200,000 Mile Club (1st Gen Tacomas)

232k and going strong!! Thinking about a leveling kit, ditch lights, and a new grille. Too bad this college student doesnt really have the money for that right now :-(

 

216,500. Runs solid. Replaced original clutch and brake pads at 160k. I'm the original owner.

 

I have a 2002 tacoma with 236,000 miles on it I'm starting to feel like high miles on these dont matter as long as you keep up on matnence and fix any minor things that are wearing on them my abs computer went out on me but other than that nothing that I couldn't fix for pretty cheep

 

Still looks awesome

 

Thanks man!

 

Just hit 200k this month. Bought with 196k, and did some much needed maintenance. Looking forward to the next 100k!

 

what % of people in this club have put on the 200k miles by themselves, that own those miles?

i am attempting to get there but have aways to go still...
potential summer vacation next year to the arctic circle may help

 

2003 3.4L with the off-road package. Manual 5-speed Xtracab. 274,000 miles on it. Bought it new.

Normal stuff - timing belt, tires, brakes, routine maintenance.

I'm on my third set (factory+replace+replace) set of front calipers. Rear shoes, drums, brake cylinders are factory, and I do keep those brakes adjusted and can feel them working (or not when they need adjusting.) Part of the parking brake handle assembly had to be replaced, and I need to clean and lube the parking break levers and pivots regularly. I can't believe they've lasted this long.

On my third alternator. Clutch+pressplate+TObearing done at 182,000. Blew a power steering hose at 240,00 which resulted in needing new p/s pump.

Toyota put on a new frame under warranty at 213,000 miles, so I decided this was going to be an even longer term relationship. That job includes new leaf springs, bushings, a/c evac and refill, bushings, etc., etc. While it was all apart, I paid parts cost for new struts, rear shocks, and cat-back exhaust. I also had the wheels blasted and repainted, and put in a new sound system - head unit, little under-seat sub, new rear speakers (never got to the door speakers).

Once after a stall and false-start at a traffic light, the airbag light went on and would not go out. Dealer worked through the factory troubleshooting procedure (unplug and replug all the components and cables) and the system reset itself and the light has been off for 10 years now.

I did a cross-country trip in December 2018, and so in November I replaced all the gear oil in the cases. Noticed that the rear diff housing had rusted through and was seeping. Dorman makes a replacement weld-on stamped steel plate replacement, and I had someone cut bad part out and weld the new part on. Had to pull the axles and diff carrier.

After the trip, I started getting a code for a misfire on cyl #3, which I started chasing down. And I am still chasing down the misfire 6 months later. It's occasional, on cold startup after sitting for a couple days, and on hot restart after a quick shutdown. New plugs, wires, #3 coil, vac lines, PVC valve&grommet did not solve it, though many of those items looked like they needed replacement anyway. I ran some fuel injector cleaner through it, seemed to help but then did not. It probably needs a new head; hammering at 85 for 100s of miles on the Texas interstates might have stressed the old girl too hard. I'm going to put some Bars head gasket fix in it and see what happens.

I think I have this problem: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3-4-head-gasket-replacement-help-please.219245/


Early this year I had the throttle body stick shut a couple times in sub-zero temps; each time it threw a code and went into limp home mode. I tried cleaning the throttle body (cleaned the intake plenum and mass air sensor too) but that didn't solve it. I got a new Toyota throttle body from Conicelli Toyota in PA for $625, other dealers wanted $1,200 for that part. That solved the throttle sticking problem. The occasional near-stall when starting to move the truck went away; I had blamed that on driver error but it seems the throttle plate was actually sticking a little, or maybe this last bit is all my imagination.

I got under the truck with a wire brush, rag, solvent, and rattle cans of rust reformer and rusty metal paint to clean up the rusty spots under the bed, on the frame, on the spare carrier, backing plates, and engine skid plates. This took the better part of three days. Should have done this a couple years earlier. Rust is a time issue -- we can just slow it down if we live in the salt belt. The gas tank guard / skid plate is beyond repainting. The backing plates for the rear brakes are looking shabby with small rust holes but they have shiny new paint on them. Maybe the paint will hold them together for a while .

I was having a "new" spare tire mounted (saved the best of the old tires last time they were replaced) as the spare had been up there for 16 years. The wheel was rusted terribly so I bought a new steel wheel from Tirerack.

