Got a 2nd hand Tacoma - time to fix it up!

Hi all, I just bought my first truck ever to haul my motorcycles around in the spring/summer. I'm going to start participating in some enduro rally's next year and having the bike preped and hauled to the event is going to be much more comfortable (albeit less hardcore) than riding there and then prepping the bike.

I found a 2008 Double Cab TRD with 125,000km on it close to my house. It was priced about 6-7k less than what I figured these trucks go for. The reason? It's got a series of claims on the car proof. I was weary at first but then I figured all the damages were reported and repaired properly by approved shops. I've heard plenty of stories where the car proof was clean but subsequent inspections show clear signs of cheap/botched repairs. I took the truck out on two separate test drives it felt very tight. I also had the truck taken to a certified Toyota mechanic and Tacoma enthusiast who also gave the truck a thumbs up.

After a flurry of paperwork, I became a truck owner!





Prior to finalizing the transaction, there were a few things that I knew I needed to address after the sale and a few things that I discovered.

Known Issues Prior to Purchase

Tire Pressure Sensor. The tire pressure light flashes for about a minute when the truck starts up. Afterwards it stays lit. The seller promised to take care of this but said it was difficult to diagnose which sensor was faulty due to cold temperatures? Anyways this is something to follow up on.

Transmission Cooler Line Leak. The toyota tech pointed this out to me. There appears to be a leak at the clamp or at the end of the hose. Should be a simple fix.

Spongey Brakes. This might just be in my head, but the brakes feel weak to me even compared to my Wife's 09 Santa Fe. There's no pulsing of the pedal, the truck doesn't pull to either side and the pedal doesn't depress at stop lights... it just seems like they need alot of input to work.

Rusty Frame. Not the worst frame rust I've seen by a long shot but it's there. It's actually one of the cleaner tacoma frames I've seen (but then again I've only been under about 5 or 6) but I'm not used to having quite so much rust under my vehicles.

Discovered Issues After Purchase

Driver Side Sag. After some reading of this forum it appears I may have the infamous Taco Sag which is only noticable once I've bought the vehicle and brimmed the gas tank. Also, I recall the seller replaced the passenger side leafsprings prior to the sale because one of them had snapped. I bet he didn't replace the driver side leaf spring. Gonna try getting a new pack and see where that goes...

Cold Blooded. If I start the car in -5 temperatures, the temperature gauge doesn't get to the middle even if I wait several minutes. The temperature gauge only goes up if I drive the vehicle. Maybe the termostat is stuck open? Can't think of any other reason.

Power Steering Fluid Low. This is one that I'm shocked that neither I nor the Toyota tech picked up on... especially since it was so obvious. I believe this is an indication that there is a leak in the power steering system somewhere. I don't have a lot of experience with power steering so I'm hoping it's a simple fix like a leak in the hoses somewhere. Everything is clean at the reservoir so if there is a leak, it must be at the pump somewhere.

Digital Compass Doesn't Work. I didn't look for this because I didn't even know this truck had one... should have looked up. Anyways I understand that this is a relatively simple fix that just involves soldering some pins.


So that's the extent of the problems I've found. If that's all that's all the truck needs, I'd be pretty peased. The most expensive part would probably be the leaf spring unless the power steering pump needs replacing (fingers crossed there).

I haven't done as much searching of the forums as I need yet. Some of these issues could be common Tacoma faults (like the rust, sag, compass). I'd appreciate any input on my issues or tips on other things I should check. This is my first truck so I'm sure theres a lot that I don't know I don't know.

Cheers,

Jerry

 

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]For rust prevention/treatment discussion and alternatives see:
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd...on-thread.html[/FONT]

 

good luck and welcome !!

 

Good luck! I'd be scared and probably wouldn't buy a truck like that, maybe if it was a first gen, and it was a lot cheaper! lol. Anwyays, Welcome to Tacomaworld!

 

Welcome to TW