Vibration and Other improvements

Hey all! I just got off the phone with my Toyota Service Rep here in Bakersfield, CA. In discussing further my vibration concern, he was actually reading me back a Toyota Service Bulletin regarding the rear leaf springs. Toyota will now cover at no cost (3yr/36,000miles) the replacement of rear springs along with rear and front shocks that will allow the truck to have a much better ride, especially under heavier loads (i.e. hauling/towing). I'm actually getting my front and rear brakes replaced free with the TRD HD front disk pads and a higher quality Toyota rear brake shoe. FREE! I started noticing issues with the warping of the front rotors and slight humming sound from the rear at around 12K. Way too early for normal wear/tear. Anyway, I kept on them about it and every time I was in there for regular service they inspected over and over. So, now they have to replace everything and are upgrading to HD. So, I'll let you all know as soon as all the work has been completed and I get a chance to tow my trailer again how all these changes affected the ride and whether or not the vibration was eliminated. The Toyota Corp Rep will also be out sometime in the next week or so to go on ride-along and see if he can determine that Toyota will also replace the torque converter, at no cost.

Now, my other concern with my 09 Tacoma Pre-Runner is the engine noise. I now and have been told by the Toyota Rep that the ticking engine noise is normal due to the fuel injection system these trucks have. However, I tend to disagree as the ticking is more than the normal my truck had when I purchased it new. It really sounds to me like the haudraulic lifters are making more noise than normal. I've tried changing the oil to 5w 30 Castrol and even Mobil 1 synthetic. No changes. My brother runs AMSOIL in his 08 Tacoma and his engine does sound nearly as lound as mine. I'm wondering if any of you out there are or have experienced this same problem and what you did or are doing to correct it, if anything. Are these engines supposed to be this loud. Heck, when I accelerate hard I really hear more of the engine ticks rather than my exhaust and I replaced my exhaust with a 14" glasspack then ran a 14" Magna Flow behind that with a duel outlet splitter so I could then run an additional exhaust pipe to the driver's side. Installed two Toyota Tacoma chrome tips and believe me - this baby sounds very nice, especially when you remove the secondary charcoal air filter to allow better air flow. If the job is done well you shouldn't get the engine light coming on either. So make sure if you do this that there are no exhaust leaks and you reconnect the stock air filter nice and tight. Also, replace your traditional Toyota air filter with one that gives improved air flow but also will trap small debri better. You can tell the difference when you remove the filter and take a high pressure air hose the the intake side, blow through it and should not see any debri crossing over.

 

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