What have you done to your Tacoma today? 1st Gen Edition

yeah I think you'd be fine with just one.

I have a lot of info on the CS144 in Franks build thread. PN in there too for the CS144 with the smaller pulley which puts out more amps at idle then the OEM alt ever did haha

 

"I'm not touching that. You're setting up the tent tonight Monte!"

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I run a fridge on my single Toyota Truestart and haven't had a problem so far. I did/do worry about it a bit, but I bought a DBPOWER 600A 18000mAh Portable Car Jump Starter to have a backup/jump capability in case the battery dies (at which point, I'd turn the fridge off when the truck wasn't on). I probably would go for a second battery at some point, except that my engine bay is completely full, and I (for now) don't want to put it in the bed.

 

Cool I’ll look into it for sure thanks again bud!

Thanks for the info.

 

Finally got around to removal of the shot bearing and installation of a new 6301-2NSE in my AC Idler after the trip last September. Wonder how long the replacement will last before I put this puppy back in...

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I didn't know those were replacable, I just replace the whole thing.

 

Yah, I replaced the whole thing when mine went out, and then @Digiratus gave me the idea to keep the pulley and just replace the bearing. Was super simple - don't know why it took me so long. And a new bearing is $10 instead of $30 (aftermarket) for the whole deal.

 

worth it to have both. Always have a trail spare that way.

 

This was last week but installed a set of CoverKing Ballistic Tactical Tan seat covers with MOLLE webbing and tan MOLLE pouches

 

So what would you do in my case. I have the original CVs (180,xxx miles) and the boots are torn. Don't know how long they have been torn, maybe a while. They still function fine, no symptoms that they are going out. I'm in 4wd off road almost daily through the fall and winter, and once or twice a week spring and summer. Should I re-boot the ones I have? Leave it alone until these start dying, and replace them? If so OEM or aftermarket? Or replace them now?

 

If possible I'd go with OEM new ones, reboot the old one(s) and keep it as a spare.

If not wanting to spend too much on OEM CVs, Napa carries a solid aftermarket brand with a lifetime warranty. I don't think they're supposed to be as good as OEM but better than the AutoZone ones.

Also SDHQ sells high angle CV boots, if you just want to reboot your current ones those are a good option to keep the boots from tearing (assuming they're tearing because you're lifted and the angles are severe).

 

I finally got around to replacing the cup holder retainers. I used 1/8” rubber from the plumbing section at Lowe’s.


I like the color, looks kind of like leather.

 

For sure. The etc. would be running a computer for photo editing and camping lights at night. I wanted to familiarize myself with solar charging and make a system so I figured the second battery would be good for that. Still thinking about it. It's probably a two year project at this point with all the other stuff I'm doing to the truck rn.

 

One of the things I like about my setup is the isolator I have. It will allow me to link the two batteries together with the push of a button in the cab. It's main selling point is self recovery if the starter battery fails or is otherwise drained/dead. A self jump is definitely piece of mind.

And linking the batteries is also possible during a heavy winching session, again a situation where the starting battery could be drained. These two examples can be useful for the weekend warrior.

For those of us who like to run a fridge overnight or run camp light and/or the stereo for extended periods in camp or use an inverter to recharge camera/phone/toothbrush/powertool batteries, the 2nd battery can be isolated from the starting battery so there is no fear of not being able to start the truck in the morning.

 

Solar is cool conceptually but not very pragmatic for me, I think. The problem with solar is that the time you really need extra power is in camp at night, when the engine is off. Or, if you are stationary during the day, which we rarely are. If you're moving, you can use the (probably stock and for sure aftermarket) alternator on the truck to charge both batteries much more rapidly than any solar system.

That's a whole different thing than a second battery though, which could be good for a fridge or other high-powered devices at night regardless of a solar system.

 

Im going to add 200w to the roof of Igor. Stick on solar custom built. Well..okay I've at least speced it out and its not cheap...but I wouldn't need a 2nd battery at that point. And mostly it would cover the awful peeling paint but also would keep the battery topped off all the time.

Not as simple with an extended cab granted.

Idk if you saw what my Dad did but he added a fancy ass deep cycle controller/charger and did power poles on the outside of the truck to plug in his solar panels. He is think more along the lines of setting up base camp though for HAM operations during events.

 

I need to do this. Bad.

 

Yes , but there will be a gap at the top roof line .

 

Right - most of what I use my trucks for is camping in remote (in varying degrees) areas so I've had the truck sit for three days while I hike to different nearby peaks before. I have a 250 amp alternator. Maybe part of it is just wanting to play around with a new-to-me technology. Being able to charge a battery with solar power seemed like fun though. lol

 

Our alternators can do that just fine as is for two batteries though, that's what makes the solar kinda pointless unless you're setting up base camp for a couple days. Even the wimpy stock alt can charge two batts with us wheeling most of the day.

 

Sounds like a good plan, but the originals have lasted 18 years of pretty hard use. If new ones last the same it would seem kind of pointless to keep spares around. But then again I have been running on stock suspension until recently. Now have OME2881 so of course that changes things.

What are the odds of the current ones being in good enough shape to be worth re-booting? Is it something that would be obvious when I take them off?