What Have You Done To Your 2nd Gen Tacoma Today?

Sweet thank you!

 

This is the guide I used. It's been off for 2 years now without issue. I check my tp manually every now and then so its no biggie. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/complete-tpms-disable-guide.161292/

 

they come with everything you need plug n play ballast and all. totally understand just throwing out a recommendation cuz ive got em and they are freakin sweet!

 

Just attach that wire to the fuse box under the steering wheel with an add-a-fuse in the gauge slot. That way the switch will work when you turn your dash lights and when you click it but will turn off when your dash is off.

Like this

Do you have the sensors still?

 

Don't have a lot of pics of the process, as there's already a lot of that on the forum.
I can post an overview of the process, why I went the route I did, and the couple hurdles I had if you'd like..

 

Bought the 2010 with 44,000 miles on it. Looks like it got an oil change every 5,000 at a Toyota dealership. Not really sure if anything else has been done so I brought it in to the shop today (I don't have a driveway or garage for now) for Full Synthetic oil change. Also did the Front and Rear Diff oil as well as the T-case just for good measure. Shouldn't have to worry about those again till 100,000 miles I hope!

 

Yea that previous install looked horrible, I would have asked for a refund as well!!

 

That would be good.
I’ve looked around at all the other forums but more info is always good.

 

Not sure. Gunna have to follow the threads listed and give it a shot.

 

If you still had the sensors you can make the tpms pipe bomb. It works really well. I run it with zero issues so far.

 

Might need new blower motor

 

Its still Blows....blows on all speeds. The only issue is that it wont swap between defrost, floor, face...ect.....Its just stuck on defrost.

 

Those calipers looks beefy! How much clearance do you have between them and the wheels? I was looking at that kit, but I run 16's.

Moving up in the world!

Good reminder, I need to do mine when I get home.

 

Here are the parts I went with:

A750F Transmission out of a 4x4 Tacoma
FJ Cruiser Transfer Case **From an AT FJ** (Manual Transmissions have a different output on the rear end)
Stock length rear axle from a DCSB 4x4 Tacoma
Stock length front axle from a DCSB 4x4 Tacoma
Tacoma Front Differential (3.73 gearing)
FJ Front Diff tube and shaft (To delete the Tacoma ADD Actuator) https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-deleting-add-system.427258/
Rebuilt OEM CV Axles from CVJ Axles in Denver, CO (Great product and great price)
Misc small parts like necessary bolts, nuts, diff breather tubes, etc...

I decided to go with the FJ parts after doing a lot of reading on here from people who have done the conversion all types of different ways. Some people choose to use the Tacoma front diff and wire up the actuator to work on an independent switch, some people swap their ECU for a 4x4 one, etc etc... But I liked the simplicity of the FJ stuff, particularly after reading about the failure issues with the ADD actuators and the cost to replace them.

The FJ T-Case isn't electronic, so no switch for that either. I routed the lever into the skinny coin slot beside the AT Transmission gear shift, and it looks clean and operates smoothly.

** With the FJ front tube, the front differential and front drive shaft are always spinning, and the connect/disconnect for 4wd only happens in one place- the FJ transfer case. Some people have expressed concern about the wear on the front driveline components as a result, but I'm not too worried about it. Also, the FJ transfer case is extremely robust, and from my research it stands up to more abuse and is chain-driven. (Traditional, simple, strong) I believe this is why many 4x4 guys are swapping their Tacoma t-case for a FJ one: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/lets-see-your-fj-case-swap.455278/


Problems along the way:
In my haste to get some good deals on some of the various parts needed, I made some assumptions along the way that turned out to bite me, and had to be exchanged.
-First, I mistakenly bought a FJ Transfer Case out of a manual FJ. I got very lucky here, as the Ebay seller (large parts yard in Sacramento, CA area) had a good exchange policy and had one from an automatic FJ in stock. All I had to do was eat the return shipping and pay shipping for the second case.
-Second, is that you must confirm your rear axle gear ratio (in my case 3.73) and be absolutely sure the gear ratio of the vehicle you source the front diff from is the same. I had made another assumption here, based off of some broad info online, and had erroneously purchased my first front diff out of a manual FJ. MOST of the Toyota vehicles with V-6 engines you can source parts from for this conversion have 3.73 gearing up front... however the Manual FJ has 3.91. This creates issues when you have everything together and shift into 4wd and try to move forward... was not smooth at all. **My understanding now is that most 2nd Gen Tacomas and automatic FJ Cruisers have the 3.73 gearing, BUT, verify verify verify before buying!!!
To fix this, I bought a tacoma diff off of ebay and swapped the FJ tube and shaft onto the Tacoma pumpkin to delete the ADD actuator. Worked perfectly.

Also, I had never installed a transmission onto an engine before, and it was a bit of a learning process. I was having issues with getting the new transmission to mesh completely flush to my engine, it would get to appx .5" out and stop- I changed angle/height and everything several times to get it all to line up, to no avail. After watching a few videos online, I realized my problem:
When installing the torque converter into the transmission, there are two sets of gears you must line up. The first is easy, and after some rotating and pushing you will feel it slip onto the second gear, and the torque converter will be flush with the transmission bell-housing. YOU ARE NOT DONE HERE. You must keep rotating/pushing until it slips back another inch or so. Once I did this, the transmission mounted up perfectly.
Video for reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=vFFIPyv2C_4 (Torque converter install begins at 2:00 mark)

I'll try to get some pictures of some of the finished product underneath the truck when I can, It's wet and cold outside at the moment..

Also, If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. I'm no expert but I did a lot of research before beginning and there really is a lot of different info out there - some of it very valuable.

 

Camper shell, Leer 100XL, was leaking at the front corners of the bed. Slid the shell back, popped up the front of the top rails and siliconed the usual Tacoma places. Discovered I had popped the sliding front window out of its weather stripping at the passenger lower corner, right where it was leaking Duh, siliconed there and replaced.

Then, went to the local scrap yard and found a 2'x6' 14ga steel door off a storage cabinet for $20. Fabed it up into a tailgate reinforcement plate. I cut it to fit under the factory ribbed piece. Painted it and installed with factory hardware. Most likely will get a rivnut kit and use that for long term strength.

 

That's exactly my motivation. Not too much light for under the awning then? I was a little concerned when I first turned them on last night.

 

half a pinkys width worth of clearance lol, not much

 

I knew I should have gone to 17s when I bought my Ray10s...and bought 5.

 

they are a bit much at first but most people have appreciated lighting when we huddle under the awning or do some food prep. I actually now have some red tint over the lens to dim them and use them as a light that wouldnt attract the bugs and affect night vision.

 

yeah it was something i didnt think about when i installed them, they are much wider in profile compared to the old ones and just hoped it all worked out when they went on. I was relieved when the spokes cleared them, i didnt even know if they would clear or contact my lower control arms when they were on.

Luckily they cleared the wheels and cleared the arms at lock