Thoughts on major servicing?

Hello fellow Taco lovers! So my baby is due for his 160K service and I just need a sounding board for what needs to be done.

Backstory: I bought my truck from a stealership earlier this year. They didn't have any maintenance records, but I took the truck to two of my family mechanics for inspection. Both said everything looks fine mech-wise but that I'd need to get service down the road.

Anyhow, dropped him off at the mechanic yesterday and he said the following needs to be done:

Timing Belt
Timing Belt Idler
Second Idler
Hydraulic Tensioner
2 x Drive Belts
2 x Cam Seals
Front Crank Seal
Coolant with DI water
--
Transmission service with 5 qt transmission fluid (mechanic said the fluid had a burnt color)
Brake flush

The total quote was $1K even. Now, I can do the last two flushes myself but my thought is this: given that I have NO nada zip wala maintenance records for Bobby, I want to go ahead and have this done. I've worked on cars before and thought of doing these myself, but considering the scope of the job, I would rather an equipped shop do it. I honestly don't trust myself to not screw up.

Do any of these sound like they're superfluous?

 

I'm guessing you have v6, if its a 4 there is no timing belt. 160k is overdue for it.

Idlers, are they spinning freely or bound up and making noise? If free, they don't need replaced.

Tensioner, is it applying tension and moving freely? If free, it doesn't need replaced.

Are any of the seals leaking? If no, they don't need replaced unless they are a wear item from the belt being changed.

Drive belts, are they cracked (if original they're overdue) if not, they're fine.

Coolant flush, how is it testing? If it tests fine, it's fine.

Tranny flush, with 160k if original, it's overdue. However many mechanics say after a certain point, don't flush if it hasn't been kept up. That's beyond me if it makes a difference.

But everything on that list could be looked at as preventative maintenance in any case. If it were me and I wanted the list complete I'd let him a mechanic deal with the timing belt and associated seals, everything else is $50 in parts and a couple hours with dirty hands.

 

this is only what I would recommend:

have the shop do this stuff:

water pump and thermostat
Timing Belt
Timing Belt Idler
Second Idler
Hydraulic Tensioner
replace both front struts (if they are original, otherwise only if needed)

you do this stuff yourself: (its all easy to do in your driveway)

clean MAF sensor
replace air filter (only if needed)
PS pump fluid replacement (use turkey baster to suck old fluid out and refill with new fluid)
Drive Belts (only if needed)
Drive Belt idler pulleys (if they are original, otherwise only if needed)
radiator coolant flush and replacement
engine oil replaced with synthetic
tranny flush and replaced with synthetic
rear end drained and refilled with synthetic
Brake system flush and all 3 brake hoses will need replacing (dry rot)
new brakes front and rear and maybe new rotors
new wheel bearings (if they are original, otherwise only if needed)
check front end parts, im sure you need a ball joint or tie rod by now (you can replace all 4 ball joints and the outer tie rods for about $150, that's what I would do)
inspect the rubber boots on steering rack and replace if they are hard or damaged (you need to do this while replacing the tie rod ends because they are in the way)
replace the rear shocks (if they are original, otherwise only if needed)
press a dab of grease inside all key locks and work it in with key several times (this is always forgotten about)

 

Yeah, I have the V6. I just spoke with the mechanic and asked these questions. I seriously love this guy - he actually FaceTimed the call and walked me through everything. So, to answer:

• The idlers aren't bound up but they are making noise. Tensioner is not applying tension as good as a second Taco he has in the shop. Must be the time for maintenance.

• The cam seals and the front crank seal are exhibiting seepage.

• The drive belts are showing cracks.

• My other mechanic friend can do the fluid flushes for free; I just need to lend a hand.

 

I just cleaned the MAF sensor a month ago I just need to figure out if I should get a new air filter or if I should just rinse the current one out (he has a K&N cone). Mech showed me the PS fluid and it looked fine.

How hard are the outer tie rods to replace? I remember doing them on my Malibu and they were an absolute bitch. I can't remember why I had so much trouble, but I do remember I learned several new curse words in different languages that day. It should NOT have been difficult.

The right rear shock is showing seepage and the mechanic suspects they are still the original. Given this, I was going to go with Bilstein replacements for the struts. But that probably won't happen for a month or so as I recover from this maintenance payment. I'll probably look into doing this myself (did it on my '88 SR5). It was a bitch compressing the springs with that little 4-banger but I think the truck gives us more room.

 

the outer tie rods are easy and if you replace the lower ball joints you unbolt the ball joint from the truck and unscrew it and the tie rod as one unit and replace both so you don't have to break them apart unless you want to.

everything on this truck bolts on so there are no pressed in parts anywhere on this thing. its easy peasy to replace the whole front end in 30 minutes and that includes removing and reinstalling the tires.

this video is for 4wd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaQCb894F_M

this video ids for break job but shows the 2wd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6smTU_SnPg

youtube has videos on just about anything you might be thinking about fixing on your truck.

one thing to take note of in the videos is 4wd rotors go on from the outside and you don't need to pull the hubs but 2wd trucks they bolt to the back of the hubs so the hubs must come off to replace a rotor