San Diego BS Thread.

a 2wd and a female?!?!?! I hope I win, I never win anything ahahah

 

My Toyota Tacoma finally had a problem in Baja! UPDATE: Repair photos added.

With all the trips and miles added, especially this year, my fail card finally came up!

The truck is a 2010 and has 109,000 miles on it with most of the last 20,000 miles doing these Baja Bound research trips for the new guide. This was TRIP #7... unlucky 7!

The good news is my Tacoma did not leave me stranded and I still could drive it 250 miles back home!

I have has flat tires and my battery needed replacing on my trips this year, but nothing else.

Well, my Tacoma had its first mechanical problem in Baja... my card finally came up! LOL

The good thing is I could still drive it, albeit carefully, back home!

It was the rear brake that came apart or ?? (I will find out soon).

The rear brake (a drum brake) blew a seal, it seems, as fluid came streaming out... but that was after they locked up or were binding (left side). I actually thought it was the front disk brake pad that may have got a rock jammed in it.

I was on a road that I was just informed was impassable... or risky even though the Baja 500 recently used it. I needed to see for myself, plus it was my plan to go on from Mike's Sky Rancho to Hwy. 3. We went this way with no problems in 2005. Oh, how 12 years and lots of rain can change things in Baja!

Anyway, climbing a short, rock ledge in low range, the truck didn't want move after I parked to look at tire placement. I gassed it and it made a clunking sound and acted like one brake was frozen. I parked for a while and noticed that driving in reverse was not a problem... but did make sure it wasn't drivetrain related as it made the clunking in 2WD and 4WD.

I sent emails to Larry (bajatrailrider) [as he was going to Rancho el Coyote with motorcycle riding friends that day] and Rancho El Coyote, to contact me as I had a problem. {The Garmin/ DeLorme inReach satellite device is an amazing tool to have when you are traveling in the boonies}

I went ahead and tried driving it back to El Coyote... I was only 3.7 miles away. Thankfully, I made it and all was well until I noticed my back tire was wet... on the inside (so no dog pee) and there was a growing puddle of brake fluid.

When Larry and his gang showed up and heard my description they said to use vice grips to clamp the rubber hose that feeds fluid to the brake drum and that the fluid remaining is devoted to the front brakes and they do 80% of the work. In addition to the vice grip, I wrapped bailing wire and cinch strapped the vice grips so it wouldn't un-lock... plus I made a cinch strap chain to not lose the vice grips if it did come off. Mike (who lives at El Coyote) gave me some rubber to use with the vice grips so the teeth won't damage the brake hose. A great Baja solution.

El Coyote has wifi and I texted my Toyota mechanic and he concurred with the solution and assured me that the front brakes would be doing fine for the drive home and he would try and get me into his shop Tuesday.

It is 35 miles and 3,000 feet down to Highway 1 from El Coyote, and that was the first test. At the Pemex just north of the junction with then observatory road, I bought brake fluid and added it to the very low reservoir. That turned off the brake and traction control warning lights.

Driving home, I used the gears as much as possible to slow down and no heavy braking. Coming to stops in Maneadero and Ensenada, plus the borderline stop and goes was all the worst part as the truck would act like the brake was frozen until I got rolling over a few miles per hour... not always, but mostly.

The main thing is the Toyota, even with a destroyed brake, got me home... Oh, what a feeling!

PS, the rear brakes are the original that came with the truck.

The vice grips were from Larry, as I did not have any in my small tool collection... so bajatrailrider saved the day! The rest of the story will be in TRIP REPORT #7

Here are photos (from my phone) taken of the problem and repair, Tuesday from 4 pm to 7:30 pm...


Jason has the first look and sees something looks very wrong!


This part with the two round rivets is crooked and loose! The right side spring attachment point is out and the left is in (as it should be).


Jason's right hand is holding the loose part. It is what holds the brake shoes in place.


This is the right side (illuminated well by the sun) and how it should look and solidly attached to the back plate.


The bad side, notice that part hanging there at a bad angle.

There is a lot of hammering to get the angle back as close to where it was, then out comes the MIG welder!...





New shoes and new cylinders installed to both sides then a lot of adjusting.

I drive home, brakes no longer making noise or grabbing when I leave a stop sign! The emergency brake does not work with this emergency fix because the angle of the part is not perfect for the shoes to make contact using it. The shoes are adjusted out to the max and still get the drum on the wheel. Nothing more could be done last night. The truck brakes fine with the foot brake.

