A non-enthusiast's Tacoma build

The work truck is dead, long live the work truck.




My job requires a lot of local travel, consisting of driving from my office to an alternate work site (usually a shipyard) and back once or twice a day. This can be as little as 3 miles or as many as 90 miles a day, 5+ days a week. Due to some shenanigans by whichever command manages the government vehicles, my office is returning its entire fleet of work trucks. This leaves me with little choice but to drive my own truck into a rather unforgiving industrial environment and significantly accelerate my odometer's burn rate.

A note: I'm aware that most jobs don't supply a vehicle for employees to drive from their office to a remote work site and back. This was one of my favorite benefits from this job, so its sudden cancellation still sucks.

This change of use-case, while a pain in the ass, does not make me regret performing any of the mods I've selected for my truck. My primary consideration was reducing the frequency of maintenance tasks, which is a much more crucial factor now that my annual mileage will double (at a minimum). In addition, it has placed even more importance on getting comfortable with performing my own vehicle maintenance. Speaking of which...

I performed a transmission drain-and-fill under the supervision of @EatSleepTacos. Drained out about 3 qts of fluid, pumped in about 3 1/2 qts of fluid, drained about 3/4 of a quart of excess. Looks like my transmission was slightly (~1/4 qt) overfilled from the factory. I wrote up a procedure that, if followed, makes it pretty damn difficult to screw up the task:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/...ouid=118308423208133141760&rtpof=true&sd=true

Randy and I also did a full brake fluid flush. We kinda cheated, using a suction-powered apparatus that runs off an air compressor. I would like to figure out how to do this procedure manually, but it would be silly not to use the best tool for the job.

 

Road trip #3 on the books, once again to Indiana. I got my state inspection done prior to departure, which was quick and painless. Total travel distance was about 1700 miles round-trip, averaging a respectable 21-22 mpg overall. Traversing Appalachia definitely put a hurt on my fuel efficiency, but at least it gave me something to look at during the drive. There was no drama during the trip, either vehicle-related or external (traffic, weather, etc.). I think my Ford PTSD is starting to wane, since I no longer automatically assume that funny noises are coming from my vehicle. My odometer just rolled 62k miles, with nothing to report.

When stopping for gas or food during these road trips, I occasionally have someone ask about my truck. I'm sure this is a common experience for many people here, since many TW members have pretty tricked-out rides. I have noticed that, despite all the aftermarket stuff bolted on to my truck, people only ever ask about the snorkel. Kinda odd, as I figure the ARB front bumper or white vinyl-wrapped roof would be more of an attention-grabber. Does anyone else have similar experiences?

 

I found the RX350 retrofit information really useful. I'm wanting to do the same setup with my 2013.

 

I'm glad I could help. I've had my retrofitted headlights installed for just over a year now, and I don't regret spending a single cent of the ~$2400 they cost. They are honestly worth what I paid. Sure, I don't need ultra-high-performing headlights most of the time, but I'll be damned if they don't make driving in nasty weather a much simpler (and safer) venture.

Speaking of which, I'm off to traverse 30 miles of iced-over roadways and bridges. Not a major undertaking for people living in cooler climates, but coastal VA (and the drivers here) rarely experience these road conditions. I would feel decidedly less comfortable with the lower-performing stock headlights.

 

It's time for the grandpa tires to really shine!

 

Oh man, they ate up that slick road near the HRBT without a hiccup. They look dumb, but they absolutely work.

 

That's what's important. I was super happy with my Tundra tire selection yesterday in the heavy rain. I went with the cooper ATP II and it had no issues with all the standing water around me, no hydroplaning whatsoever. Not the most aggressive tire but I simply don't need that on my daily. I tried to channel my inner Austin when selecting.

 

What mph did you cruise at to yield those mpg's? Pretty impressive, good choice in tires for sure helped.

 

I was clipping along at about 60-65 mph most of the time, which is about 5 mph under the speed limit; a bit slow, but I didn't have to worry about changing lanes to pass people very often. I'm very gentle on the gas when accelerating, which helps a lot. I get much better fuel efficiency in warmer weather, where 24-25 mpg isn't uncommon on a trip with lots of highway miles. Add hilly terrain or extra weight (cargo/people) and that drops closer to 21 mpg pretty quick.

 

Kudos to you being able to cruise under the speed limit, those are good numbers! I usually set cruise around 75mph and that certainly hurts my mpg . The few minutes earlier I may get to my destination really aren't worth it haha..

Envious of your front lighting setup, sure would be handy to have here in the miserable winter weather we get in Buffalo!

 

I'm really just trying to keep my speeding ticket-free streak going. Haven't gotten one in the ~18 years I've been driving, and I'd like to keep it that way. That, and cruising in the right lane while faster folks pass me is a damn sight less involved than trying to get around slower moving traffic myself. Makes for a nice, easy 14 hour drive.

