PennSilverTaco's "Perfect 5-Lug Regular Cab" Build, Aspergers, and General BS MegaThread!

So, for the last few years, I've noticed this when driving at night after it has snowed...

When I accelerate on snow and the rear wheels spin, I swear my headlights actually dim...

My truck does not have any electrical problems and runs just fine, so I doubt it's the alternator. The lights on the dash DO NOT dim or fade.

 

do the 5 luggers have traction control?

 

Could be the antilock motors drawing power, just my guess.

 

Gremlins !!! There everywhere

 

Yeah, all 2009-newer 2nd Gens have it. I have a 2010, and not only do I have traction control, but I have a button that shuts it off and simulates a locking/limited-slip rear diff...

 

I'm pretty sure that engine block/oil pan heaters are standard equipment on all entry-level vehicles sold in places like Alaska, Minnesota, the Dakotas, and parts of New England...

However, I don't think I've ever seen engine block heaters listed as an option on any newer Tacomas (2011-2015, 2016-present).

Does anybody have a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Gen Tacoma that came from the factory with an engine block or oil plan heater?

I live in Pennsylvania, and my area is going through a record-setting cold wave right now. I went on a weekend vacation with family, and when I started my truck to go to work after it had been sitting for two days, it struggled a bit. I think this has to do with the battery.

However, I'm wondering if it is easy (or even possible) to add an engine block heater or oil pan heater to my Tacoma?

I don't think this extreme cold is particularly harmful to my truck, but it probably isn't particularly good for it either (Especially the battery). If winters in PA are gonna be like this in the future, I would strongly consider installing one (or all three) of the items listed in the title...

 

Think their pretty much standard equipment up here in Canada or I pity the guy who doesn't have one by now this year. I wouldn't do a pan heater unless the factory gives it the thumbs up. A battery blanket works good too. Check for where the factory places the block heater. Some you gotta buy the cord separate so it's a good idea to ask when you order one.

 

@FastEddy59

For the record, I'm going to a friend's belated birthday party at his parents' house in the Poconos next weekend and this is what I'll be dealing with in that specific location...



I will be there from the 5th (Friday) through the 7th (Sunday)...


I am not looking forward to this and I don't think my truck will like it too much either!

 

Isn't the engine block heater like hardwired into the block from the factory? Or is it easier to install?

 

Trade Ya!

 

I think it is warmer where you are than it was in Boston last night!

 

I haven't looked at mine but on other engines it takes the place of a frost plug. You can replace them if they fail.

 

That was last night.

 

Yeah, in Canada all Tacoma's have block heaters added on at port as a port installed modification. It shows up on the sticker as an option but it's not really an option since all the trucks on most lots have it. Most manufacturers here do add it at port. I think the only one I know that still considers it truly optional is GM. On every model I've ever seen it takes the place of the frost plug as mentioned.

As for battery warmers no one here uses them and I'm in one of the colder parts of Canada (the prairies have little humidity so it freezes hard here.) If you are concerned about the health of your battery during very cold weather and your battery is more than 3 years old it could be worth it to swap to an AGM battery. That's what I did this year after I found my battery had a small amount of liquid out the vents and wasn't cranking as hard in the cold as it once did.

 

Still warmer than Boston!

 

Yeah, for once we were even colder than Manitoba. It hit -37 c here locally. Windchill was -52 c.

 

Buurrrrr!!

 

Pray to the Chinook gods. Pincher Creek area has brutal wind chill.

 

I've lived in Minnesota for 40 years and none of my vehicles have had block heaters. I used a magnetic pan heater for a couple years, but I haven't had anything extra for a long time. Last night it was -14F, but it's been colder this week. My truck sits outside, it's a little slow on the first couple of cranks, but hasn't been a problem yet. I just got an oil change before the current cold snap, and I got a new battery last year.......

 

How do you people even live in that weather...... son of a bitch!