SOLVED! Post 2853 Leaking Injectors, Dealer Techs Rock! Extended Cranking after Engine Swap 3.4L 5vz

I also saw a set of stainless steel finish gages that looked nice if you like that look, it was $150 for that faceplate. http://www.autoanything.com/gauges/77A2308A3352955.aspx

 

Did you by chance bang your head in the last couple hours?

 

Hmmmm. I'm thinking this means "no" to my fabulous new plan? Darn. Worth a shot, right?

 

hell ya that's crazy, KBB shows that truck is worth $12k not $23k, that's more then just priced a little high, that's pure robbery or its the wrong price because you can buy new ones for that price.

 

Sorry, haven't kept up but did you change out the ECM, Jen?

 

No, KBB isn't THAT low on it! It was ~$19K when I looked it up. But still, $4K over KBB is ridiculous IMHO.

 

I think the mechanic did that this week. I'll probably stop by Mon or Tues for an update, and will hopefully find out then. But when I was there last Wed, he was about to do it. Guessing he either didn't get to it or it didn't fix it. Such a frustrating problem, wish someone could figure it out!!

Thanks for stopping by.

 

ok well that's better then, I must have clicked on the wrong trim package or something.

if its just $4k over book and it has everything you want then I say go for it. most likely its the last chance you will ever see a low mileage first gen with the equipt you want in it and you know they will deal so the price isn't firm so with your negotiating skills I can see you walking out the door with it for about $21k which isn't bad. just about all first gens sell around $2k over book value.

if your mechanic hasn't solved it by Monday then take it home and go trade it in on that white one and get your lives back on track, this has gone on long enough.

the dealer will never find the hot soak start issue so don't say anything about it when he looks it over for the trade in and the new engine might get you a better price, just dont let him know there were ever any problems with anything.

 

not wishing you to spend more money jen, but I hope all your worries end tomorrow, one way or the other

 

There is a local 02 here access cab 4x4. V6 green with under 40k miles $18k. Small dealer lot. Surprised me to see one with that low miles.

 

Just on the practical side Jen, really think about how much you love 1st gens before you laying down 21K on one. I know you're had a love affair with your last one but before you take out a car loan think about your options. A bank loan on a 10 year old truck is going to have high interest. Unless you can buy the truck outright, and it doesn't sound like that's the case, I'd avoid taking out a relatively high interest loan on a vehicle that will have it's own question marks. High enough interest that a new truck might be within a similar payment. New trucks have warranty, no history of shit kicking, and you get to put your own offroad dents in them. If you are going to buy, weigh your options on a new Tacoma or other vehicle. If you want reliable that's more likely the way you should go.

 

have you seen these? http://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invent...=true&modelChanged=false&filtersModified=true

 

Thanks for all the advice guys, I appreciate it. Good points indeed by all of you.

OK, Jay, thanks for chiming in about the central Oregon one, I am looking it up after this post.

Keakar, I am tempted to do what you're advising and just go get the one we want, overpriced and all, and just do our best to talk them down.

But, thoughts similar to the advice Sterdog is giving have been rattling around in my head, and when you look at it from that perpective, it really does make it tough to justify spending SO much on a truck that is SO old in miles/years.

But.

That's why I think you should all vote on what we should get if we have to replace the Taco. Not kidding, would love opinions from all of you! I've read countless articles/consumer reports/etc about the best compact trucks, best off road trucks, best overall value/reliability trucks, and in general, the Taco is at the top on all those categories. And in case anyone missed it, one of my fave things about 1st gen Tacos over newer ones is the compact size. I really, really, really like & prefer that strongly over any make/model truck that is more "bloated" - just doesn't seem it would maneuver those tight turns on crazy mountains roads as well as a skinny little Taco would, especially when there's some asshole coming at you in a massive RV that shouldn't be on that road in the first place. Then they're crowding you onto the road's edge, which is a 6000' cliff straight down. Yep, I want a skinny truck.

Nissan Frontiers seem to do well also in those categories (compact, off road), and from what I've seen they are very similar in price to Tacos, but maybe a bit easier to find used ones around.

Ford Rangers sometimes do OK on those lists, and I actually really like the way Rangers look and their small size, but I worry about how they'd do compared to a Taco on a really rough road with lots of big giant potholes and occasional boulders to get over/around.

We also talked about getting a Subaru Forester or a 4 Runner, then pending how things turn out with the Taco, either keeping the Taco to use as a home improvement materials hauler or if it's not reliable enough to even keep for that, then buying an old, beater F150 type truck in a year or two to serve that purpose. Then the Forester/4Runner type car would do the rough road Oregon vacations driving. Again, like the Ranger, my only concern is whether a Taco would do better on those roads than a Forester or 4Runner. 4Runner didn't come with TRD Off Road package til recently, right?

