Routine Maintenance

Got a 04 DC V6 it's is my girls truck but I'm driving it now and want it to be in tip top shape, new to the Tacoma world, just wanted to know at what intervals do I change: Timing Belt, Trans and Diff fluid (just drain refill or do I need additives?), spark plugs, fuel filter, in cabin filter (Do I got one?), and AC/Fan/Alt belts.

I change oil every 3k with 10/30 Castrol syntec blend. What are other members running? Any info will be appreciated.

 

well................the way i do it is................timing belt(and seals and such)...plus all the other belts....90k miles. transmission fluid......drain/refill every 30k(especially if you plan on towing any).............spark plugs every 30k.....unless you go with iridium, and they are good for 100k miles. the coolant is recommended @ 100k miles..........but it wont hurt to do it sooner...keep rust outta the system. fuel filter....i change every 15k miles..............no cabin flter to worry about for your truck.............and the diffs..............i change every 25k....30k is recommended interval. oil and filter................i change every 5k since im running mobil1 or pennzoil platinum 5w30.....................change it every 3k if you are gonna stay with regular dino oil. i also seafoam the motor every 15k miles, and clean the throttle body every 15k miles. peace of mind.....and my truck stays running good.

 

Exactly what I wanted to know! Thanks!

 

hmm..guess ive been slacking majorly then.

I JUST changed my coolant tonight at work since ive owned the truck in 4 years(60-70K)

Ive never serviced the; trans,rear,transfer case,inline fuel filter, brake fluid(flush)

routinely change the oil with mobil 1 and mobil 1 filter thou. Keep the tires properly inflated and rotated, and brakes also.

Annually get an alignment also.

Ive seafoamed my truck once, but should do it again.

About 10K ago i replaced plugs with NGK's

If its nice this weekend id like to do a fuel filter and drain and fill my rear axle

 

Change that trans fluid!!!

 

i want to, but ya ever hear that old myth about shocking the trans with new fluid? yea id rather not do that

 

it would probably be a good idea not to change it if you have hella high miles on it, and its never been changed. it has the potential to cause it to slip badly!

 

its got almost 126K on it...I dunno if the previous owner ever changed it, but I havent since ive owned it.

 

my buddy got his 2-10 with 30k miles or so on the clock..............it has 142k now..........................he decided to change it a few weeks ago..................needs a new transmission now!! first and second gear are like munching on bricks!!

 

I've got over 141,000 on mine, and as far as I know it's still running the original belts, I guess it's time that I replace all of those here pretty soon.

 

hmm..good point, i still have the same belts on it, as when I got it.

Althou i did exchange the coolant last night at work..haha

 

new belts would definitely be a good idea man!! it would suck to be way out somewhere, and one of the old belts snaps!!

 

Yeah I know man. What would be a price range on getting that done? My truck is under the frame issue years (2000) so I'm going to be getting that inspected here pretty soon, and then I'll know what I'm going to do, I don't want to sink any money into my truck, and then find out I'm losing it anyway when I take it in, if ya know what i mean, so im hopin it will hold on for just another little while

 

just buy the belts and do it yourself...It takes a little time and patience, but you can do it.

Belts, your probably looking around $100 for good belts

 

Well I don't know that I have the tools to do it. Are there any special tools you need for doing it? And how involved is it? I wouldn't mind doing it if I could and getting the experience from it too , but I have hardly any mechanical experience.

 

get yourself a haynes manual........then you can replace the 3 belts under the hood fairly easily. the other major belt you will need to change will be the timing belt............and i think toyota charges around $265 or so for that......add in a little more for water pump and seals....but im sure you can find a trusted mechanic to do it for you for a lot less...........but that belt is pretty involved, so it may be a good idea to have someone else do it if you havent messed with that particular one before.

 

belts are easy. You just need a basic set of metric sockets and some wrenches with a long ratchet bar. You can either buy the chiltons, or im sure you can find it online for free.

Go to customtacos.com, and I think theres a write up of it actually

 

Alright thanks guys! I'll definitely be looking into getting this done one way or another here within the next few months if Toyota doesn't buy my truck back