MonkeyProof's Misadventures

Chill day to clean the MAF Sensor...a 1/4 of a beer job

Before:


After:

 

Ordered the same U-joints from Jegs via Amazon, serviced the driveline today and bombed out.

Got to the last U-joint... wrong part in the correct packaging. The cap diameters are 1.250" versus 1.062" for the Tacoma. Went ahead to go assembly the shafts... and the distance over the second set of caps on the second U-joint is too long by at least .020", none of the retaining rings will work. So it looks like I'll visit the Toyota dealer tomorrow morning and get the OEM Spicer U-joints from them. Bummer, from what I understand Toyota no longer uses the greasable version that came on my truck.

 

I don't know how the 3rd. Gens are. For us 2nd Gens, the Sport did not have greasable ujoints from the factory. Only the Offroad.

And that sucks, kinda a big job in the driveway only to figure out it's the wrong part number

 

Just to confirm, the current OEM Toyota U-joints (04371-04031) are not serviceable, no zerk fittings.

However, the part number is still in the system for the original U-joints that came on the 2nd Gen TRD Offroad Tacomas, meaning serviceable. There is stock in San Francisco and New York but I couldn't wait until Friday so had to go with the current part number.

 

Another great weekend for working on my junk, a bit hot outside probably in the mid 90's or so. So I'm out in the driveway wearing nothing but a pair of Ranger Panties and some FilpFlops. Much to my neighbors delight which maybe why some of the older women in my hood keep on walking by doing laps or it seems lmao..

Anyways, my last trip two weekends ago into the Sierras yielded a completely torn inner CV boot on the inside passenger side. In the past I've gone through a few boots from aftermarket to OEM. And regardless of brand, they all last about 2 years or so. This time around I opted for a Beck Arnley Boot from Amazon for under 20 bucks. This was a 3 beer job because it was hot and I took my time..






I couldn't tell a difference between this boot and a actual OEM boot..



I opted to keep the inner in the diff and pack it with grease instead, much easier and faster this way. The proper way is to drain the difd fluid and remove the inner as a whole..



Something I noticed that has not happen before, getting too much droop with the suspension, the inner shaft is making contact. Although very minor with the vantact, limit straps are now needed to remedy this..


Properly torqued to 175 ft. lbs as specified by the workbook manual..


everything that gets torqued to spec gets marked with Cross Check..

 

from way back in the day 2010 trying to negotiate up the bonus line at Calico...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS1YhEgFSKk

 

Some preventative maintenance...

At nearly 300k on the Odometer, it's time to replace the water pump, thermostat and radiator cap. Also replaced the driver/serpentine belt and inspected all the pulley bearings.

This is a 5 beer job.. not too hard


Found a ton of dirt on the inside of the water pump pulley. Also found a ton of dirt inside the fan..
Not shown with pictures. Becouse of how much dirt I found inside the water pump pulley and fan. I used a water hose to rinse out the fins of any dirt or other crud that may be trapped in the radiator and AC condenser.



I used a 60/40 mix of Toyota predeluted pink coolant and distilled water..

 

After my most recent adventure through Death Valley, my tire light wouldn't reset after airing up. My app showed that two sensors weren't sending any data. Pulling the codes confirmed it, Left Front and Right Rear sensors were dead.

Ordered two from Amazon and installed them eazy-peazy no problem. Only needed to break the tire bead on the outside of the rim to remove and replace the sensor..





rebalance..

Only needed 2oz. Not bad, love my General Tires!!


Perfect!..


Recorded the new ID's with a TPMS scanner and reprogrammed the TPMS module..




And success..no more tire light !!


Here's why we can't just replace the old battery, it's totally sealed and unservicable..




This how I have my app setup to view the tire sensors using the Fusion OBD2 app..

 

What kind of machine was used to balance? I have read way too much about hub centric, lug centric, RoadForce... lol.

 

The Balance Machine is Hunter, don't know which model. But it was a required purchase from Ford Motor Company and it cost our dealership 18k for the purchase and setup.

I've always used the standard hub centric dynamic balance on my wheels without any problems. Generally I have the best results on customers wheels/tires that are oversized with just the standard dynamic balance.

And I always use the sticky wheel weights that affixes to the inside of the rim. The sticky weights do very well of staying on while on the trail as opposed to the hammered on type that are placed on the very edge of the rim. Rocky trials seems to do a good job of removing the hammered on wheel weight.

Roadforce balance on an aggressive A/T tread pattern - Mud tire is not really worth it in my opinion. Maybe worth it on a mildly aggressive tread pattern. And as far as setting up the balance machine and what adapters to use is dependent on the model of the particular machine and the actual rim itself. Experience also plays a lot too

 

Most recent carnage...

Another Ring and Pinion set. Damage indicates carrier deflection pushing the Ring Gear into the Pinion Gear. Which is a common problem with the E-Locker 8" 3rd members...Those who knows, knows.




I was lucky that the final fail literally happened blocks from the house which saved the bearings. I was able to retrieve all the broken bits. Otherwise the chances of the broken pieces making it's way into the bearing surfaces and destroying them are highly likely.

A good quality gearset in a 4.56 ratio are nearly impossible to find right now. Nitro gears have an indefinite backorder, and Revolution Gears has a 6-7 month wait time. I was extremely fortunate that Yotamasters found a set and hooked me up with in hours of me calling for most anything available right now. Yukon Gears are out of the question right now, I won't run them. And I won't recommend them to anyone at this time due to quality issues.

Revolution Gears come from the same place that manufactures Nitro Gears and the old Yukon Gears before Yukon switched and went to China.



