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

Installed a new sound system

 

Not the prettiest light bracket behind the grill but it’s solid! Just need to file the sharp edges and black paint.

The Diode Dynamics SS18 bar will be my dedicated high beam.

 

New shifter bushing, the OE one was destroyed after 154k.

 

My did the same thing but, I think I had over 200,000 when it failed.

 

You’d be surprised. There is a noticeable difference when tapping and plain plastic panel and one that has been done. Plus Tesa taping the clips helps cut down on jiggling.

 

What have I done to my Tacoma today? Well I managed to toast my engine - meticulously maintained - just serviced and my wife was driving on the highway - engine light came on started ticking and then stopped. Mechanic said he’s never seen a Tacoma that taken care of with a burned out motor. So much for Tacoma reliability

 

How many miles? who did the service last?

 

290,000km so about 180,000 miles serviced at Toyota 100% of the time last service was July 13 - I wasn’t there when it happened, wife called me from the road and said engine light came on (solid amber) - temp was normal (half way) and then it just shut down and wouldn’t start again. It’s now sitting at another dealership about 550km away awaiting a new (used) motor. Mechanic is dumbfounded - said truck is immaculate, maybe thermostat is stuck so didn’t read overheating? I don’t really know I had to deal with it all remotely and my wife had to just leave it at the dealership on a long weekend with a note on it to go deal with her dad who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. It’s fully loaded with all out gear and it’s a complicated time - had to just bite the bullet and agree to a used motor (3mo warranty)

 

Something seems off. 180k is nothing on a 2008 engine

 

I agree - kinda screwed, either way though, I’m not super mechanically inclined hence buying the Tacoma (or so I thought) - not sure what it could be though, It actually happened a week ago and I haven’t even seen the truck since then - I’ve only ever spoken to the Toyota service manager about it. We thought it just might be a fuel pump or a dead fuse or something not a blown engine - only odd thing was the rad fluid reservoir cap had blown off and there was fluid all over the engine bay - so maybe a head gasket, maybe the oil pump failed ? The thermostat never registered any overheating though. - it was a particularly strenuous stretch of highway (long steep hills) and the truck was fully loaded with camping gear, kayaks on the roof, bikes on the back so it would definitely have been working hard. I don’t know - definitely soured my view on Tacos at the moment and seriously considering trying to sell for as much as I can once the engine is replaced. Oh well it is what it is.

 

Sorry to hear about your trouble. I am on my 2nd 2008 with a V6, have owned 3 with 4.0, 1 with 3.5, 1 with 2.7 and 1 with a 2.4. You seem to be taking this well. Like you said it is what it is. That engine is still one of the best ever produced. It is def an anomaly that it failed at those miles. I think that most of us are anxious to hear what actually happened. There are just too many possible causes to speculate. I see this more, at those miles, on FJ Cruisers than on other Toyota models. We know that most FJ's are more heavily abused off road anyway so that is not too surprising. I have seen other brand vehicles have catastrophic engine failures during the 1st 3 years (VW, Mazda, Subaru, Jeep) while Toyota still has the most reliable engines. My in-laws had a Ford diesel blow up, 1200 miles from home, at 40k miles and that came back to a poor local Ford dealer service. Regarding maintenance I still trust myself more than a Toyota dealer just based on my own personal experiences over my lifetime. My son has 180k miles on my old 2012 Taco, and tows a boat frequently, so I am very interested in what caused your problem. Best of luck to you. Keep your chin up. I would not lose faith in a 4.0 engine simply because of this rare failure.

 

ahh yea, i would definitely be asking the dealer about what they find. sounds like the engine was under stress when i happened which may have ben the cause. id make sure the dealer didnt overfill the oil or that they actually drained the old oil and not just put a new filter on.

i dont blame you for wanting to sell asap though. theres tons of nice trucks on the market these days. i like the frontiers now with the new design.

 

Used it to pick up some milk crates from the Goodwill to make a kayak crate, and then used it to pick up my kayak. Perception hook 10.5 angler kayak for a screaming $280 at Dick's sporting goods. All in all I'm into a fishing kayak for under $400 with a bunch of needed accessories including a replacement anchor and a paddle and PFD.







Edit to add: Iterative build on the kayak crate is complete

 

Awesome! I am interested in that!

 

Sorry to hear. Live in BC too. Sounds like it could not have happened at a worse time.
But these things can and will happen. I'd be very disappointed as well.

I have had 2 prior long term vehicles. Brand new 1992 Toyota Ext-Cab 3.0 5spd 4X4. Head gaskets went twice. Once under warranty and once out of warranty. The dealer and Toyota covered it both times. Then went on to own that for 14 trouble-free years. Sold it for crazy resale at the time. Next was a 3 year lease return 2003 Nissan Pathfinder 3.5 V6. One issue with a throttle body. $1000.00 Repair. Went on to Own that for 14 trouble-free years. Traded it in on my 2020 Tacoma. 3 years later no issues. Being in mountainous terrain I don't go lightly on my engines. Hi RPM pedal to the metal when needed and engine breaking down steep grades.

At the end of the day vehicles are big black hole we dump money into. Sometimes you just get lucky and avoid a these catastrophic transmission or engine failures. Sucks when it happens to you though.

 

not today but what ive done over the past 2 weeks summary:

diode dynamics sae led fog lights
ebay 5 raptor light modded into lightbar behind grill
trd pro badges
trd pro bedside fade graphics
oem hitch cap
ebay license plate frame
vanguard bravo roll bar
novitech Amazon 4" lights x4

 

Yeah I’ll admit I’m a little bitter at the moment - new engine from Toyota is $27000 (ouch) so I’m getting a used one with 200,000 on it so a fair amount less than mine but a far cry from new. The biggest issue for me is I still have no answers - if they put the new engine in and then do all the tests and say, yeah such and such failed cussing the engine to fry I might be able

Yup agreed I guess 15-16 years trouble free is a pretty good run, mechanic seems to think maybe a failed rad cap (said it seemed pretty deteriorated) either way if you’re only troubles in life are car troubles you’re doing pretty good!

cheers

 

Anyone have suggestions for best place to buy OEM Pro headlights?

 

ebay, several toyota dealers list oem parts on there, you can find just about anything you want.