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Toyota Tacoma Care and Maintenance
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In response to that comment from post #106.....At startup, the oil pressure is high enough that the filter is bypassed anyway, so it does not matter if it is prefilled or not.
Full synthetics do cost more, but they provide a level of lubrication that cannot be attained with conventional oil, and more importantly, don't break down as fast as conventional oil (so that 5W-30 you put in keeps its 30 ability and you aren't stuck with 5 weight oil protecting your engine). This has to do with the polymer chains in the oil.
One thing you might want to do at every 30k mile interval is change out the coolant.
First- there is zero oil pressure when you first start, unless you have your engine equipped with an electric oil pump or one of the accumulator systems that were marketed to minimize the risk of damage to turbocharger bearings in the 1980s. (Most main-stream mfrs do not equip engines with those.) If you want to see it for yourself, change the oil and filter on your engine, turn on the ignition but don't start, allowing the instruments to come on line. Then start the engine and watch the oil pressure gage start at zero and build to operating pressure. No gage- watch you oil pressure warning light when you start. It will certainly stay on longer after an oil and filter change if you don't prefill the filter than after a normal start.
Synthetics vs. conventional- the chains are essentially the same, it is just that a higher percentage of them will be of the same length/viscosity. Synthetics are assembled from the same source as conventional motor oils, the chemical bonds are identical - no magic here. So, the same shearing will occur in a synthetic as a conventional oil, albeit you will technically start with more of them at the "ideal". Nevertheless, by the time you've done the mechanical shearing of enough of the chains in conventional oils to be an issue, the oil is already suffering from contamination and should be changed. To use a synthetic to prolong the interval, merely means you drive with progressively contaminated oil for a longer time.
One place where this MIGHT be worthwhile would be with an engine burning propane or LPG and running a significant amount of mileage. Since the engine is much cleaner burning, fewer contaminants are making their way into the oil. If we're not talking about short trips that allow for more condensation to accumulate, as well as time for the contaminants to form acids, then a synthetic could be used to extend the interval between changes without risking damage from contamination.
The oil has 3 enemies - contamination, oxidation, and mechanical shear. A synthetic is not anymore contaminant tolerant than a conventional oil.
Dealers increasingly use marketing methods that list all sorts of services for an "X thousand mile service" at a given price. The list makes it look like you're getting your money's worth, but often these services are not called for as frequently by the mfr's manual (and who does the testing and design, your dealer or the mfr?), and sometimes the listed items aren't even applicable. (I really like the one in the booklet from my wife's Honda dealer where they list lubricating the U-Joints. First, most passenger cars and vans have been equipped w/ permanently lubed U-Joints since the 1980s and more importantly, the vehicle is front wheel drive so it HAS NO U-Joints!)
Use the manual's list of services, then get pricing from the dealer on each of those services that apply. Now you can compare those with prices from other sources that you trust.
My local Subaru dealer does this. They offer a $600 30k "special" where 80% of the items are either "if applicible", and they aren't, or are "inspect" checkoffs. I sometimes wonder if "inspect" in dealereze means check off the box from the desk.
If you actually followed Subaru's guide, the service would be $125, AT MOST, at dealership prices, maybe $45-55, with your labor and OEM parts.
Read the manual like msibille recommends. I'm a self maintainer who has no problems going to a pro when necessary. Many dealerships are simply out for a money grab.
I know it's been a few months since your post, but here's what I hope will help you and others: My '93 2wd pickup with the 22RE 4-cyl engine & manual trans. just turned 210,000 miles. I've had it since 100,750 and my experience regarding your questions has been the following (use at your own risk, consult a professional mechanic first):
1) When should i change the distributer and plug wires? I changed mine at 208,000 miles. No noticeable improvement in gas mileage, but they look better. I think the truck has more power, maybe.
2) Can I switch to platinum plugs like Bosch's 4+? I only use the original NGK spec in mine. $6.00 at local parts store but they only last about 15,000 to 20,000 miles. I clean them every 10,000 miles or sooner sometimes if the idle gets rough.
3) Do I really need to repack/grease the wheel bearings every 30k miles? No. I repacked mine once at 162,000 when I replaced my front rotors, and the wheel bearings (and brakes) have been fine since.
4) Next to the brake master cylinder there's a small reservoir. Is that for the clutch fluid? When should this be changed? Yes. I change the clutch fluid by bleeding the system every 2 or 3 years.
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?" The following:
Long trips over 8 hours at a time are one of the things that keep my truck running like new. At least once or twice a year I try to do this New England to DC, Georgia, or Minnesota are great for it. What helps mine is to run it up the long steep hills at WOT (wide open throttle) in high gear - low RPMs, and slow increase in speed, but WOT. Just a few of these and I can tell all the carbon is gone & I have a new truck again. The accelerator gets so much more responsive!