The only thing I'd potentially change are the fog lights. DD Pros are great, but the cutoff isn't quite as sharp as I'd like. With DD Sports (or MAX fogs, if I was feeling crazy), I could aim them higher (kinda like auxiliary low beams) without running the risk of blinding oncoming traffic. A 4000K lens swap would be a welcome addition as well.

Between the DD Sport and DD MAX, I'm not sure which I'd go for. The Pros almost overpower my headlights, which is no mean feat since my RX350 headlights are very, very bright.

 

Quick update: I just finished recovering a full size truck (Chevy Trail Boss) stuck in a muddy side yard. Bubba Rope makes an outstanding product. Chevrolet does not.

 

Another year of ownership has passed, and I'm now creeping up on 65k miles on the odometer. Let's see what went wrong with the truck during that time.

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Failed universal mud flap installation:

This is mod-induced ass pain, which is not the truck's fault. I corrected the issue by swapping the universal mud flaps out for RokBlokz mud flaps, which have done quite well.

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HitchSafe pushing license plate out of line with tag lights:

More mod-induced ass pain, which I corrected with a bit of dremeling.

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VA state inspection issue with MESO third brake light:

It turns out that KC Cyclone rock lights can't be legally used as brake lights. My state inspector was kind enough to give me a pass anyway. Mild mod-induced ass pain yet again.

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Putco BLADE wiring harness compatibility issue:

Mod-induced ass pain. I'm sure you're seeing a pattern by now.

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Corroded bolts for Slee Offroad ARB foglight surround:

And the hits just keep on coming.

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(Somewhat) failed Expedition Essentials bedside compressor mount install:

I still haven't pulled the compressor mount to replace the broken bolts. I really should.

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Low pressure on spare tire:

Does an illuminated dummy light count as a vehicle issue?

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Yeah, this is a boring post. If you wanted stories of dramatic vehicle failures, I think you might want to try a non-Toyota forum instead.

 

It has been 30k miles since @EatSleepTacos and I last knocked out the stack of tasks due for this maintenance interval.

I completed the rear diff and transfer case oil changes myself, since they really aren't complicated enough to warrant adult supervision. Remove fill plug, remove drain plug, drain oil, install new plug gaskets, install drain plug, fill with oil until it overflows, install fill plug, torque both plugs to spec. So easy, even a paranoid bastard like me can do it.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/changing-differential-fluid-a-step-by-step-how-to.24545/
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/front-diff-and-transfer-case-oil-change-howto.147631/

I left the front diff alone, for now. I ordered new Lexus drain (P/N 90341-24016) and fill (P/N 90341-A0002) plugs to replace the stock 10mm hex plugs, which are notorious for stripping out:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/front-diff-drain-plug-alternate-oem-part.604989/
Mine are in pretty good shape, as is evidenced by the fact that I broke them free using a 10mm hex key without a breaker bar. There's no saying that these plugs will be as cooperative in the future, so I'm taking preventive action now instead of flailing later.

Spark plug changes still freak me out, since screwing up this procedure is a surefire way to leave your vehicle dead in the water. As such, I waited to complete this task until Randy was available to be my spirit guide. It turns out that my old plugs gapped just fine, and did not need to be replaced. For my regular viewers, you know what that means: time to engineer the sh!t out of this situation and determine a new, more realistic maintenance interval.
- Initial gap was set at 0.040" prior to installation, initial mileage 41260 (for reference, the acceptable range for newly-installed plugs is 0.039" to 0.043")
- Current gap is about 0.0425", current mileage 68302
- The FSM doesn't say anything about what gap constitutes replacement of the spark plugs, but it does say that the absolute maximum gap for function is 0.057"
- The average gap calculated from the extremes of acceptable values is 0.048" (0.039" min for new plug + 0.057" max for function / 2), which I will use as the criteria for spark plug replacement
- Assuming degradation continues in a linear fashion, I can expect 0.00924" of gap degradation for every 10k miles driven (68302 miles - 41260 miles / 0.0425" current gap - 0.040" initial gap)
- Assuming spark plugs are gapped to 0.040" initially, that sets the new spark plug replacement (when the gap reaches 0.048") mileage interval as 86,580 miles; I'll round that figure down to 75k miles in deference to the manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedule

I also cleaned the throttle body and MAF sensor under Randy's tutelage. As noted in my previous experience quoted above, this wasn't terribly difficult. I did have to work around one of the MAF housing bolts being somehow stuck in its plastic threaded insert, which was odd. A bit of shimmying allowed sufficient access to both the throttle body and MAF sensor.

The next major maintenance evolution I have scheduled is reapplication of Sonax Polymer Net Shield sealant, and everything that entails: washing the hell out of every surface with dish soap to remove loose contaminants and old wax, rinsing, using a clay bar, towel drying, then proceeding with sealant application (followed by wax, Rain-X, and Aerospace 303 application). I dunno about everyone else on TW, but I hate doing it. It takes an absurd amount of time to execute properly, like 9 hours from start to finish if I work diligently. That said, if I want to keep it looking good for the next 20-odd years, it's gotta get done.

 

Lexus front diff plug replacement complete.



