Inherited 255,550miles Mini Where to begin...

Hello everyone, Thankyou in advance for any help!
So I just became a new Tacoma mini owner and it came with a butt load of miles. the PO was my dad who bought it at 80k in 2002. When trying to figure out what maintenance was done over the years he informed my that nothing was done besides oil and filters.
So far I've changed the oil (amsoil 5w30) and rear diff (amsoil severe 75w90). of course after i spend 100 bucks on amsoil my dads says he used 10w30 and not 5w30. so far I've noticed an increase in engine noise after heat up.Does anyone think ill run into problems by switching to thinner weight?

I have new plugs and wires purchased just waiting for them to arrive in mail.

Anyone have and opinions on what to do with this high mileage engine? I realize It should be completely rebuilt/remanufactured-($2500ish) but money is extremely tight right now.
Is there anything small/low cost I should do? i.e valve adjustment,timing chain...

any suggestions are welcome.
Thank you for your time

 

Check the brakes and drive the Hell out of it.

 

rebuilt at 255k miles? i would not think so. just me personally but i wouldnt think so. v6 or 4 cyc?

 

Engine oil is fine. 5W30 reaches the same viscosity as 10W30 when engine warms up to operating temp. 5W30 flows better than 10W30 when cold (i.e. startup), so it lubricates better.

Change the transmission fluid and engine coolant. It is advisable to replace the radiator. (If the radiator leaks, coolant can mix with transmission fluid, damaging the transmission.)

 

would love to see this thing

 

From what ive seen these are some hella strong engines so I dont mind putting money into it. Heres some more info
1998 tacoma 2.4(2rzfe) 2wd 5 lug. its just a little guy

 

keep up with maint. and drive it thats all there is to it

 

light is fading fast. pics to come in 15min

 

Got ya, Thanks that'll be at top of list.

 

Cali truck that means there is probably rust underneath which is nice. Drive the hell out of it until the engine quits on you and then put a rebuilt in. Love these little trucks. They just keep going

 

I would bet he does not have much rust unless he lives right near the beach.
Op start by
Checking brakes/rotors
Lube up the drivetrain if you can
Check leaf spring ubolt torque
Flush power steering and radiator.
Change tranny oil
Start saving up for new tires if you can/want too.
Get ready for a starter/waterpump replacement soon if it hasn't happen before.
Maybe new shocks?
Wash the truck and drive.

 

Awesome, thank you. I'll make a priority list with this info.
Thank you to everyone who has imputed info here. it helps alot. ive been lurking the hell out of this site since I got the vehicle.

 

ive got 300,000 on my v6 and its still going strong. drive it till the wheels fall off!

 

Yeah, I had over 350K on my old 95.5 5 lug 4 cyl Tacoma with minimal maintenance. You're good to go for a while.

 

I think I meant "Not Much Rust" hahaha because anywhere is better then the North East when i comes to harsh conditions for our trucks

 

Yeah I have a small amount of surface rust. ill eventually get to washing and painting the under carriage. heres some pics off what a throttle body looks like when its never been cleaned.

 

I know some folks get all excited about cleaning the things, but really, it's not at all bad.

Tiny bit of soot, no practical effect on airflow at all - not bad for 255K miles. Only position it would make a bit of difference to (and then not much) would be WOT (or WFO if you like) and if you are not drag-racing the truck it doesn't spend much (if any) time there. Sure, the backside is black, but you can still see the screws, so it's not thick. Frontside is bare metal with a few smudges. I'd be surprised if you had any measurable difference from cleaning it.

 

Timing chain without a doubt!

 

That's right and I just recall that replacing the fuel filter will help mpgs just abit.