Toyota Tacoma

Started by giant_mtb, May 22, 2015, 07:37:58 PM

giant_mtb

#1260
Taco crossed 173,333 miles on the drivetrain today.  No hiccups, no issues anywhere.  I think it'll easily be a 200,000+ mile Taco (#jinks), and I certainly hope so 'cause I can't fuckin' afford a vehicle purchase or major repair. :lol:

I think a fresh alternator soon-ish may be a good idea, as I don't believe it's ever been changed and that's something I'd rather not randomly lose while on the road, despite being a fairly easy swap.  No apparent effects of a bad alternator currently, but it's been in the back of my mind for a while now.  Have never inspected the rear drums, and I suspect they've also never been done unless that was part of the deal when it received a new frame, but since it's part of the axle/drivetrain, I doubt it.  The wisdom I've heard (might've been here) is that unless they're giving you an issue, don't fuckin' bother. :lol:

Other than that, nothing major.  Oil change soon, coming up on 5k miles after my trip out west at the end of September.  Had fresh oil when I left and even with synthetic, I don't bother going much over 5k.  Oil is cheap insurance, especially with VVT and all that shenanigans.  One of my ball joint boots is torn, so that'll be something to tackle at some point, but I keep 'em well-greased and it isn't a major issue.  Did u-joints over the summer and grease regularly (every 2-3 months), so those are set.  Rear diff could probably use a change.  Did that a couple years ago and it was an honestly noticeable difference.

CaminoRacer

Quote from: giant_mtb on October 25, 2018, 01:37:14 PM
The wisdom I've heard (might've been here) is that unless they're giving you an issue, don't fuckin' bother. :lol:

Yup!
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

giant_mtb

Quote from: CaminoRacer on October 25, 2018, 01:40:02 PM
Yup!

The question is, how do I know if I've only got front brakes? :lol:

(I assume if the drum's pads are worn, I'd hear it)

FoMoJo

Quote from: giant_mtb on October 25, 2018, 01:41:50 PM
The question is, how do I know if I've only got front brakes? :lol:

(I assume if the drum's pads are worn, I'd hear it)
Unless they are seized :huh:.
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

giant_mtb

Quote from: FoMoJo on October 25, 2018, 01:44:34 PM
Unless they are seized :huh:.

Not out of the question given where I live. :lol:

giant_mtb

Oh, probably also need to do 02 sensors.  I get an occasional CEL and when I read the codes, I get a low voltage code on one of the sensor banks.  It also says that the cat is "below efficiency" or something, but that may just be because of a bad sensor and hopefully isn't because the cat is clogged.  Hasn't affected the vehicle or how it runs (it's gonna get shitty mileage regardless), but something I should probably fix just 'cause.

Did a couple exhaust gaskets before I left for The West, and that quieted down its slight leaky burble, which is nice.  But now I notice that I have a small exhaust leak somewhere else, up closer to the engine, probably the manifold.  Nothing loud or concerning, just a minor annoyance now that I can hear it.

giant_mtb

Also have a tiny, tiny amount of head gasket leakage.  Some sludge buildup on the passenger side of the engine, which IIRC has basically always been there.  Just never really took notice of it 'til a mechanic friend of mine pointed it out while we were diagnosing my inoperable cruise control (wrong clock spring, I suspect, which I installed a couple summers ago when I had an airbag light on, but the airbag is good).  Engine doesn't eat oil and it's probably only a drop's worth every month, but I figure that's pretty normal for any engine with 170k+ miles.

Soup DeVille

Quote from: giant_mtb on October 25, 2018, 01:41:50 PM
The question is, how do I know if I've only got front brakes? :lol:

(I assume if the drum's pads are worn, I'd hear it)

Pull the ABS fuse and find out if you can lock them up.
Maybe we need to start off small. I mean, they don't let you fuck the glumpers at Glumpees without a level 4 FuckPass, do they?

