Webberlander's Build

Gonna be doing my diffs again soon gonna do x-case then to

 

Did the rear diff tonight; tackling the front and transfer case tomorrow night. Also doing an oil change tomorrow too. Fluid came out golden/brown which was a good sign at *165,565 miles.

Replaced it with Lucas Oil 85w 140 gear oil (3 qts.) Magnet wasn't too covered in metal. This was after I drained fluid.



Cleaned up and ready for re-install. Replaced washer with a new OEM one and both drain and fill plugs.



Another picture with the rag I soaked up some of the old fluid with to show its color. I was happy to see that color as I have dunked the diff in water several times since it's last service.

 

Front diff, transfer case and engine oil changed.

Front diff was similar to the rear in fluid color and amount of metal on the magnet. Transfer case fluid was the darkest which was a little surprising to me.

Here is a shot of the front diff's magnet and fluid color:



All that's left as far as maintenance is new front brake pads and rotors. After that it will be all set for our trip to New Mexico and Colorado.

 

Cleaned the throttle body at 166,298 miles this morning before the World Cup Final started. It was super dirty as I had not done this before .

Below are some photos from inside the TB as I cleaned it. I also took a photo of the three towels from beginning to finish to show progress of the cleaning. Engine does seem to be idling a bit smooth and throttle response did seem more sensitive. Above all, its piece of mind before we leave for our 3k+ mile overland adventure next week.

 

Starting the process of upgrading the interior dash components from silver to black. Still hunting for a black 05 - 11 HVAC Control piece for a decent price. Most I've found are 12+ and they want anywhere from $200 - $300

In the mean time I did pick up these new knobs which by themselves do give a bit of a face lift to the interior. I love OEM+ upgrades.

 

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I'll keep an eye out for ya, they come up here every so often.

 

Thanks Chad.

 

Wow what a difference doing a TB cleaning has made on my MPG's. I typically get 145 - 150 miles at a half tank. Since cleaning and filling up, I am at 185 miles at half tank and actually a little more bc I forgot to reset my trip meter after I left the gas station. Super happy about this.

 

My wife, our two dogs and I went on a week long Overlanding Adventure to Northern New Mexico (Carson National Forest) & Southern Colorado (Pagosa Springs / San Juan National Forest). We explored multiple Forest Roads and camped off-grid for a 7 full days and nights. The Tacoma performed excellent over the entire 3,206 mile journey (minus some a/c issues at the very end). Gas Milage was not good, but I wasn't expecting good MPG's with as much gear as we were hauling. On trail the truck handled all the obstacles in its way. We aired down to 25 PSI while on trails which helped tremendously with ride quality/comfort. Overall a wonderful trip; It helps make me whole again by going into the forest, not hearing nor seeing civilization and just enjoying time with my family and the earth.

On the way back the A/C started really acting up. I knew going into this trip the A/C wasn't performing at its best but I'm just happy it provided us comfort for 95% of the trip. The compressor developed a grinding noise that was very audible outside the truck, and when at stop lights the air blowing from the vents was warm and unconditioned. I dropped off the truck yesterdaay at the only place I trust to work on it besides my local TTC member @Texoma. Diagnosis is a failing compressor. They also inspected my clutch fan at my request and since i'm at 168,xxx I felt it was a good idea to have it replaced. Upon their inspection and testing it did indeed need replacement. I am also having the condenser replaced so the system is in good condition going forward. I knew this was coming but for the mileage i'm at, I am still very happy with this truck and its reliability and quality. Below are some photos from our adventure. We are planning to go back as soon as possible. Hopefully in late September so we an witness all the Aspen's dropping their leaves.

Onto the adventure via photos:



1st stop - Carson National Forest near FSR 442







2nd Stop - San Juan Forest of of FSR 667

 

Stop along the way to Pagosa Springs:




Leaving FSR 667



3rd Stop - USFS 166 - this was a congested area due to it being a popular fly fishing area. We were lucky and found our corner keeping us mostly away from people.



....more pictures to come.

 

Cool campsites! I can feel the tranquility just looking at the pics! (Which are also awesome as usual )

 

Looks like a great trip, totally jealous.

 

Awesome pics! Looks like a really nice trip

 

have any deets on what the phone button is next to the auxillary?

 

Yes, it's a factory installed (or dealer installed) blue tooth phone system. To be quite honest it sucked from day 1. Call quality was bad and nobody could ever hear me unless I was yelling. I since replaced the system with an integrated setup through my pioneer DA-120 head unit. Microphone and call quality are much better. I'm replacing that phone button with the "anytime backup camera" mod switch that I have sitting on my work bench ready to install.

 

Forgot to update my thread when I got my truck back Tuesday 7/31/18 from getting the A/C worked on. Brand new compressor, Condenser and clutch fan (Pink one specific to 4x4 model). The shop cleaned up my engine bay as well for me with everything apart and rinsed off the fins of the radiator once the condenser was pulled off. Found a lot of that Bastrop mud/clay stuck back there so overall airflow efficiency should improve. Above all, the A/C is blowing nice and cold again; as cold as our stock Tacoma's a/c allows

I do have an Electric PUSH style fan sitting in my shop that will be mounted to the front of the condenser soon to help with airflow mainly when I'm sitting at stop lights or in traffic. I plan to wire it with a relay into the A/C system so it comes on when the compressor kicks in or perhaps when the blower is on.

 

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Got a little bit of time to kill so uploaded some more photos from our Journey. These are from the both the San Juan National Forest and Carson National Forest.















My kiddos: (Primus & Panga)





Our location with the awesome views of the meadows and plains













Final Location before heading home:

 

Sunday 8/5/2018 - Replaced front rotors and Brake pads with OEM parts.
Mileage - 168,xxx

Pads and rotors were just about ready to be changed before our overlanding adventure to New Mexico / Colorado last week so I purchased OEM parts and got to work today. I also took the time to clean up both front wheels, the wheel wells and any parts I could get my brushes/towels around. This is my 3rd set of brakes on my Tacoma. Everything went smoothly; nothing rusted out or hard to take a part. I made sure to lubricate all the bolts & pins before re-installation as I had done so on the previous two brake jobs. I also greased my UCA's with Lucas OIL RED TACKY grease. Torqued the wheel lugs to 85 ft/lbs. Took it for a test drive and its good to go.

 

While working on the addition to my shop unloading material, I realized how worn out my tail gate cap was. So I ordered one from @KB Voodoo and installed it last night. Next on the list is the bed rail caps as they're not far behind needing an upgrade/replacement. Very happy with the metal tail gate cap now except I forgot today that its metal and burnt the shit out of my hand.