209 TACOS - B/S and shenanigans

Yeah I haven’t tried the brandy in a few years. It was aged in old wine barrels or similar before.

 

Anyone else interested in going?

 

Is that one of those cool Airstream Bambi's. If so, how do you like it?

 

It is the Basecamp 16X.
https://www.airstream.com/travel-trailers/basecamp/floorplans/16-x/
Just the right size for me and the wife.

 

Right. I forgot, the Bambi is the smallest conventional Airstream. I like yours. Looks like it's not too much of a burden for a Tacoma.

 

Modesto area folks... Here's another opportunity to help some people that could really use it.

I'm loaded up with some stuff and ready to drop it off on the way home from work. I'll be running through between 4:30 and 5:00 hope to see others help.



Just bring a couple cans of beans if that's all you can do. Literally, ANYTHING will help, and be very much appreciated.

 

The Tacoma pulls the Basecamp well. It will pull in S-5 on the flat with TQ locked up. S-4 if there is and incline and S-3 on the steeper grades. I managed 15 mpg on a 240 mi round trip with about 2500 ft of elevation gain.

 

Anyone need a 2006 tailgate insert OEM??

 

Short trip to Paper Cabin Ridge for a picnic lunch...

 

Such a cool drive out there.

Did you go out by the Murphy ranch (Lower Hunter creek crossing, 1N03 I think)? Or out past the Baker property Buchanan mine rd to the tail end of 1N03?

 

1N03 thru the Murphy Ranch...first time all the way out there, fun trip for family, lots of fall colors and neat old mine shafts and history

 

Nice!

The road gets pretty rutted out right before the old providence mine. I went through there last fall after a rain storm and I didn’t know if I’d make it. Bunch of trees down too.

 

Not sure if we passed the Providence Mine or not, I’ll have to look it up.

Also, found this historic pic as well from the 1970’s online

 

I've been there before. But on the SXS

 

We’ll, here goes nothing...5100’s, OME 884’s and General Springs HD...wish me luck the next few days!

 

if you plan to have a heavy load. maybe add the extra leaf now, before you install the rear. i have a tepui 2 person tent and CBI bedrack on and my truck was sagging.

 

Welp...might have a potential head gasket problem but will know more in the coming days and couple weeks. Loosing coolant somewhere but rad is never empty. No coolant on the ground and checked hoses and no signs of wetness or dried coolant. If a head gasket is the culprit would it be more cost effective (and time effective) to just change the entire engine?

FUUUARK. Guess the Kings are going to be sitting for a while...

 

how much are you losing?

Is the oil milky?

I lose coolant in my Tacoma around the overflow tank fitting. Not much but enough to smell.

 

not a major amount...never gone below L even when the engine is cold. When fully warm then it sits between L and F. I did have to fill up the reservoir once before when I first bought it back in April so maybe some air got into the system and it’s being burped?

no milky oil...I just replaced oil maybe 1-2K miles ago and while it was dark AF it was not milky.

I do notice little metallic looking gunk in the radiator cap area but don’t know if that’s from the radiator fins, maybe the water pump shavings, OR if the previous owner tried adding in some head gasket repair in a bottle.

did a compression test a few months ago and all came back strong but now going to do a test of the cooling system to see if there are any leaks...we shall see. I really hope it’s the water pump gasket area because it’s hidden behind the timing belt cover but who knows.

just bought the fckn timing belt kit too and was on my list of things to do.

 

I'd hold off on assuming it's a headgasket problem. There are a lot of other things that could be going on.

How quickly are you loosing coolant?

If it is a head gasket problem, it's more likely to have oil in your coolant than coolant just vanishing.

As nDub said, is the coolant that is there milky? Or the oil?

You can loose coolant at the overflow like nDub says... also, I know the 3.4 has 3 rubber hoses under the throttle body that can leak. When they leak, often the coolant sits on top of the manifold and evaporates, making there appear to be no evidence (puddle) of a leak.

The 3.4 is way more bullet proof than people even give it credit for. I can't even tell you how many times I've overheated mine (from various problems over the years) one of those times it over heated to the point of the ECU shutting down the motor.

A head gasket is often times people's first thought... it's a lot more rare on 3.4 than many other motors.