Clean the throttle body with Gumout or equivalent every 20 to 30,000 miles. I use a toothbrush to get into the throttle plate - but be careful! And replace the air filter. I clean my air filter (shake out and vacuum) and the box it sits in every 5 to 10,000 miles (costs nothing but my time).
Change the oil when it gets dark brown. Don't let it get black and funny smelling. I change mine every 3,000 miles in the winter, and 4,000 miles in the summer (with long highway trips).
I let my truck warm up some, even in the summer. I know this is a religious issue, and I waste gas, but I'm the one whose laughing all the way to the bank in a truck that's destined for 300,000 miles! I don't start out until the idle has come down and the exhaust starts to vibrate & drone a bit. 3 to 4 minutes in the winter, at least 1 minute in the summer.
I try to change *all* fluids every 3 years, including brake fluid, manual transmission oil, antifreeze, and rear axle fluid. Haven't done the power steering fluid yet, but I had better this summer. Still smells good (not burnt).
If your key stops working, have the dealer parts guy (or lady) cut you a new key. Don't let someone tell you you need a new lock. Heck, get a new key cut anyway - it feels great to use!
If you have trouble shifting, check your shifter bushings at the bottom of the stick before you let someone tell you you need a new clutch or transmission. If you are having trouble shifting or the truck won't stay in a gear (usually 3rd), you can test for this by lifting up a slight bit on the shifter while attempting to shift. If it goes into gear, your shifter seat bushing is probably worn. Mine gave out at 177,100 miles. Unbolt the cover containing the shifter lever carefully, and replace it yourself. Part costs $7. at the Toyota dealer. I learned the hard way at a repair shop that diagnosed & replaced the clutch first that was not needed (bozos-r-us) before diagnosing myself with the help of a friendly Toyota parts department employee - they can be one of your trucks best friends.
Watch the brake fliud "load sense proportioning valve" located on your rear axle for leakage. Mine gave out around 170,000 miles. Cost is around $120. at the Toyota dealer, about the only place you can get one. It is essentially a rear master cylinder that doesn't hold much fluid but redirects more braking force to the rear wheels when the truck is loaded.
Well that about it in a nutshell. One more thing - even with the best maintenance you can do, nothing will kill your truck faster than a wreck. So one more thing I do to make my truck last is avoid accidents!!
Hope this helps,
- Paul
Sorry for the delayed response. Yes, that was the problem I had when my shifter bushing disintegrated. Lift up as you shift into gear, and if it goes in, your shifter bushing is probably in little bits & pieces. New seat at Toyota dealer costs around $7. I seriously doubt that you need a new mount on the transmission - the sagging is probably that your bushing seat has been worn to bits by years of rowing through the gears.
[non-permissible content removed] luck!
- Paul
The fuel filter on the '93 (and probably '94) 22-RE 4cyl is under the intake manifold. You can't see it from the top of the engine or the bottom. Not fun to replace. It's been over 100,000 miles since mine was changed (at 106,000 miles) and I'm still trying to put it off longer! No decrease in performance so far.
- Paul
The plastic bag under the filter is a very good idea. Thanks for the tip.
Jeremy
hey, it seems like you know what your talking about. i have a 96 4x4 tacoma, and was wondering what normal maintenance i should be doing on it. Such as gear oil..differential etc..
i am new to maintaining a truck on my own, so i would like any input you have
thanks
hey, it seems like you know what your talking about. i have a 96 4x4 tacoma, and was wondering what normal maintenance i should be doing on it. Such as gear oil..differential etc..
i am new to maintaining a truck on my own, so i would like any input you have "
Sorry for the delayed response, I've been out of the country a bit for the last few wks. I guess I know a little (I've got 25yrs experience as a mechanical engineer, and have a little over 30 yrs experience maintaining family vehicles), but I'm not a professional auto mechanic.
First and foremost - Follow the mfr's recommended service intervals.
Second- if you have it serviced by someone else, CHECK their work. I'd like to know how many times I've found missing fasteners, components not remounted on brackets under the hood, cables not reattached to standoffs (that prevent them from chaffing on drive belts!), etc. Look for missing parts, even "minor things" like splash shields, etc. You can bet your bottom dollar, that building hundreds of thousands of vehicles, the mfr would not include a 5 cent splash shield (at a cost of thousands of dollars over a year's production) if it served no purpose. DON'T let that "mechanic" tell you otherwise. The real pros that know their fecal matter wouldn't tell you that these parts aren't needed -they would reinstall them as intended. Don't let some high school graduate behind the svc desk tell you that "This is the grade oil we recommend." when it is different from what the mfr. states. I would bet most dealerships, much less self appointed "svc desk experts" who haven't turned a wrench, have done ZERO analysis and testing of that engine with various lubricants, while the mfr spends big bucks on both.