1975 Honda CB750, 1986 Rebel Rascal (sailing dinghy), 2015 Mini Cooper, 2020 Winnebago 31H (E450), 2021 Toyota 4Runner, 2022 Lincoln Aviator

giant_mtb

Quote from: Soup DeVille on October 25, 2018, 02:01:27 PM
Pull the ABS fuse and find out if you can lock them up.

Well.  Dorito season is upon us, so that should be easy enough.

AutobahnSHO

Quote from: giant_mtb on October 25, 2018, 01:41:50 PM
The question is, how do I know if I've only got front brakes? :lol:

(I assume if the drum's pads are worn, I'd hear it)

You take the wheels off and look?  :huh:
Will

giant_mtb

Taco crossed 180,000 miles yesterday on an adventure cruise with Kota.  First picture was the 180k mark, somewhere along Old US-41.  Second picture was at King Lake state forest campground.







AutobahnSHO

Will

giant_mtb

A beautiful albeit slightly chilly afternoon/evening yesterday.  Cold and rainy all weekend, so I'm glad Kota got to get out and run around a bit. He doesn't like getting wet.




giant_mtb

#1273
New tires Tuesday after last week's sidewall tear incident. Going with Kumho Road Venture AT51s.  Stepping up from a 265/65/17 to 265/70/17, so an inch taller (31.6" vs 30.6"). Won't be any clearance issues. Buddy of mine with virtually the same truck (TRD Sport, he just has 4 full doors with the short bed) has 265/70s and he has no problems.

giant_mtb

#1274
Was planning to get at least one more year (ie, winter) out of the Grabbers I have now...they have plenty of tread left. Alas. But, I'm gonna change my spare tire to one of the Grabbers so I have a really nice spare going forward. But the new Grabber model (ATX, vs my older AT2) is just too expensive.  Wasn't planning for a surprise $700+ tire change, but the AT51s are supposed to be pretty decent, and the shop I go to has an $80 rebate on 'em right now. Sigh.

Eye of the Tiger

Tires aren't cheap. Le sigh. I am a fan of the Hankook Dynapro ATM RF10 TypeR SuperTerrain RoundTires that I put on Dakota, but I don't do snow n ice n mud.
2008 TUNDRA (Truck Ultra-wideband Never-say-die Daddy Rottweiler Awesome)

giant_mtb

#1276
Dynapro ATs aren't bad. But yeah. I'm in the woods a lot and deal with serious snow, so I can't fuck around. Could I get away with a lesser/cheaper truck tire? Absolutely, plenty of people do just fine with A/S truck tires year round.  But I don't want to, so I'm gonna swallow the bullet.

BimmerM3

I run the same Kumhos on Explorer in the summer. My offroading is pretty tame so I can't offer much of an opinion there, but I have driven them a little bit in snow and they do pretty well. Not quite as good as the dedicated snow tires that I use for most of the winter, but definitely OK for relatively flat stuff, like I imagine most of DA YOUPEE is. I might try running them year round after the snows wear out.

Eye of the Tiger

2008 TUNDRA (Truck Ultra-wideband Never-say-die Daddy Rottweiler Awesome)

veeman

Quote from: Eye of the Tiger on July 23, 2019, 08:19:05 PM
New tires are grate, but there are other options...

https://www.treadwright.com/collections/filter/products/at-warden-265-70-r17-6ply

https://www.tirerecappers.com/tires/all-terrain-tires/lt26570r17-retread-backwoods-at/

I've been pleased with my tires from both places.

That's cool.  Didn't know it was such a thing.  Seems more of an all terrain vehicle thing rather than for passenger cars. 

giant_mtb

Not bad. But I'm already committed. And it's my local shop that sends business my way, so I'm happy to return the favor to them when I need shit done.

giant_mtb

Quote from: BimmerM3 on July 23, 2019, 08:11:01 PM
I run the same Kumhos on Explorer in the summer. My offroading is pretty tame so I can't offer much of an opinion there, but I have driven them a little bit in snow and they do pretty well. Not quite as good as the dedicated snow tires that I use for most of the winter, but definitely OK for relatively flat stuff, like I imagine most of DA YOUPEE is. I might try running them year round after the snows wear out.

