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

I did preventative maintenance on my truck today, installed the whole aircabinman timing belt kit w/ water pump, thermostat, camshaft and crankshaft seals, pulleys, belt tensioner, drive belts and all. It was my first time doing these myself and it took 12 hours. It went really smooth, all things considered! Only one trip to Ace Hardware to replace some bolts on the tensioner a previous mechanic had slightly rounded. Thanks go to @Timmah! for the informative video. I improvised on the timing belt installation and routed the belt first before installing the No. 1 Idler Pulley and it was very easy to get the belt on this way.

I'm glad I took the extra step and replaced the seals because the crankshaft seal was starting to weep a small amount of oil (at 315K engine miles/15 years) The camshaft seals were dry but a lot of dirt had gotten into the seals. I also took this opportunity to replace the 7-yr old radiator, 20-yr old rad. cap and 3-yr old coolant.

Sorry for not posting any pics, I was at my wits end about 8 hours in and only scraped by thanks to the moral support from my buddy who stayed the duration of the project. Minor mistakes were made: I improperly installed the thermostat gasket. The gasket came separate from the t-stat and I didn't think to install it around the circumference, just slapped it behind like it shows in the FSM. Soon as I started filling it with water I noticed the leak and corrected it. I also forgot to re-connect the oil cooler hose and narrowly avoided a meltdown when I thought I had to take it all apart again to gain access. Luckily it's accessible from the outside.

The truck is ready for the push to 500K.

 

Nice job man, that's no easy job to complete

 

It is. I just looked back and noticed I have your build saved as well. Did you roll or spray the monstaliner? I am considering them now instead of spraying raptor liner.

 

Nice job! I know you are glad to be setup for more good miles.

 

4mm "NEO" whip style bulbs, I used the 4mm warm white ones from superbrightleds: https://www.superbrightleds.com/mor...ulb-high-power-instrument-panel-led/221/1001/

 

Definitely noticed a difference. It had a rough idle and now that’s gone and also with the new belts it don’t squeak when on a cold start or revving it

 

Bumper is on!

 

Very nice, what did that set you back?

 

Beautiful!

 

Nica ass!

 

That rear bumper is sweet as hell, your Tacoma looks even sweeter though! I see some sliders and some of my favorite wheels too. Very nice hermano

 

Thanks!

 

$800 plus gas money to Jacksonville, FL.

Thanks man! SOS Concepts sliders. Might finally get around to starting a build thread.

 

at 12 hours that is nearly $1700 you saved yourself!! +/- cost of parts

 

Well... I'm sure a shop mechanic could have done it in a lot less time. I spent about 600 in parts and tools, so it wasn't that much of a savings. Mainly did it because it's a hobby and because I wanted to learn how to do it myself. No paid mechanic cares as much about your truck as you do.

It was a confidence builder, having done it all. I feel like I could take on an even bigger project now.

 

yes i totally agree with this
unfortunately i have near zero confidence that i will NOT end up doing something that i can not ever undo

 

Absolutely man. I encourage as many folks as possible to do their own work. At least the smaller stuff, tightening or changing the belts, etc
And once people get feeling pretty good about that level of work, then it's moving on up to a water pump/timing belt job like you tackled. With the amount of info and hands on write ups for the job and knowing exactly what tool you will need for each step along the way, with pictures and even videos of step by step. And it builds much more understanding of your vehicle and build much more confidence in general as a problem solver and your own abilities to fix stuff. and that carries over to lots of areas of life. It's a huge win-win really, you learn TONS and save TONS

 

Finally started on my rear bumper/swing out tire carrier. Doing the framing at the moment haven't decided if I'm making new brackets or reusing the stock bumper brackets. I don't think the stock brackets could support all the extra weight ?

 

What's the resistor size that needs to be used?

 

Where in Jacksonville did you get that bumper?