Setup was actually pretty fast with this gearset, pretty impressed since this was my first time with Revolution Gear.

A quick sweep with a file looking for high spots and to get a feel if proper heat treating is there. Found a tiny little spot, but it's way on the outside having zero contact on the carrier..


Second attempt at setting the proper Pinion Depth was a succes using shims making up a thickness of 0.072" and Backlash at 0.008". Originally started with 0.068" and BL at 0.006"

Here's the final gear mesh pattern. Ideally I would've like the pattern to be .002" deeper, but I couldn't find the right shim combo with what I had on hand. This pattern is still good to go




Back Lash averaged 0.008" at every other tooth..


All bolts were torqued to FSM specs and marked with orange colored Cross Check..


Ready to install in the driveway hopefully this Sunday providing time and good weather..



Revolution Gear's recommend new gear Break-In procedure. I like to use and also recommend 75/140 gear oil in my diffs front and rear..



For a detailed how to remove and install a rear E-Locker 3rd member see my thread here...
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...d-installation-of-e-locker-3rd-member.193828/

 

Jesus man. You break more shit then I do. Impressive.

Eric is a great guy that almost always has shit no one else does. Keep that cat in the bag though. lol

 

Im about 30 minutes from his shop. I remember back in the day his old shop was a one bay space next door to Demello Offroad. They moved to where they are currently at now, and they have out grown it..

 

New Fill/Drain plug washers installed along with the freshly rebuilt 3rd member. The old Fill Plug washer was showing signs of residue..


I prefer the Trail-Gear Fill/Refill plugs over the stock OEM version, especially for the Drain Plug. Rock rash on the OEM version is a lot harder to remove trying to get the 24mm socket to fit properly. Not so much with the Trail-Gear version that uses a 10mm Hex Socket..

 

Coolant System Upgrade,

Double Row all Aluminum Radiator

Silicone Radiator Hoses

Deleting the mechanical radiator fan clutch

Installing a General Motors electric fan from a 2016 and up Camero/Corvette.

Installing a Mechanical Temperature Guage.

The all aluminum radiator built by Mishimoto just very recently became available for the 2nd Gen. Tacomas. Going by the serial number plate thats on top of the radiator, I have number 15.




This is a thick double row radiator that will improve cooling efficiency in addition with the planned install of the electric fan. This will be a huge improvement for the coolant system when crawling slow on technical trails, when traveling at higher elevations where the air is thinner, and when going through desert regions.

One of the goals of my planned coolant system upgrade is to add mechanical coolant and transmission temperature gauges. I want to make monitoring the temps a closed system that doesn't rely on a APP and Bluetooth dongle or a Scanguage.

I'll be installing this temperatute sender adapter thingy with the Upper coolant hose.


Another goal is to delete the fan clutch entirely, and to install a electric fan that is Pulse Width Modulated controlled using a fancy fan controller. So that as the coolant temperatures increase, the fan speed will increase accordingly. More on the fan later at another post..


The radiator was well packed inside this big ol box..



Radiator Cap seems ok, It's rated at 19. lbs psi. The stock/OEM cap is rated at 15 lbs. psi.



Drain plug has a nice seal, and has a magnetic pickup for catching any metal debris..bitchin!!!



I like the the idea of magnet because last August, my OEM radiator cap lost its guts and fell inside the radiator. Who knows where it's all at inside the coolant system. That was the first time that I overheated. Rather or not this magnet will work and do what it's intended to do.. I hope so!




The included hose clamps were trimmed to the absolute appropriate size, so there isn't any excess tail sticking past the adjusting nut. And added some heat shrink tubing for an added touch..






Stock radiator removed, not too hard to do..


Some comparisons..





Fan Shroud fits nicely!! I was a little worried about potential fitment issues. This always seems to be the case with aftermarket aluminum radiators with my experiences over the years. Not the case the Mushimoto Radiator..


Cleaning all the crud off the rubber radiator mount bushings with the use of some WD-40..



The Radiator fits perfectly, all four mounting holes were in perfect alignment..


The Mishimoto Silicone Hose's match well too. The new Lower Hose is about an inch longer than the stock hose, not expected to be an issue..


Test fitting the upper silicone hose and finding the right location for the temperature sensor sending unit.


The install went well, no surprises or issues came up. And I was surprised a little on how well the new radiator fits.

One thing to note. There's the normal wide gap that's between the shroud and radiator. The way everyone has been remedying this, is to add foam or insulating tape in-between the fan shroud and radiator. Ill be doing the same during the electric fan install..

 

Making the Auto Meter Water Temperature Gauge wiring into something manageable, and eventually into a proper harness. Right now it's all temporary and not final until I get the transmission temperature gauge and gauge pod..


A temporary mounting solution using a zip tie..

 

Mishimoto is looking good. I was hoping it wouldn’t have the same gap as the CSF. Are you planning on a 2 way for the gauges and controller off the hose sensor? I was considering the same. I need to install my Camaro setup as well.

 

Im going to be pinning a new connector for the sensor, both gauge and fan controller will be on the connector and will use the temp sender. I called Auto Meter a few days ago and had a brief conversation with an engineer. There's no issue with piggybacking the fan controller temp sensor wires on the auto meter coolant temp sender.

I also got the fan harness shell and pin kit today..


A 2021 Explorer connector fits, but there isn't a complete pigtail kit available. But, the 6 gauge wires are available as a kit already crimped and with the weather seal installed. Ill have those tomorrow..



Somewhere in here are the right pins for the sender unit

 

Which method are you going with mounting the fan? We have arms but I want something more solid if I can make it work.