Wrenchin... Adventures under the hood... Put em here.

[bodywhomper]

I have a bad track record of painting, plus I was only able to get them right before heading off to HIH7. Everyone knows red makes you faster too.

I admit, my first thought was, "get the red ones."

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[ncskier]

this space reserved for what could be an epic labor Day weekend. For my 2003 Taco 4x4 I have ordered the following and should all be here in the next few days.
Inner Tie Rods
Outer Tie Rods
Lower Ball Joints
Old Man Emu 881 Coils and Struts with 5mm trim packer. Should net out 2.5"- 2.75" of lift although it will probably be higher then current due to original struts having 166k miles on them
JBA Upper Control arms
Rear Dakar 2.5" lift leaf springs
Old Man Emu Shocks
Brake proportioning valve bracket
Extended brake lines
New greasable springs shackles
Longer exhaust hangers.
Plus I have 4 new level 8 matte gray 16x8 0" offset wheel already mounted withe some geolander MT+ tires in 265x75x16 sitting in my garage with new lug nuts
I figured if i am busting up ball joints on the front end, why bother putting the old stuff back on plus it has to be aligned anyways so new parts seem like a good idea. My plan is too work slow and do the front end first then move on to the rear depending on how ambitious I am plus whether or not it turns into a cluster. I may enlist my 17 year old nephew as a gopher regardless.

[basinbeater]

Wrenchin again. This time on the wife's car. Bimmer wagon needed new control arms and brakes. So.....
Off we go!
4 new control arms and two new brake discs.


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[ncskier]

I posted in the Landcruiser thread about picking up a new to me mint 2003 Tacoma Long bed, regular cab, 4x4, 4cylinder. After spending the past 25 years avoiding working on vehicles I have to admit its been fun tinkering with general maintenance stuff. It sat for about 6 years so first was a new battery. Then this past weekend I drained the old oil and replaced with some nice fresh dino oil and Napa gold filter.
Any thoughts on switching to a high mileage blend or full synthetic?
It has 166k on the motor and nothing leaks and nothing burns apparently. It runs like a top. The oil filter was a pain in the ass to remove.
Last night I decided to change spark plugs with some factory Denso from the dealer. They are expensive at $10 a pop, however the prior owner had some POS Autolite ones that were way past their due date.
I had to follow a tutorial about removing a resonance box for the air box, but once that was out of the way it was smooth sailing. I did put antiseize on the threads and dielectric on the coil packs for good measure, buttoned it back up and couldn't believe how quiet and smooth it was at idle. I suspect based on the condition of the plugs that they change 1&4 but left 2&3 due to them being under the air intake tube. Regardless, its done now and running so quietly its hard to believe its a 15 year old motor. Good job Toyota.
My buddy owns an independent shop so next is some fresh fluids in the T-Case, Differentials and Gear box. I don't want to tackle those without a lift and experience.
I scored some Yokohama Geolander M&T+ for $120 each from Tire Rack on clearance and I have new matte grey wheels coming 16x8 with -10mm backspace to give the wheel wells and UCA's some more space for the Old Man Emu lift i ordered. New coilovers and new rear shocks and springs, should add some more clearance and life to the Taco.
Once external stuff starts going on I'll snaps some pics.
I have to admit compared to my 2017 Diesel Super Duty, this truck is very fun and more like our Polaris Ranger in a lot of ways. Looking around the almost spartan engine bay is refreshing.
I have some decisions to make like ripping out the badly beat up rhino lining and possible paint job to OD Green or Desert Tan. Also adding a snorkle and some armor. But that will be phase 2.
I keep tinkering with "forever cars" and I thought my 2015 JK 4 door would be the one, but that didn't work out due to the stellar quality of Fiat and shitty dealer network which destroyed it.
I am thinking of keeping this mighty Taco for the long haul. I have less then 5k in it so far and Alias shared the carfax with me and its always been a southern truck. Not a stitch of rust anywhere.
I should add- I did spend lots of time cleaning the interior since it sat for 6 years under a carport with cigarette ashes in the ash tray. Seemed like every hot day it would reek again. I didn't check the ashtray until this past weekend and realized thats why I couldn't get the smell out. Now after soaking it in white vinegar and leaving vinegar inside the cab for a few days along with an ionizing bomb for the vents, It smells 100% better.