Yeah. They're M+S rated so they should be just fine. It is indeed relatively flat here, so no worries. The Grabbers were (are) phenomenal in the snow, so I hope the Kumhos don't disappoint. My off-roading is tame compared to some of the more hardcore folks, but I certainly do way more than the average drive on a dirt road to a trail head. Driving skill is crucial, but tires also make a biiiiig difference. Either way, I think I'll be just fine. I could do 95% of what I do with some normal A/S truck tires, but it's just nice to have the right shoes and not struggle. Like, I don't go hiking in flip flops. :lol:

BimmerM3

Quote from: giant_mtb on July 24, 2019, 09:53:06 AM
Yeah. They're M+S rated so they should be just fine. It is indeed relatively flat here, so no worries. The Grabbers were (are) phenomenal in the snow, so I hope the Kumhos don't disappoint. My off-roading is tame compared to some of the more hardcore folks, but I certainly do way more than the average drive on a dirt road to a trail head. Driving skill is crucial, but tires also make a biiiiig difference. Either way, I think I'll be just fine. I could do 95% of what I do with some normal A/S truck tires, but it's just nice to have the right shoes and not struggle. Like, I don't go hiking in flip flops. :lol:

They're even "3 peak mountain snowflake" (3pmsf) certified, which is more stringent. M+S designation is really just based on tread pattern, whereas 3pmsf requires actual testing to make sure it meets some sort of traction standard. It's an important distinction for me because it means that they legally count as snow tires when Colorado traction laws are in effect.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=125

giant_mtb

Indeed. The Grabbers are also 3-peaked.  Shouldn't be an issue for winter driving, that's for sure.

Soup DeVille

Wait, there are other mountain symbols with different numbers of peaks?
Maybe we need to start off small. I mean, they don't let you fuck the glumpers at Glumpees without a level 4 FuckPass, do they?

1975 Honda CB750, 1986 Rebel Rascal (sailing dinghy), 2015 Mini Cooper, 2020 Winnebago 31H (E450), 2021 Toyota 4Runner, 2022 Lincoln Aviator

giant_mtb

Quote from: Soup DeVille on July 24, 2019, 02:21:28 PM
Wait, there are other mountain symbols with different numbers of peaks?

Dunno. I just know that the 3-peak mountain symbol with the snowflake means "yo, this tire's decent in the snow."

BimmerM3

Quote from: Soup DeVille on July 24, 2019, 02:21:28 PM
Wait, there are other mountain symbols with different numbers of peaks?

I don't think so. That's just what it's called.

Soup DeVille

Quote from: BimmerM3 on July 24, 2019, 02:48:29 PM
I don't think so. That's just what it's called.

Been calling it the "mountain and snowflake." Never counted the peaks before, so I wondered if there were 1 peak and 2 peak mountains. Maybe earlier standards or something?
Maybe we need to start off small. I mean, they don't let you fuck the glumpers at Glumpees without a level 4 FuckPass, do they?

1975 Honda CB750, 1986 Rebel Rascal (sailing dinghy), 2015 Mini Cooper, 2020 Winnebago 31H (E450), 2021 Toyota 4Runner, 2022 Lincoln Aviator

giant_mtb

Nah.  The symbol just has three mountain peaks, so they call it the 3PMSF.  I've always called it the "mountain and snowflake" as well.  I didn't know we'd gotten as fancy as 3PMSF until I started looking at tires again last week. lol

Soup DeVille

It just seems like extraneous information, that's all.

Made me wonder.
Maybe we need to start off small. I mean, they don't let you fuck the glumpers at Glumpees without a level 4 FuckPass, do they?

1975 Honda CB750, 1986 Rebel Rascal (sailing dinghy), 2015 Mini Cooper, 2020 Winnebago 31H (E450), 2021 Toyota 4Runner, 2022 Lincoln Aviator