Had two rounds of issues with crappy valve stems slow leaking (need air every 5 days) after a local guy did the tires. Both times I had the dealer remount all the tires and replace all the valve stems and the problem was fixed. The first time the dealer found a slow leak (small bubble) on a stem so we knew it was the valve stem. The second time just assumed that was the problem.

I've put new aftermarket head lights and tail lights on it some time in the distant past. Will need to replace the head lights again.

I'm starting to hear the layshaft in the transmission when in neutral with the clutch let out.

 

A very sad day for me, 60 miles away from 200k my tranny decided it was over it. And now im not sure it will be worth fixing or if I'm already in to deep to not fix it. In the last 2 years since truck has been mine ( inherited from original owner, my dad, who was just over driving a manual transmission) I've put a motor, radiator, tires, suspension all the way around, and tons of smaller items setting me back just under 10k and now another 3.4k for tranny and driveshaft. Not to mention pretty much all the bushings are worn out if still there at all and wheels are shot. I dont know if it is really worth it to keep investing money into or just time to cut my losses. I love this truck and it's been around since i was 12. Should I fix it and keep it or see how much it will get me towards a turd gen?

 

since it was your Dad's i suppose it has high sentimental value?
that sort of thing is hard to put a value on!

 

Yeah but pops is still kicking it haha. But still put alot of my time into this truck so yeah hard to place value on that too

 

That seems like fairly low mileage for it to crap out on you already no?

 

Hello, I am a new and proud owner of a 1997 Toyota Tacoma 2.4l 2wd and i'm happy to be here for advice and other questions I have regarding my TACO. This is my first Tacoma purchase I bought the truck it has 338,000 miles on it and has a few small issues I will be looking to fix myself. I basically stole the truck from the guy I purchased it from and he had no clue how to work on vehicles.

 

just a big heads up for every one out there. DO NOT AND I REPEAT DO NOT LET OIL PLACES PUT SYNTHETIC OIL IN THE MOTOR. back in march i got the oil changed and they were out of conventional oil so they put synthetic in without my permission. i left there and noticed my rocker arm started clicking. drove it for about 2 weeks and took it to my uncles (my professional mechanic) to get the oil changed back to conventional. i picked up the truck the next week being at the time i was working out of town. and drove it for just over 24 hours before it went from a misfire to a very loud knock and full throttle bout 20 mph. since the synthetic oil had been in the motor for so long, when the conventional oil was put back in the motor did not lubricate and when my uncle tore apart the motor 3 of my 4 rod bearings had stripped and metal flakes were in the oil pan (it looked like a metallic paint but with 1000x too much flakes). ive now spent $2500 (im family so he doesnt charge me like a normal customer) on a new motor with 51k miles on it, the original motor had 311,000 miles on it. and i could have gotten a lot more if i had just changed the oil my self (simple fact of at the time i did not have the tools and i was getting it done before going out of town to see my gf. i had a long distance relationship at the time) but i finally got the truck back on june 21st (which was my six month anniversary with the gf at the time. so technically i got a really big present for the 6th month). im deffinantly happy to have my baby back being that this october will be 4 years ive had the truck.

 

I didn't think synthetic would give it that much of an issue other than maybe it's thinner possibly. I always change the oil and fluids along with filters in my truck to know it has been done right. I was planning on changing out all my fluids to Royal Purple synthetic oil and rear diff oil. I think I might need to rethink that then...

 

Yeah my uncle told me that any vehicle that runs conventional should only use conventional. He said that if u put synthetic in it u can never go back to conventional oil bc the synthetic puts a coat on everything so conventional just slides off

 

So this should be fine for me to run Synthetic just not go back to regular oil again correct? I bought my Tacoma for $500 with 338k miles and runs like a top other than I the TPS sensor harness where it plugs in the wires if you wiggle will cause the truck to die. I bought a $15 harness off ebay I will splice and solder in and heat shrink. The guy who owned it thought it would need to be taken to the dealer and cost allot of $. Secondly I had oil all over valve cover I figured just needs a valve cover gasket for $30 I could do in a hour or 2 start to finish. I sprayed and degreased it and no sign of a major oil leak at all. Not a drop on the ground either so I need to keep eye on it. Idk what would cause it to have oil caked up all over it. I thought cleaning it off would start leaking but not a drop on the ground?

 

Also is this common on this model engine for the harness to the TPS sensor to short out?

 

When I got the truck back he said to never put synthetic oil in the motor. I don't see why u have a TPS on a first gen bc they did not have them. I have a 03 2.7l prerunner and no where even in the owners manual does it have TPS

 

Throttle position sensor. 1997 Tacoma 2.4l