Ok bumping my own post.
Starting this past tuesday and with a pile of parts from amazon, Wheelers off road, low range off road and a local dealership, I proceeded to get my ass kicked for a few hours each night.
For those who don't want all the details, I was successful. Full Old Man Emu from ARB is now installed.
I wound up doing full Dakar leaf packs, new nitro shocks, brake proportioning valve relocation bracket and exhaust hanger. That was the rest.
To be honest it was not too bad. Following the wealth of online tutorials I did one corner at a time slow and steady. A ratchet strap helped get the axle back in place and the old hardware came off pretty easy. Thank you NC DOT for not owning salt trucks.
The front strut required a little more work and while I had the steering knuckle loose I did the lower ball joints, outer and inner tie rods and coil overs from Old Man Emu.
Funny how the drivers side took so long, but renewed Sunday morning with cooler weather and knowledge I knocked out the passenger side in about 3 hours.
Dropped it off a buddies shop last night for an alignment and some upper control arms.
I rented pullers and all in all it went smooth.
Pics to follow when I get it back but its a beast. 15 year old suspension was sagging and now its firm and tall. Really tall.

[Skidog]

Ok bumping my own post.
Starting this past tuesday and with a pile of parts from amazon, Wheelers off road, low range off road and a local dealership, I proceeded to get my ass kicked for a few hours each night.
For those who don't want all the details, I was successful. Full Old Man Emu from ARB is now installed.
I wound up doing full Dakar leaf packs, new nitro shocks, brake proportioning valve relocation bracket and exhaust hanger. That was the rest.
To be honest it was not too bad. Following the wealth of online tutorials I did one corner at a time slow and steady. A ratchet strap helped get the axle back in place and the old hardware came off pretty easy. Thank you NC DOT for not owning salt trucks.
The front strut required a little more work and while I had the steering knuckle loose I did the lower ball joints, outer and inner tie rods and coil overs from Old Man Emu.
Funny how the drivers side took so long, but renewed Sunday morning with cooler weather and knowledge I knocked out the passenger side in about 3 hours.
Dropped it off a buddies shop last night for an alignment and some upper control arms.
I rented pullers and all in all it went smooth.
Pics to follow when I get it back but its a beast. 15 year old suspension was sagging and now its firm and tall. Really tall.

Digging this build.

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[Obstruction]

Started work on newly acquired 05 Prius w/ 1/4 million miles. Worlds nosiest brakes were result of pads being worn to metal, glazing where they weren't and some insanely bent dust shields. Guess life on the farm is not kind to the undercarriage of yer basic hybrid. Not sure if these bitches had ever been changed. (Hybrids don't use friction brakes much). Used two old files, some vise grips and a c-clamp to straighten out the dust shields. The rotor and pad swap was routine.

Drove it from southern Maine to MA afterwards and the Brakes were nice and quiet. Did the drum brakes in the rear next. Been a long time since I've screwed with drum brakes, I hate drum brakes. Ended up doing wheel cylinders too. Now I've got to get them bled because the Prius braking system relies primarily on engine braking and uses a funky actuator that requires special tools, software and sauce that only the dealer has.

Then I bought a new smart key online (car only came with one) and had to do an hours worth of voodoo to program the thing.

Only needs an oil change, new tires and plates before I turn it over to my kid who'll park It in Boston and use it as acommuter mobile. May God have mercy on its soul.

