2011 - home at last?

Thanks brow, good info.

 

Not trying to jack this thread but this is interesting to me. When I changed the spark plugs in my 08 a year or so ago I noticed that they were pretty loose. I tightened the new ones to 14 or 15 ft lbs I think. What are symptoms (if any) of loose plugs and would it be wise to make sure they are torqued every few months?

Also nice truck op, welcome to the regular cab world. I don't think a lot of people would do what you did going from a turd gen to a 2nd. Especially a 4 banger. When mine got a frame replacement I had the displeasure of driving one for 3 months. It was nice but lacked a manual tranny and just didn't have that "character". There's just something about driving an older truck that you know really well and trust. When I finally got my little regular cab back with a shiny new frame I swore I would never sell it!

 

im guessing mine was more of a symptom of big tires that were never balanced all that well, and a pretty rough ride eventually working them slightly loose. i did have a surprising amount of discoloration or oil on the rear most one, but it was a 2.7 and impossible to kill so i never really did anything about it. lol.

 

I reread the OP like 5 times and the wording is still pretty damn confusing. But glad to hear you didn’t pay a 50% markup on a decade old truck hahaha!

 

Interesting. Back when I changed my plugs my truck was riding pretty smooth but I guess overtime it's possible the plugs can work loose.

You definitely have me wanting to check them. If it's something that is gonna affect my engine performance or power I'm checking it. Need all the performance I can get out of this thing lol.

 

2nd gens kinda fall into 3 categories if you ask me. 05-08 are similar, 09-15 have VSC and TRAC added, as well as LED tail lights and I believe the addition of side curtain rollover airbags. 12-15 got the facelift, and interior redux, but no major mechanical changes. As for tires, well, LT215/85 r16s fit and look pretty nice...I'm not even touching the oil question. (cough, Mobil 1, cough)

 

Thanks - my 04 was black and this one is nearly black, and the interiors are nearly clones, so it feels like home again. It has plenty of pick up for me - feels plenty sporty. Work ain't going anywhere - I don't need a V8. The 18 had that umph but I have to say I feared the warranty running out - I knew there would probably be issues. They flashed the transmission twice and it still had the herky jerky thing. You can't tell me that's the way it's supposed to shift. Don't mean to

The tail lights - they're LED and I assumed they were aftermarket - I know they flash super fast, probably 2 - 3 times a second - that doesn't seem stock? Also has LED headlights that have condensation. I'd like to take both back to stock, assuming they weren't already? Not easy to figure out the light situation. Or the bulb situation - reading headlamp bulb threads now. Is it possible to buy a high output halogen bulb? Or are they all the same output with just dishonest packaging (Extras supreme ultra downroad dangerously bright blah blah.) They all look like 55 watts to me.

 

The 1st gen I bought for $5k with around 100k miles. Was a 2.7 auto reg cab PreRunner that was just unbeatable. Just got to the point where we couldn't pick up the grandkid in it. The only trouble I ever had was the transmission shift solenoid wires became brittle and broke inside the housing. Bought new solenoids for $100. When I pulled the pan and filter I saw the tiny broken wire. Fixed the wire and sold it later with 155k miles for $8500 with the box of new solenoids. I bought a new 2014 V8 F150 with a 355 ltd slip for towing. That guy drove it for years and put another 80k to 100k on it. Then he bought a green 3rd gen Tacoma.

After my youngest decided to go to college that squashed our plans of buying a big camper. So then I picked up a 2008 Tacoma V6 AT Prerunner. Wasn't long that the mpg of the F150 made it not worth keeping because I drove the Tacoma everywhere.. Sold the Ford with under 10k miles and drove and fell in love with the images of the 3rd gen Taco. So new years I drove to Maryland and bought the 2016 Sport. Then the 2008 Taco was the one just sitting in the yard so I sold it for $16.5k with under 60k miles. If I knew then what I know now I would have spent the mod money on the 2008 and not bought the 2016. I just couldn't imagine the lacking power of the 3.5. It was awesome for mpg but, even with a CAI and exhaust, it just never performed like the 4.0. If the 2016 had a 4.0 I would have never sold it. I would have gladly given up a couple of mpg for the 4.0. So here I am back in the market for a 2nd gen 4.0.

 

I traded my 04 in on the 18 - I was going to sell it to my son in law but they gave me 10K for it, sight unseen.

If Toyota messes this up with overly complex and fragile trucks that don't uphold the quality tradition they have slaved to create, they're throwing away one of the great business situations in recent history.