strenght for a very long time. Try it- prove me wrong.
3- Tires should be inflated to the VEHICLE manufacturer's recommendations, not the max pressure on the tire. The max pressure is the max pressure rating for the max load rating of the tire. Tire contact area is dependent on vehicle weight and tire pressure. lower pressure results in larger contact area, but more flexing of the sidewall with corresponding lower fuel economy and higher heat buildup in the tire. Higher pressures result in lower rolling resistance, but also smaller contact area and increased "bounce" which can result in poor handling and reduced traction. The vehicle manufacturer selects a tire pressure which is the best balance of traction, heat buildup and fuel economy. The tire mfr cannot provide the optimum pressure for all vehicles as a single value. The tire shows the Max value only.
4- Pure silicone liquid or grease is great. CAUTION- many spray silicones contain propellants that can damage synthetic rubber and plastic. You should not use spray silicone unless it specifically states it is intended for that application.
What scource(s) do you cite for saying "car companies to get their MPG for highway and city that....use 100 octane...."?
Thanks for the feedback! The reason I'd want to remove it is if I was out somewhere and needed to pickup something big unexpectantly (ie. the wife decides to buy a dresser and I need to haul it home). If it would fit in the back seat, that would allow full access to the box.
Thanks.
Ken
Do you have a reference to back that up? I find it hard to believe that companies can show 24MPG at 100 octane, but reccomend 89. Does not add up.
If you order a gallon it works out to be about 75 cents per fill-up (15 gallons). You add one ounce of FP60 per 5 gallons of gas. The oil and additive geeks at bobistheoilguy.com swear by this stuff.
2. EPA did the report on all of the new cars with the 100 octane gas.
3. Read the fine print on the sticker.
4. Go to Google and do a search on miles per gallon and octane used to get the city and highway rating. Let me know what you find.