[basinbeater]

Ok bumping my own post.
Starting this past tuesday and with a pile of parts from amazon, Wheelers off road, low range off road and a local dealership, I proceeded to get my ass kicked for a few hours each night.
For those who don't want all the details, I was successful. Full Old Man Emu from ARB is now installed.
I wound up doing full Dakar leaf packs, new nitro shocks, brake proportioning valve relocation bracket and exhaust hanger. That was the rest.
To be honest it was not too bad. Following the wealth of online tutorials I did one corner at a time slow and steady. A ratchet strap helped get the axle back in place and the old hardware came off pretty easy. Thank you NC DOT for not owning salt trucks.
The front strut required a little more work and while I had the steering knuckle loose I did the lower ball joints, outer and inner tie rods and coil overs from Old Man Emu.
Funny how the drivers side took so long, but renewed Sunday morning with cooler weather and knowledge I knocked out the passenger side in about 3 hours.
Dropped it off a buddies shop last night for an alignment and some upper control arms.
I rented pullers and all in all it went smooth.
Pics to follow when I get it back but its a beast. 15 year old suspension was sagging and now its firm and tall. Really tall.

Sweet sweet success. I always feel like my car looks tougher/faster/etc after I finish work on it, even if you can't see any difference.

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[The Reverend Floater]

Ok bumping my own post.
Starting this past tuesday and with a pile of parts from amazon, Wheelers off road, low range off road and a local dealership, I proceeded to get my ass kicked for a few hours each night.
For those who don't want all the details, I was successful. Full Old Man Emu from ARB is now installed.
I wound up doing full Dakar leaf packs, new nitro shocks, brake proportioning valve relocation bracket and exhaust hanger. That was the rest.
To be honest it was not too bad. Following the wealth of online tutorials I did one corner at a time slow and steady. A ratchet strap helped get the axle back in place and the old hardware came off pretty easy. Thank you NC DOT for not owning salt trucks.
The front strut required a little more work and while I had the steering knuckle loose I did the lower ball joints, outer and inner tie rods and coil overs from Old Man Emu.
Funny how the drivers side took so long, but renewed Sunday morning with cooler weather and knowledge I knocked out the passenger side in about 3 hours.
Dropped it off a buddies shop last night for an alignment and some upper control arms.
I rented pullers and all in all it went smooth.
Pics to follow when I get it back but its a beast. 15 year old suspension was sagging and now its firm and tall. Really tall.

Love it. I need pics.

Plenty of Toyota dorks here but I've found that generally, there is little to be done on the power train side of the mod world. That is to say, they don't care about air intakes nor exhaust, and fancy plugs don't get you anywhere. It's almost like they're built so tight that there's little room for improvement. So in regard to your oil question, I'd stick to a good synthetic like Mobile 1, Schaefer's or whatever and Toyota oil filters from the dealer or Amazon.

As you've discovered, suspension can be improved greatly, as can interior accessories. You're going to be blown away how much better that thing rides compared to stock after alignment.

Ih8mud.com is both a ridiculous resource and a dangerous drug.

[Mazderati]

Decent rebate on five quarts of Mobil 1 motor oil.

[fatnslow]

Decent rebate on five quarts of Mobil 1 motor oil.

If you need Mobile 1 Walmart is under $25 for 5 qt jug everyday.

[Mazderati]

And maybe half that with the rebate.

[ncskier]

Love it. I need pics.

Plenty of Toyota dorks here but I've found that generally, there is little to be done on the power train side of the mod world. That is to say, they don't care about air intakes nor exhaust, and fancy plugs don't get you anywhere. It's almost like they're built so tight that there's little room for improvement. So in regard to your oil question, I'd stick to a good synthetic like Mobile 1, Schaefer's or whatever and Toyota oil filters from the dealer or Amazon.

As you've discovered, suspension can be improved greatly, as can interior accessories. You're going to be blown away how much better that thing rides compared to stock after alignment.

Ih8mud.com is both a ridiculous resource and a dangerous drug.

Yes, i don't plan on any drivetrain mods. I did clean the throttle body last week and installed all new plugs earlier. The thing now idles so smooth.
I don't really care about interior mods either. Although discerning eyes will notice the faux max 5 camo seatcovers I installed, $49 on ebay. The original seat fabric was in great shape, but I figured why trash them now when it goes into farm/hunting duty.
I also had to replace the interior dash lighting and put good old replacement bulbs from Autozone. All in all I have under $2000 in mods. The tires I picked up on clearance for $120 each and the OME suspension was around $1100 or so. I do have a set of JBA offroad upper control arms ready to go in as well.
Thats my 2017 superduty in the background of the first picture and its like a luxury spaceship inside. I like the spartan tacoma interior with roll up windows and manual everything. I want to keep it simple on this one.

