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Toyota Tundra: Problems & Solutions
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Comments
The problem is that they undersized the pads on the early Tundras, causing overheating and warping of the rotors. The Hawk uses a better heat dissipating material than the OEM pads and the pad rotor combo grabs like my Beemer . Also, after the brake in always heat temper any rotor about every 3 months. Do this by very heavy braking from highway speed on a cool rotor (freeway exit ramps work great). But.... never stop completely either while braking in or tempering your rotors. It creates a hot spot where the pad is and leads to warping. It'll help keep and rotor from warping
I have 20K mi on the powerslot/hawk combo and no sign of any warping. Let's see; with a little homework, performance brakes for the price of aftermarket replacements?? It's a no brainer.
BTW, NEVER use ceramic brake pads. The heat dissipating properties suck and warp rotors!! Vehicle mfgs use them, since they produce less brake dust and it's the big push at the auto parts store. That is unless you don't care about braking performance and prefer clean wheels. I myself just use a carwash.
Oh and I'm sure most of you have heard about Toyota's double secret recall on the Tundra/Sequoia brakes. A set up like mine solves the problem for life, at about the same price, with improved performance.
Good Luck and let me know if you have any questions!!
Therefore, I assume there is fan speed/voltage regulator somewhere attached to a metal heatsink. I have no idea exactly what I'm looking for or where to look.
I imagine this fan speed/voltage regulator is generic across many Toyotas. What is it? Where is it? Any ideas would be appreciated.
I am new to this board, and have a ? about brake replacement. I am not satisfied with level of detail:(lack of color photos, vague descriptions of the brake replacement process), contained in the chilton's toyota tundra repair guide. I am wondering if anybody might know of a more customer friendly, detailed oriented book or website I might peruze for this tundra amateur "do it yourselfer?"
thnx
The history of my 2000 Tundra goes as follows. It is a SR5 4wd Access Cab V-8 that I purchased new in May of 2000. It had some vibration problems in the begining and was remedied with a couple of tire balancings. I installed new pads in the front at around 45000 miles. I had a transmission problem starting around 53000 miles. It would shift so hard it felt like it was going to blow then it would run fine. It was in the dealer several times for this and everytime they said they couldn't pinpoint the problem. It finaly went at 58000 miles an she was done. I was given a Matrix for a loaner while they replaced the tranny with a new one. This took them 4 weeks to get the tranny and another few days to fix. They had my truck for 27days and the bill would have been $2800 but it was covered under warrenty.
I installed a set of Goodyear AT/D tires and they might has well have been square on this truck they drove like crap for two years till I couldn't stand it anymore. I replaced those with a set of Bridgstone Dueller HL alenzas and they are awesome. The parking brake seized around 80000 miles and then I developed a slight vibration at braking. I had the rears inspected and they said they were fine but wanted to charge over $400 to replace the front rotors and pads. I was able to get the best pads and two new rotors for $121 out the door and did it myself. This was done at 96000 miles along with changing the spark plugs and gear lubes. Unfortuantly I still have a slight vibration that I think is a warped rear drum. It has developed a slight exhaust leak that is likely a crack in the header.
The truck now has 102000 miles and the check engine light just came on for the first time. I reset it and it was off for a day then came back on again. All in all it's been a great truck but has had more problems than any other of the 4 Toyotas I have owned. I want to dump this truck and get a new one but I want to wait to get the new plastic bed on the Tundra and I would really like diesel. I may be shopping for a domestic diesel soon if the price is right. I thought I would have 0 problems with this one to 120000 miles but it was not the case here, and miine is far better then alot of those on this and other websites.
Hope somebody has an answer for the O2 Sensor replacement I figure I can do both around a hundred cheaper then the dealer can do one for. So what do I have to lose .
Thanks.
Dan
Need to know more? You can see my complaint on the NHTSA web site. They have all my photos and a complete chronological report of the events and my attempt to get Toyota to acknowlege the defect.
Now, quit defending Toyota. Obviously they have more than enough high powered lawyers doing that.
I was also getting a bad vibration when taking off and a rubbing/scraping sound when turning. They installed some sort of anti-friction part in the rear end and re-lubed everything. This seems to have taken care of these problems (shouldn't have had them in the first place!)
I just bought my 02 in March of this year, so it was a good thing I called because they did not have my vin# on file. I gave them all my info. and they said I should get a notice in the mail within a few months. I told them I tow a 6000 pound travel trailer with mine and this would not be cool for me to lose control of everything.
They told me that the 1st sign of a bad ball joint would be vibration on the front end and then I should take it in, and that this is only hapenning to a few trucks.SO FAR !!!!
I bought a Toyota because consumer reports shows it's the most reliable truck out there.Just my luck they now have there 1st major recall !!! Own a 94 Ford Explorer also, been through the Firestone tire recall.
I just started to do the same thing and then I put the screw back in.
What did the dealer do for you? How much did it cost?
Thanks for any help you can provide
Bernie K
BTW: Had my 02 sensor replaced today under recall. No probelms. Cost me $zero.
The truck was spun a little over 180 degrees and the force of the impact sheered the spare tire cable and launched it into a yard nearby. The bulk of the force of the impact was absorbed by the rear axle. However, the rear driver's side tire was knocked off the rim and as it slid on the road the rim was ground down a half inch. There was some damage to the bed next to the rear passenger side door and the step was folded under the body a bit.
If I could have found my spare (which I thought had been stolen or ?) I think I could have drove it away.
The 90 Ford T-bird that hit us pretty much had the long front end compressed in to 3-4 foot ball of steel. Good thing for crumple zones for that schlepp. He was okay, except he declared bankruptcy pretty quickly after the accident.