A perfect repair will need a new half axle since the part (welded back on) is factory attached to the back plate with those two rivets. The back plate is attached to the half-axle. Anyone with a Second Generation Tacoma left side half axle they don't need???

 

Well...you finally found something ATRAC could not resolve My best baja fix story was on my way home from San Juanico on the north road and a loose front end feeling turned out to be a cracked OE LCA bushing wrap. Limped into town when I got off the north road and found a local to stick weld it for me while laying in the dirt with what appeared to be home made welding goggles. He burned my LCA bushing and let's just say that it was not a confidence inspiring drive for the remaining 14 hrs to home...

 

I'm just going to follow you around and self promote too
I'm still right in the runnings for 3rd gens

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...eneration-tacomas.513159/page-2#post-16244290

 

You're so close!

 

Fuck El Cajon.. The forgot half the bolts on my skid plate..

 

Did they charge you extra to remove the skids to work on your truck?

 

Can't recall, was several years ago.

 

Free! Must pickup in east Chula Vista. Works fine, just no remote.

 

215 and Winchester Rd.

TW sticker and Florida plates. Lady driver.

 

Sadly, the emergency repair failed and I had brake fluid draining out once again. The new brake shoes must have slipped off the damaged, but welded back on mount part. Jason says any irregularity causes the cylinder seal to fail and dump out fluid.

I was referred by a friend to an Oceanside repair shop with a good reputation and 5-star reviews, so Monday, a new Toyota half axle, "good" bearings, and install is scheduled. UGH $$$! Jason is on vacation, otherwise, he would help. The guy at this shop would not let me get an axle from a junkyard, so this work will be all guaranteed.

 

Why not buy junkyard axle shaft with bearing and pop it in yourself? Take like 45 mins max

 

Because, until we had the drum off we didn't know what happened. To be back on the road, Jason did the best he could with the welder. The repair failed in just 2 days and Jason is not here for a week. I am in an apartment so no place to fix, even if I had all the tools and energy.
The bearings should be replaced and need to be pressed in on an axle swap, too. Thanks for the suggestion anyway!

 

Damn, sorry David! The timing just wasn’t right. I got it as good as I could with the time we had (almost a field fix) but I know know what failed. It was the rearward brake shoe lip that had been damaged I wasn’t able to fix running out of light and all. Wish I was still there and I could have got you fixed up. But I must say. In all my years of working on Tacoma’s I have NEVER seen such a failure, if I had been able to extend that worn tab to keep the rearward shoe from popping out it probably would have worked. Even though there was still some of the tab still left!
Sorry buddy, I tried my best with the time we had...

 

And I’m now in Mexico (Riviera Maya) and this all inclusive stuff is fucking awesome! Free drinks all day every day. probably gonna run my Liver through the American Ninja warrior championship! Haha. So the chocolate martinis are god damn delicious I had to have 3! And it’s raining like hell!
Damn that equater is awfully close, haha.
I have free WiFi at the resort so I should be able to check in once in a while, cave diving coming soon, since I’m an instructor they are going to set up a special dive just for me!! Stoked!!!

 

Do you know the name of the Cenote(s) you'll be diving? There are a couple that are "off limits" to regular tourists that I got to dive through the SDSU research center which had been used for sacrifices and burials that are entirely surreal and will blow your mind...

 

@YotaGurlIAm ... looks like you’re killing it in the calendar voting for 1st Gens. Unless someone else has a major rally it looks like you’ll be in the new calendar!

 

Hey fellow San Diegan's, I finally have decided to level out my front end and decided on the Bilstein 5100 adjustable struts, front only as the stock rear were replaced immediately a few months after I bought my truck. If you have experience with these shocks, I just have a few questions and would appreciate your input on vendors.
1. Since I have the SR5 Pre-Runner, what setting should I have it set up at in order to either level it with the rear or achieve just a slight rack (Cali look?)?
2. What is your experience with Down South Motor Sports as they seem to have the best price https://downsouthmotorsports.com/i-135614-bilstein-24-239370-5100-series-front-ride-height-adjustable-shocks-for-2005-2015-toyota-tacoma-2wd-pre-runner-4wd-pair.html#!year=2015||make=TOYOTA||model=TACOMA PRE-RUNNER ?
3. I was thinking of having Courtney Tires in Chula Vista install them as they are one of my good vendors or does Down South do a good job and just let them do the install?

 

Can’t go wrong with Courtney Tires. Dan (the owner) is a good guy and will take care of you. He put both mine and my brother’s kings on. I would ask Dan for pricing on the 5100’s before you buy. He’ll give you a better price if you buy all from him and have him do the work.