The Random Tacoma Experience/Advice Thread

No on the midget but the room mate does interpretive dance in her spare time in between her hand modeling gigs.

 

Let's keep it relative to Tacoma talk horndogs. There are plenty of other sites to look up these super important questions.Thanks alot Dutch, now look what you've done!

 

Hey, in my defense, it said "Random Experience / Advice." Nothing is more random then a mixed proportion three way in the bed of a truck.

 

Fair, but "I have made this thread where we can ask any question regarding anything that is Tacoma experience related." Not experiences you may or MAY NOT have had in your tacoma

 

off to a great start...has anyone experienced the shutter going uphill in MT.. going uphill in 5th-6th gear and just push the gas more slightly and it feels like your drowning the engine with gas or something then downshift to maintain speed and it still does it till you downshift again then just bomb to the top? I usually try to take care of my trucks instead of redlining it or even going to 4k rpm... just curious........

 

For new Tacoma owners with the desire to check your fluid:

If you can change your own oil, you can do the fluid check.

There are several ways to check the temperature of the transmission first prior to checking the overflow.

In my experience in checking it on a nice warm day last Fall, a drive around the neighborhood brought it up to just over 100 degrees.

In checking the level of the fluid, add a quart first while at home with the transmission, and exhaust pipe cold.

Then drive around the block two or three times.

Then check the overflow.

If you don’t first add any fluid to your transmission when the transmission is cold, and then check the overflow when the transmission is warmed up and nothing comes out, you will still not know how low it is.

Therefore, to figure out how low it is, you essentially need to overfill the transmission just a bit.

This is what the dealer has to do to check your transmission level properly.

It won’t blow up or get damaged by driving it around the block a couple of times while it’s slightly overfilled.

If you add 1 quart, then check the overflow and no fluid comes out, then it’s still low.

So, let it cool down and check it later in the day at your leisure. Or just check it again another day.

It will have in it 1 additional quart which it didn’t have before when you were driving it, right?

In a previous thread where this was being discussed, I figured out the expansion of the transmission fluid in ounces within its operating temperature range from cool ambient to when it’s at hot operating temp, and the expansion in volume was only several ounces when considering over 10 quarts contained in the Tacoma transmission.

So, the temperature of the transmission when checking the level doesn’t need to be at an exact point.

Somewhere within 10 or 15 degrees over 100 degrees operating temperature should work just fine.

And, you won’t get burned by the fluid at that temperature.

Maybe Toyota was thinking about safety first when choosing a temperature at which to do the check!

 

Bogging an engine is worse than getting it into the revs. There's a rev limit for a reason and anything under it is completely acceptable and harmless.

 

i barely have 3500 miles on it and not really trying to hot rod is all i was meaning..not to say i haven't tested the throttle once and a while especially going to Birmingham once and awhile.. i hit a specific hill on HWY 77 everyday going home and thats when i feel what i was describing...only wondering if people just dealt with it or just go straight to 3rd a mash it...i usually drop it to 4th if i want to cruise up it or 3rd if i feel like racing someone to the top

 

All I'm saying is don't be afraid to use the engine. It has the revs for a reason and there's absolutely no harm done using them. In fact using the revs is better for the engine than trying to push through in too high of a gear.

 

good to know...i still have a lot to learn about these motors

 

Yep. Lexus engine has very high tolerances and can take the revs. This things is gnarly in the IS350. I zip my truck pretty good from time to time. The other night an Audi got taken by surprise

 

Update on this:

The quote I got from Toyota was only for the pan fluid change and the basic 3 quarts. This was $299.99. Just asked again today. Beware a total flush is in the $500-$700 range.

My local shops quoted $350 for the entire tranny flush and 12 quarts of Toyota fluid. And these guys are recommended by the guys that lifted my truck. Solid rep. Keep in mind that 12 quarts of Toyota WS tranny fluid is pretty much $200 by itself


I’m going with the local shop.

 

No. It is an involved process just to check the fluid level. And, you have to check it like this or else you have no idea whether it is at correct level. This is why there are no dipsticks.

 

See my last post

 

How fast are you trying to go up hill?

This motor does NOT want to run below 2K. If youre driving in 6th gear less than 60mph you're bogging the motor.

I've noticed when towing or hauling anything above 2500 the truck wants more.

Keep the revs high... you won't hurt it.

 

You REALLY need to read up on a flush. I have and I have never got a flush in almost 40 years of driving. Too risky IMO but hey, it's your truck.

 

He’s right. The power band on this truck is like a 2stroke dirt bike...or a small horsepowered/torqued desert truck

 

Which is why I’m having a trusted shop do it for a killer price. They described the same process the pdf does

 

This is brilliant. Start thread asking for advice... become defensive when good advice given.

 

Damn, at least use the right meme! But I agree, ops a little defensive and it’s funny to watch.