Buyer advice: problem to look for in gen 2s?

Hey y’all, I’m looking to sell/trade my gen 1 and get a gen 2 within the year, but I don’t know what major problems to look for when shopping for a gen 2.

I know with gen 1s, frame and mount rust are at the top of the list, but did that carry over to gen 2? What other widespread quirks/problems should I check for when shopping?

thanks!

 

Head gasket.
Rust on the floor pan
Rusty rear bumper (not replaced if frame was replaced)
Paint

 

Timing chain cover oil leak. Look behind the power steering pump. Mine has been leaking/ seeping for the last 60k miles. It does not leak enough to drip on the ground and it costs a fortune to repair. I just clean it up every 10k miles or so.

That has been the only non-wear item problem with my ‘06 in 188k.

Oh yeah the paint. My truck has lived outside in the Central Ca heat it’s entire life and the paint really shows it.

 

Thanks, gents!

newb question, but what’re the best ways to check condition of a head gasket?

Also if it helps I’ll be looking exclusively at reg cabs, so v6’s won’t be in the mix. Thanks again!

 

Severe head gasket leak could manifest as bubbles in coolant, misfire (compression loss in a cylinder), among other symptoms.

Watch for steering rack leak visible at the tie rod bellows - most 2nd gens have it.

The manifold air injection pump and switching valve aren't reliable, but there's nothing to do unless you see a check engine light. The system can be deleted in states without visual emission inspections, but the delete kit itself is $400+.

 

Have a look at the coolant bypass pipe. If it's plastic it needs to be replaced with the metal replacement pipe.
The pipe runs underneath the intake manifold. Its easily replaceable but will take about 4 hours to do so.
The pipe becomes brittle and breaks causing a loss of coolant.

 

thanks y’all. This is exactly the kind of niche stuff I’m looking for. I’d have had no clue to look for this

 

The sun visors will sag in no time if used regularly.

 

don’t we all?

 

Focus on looking for 2011-12's and in the Northwest and Southwest. Avoid Northeast and Midwest for rust issues and avoid the South and Southeast for potential flood damage. Check where the vehicle was originally sold. It is not uncommon for vehicles to be shipped across country especially flood damaged vehicles via the wholesale market for dealers. Avoid the Super White paint for flaking paint issues.

 

Thanks! What is it about 2011-12 models that makes them more desirable?

 

For the 2.7 the coolant pipes and leaking steering racks as stated above. The newer trucks after 09-10 I believe come from the factory with the updated metal coolant pipe parts. Also the early 2nd gens had a few issues they eventually worked out like weak tailgates and issues with the motor mounts. The later 2nd gens also had more sound deadening on the firewall as well as nicer radios and more switch blanks in the dash.
One positive for the older ones is you could get an sr5 spec regular cab up until about 2009

Some have an issue with burning oil due to low tension oil control rings getting gummed up. So make sure to change the oil regularly and use a high quality synthetic.

Valve cover leaks but they are an easy fix.

 

I think they didn't have the air injection pump until 2011. ??? My 2010 doesn’t have it.

 

For V6 trucks

07-11 and 13-15 only. Skip other years. (05/06 due to head gasket issues, and 12 due to poorly programmed air injection emission stuff, that leads to limp mode). Other than that, 09+ have VSC and side curtian airbags standard, and not much changed other than a few creature comforts over the years. (09+ TRD OR 4x4's got ATRAC, and 09+ in other trims - mainly trd SPORT - saw loss of mechanical LSD in favor for brake actuated LSD in the rear)

 

V6 got it starting in 2012. 4-cyl had it earlier. (The 2TR is an older engine so it had more difficulty meeting emissions requirements.)

 

Thanks again y’all. This is really helpful

 

My 2006 2.7 has the air injection pump. I took off the factory filter that causes issues and installed a small motorcycle air filter on it

 

THere's more high mileage tacomas with a plastic bypass pipe running around then with replacement metal ones and most of the '06 tacomas do not have bad head gaskets. They switched gasket design in 11/2005. The op would do far better reading the 2nd gen common problem thread since that's not just people repeating what they've heard on here. Not saying that coolant pipes haven't needed to be replaced or that no '06s have blown a head gasket but to avoid an entire model year for something that was fixed pretty early in the MY is like nuking the lawn to get rid of some weeds. Build date is a simple check.

 

are you looking for auto or manual transmission in the single cab?

4WD?

 

I’m looking for a 4x4 manual trans (which I imagine is what most folks say lol). It’s what my 1st Gen is and I’m hooked