The OEM 10mm hex plugs and the Lexus plugs use the same washers/gaskets, so there's no need to procure anything unusual for this mod other than the plugs themselves. It may be worth noting that the threaded section on the Lexus plugs is about 1/8" shorter than the OEM Toyota plugs, which means that the Lexus plugs are theoretically more likely to strip out if torqued past their specified limit. I think the distant possibility of this happening is outweighed by the significantly more likely scenario of the OEM 10mm plugs stripping their heads, so the risk is worth the reward in my mind.

 

I bit the bullet and completed some long-overdue installs this weekend.

The first task was routing the switches for my cargo lights and air compressor. I opted to take most of the interior apart to ensure adequate access to the wire path, since I was concerned that poorly-routed wires could potentially interfere with pedal range of movement. I had done this once before when relocating my AC power switch, so I knew what I was in for:

I routed the wiring harnesses first so I could figure out how much slack I had left. The path the wiring was destined to take is pretty long, so running out of length was a real concern:

Starting at the center console switch panel
Over to the driver's side and out the firewall grommet
Across the back wall of the engine bay
Down the passenger's side of the engine bay and out the bottom, by the catalytic converters
Rearwards along the frame all the way to the bed

I noticed that the OEM wiring in the immediate vicinity of the rear catalytic converter appeared to be wrapped in some sort of metallic heat shielding, so I approximated my own using aluminum foil. I doubt that it'll be as effective as the OEM solution, but it should offer some degree of heat protection:



With the wires routed, I could move on to finally adding connectors to my wiring harnesses. First, the connection between the ARB compressor wiring harness and the CH4x4 switch:



Then the LED strips, which have been sitting unused since June of last year:

This was straightforward, simply soldering Deutsch connectors onto the leads of each LED strip and plugging everything in to my 4-way Deutsch splitter. I then tested the lighting, which performed quite well:





The toolbox and under-hood LED strips are excellent, as expected. If I ever have an issue that requires roadside repair, these lights are a good bit brighter and more evenly-distributed than any headlamp can provide. The bed rail lighting is significantly obscured by all the stuff I have stowed on the rails, but I knew that would be the case going in. These LED strips are meant to augment my upcoming roof rack-mounted rear-firing cargo lights by cutting down on shadows in the bed, ensuring that every nook and cranny is illuminated to some degree.

With that task complete, I moved on to redoing the Expedition Essentials bedside compressor mount install. This has also been incomplete since last June, when I broke 2 of the 6 bolts during the install process:

The first step was obviously removing the compressor mount, which sounds simple enough. Turns out I was wrong. My bolt-breaking streak wasn't over:



I tried to punch out the broken bolts and threaded inserts, to no avail. I also tried drilling out the broken bolts, which worked once before my drill bits were smoked. @EatSleepTacos to the rescue:




I have no idea why I couldn't manage to punch the inserts out. Chalk it up to fear of deforming the flange.

With that complete, I did a bit of prep work prior to reinstalling the compressor and mount with new hardware. The frame cross-brace on my Mobtown HC rear bumper sits close enough to the compressor mount to whack against it under a moderate amount of force:

... so I taped some foam padding to it to ensure that the powdercoat wouldn't be compromised, which would lead to corrosion:



With that done, all that remained was reinstalling the compressor mount. I through-bolted the flange holes using nuts, washers, and some seriously heavy duty (Grade 10.9) bolts. I am really, really not interested in breaking any more hardware.



You can also see the EE AC power outlet adapter, which is needed to install a dual compressor in this location:

It was an absolute ton of work, but I'm glad I knocked it all out.

 

You know, for a non car guy you seem like you know what you're doin, good job

 

I appreciate it, man. I figured out the research part pretty quick, since it's just a different flavor of systems engineering. Doing the actual installation, though? Adult supervision required.

 

Just got back from road trip #4, up to Indiana to visit my folks. Another 1700ish miles round trip, with zero vehicle issues to report. My gas mileage was much worse this go around, sitting somewhere in the neighborhood of 19 mpg. I attribute this change to a bit of extra weight (a passenger), cooler temperatures, higher humidity (lots of rain and snow), and the fact that I actually drove at the speed limit the whole way instead of 5 mph under it.

I'm sitting at just over 77k miles, which made an oil change and some other routine maintenance come due. I took pictures this time, because why not?

I checked my front brake pads while doing a tire rotation. I bought this truck with 30k miles on it, so I assume these are the stock pads. I figured they'd be nearly gone at this point, but it looks like they have plenty of life left:




I've been swapping engine air filters every 12k miles. It turns out that is way overkill. @EatSleepTacos looked up the Toyota recommended interval, which is 30k miles for normal use. I think I'm going to rerack my maintenance tracker to match this, since my filters seem to be in pretty decent shape when I pull them. I'm sure the Sy-Klone prefilter on my snorkel is helping a bit, too.



My passenger-front splash guard was hanging by a thread, and appeared to be getting shredded by my tire. I removed it for now, and will do a bit of research to see if it's important enough to be replaced.