If the mfr's recommendation is to replace the fluid - do it.
That's the biggest of it.
Could also really use the type for rear differential too. Ooops that spelling looks BAD. :confuse:
When I tried my reader, I just got "Err".
Anybody know for sure?
I see the "new" 3110 is equipped for both (I just bought my 3100 in Dec'04 for $100). For $200 I can get the new one. ARGH! And w/ the orig OBD, I could just short two pins on the connector and read the code right off the flashing MIL lamp. Looks like everytime I turn around, someone wants another $100 or $200 out of my pocket. -AND THEY'RE NOT EVEN MY KIDS! :confuse:
However, as a rule, I replace all rubber hoses and belts under the hood every 5 yrs.
(and when I've backed off on that, I've regretted it)
As far as OEM parts, no, not necessarily. But I wouldn't just go to the cheapest aftermarket (online or brick&mortar) and take what they give me. ASK for the brand they offer. If it's not a major, reputable name brand, go on to the next option.
(Aftermarket electrical components and hoses and belts of lower quality are sometimes sold by the low price chains. Even for the electrics that have "lifetime warranties", the savings aren't worth the trouble of replacing them over and over. As for hoses and belts, they are relatively cheap compared to the trouble they can cause, and labor for timing belts is such that a free replacement belt is of little help.)
If you replace all the belts now, you can look over the used parts and if they look pretty good, keep as emergency spares.
As for the water pump, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. True, you can expect water pumps to fail between 70k and 200k, but they usually aren't catastrophic failures. They begin to leak a bit. If you maintain the coolant levels, it's an inconvenience, not a disablement of the vehicle. That pump may last you as long as you own the vehicle. Once it begins to weep, replace it.
Fuel air metering ). Has anyone had this problem with ther 2001 Tacoma
V6 ?.
I have the same truck and have the exact same problems. Did you ever solve your problem?
Mike.
Good deal (compared to dealership) and very quick shipment.
I got manuals for my 2004 Taco (which I later sold after trading up for the 2005) and for the 2005 Taco. Both times, good transactions.
My logic on the extended warranty was this:
I pay out $100 a month or whatever for insurance or warranty on any body damage / liability in order to get my vehicle repaired if wrecked (as well as other persons)....then why would I not pay out a small amount $16 per month to insure the mechanical aspect of the vehicle? $100 month for body repairs, $15 month for mechanical repairs.....(simplistic way of looking at it).
BUDDY
5k-6.5k is not that long, particularly if a significant amount of it is highway driving, and you have relatively few short trips. Short trips are particularly tough on engines and exhaust, as they often don't allow the systems to warm up enough to rid themselves of some of the moisture. The extended times that were being discussed were far in excess of 5k or 6k (miles).
In my particular case, I drive predominately short trips (<5 mi.) I therefore change my oil more by calendar time than actual mileage (averaging about 4k/6months).
None of the people I personally know who have really long engine mileage histories have used synthetics. That's no more statistically valid than any other anecdote, so it doesn't mean that the only way to long engine life is with dino oil. The point is that if you use the science to determine oil drain interval, you won't greatly increase the interval just because you use synthetics. You CAN justify extending if you sample and find contaminant levels are acceptable, and viscosity within range. (the best being to sample, and at least change the filter on a regular basis) But if you then apply the economics of the higher oil cost and the sampling cost, most will find that it is more economical to just use dino oil and filter at the mfr's recommended interval. (OTOH, the 2005 V6 Taco does make filter change and sample collection extremely convenient, whereas older models require almost as much effort as if you were to do the oilchange anyway.)
cheers,
m
it sat for awhile, so the engine compartment is kinda dirty/dusty. can i get the engine cleaned and detailed, or will that cause other problems?
Also, I've been reading a lot of other letters here about what oil/filter people are using.
those of you not using synthetic, what brand oil are you using, along with filter, and are you using the reccomended 5w-30w that Toyota advises?
thanks,
:P
I was actually wondering what people's favorite dino oil was?
I wasn't sure i needed to go synthetic.
:P
Thanks,
Ed
Thanks in advance
:sick:
Anyone know what I need to check for or probably replace?
Thanks for your replies.
hth;
DCraig.
Second time, (After 3K miles) I checked the oil's color and it had become more of a brown color by then and so I went back to the same place and had it changed again. I checked it when my wife brought it home and guess what? Same brown color, no signs of oil spillage, dust still on the filter, and the "Maint Required" light comes on about 2 weeks after that.
I think I will change it myself from now on.
So, how do those of us that use jiffy-type lube up centers now for a solid fact that thier oil is actually being changed?