What Have You Done To Your 2nd Gen Tacoma Today?

Another Utah trip on the books this weekend.

Wife and I had a backroads camping adventure planned for this weekend but she is in a boot for a foot injury. So no climbing RTT ladders for her.

At the last minute we decided on Moab. In part because we got a great deal on a hotel room. And oddly Moab was super quiet this weekend.

I wanted to explore some mild trails we hadn’t done up there since she can’t get out and spot.

So Saturday we did about 75 miles of dirt. Left Moab up and over La Sal Pass, random dirt roads behind the La Sals and back to Moab via Onion Creek. Onion Creek was interesting, the rest was pretty bland.


Today we went up Long Canyon, side trip to Day Canyon Point (rated 5, low end of hard, one big set of steps give it that I think. The rest was moderate), then down Shafer Trail, which we’ve done but is always beautiful.



Not the hard part ⬇️

 

When they're not adjusted correctly yes. I drive at night alot and no one has flashed me ever. Even driving behind my wife.

 

Don’t sweat it. There’s a crew of dudes that bitch every time someone mentions headlights in here.

 

LED bulbs are fine if adjusted correctly in "some" halogen housings. Had them in my 3rd gen and they were great. Never got flashed. Cutoff and color was perfect. I do believe the 3rd gen housings are more acceptable than 2nd gen housings.
3rd gen with Hikari Ultimate bulbs:

This view is sitting slightly uphill making the cutoff appear high. The cutoff was actually at the base of the rear windshield of most cars. Not blinding to oncoming traffic whatsoever. In 3 years I was never flashed. I had the same in my high beams and those were more scattered but fine on dark roads.
As far as a tune I was on the fence with my 3rd gen. The power was sub-par by any standard. The transmission was great with ECT on or by using the sport mode limiting the higher gears. In auto mode the transmission was a turd. I had added a K&N CAI and a good flowing Gibson exhaust. They didn't add "power" but they eliminated the throttle lag of the 3.5 engine. Ultimately I decided the best tune for me was selling the 3rd gen and going back to a 2nd gen. Problem solved. No more throttle lag. No more missing low end torque. If that 3rd gen had a 4.0 I would still be driving it.

 

keep up the good work!

 

Cheap mods
-Stubby antenna
-Red/black Rubber cup holder/storage inserts
-metal AC control knobs. I changed the 4x4 knob also lol. I think they look great at night.

Expensive mods will be coming soon.

 

i like those knobs. where did you source them from?

 

too funny.

 

I have all those mods too except the 4x4 knob. Link?

 

6 Pieces Knob for Heater Air...

$14 Frienda 6 Pcs AC Climate Control Knob Replacement AC Heater Blower Fan Control Knob Switch Heater Blower Fan Button Compatible with Accessories Replacement Compatible 2005-2015

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FZB82GY?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

The Chinglish in the ad is killing me. (used to be an ESL teacher)

Thanks for posting the link. i'll be getting some of these.

 

AJT knobs ftw....


all kind of knob and allen color combos.....setting is super visual day and night

 

I have the same knobs but came in a 3 pack. The ones I got don't fit my 4x4. Hmmmmm

 

I love those also. Kinda pricey though. I may switch to those later when I get my Taco driving right first.

 

I have had these for a few months. I like them but, in my access cab, the 3 lighted rings are highly visibly reflecting off my rear window in my rear view mirror. It's a minor thing but can be a little annoying at times. Still like them but would prefer only having the light at the set position. Thought about putting some paint or black tape inside the clear rings to fix it.

 

Truck coming up on 200k so I am treating it to a new MAF sensor.....for the good vibes and F of it. It earned it. Will keep original for spare. Since oem is a Hitatchi unit, went with Hitatchi MAF0035. Didn't see need to pay an extra $35 for a red box with 22204-0F030 sticker on it and word Toyota ghosted on top of the part next to where it says Hitatchi.

 

Used the instructions on the forum (what originally brought me to tacoma world) to put in a 3rd pillar ram mount (2nd on passenger side) so I could relocate my dash cam.

 

Do they deflect the vehicle enough to keep the tire from ramming into the firewall? That single bolt in 1/8" thick square metal keeps the entire weight of the truck from stuffing the tire in on impact... even though it doesnt cover the tire in any way?

 

Day off? Never heard of it:

First up was fixing the door lock actuator. It was a bit of a process but I'm glad I didn't have to spend $400 for the OEM replacement. Happy to have 4 doors lock and unlock as intended:



80 mil Kilmat on the inside of the door and 50 mil Kilmat behind the door cards. Haven't test drove it yet. I'm guessing it'll be quieter until I drop the headliner.






Definitely recommend getting at least 4 of these ahead of time. I think I broke every single one.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3848493959...a_FxBNUSFO&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Door unlock actuator replacement part:

Note: 20mm FLAT shaft

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1111821127...ar=413798187226&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

me 2