Then my husband says, "Oh, we can just install better shocks, etc" if we bought something besides a Taco with TRD Off Road, but one way or another, you WILL pay for that extra stuff - so to me, there's something to be said for just buying the vehicle already in the condition you want it in! I don't know though, I wonder how much could be saved by replicating your own TRD Off Road package on a truck? Or how much you can even do to "duplicate" the features? All I know for sure that makes it different is the special shocks/struts, beyond that I know there's other stuff but I don't know what exactly. I should look it up.......


The replacement for the Taco would have some big tires to fill. If it was to serve all the purposes Taco did, it would:

1) Be the road trip mobile - be able to handle lots of rough dirt/gravel road driving and hold up nicely to the abuse, be able to fit in tight spaces on narrow windy roads.

2) Be the home improvement mobile - long enough bed to make hauling long lumber lengths a breeze, and heavy duty enough payload (is that what you call it?) to handle occasional beds full of gravel or a few bags of concrete, etc.

3) Be the primary vehicle to get us around during snow/ice storms - reliable, with good 4wd and good tires.

4) Be small/basic enough to be a decent errands vehicle that does OK on gas and isn't so huge that it's a giant pain to park/get around in.


The Must Haves:

1) 4wd
2) Automatic
3) Space for 2 adults and 1-2 large dog(s)
4) $20Kish is max

P.S. After rereading the criteria I just typed, it occurred to me that I just described the Taco we already have. Shit, no wonder we were dumb enough to replace the engine. It really was the perfect truck for us. Argh.

OK, everybody vote!! Nothing off limits here, would love to hear as many opinions as I can!! Thanks TW!!!

 

http://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invent...ersModified=true#listing=108243412_isFeatured

Whoa, thanks for the link Keakar!! I like how that site rates what is a good deal vs. not, cool! This Frontier seems like a pretty good deal, I'm gonna take a closer look at it!

EDIT: Hmmm, Carfax shows 4 previous owners, even though it only has 100K. Either it's got problems, or maybe was being leased? Each owner only had a couple of years. Weird.

 

well my opinions on what "I" would do is:

assuming I have free money and an envelope full of money to buy a brand new fully loaded anything I wanted truck, I would find a good running first gen taco in good shape "who cares about mileage" and do a frame off ground up restoration on it to make it brand new again.

short of that I would choose a first gen taco with the lowest miles I can find under 200k over any other choice, the ONLY thing I regret about my taco is the 4 bangers have an idle in gear vibration issue with them so had I known that I would have gotten the v6 instead.

I think nissans and mazdas "can be" as good as tacos but may or may not be quite as reliable in my opinion

 

For that sort of cash I'd consider a 2011 Supercab short box F150 FX4. Reliable motor if you can find the V8 version and a reliable truck. It has the rear locker and the SuperCab (Ford AC) is bigger in reality than your Tacoma DC. The shocks are also offroad ready and the truck has good skid plates installed from factory. If you flip up the rear seats the dogs have all the room they could want. As long as you are okay with some scratches the Ford will fit up any logging road. It's only 1/2 foot wider on each side than the 1st gens with it's mirrors folded up. Plus the Supercab with a shorter box will turn on a dime compared to the SuperCrew option.

But...

I'd still price out a new Tacoma, wait for the 2016's, and see if I could make the payments. While you may consider it bloated I've followed many a jeep or 1st gen into trouble. I've never gotten in a jam I couldn't think my way out of an I have a DCLB.

 

That would be awesome, to get a brand new one. Even with the larger size factor I don't like, I would still be STOKED to have something that reliable/long lasting. But brand new Tacos with all the crap we want are $35K. Not happening, unfortunately.

I am going to look up the Ford F150 you mentioned. Thank you!

 

Thanks Keakar. Yep, 1st gens are pretty awesome.

 

well if you want new then there is this one: http://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invent...d=true&filtersModified=true#listing=105216689

a 2014 with only 3,800 miles for a few thousand more then they were asking for that overpriced 2004 taco and this is as new as you can get in a used truck but a big red flag for me is "whats wrong with it that the owner wanted to get rid of it", was it a lemon?

bottom line for me is I am biased, I think there is no new truck made as well or is as good as an older first gen taco, period, they can keep the second gens and if I had one I would sell it to buy a first gen. newer doesn't mean better, it just usually means less maint and rust issues

 

get a regular 4wd first gen taco then if it matters put the TRD package and stickers on it yourself. I bet any 4wd you buy will have already had everything upgraded already anyways.