Maintenance with no history on 250k+

^ He's right.

And if you don't have an owners manual................

https://www.toyota.com/owners/resources/warranty-owners-manuals/tacoma/2002

 

Agree 100% just adding to what you said

 

Oh crap, I almost forgot!

What's the FRAME look like???????

Hopefully this is something you inspected BEFORE you bought it, but things happen. No one is expected to know 100% about the ins and outs of the vehicle they're buying, but hopefully you are confident the frame is intact.

 

Now you know why you haven't been able to sleep well lately

 

Given the history of 1st gen ball joints, this ^^^ is really bad advice.

 

I'll tell me surgeon that the plates and screws were likely unnecessary then.

 

First thing to do is post pics!!

My 3.4 popped a valve cover leak, needed the water pump replaced, a knock sensor died, then my alternator fizzled all around the 220-240k mark and after 20 years of usage in the dirt and on the streets.

But dont just replace stuff that isnt broke! Do all the factory recommended maintenance first (including checking your brakes which I am not certain was mentioned), then check your truck for leaks, sounds, and problems that may require attention. I waited to do the timing belt until I needed the water pump to do these jobs together and never had an issue.

First mods I did were the suspension lift (springs and shocks), and I also made sure to replace lower and upper ball joints and tie rod ends at that time too for good measure.

 

Dear Psychic_Legume,

Here are the troubles with the first generation Toyota Tacomas. A lot of what I am going to talk about has already been mentioned. A lot of the members here have already given you some great advice.

One of the main things they suffer from is frame rust, and they rust from the inside out. This frame rust problem never manifests itself in states that don't use salt on the roads in the winter so those trucks in Florida, Texas, Arizona and the west coast states never see this defect. This factory defect was dealt with by Toyota by having a huge recall on a lot of these first generation Tacomas. Some of the latter first generation Tacomas received new frames, but it was not very many of them. This problem is easy to detect. All you have to do is take a good look at the frame, and tap it with a small hammer. Where the truck came from will also give you a clue if it has been a victim of frame rust so make sure you get a copy of the CarFax report on this Tacoma you are considering purchasing.

The Toyota 3.4 V6 engine is a great little engine, and with the proper maintenance, it will out live cock roaches. Unfortunately, you have no idea of the service history on the 3.4 you are interested in buying. I will give you a little break down of this motor. It is an iron cast block with aluminum heads so it does not like to get hot. It needs to have the proper amount of Toyota coolant in it at all times in order for it to run well and not overheat. If these little motors do get hot, they will blow their head gaskets and possible warp their heads. This problem is easily avoided by making sure these motors don't have any leaks and have the proper amount of coolant. These 3.4 motors also love to run on synthetic motor oil, and they need to have their timing belts changed along with everything else down there like thermostats and pulleys changed out every 90,000 miles.

The first generation Tacomas are independent front suspension vehicles so this a weak point on these trucks. They need to have the ball joints and front suspension redone at the appropriate interval. One of the members here has already gone over this for you.

Hope that helps,
Paul

 

People mentioning the ball joints, this is an incredibly important point. Both the upper and lower on my drivers side snapped at the same time as I was driving home one night and this happened -

 

I think it got mentioned once before, but see if you can do some detective work like I did. Can be kinda fun too!

I was in a very similar boat as OP when I bought my current taco. It had ZERO paperwork/history, but I liked what I was seeing (frame, interior, engine bay, etc.), so I pulled the trigger!

I'm the third owner, but the 2nd owner did still have the original key from the original owner with a Toyota dealership key ring/leather fob still attached.

The Carfax records verified that my truck was purchased back in '98 in the same town as the dealership listed on the fob.

Sent the dealership an email and explained my situation. They asked for the VIN, a copy of my driver's license, and I think a photocopy of the fresh paperwork declaring me as the new owner.

Got a message back a day later with paperwork they were able to dig up spanning about 4 years (2012-2016). I bought the truck in 2018, so it was nice to see what had been done to the truck in its more recent past.

 

wow, ive been messing around for a while now on TW and just did this. Probably only good for work done on the truck while under warranty, as most people take their cars elsewhere (read: cheaper) for repairs after warranty is up. But i just found out that my frame was replaced in 2012 and the balljoints were in fact replaced under the recall. makes me feel better knowing these things.

 

For the love of God do not do anything with the transmission fluid just leave what’s in there the way it is

 

Sounds like its a MT. No reason not to change the oil.

 

I'm not op, but I'm at 233k on the Taco that I recently purchased. I have no problems with the auto transmission, but since I don't know the history, I'm curious if the fluid level is good and what condition it's in. I was thinking of doing a drain and fill. Why do you recommend to not do anything with the transmission fluid?

 

This is cool, I didn't realize that you could look it up like that. Turns out that my frame was coated in 2011 at the dealership.

 

With that many miles on it, changing the trans fluid can damage the clutches and other internal parts because it’s had the same fluid in there for so long changing it ruins it. I see it everyday at work lol just leave it alone

 

He said it’s an auto

 

Thanks for the input everyone, since I put this up I've had some financial stuff come up and haven't been able to do anything but change the oil. I checked most of the stuff I could and it seems like the frame isn't rusted, the ball joints aren't obviously failing (although this is first priority when I have the means, @EleventhTry 's photo is some scary shit) and the fluids are all topped up. I've put about a thousand miles on since, and there haven't been any fluid leaks, inexplicable rattles, or bad noises.

Someone suggested checking the Toyota service website, which was cool, but none of the past owners had any service done at a dealership

It is in fact a manual, clutch squeak and all. As soon as I can I'm draining/replacing the clutch fluid, trans oil, and replacing the shifter and clutch return spring bushings. From the limited poking around I've done, that seems like what was most neglected. There's a ton of good writeups I've found on here so it should go, even if I take forever.

 

This

 

Everything above... plus GREASE YOUR ZERKS