I can tell the side impact rating from me is outstanding, it went onto two side wheels for a second but we never felt like we were going to roll.
Only one issue since I got it back from the body shop (Ream Auto Body, Marion IA - good folks, good work):
- a shrill squeak comes the rear suspension or bed mounting when going over minor bumps (TSB SU003-04 seems to address the same noise - dealer will check it out next friday)
Other issues:
- it pulls to right even after dealer 1-time free adjustment since purchase;
- popping and ticking after driving it (I figure its from hot/cold expansion) but now that I have 10K on it I figured it would be okay)
- it lurches at stops intermittently (dealer says it is okay ???)
- the power steering pump gets pretty loud after starting and cranking it like leaving the driveway or a parking spot - again the dealer says it is okay as the system is under 1200(?) psi and the pump is playing catch up.
If anyone has any ideas about the alignment, lurching or steering let me know. The customer service rep said that when the previous alignment was done, it was with factory tolerances. I would assume it was when it left the factory. GAH.
I hope no one has to test the safety your Toyota like we did.
The truck otherwise has been great...
My exsust pipe pops only in gear and it reminded me of the noise new pipes make when you shut the vehicle off. Mechanic buddy of mine heard it when he was in the truck and said it was nothing to worry about. I sprayed lubricate on all 4 shock mountings and that took away the squeaking sounds although the dealerships have a new mount kit they can install to fix this problem.Brakes are great just had to have my buddy adjust the rear brakes and man they are right there but I don't know if the past owner had the problems with the rotors and I'm just running on what he replaced, same with the 02 sensors don't know if he replaced them but I don't have that famous check engine light on.There is a recall on the lower ball joints including the 04 Tundras.My buddy did say Tundras are indestructible !!! I believe it. Thanks for your posting, rvboy from Wisconsin says goodnight.
Sounds like a break caliper is hanging intermittently. Might want to check them or the brake lines. My truck had a failing brake line that made the caliper hang sometimes.
Could anyone direct me to a source indicating what the transmission failure rates for the Tundra are? Also, can anyone provide any advice to compel Toyota to cover the cost of the next replacement?
Ken
Ken
Let us know what you get!
Make sure that the lid to the air filter is closed tightly, and that the none of the vaccum hoses came of or became loose. Sometimes if not careful the main (the bigest one) vaccum hose that carries the air from the air filter to the engine slips off on one side causing your can not to get much air intake.
PS: I assumed you have a drop-in K&N not the cone type filter
Has anybody experienced their clutch pedal not releasing? Does anyone know what causes this problem? Someone told me the clutch master cylinder has nothing to with this.
Needless to say, my up to now zealous endorsement of my Truck has just been "re-directed" to make sure I provide the newly purchased $3K of "advertising" from me...
The RV dealership I bought my travel trailer from keeps telling me the Tundra mirrors are on back order and I have gone to toyota parts .com but can not find anything !!!
Hate to tell you this but there is no difference between the two but the price.
I have the drop in one and no probs, I was going to buy the chute type but researched alot also asked some mechanic friends and they all told me if it does not go outside the truck it is no better then the drop in kind. The truck will still run with the o2 sensor bad for a while. If it is the drop in type some of the oil could be on the sensor in the actual chute.
They have for Ford, GM and Mopar mirrors that slide over the factory mirrors but have not seen them for Toyota yet !!!!
I plan to clean the throttle body and have been thinking about the K&N air filter. Did you follow up on the sfh1's reply?
It still pulls from time to time - now to the left - after another alignment.
Front brakes completely rebuilt at 36000. TSB, so toyota paid
Both O2 sensors replaced, again a TSB so toyota paid
warped exhuast manifold, again at about 36000. toyota paid( i don't kanow if there is a TSB for this or not)
Front brakes have failed again at 70536, which are the present miles on the truck
It appears to have another warped exhuast manifold. I am wondering if this is a common problem as a result from defective manifolds, if it is, I am going to try to have toyota cover the cost of replacing the manifold again. Has anyone experienced this type of problem?
When in gear is not happening as much. You would all laugh at how much grease I have on all the front suspenation parts but I don't get the loud klunck when I turn the wheel sharp such as when I'm backing up by TT in a camp site. I will also ask them about your power steering noise because my 02 doesn't make any noise. Don't know if you change your own oil like I do, but my 02 has grease fittings on all the U-joints so of course I had to over grease them and got grease all over the under side. Talk to you later !!!
Thanks
My wife's 04 Highlander which is Bluestone Metallic also has this on it.
I will even hand out my "secret" method for obtaining free remotes: any major parking garage probably has a box full of found remotes et al.
Of note, you will notice that the Tundra, in typical Toyota fashion, is easy to perform minor maintenance on yourself too. It takes about a half hour to replace the plugs yourself which are super easy to get to. I recommend Bosch Plat Plus (4) plugs about every 30k miles. My check engine light came on at about 90,000 miles and I'm about to replace the O2 sensors myself as well. All 4 are easily accessible under the truck from one location and plug into a factory plug (instead of 4 wires). Unlike others in this forum this is the first time I'm replacing my Oxy sensors which is pretty good since they should be replaced on any vehicle at around every 50k miles just due to environmental wear.
I did notice the ride quality decrease soon after purchasing mine new and am about to replace my factory shocks with something similar to the TRD package. I also had a rattle under the instrument cowl from day one that is still there, but I think this is because I got one of the early ones off the American assemble line.
One last thing is that my trailer wiring harness is also about to be replaced under factory warranty, even though this version didn't come with a hitch. I suggest that if you don't have the factory tow pkg to get this warranty replacement as it adds the wiring from Toyota connection to trailer - a $75 value.
Thanks.