What have you done to your Tacoma today? 1st Gen Edition

I’m pissed I wasn’t even doing anything cool when they went. I was just driving to school and they clocked out when I was slowing down for a stop sign. Fortunately they didn’t go when I was going any faster but I’d like a cool story to go with it at least lmao.

 

Basically just a nylon weave mat that wraps around a 1.125'' tube. Some plastic clamps hold it to the tail gate and strap around it. Pull the mat to lay in the bed. Pile your material on it. Then use a long handle to crank the tube to wrap the mat back onto the tube which pulls your material out like a conveyor belt. Works actually really good. I had to cut 12'' out of the mat to get it to fit in between the wheel wells. Helps I have the plastic liner still so makes it easier to slide along I think. But did the trick and didn't fall apart with all that work. Im going to get some gravel next for where my cistern is so it won't be a muddy slog this winter.

Weirdly all of mine except 1 were at slow speeds. And the one that wasn't was not a fun ride, do not recommend.

So I'd count that as lucky.

 

You say that like you were waiting for it to fail instead of doing the maintenance. Do you do the same with motor oil?

 

Yeah I’m very lucky it was at slow speed. I’m probably just gonna replace them with moogs until the time comes for this to become the weekend toy instead of my DD.

 

I say it like it’s one of the things these trucks are known for. I ain’t the first one this has happened to and I won’t be the last.

 

I believe there is a lot more force being applied at those joints at slow speeds and slow speed turning and braking. The truck is kind of floating, and you don't put very large inputs on the steering and braking at higher speeds.

The overwhelmingly vast majority of LBJ failures happen at slow speeds. Not to say it can't happen at higher speeds. And not to say if it did happen at higher speeds it wouldn't be extremely bad. But most of the time it happens at slow speed, turning and braking.

 

Yeah I was going 20ish mph and was braking. Sucks that there wasn’t any indication of them going bad before but it is what it is.

 

Did you check them for vertical play with a pry-bar with the tire off the ground?

 

Not with a pry bar, but I yank the tires vertically a good deal whenever I rotate the tires to check for play. I haven’t seriously inspected them in a while as I haven’t had the truck off-road in about 8 months. I checked them like I said when I rotated tires late August this year but didn’t notice anything.

 

Im not saying this is unreliable, but I did this to my single cab. And all seemed fine. Then within a month I blew one. So

 

Hmm well that's not great. Doesn't seem there is a surefire way to check them. Makes me think back to the previous conversation that was happening with the cutaway sections of the LBJ showing how it would have to wear through metal before there was a possibility of separating like that

@HamerMan what brand LBJ's were they?

 

Unsure. I want to say OEM, but my dad replaced them for me while I was deployed. They’re about 5 years and roughly 60k miles old.

 

Sway bar disconnect FINALLY almost on the truck lol.

 

Interesting, I thought I read 880 was a 1" lift over stock?

 

interesting

 

Interesting. What's it from?

I have them on my truck and it's doubtful they gave any lift. Other than "perceived" lift from my clapped out coils before.

I paired them with general spring HD leafs and I have just over stock rake with them with an empty bed.

 

Did it give you any signs that it was going bad?

 

Picked up my 01s engine block and heads today.. only like 3 years later lol. The 98 taco hit 95k miles on the way home too

 

Sure is a lot of relief in them pistons

 

Oooo shinyyyyy