Ok pics-
BEFORE- completely stock with no upgrades

AFTER- all new old man emu suspension, wheels and tires



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[Sirshredalot]

Looks good with the lift.

[claymond]

Fuck yea

[The Reverend Floater]

That little fucker will go anywhere. Nice job.

[Meathelmet]

Long summer, few roadtrips, a lot learned. Thx Landrover..

Latest round included adding winch bumper+removable winch, repairing wipers, second battery, adding tranny and diff protection and sway bar to the rear...

Next round includes replacing turbo hoses, cleaning intercooler, adding lightbar+working & interior lights, getting the clutch repaired, building the shelves and bed...

The problem is that I am absolutely useless as a "mechanic".. Oh well, time roll up the sleeves and go learning stuff.

#howhardcanitbe

[basinbeater]

Was using the air sander quite a bit, and was having issues with water in my lines. So... On the cheap, wanted to cool. My air, and then collect the moisture.... Voila...
Water cooled lines. Add water and ice to bucket, cool dry air...

[shafty85]

This is such an impressive thread. Always delivers. No work on the truck this summer - full on with the house and yard. Hopefully have some time to do some work this fall - though I have nowhere near the talent many in this thread do.

On a related note - what do people keep in their truck for road-side maintenance? In general? Diesel specific?


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[MESH]

Painted a couple parts.

[Mazderati]

258? What's it going in?

[MESH]

It's a 242 but a 258 crank is going in. It blew up a few years ago and I'm finally getting around to putting it back together. Here's the Cherokee it's going in.

[Mazderati]

It's a 242 but a 258 crank is going in. It blew up a few years ago and I'm finally getting around to putting it back together. Here's the Cherokee it's going in.

I had to search to see what that creates. Sounds cool. Are you able to keep the longer rods from the 4.0L?

[Mazderati]

Trouble removing wax from black plastic trim? Forget chemicals. Plastic eraser is your answer.

[basinbeater]

Just finished up a new radiator on the wife's 5er. It had a slow leak at the end tank and I had to top it off every couple weeks. With it I put new hoses and temp sensor in. Also, there was a TON of shit in there. Also threw a new tensioner, belt, and pulleys on. Happy wife happy life.

[powdrhound]

I have been fighting it for well over a year.

The SkiBumMobile doesn't want to restart when warmed up. Sometimes.
No solenoid click.

Replaced Starter,
Replaced Battery,
Disconnected Solar input,
Disconnected coach battery,
Replaced Ignition Switch (don't try disassembling to clean it...),
Successfully polished inside the neutral safety switch,
Cleaned every connection and ground to a shine,
Dielectric greased everything,
Even installed a jumper wire for the starter ground.
I had added a long jumper wire to read voltage at the solenoid from the cab; it read 10+ volts in the morning, around 6v when hot (even sitting in the driveway on a hot day).
Learned about detecting Voltage Drops. All the ones I can check tell me nothing. I can't pin it down.

It needed a little voltage boost to fire the solenoid. At first, the button on the isolator that connects the coach battery gave enough boost. After that stopped being enough, I had to pull out the little Honda generator and jump the battery. It still got worse. Nothing helped.

On the day I added the remote start button, I found a Fried crimp connector on the wire at the battery going to the main fuse box. (How had I missed that? hidden inside a plastic sleeve). Sweet. Something actually broken.

Cut that off and added a new end.
Much Better. Not totally fixed... Still had times when it hesitated till I turned off the a/c, etc.
Learned that this wire is a fusible link. Found one on a '85 pickup at PicnPull. It was working great.

For two weeks.

Halfway on my way to Carson Pass, for my August skiing with Vets, it won't start. Damn. Makes me glad I added the remote starter.

Twice this month it has hesitated. Turn off the accessories and it eventually works. I am still missing something. Keep inspecting the wires, I guess. Add jumpers around different sections of components?

I HATE occasional invisible failures. I can fix near anything if it is broken.
30 year old wiring...

HELP!!!