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Ready to give up on this engine

Discussion in '3rd Gen. Tacomas (2016-2023)' started by BillyE, Aug 2, 2024.

  1. Aug 2, 2024 at 7:59 PM
    #61
    KY_Rob

    KY_Rob Well-Known Member

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    My ‘22 6MT suits me fine. It’s got enough power for me. If what you have isn’t tripping your trigger, it’s time to find something else that will.
     
    Taco22trdor likes this.
  2. Aug 2, 2024 at 8:00 PM
    #62
    LilTexan22

    LilTexan22 Well-Known Member

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    Drive a 5th gen 4runner. In my opinion it drives way better than the 3rd gen tacoma. 3rd gen always had weird driving characteristics.
     
  3. Aug 2, 2024 at 8:05 PM
    #63
    Phlogiston

    Phlogiston There are no victims, only volunteers.

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    A@!#$@$%#$%
    The wild west
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    Yeah but wait until we have flying Jet cars with teleportation devices, they'll be really complex but FUN AS SHIT!!
     
    Travlr[QUOTED] likes this.
  4. Aug 2, 2024 at 8:26 PM
    #64
    TheWildMan

    TheWildMan Well-Known Member

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    Scrubbed some tires, and knocked a dent out.
    They really are. And its not just some dumb kids. Its every age of people driving like complete assholes now and days.
     
  5. Aug 2, 2024 at 8:33 PM
    #65
    fxntime

    fxntime Well-Known Member

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    I said the same thing oh, back in 2016. My 2014 FJC had the duel 4.0 VVTI and you could tell the difference between that and the regular VVT. That would have been a FAR better engine for the third gen. Heck, I don't know why they didn't pop it in the last couple years of the 2nd gen either.
     
    BLtheP[QUOTED] likes this.
  6. Aug 2, 2024 at 8:49 PM
    #66
    BLtheP

    BLtheP Constantly Tinkering Member

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    I wish it was straightforward to swap. Who knows, it possibly could be, but I likely won’t turn out to be the guinea pig on that.
     
  7. Aug 2, 2024 at 8:54 PM
    #67
    lbhsbz

    lbhsbz Well-Known Member

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    They're more reliable than anything domestic.

    That's about the only thing the Tacoma has going for it. I was a toyota dealer tech back in the late 90s/early 2000s and have been driving toyotas since I could drive. I've probably owned 20 toyota trucks/4runners. The 3.5 in my 3rd gen is the most disappointing out of all of them. I rented one with with an automatic and I couldn't deal with that shit...the M/T makes it mostly tolerable, but still not great.

    I'd dump it and go get a Ranger or Colorado but then I'd be dealing with GM and Ford problems which I'm not really in the mood to do. I'll probably look for another clean 1st or 2nd Gen again. They're simply better at being trucks.
     
    Phlogiston likes this.
  8. Aug 3, 2024 at 5:16 AM
    #68
    BillyE

    BillyE [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Debating whether to just ditch the thing in favor of an older Tundra or Tacoma, or learn how to tune it myself.
     
  9. Aug 3, 2024 at 5:20 AM
    #69
    fiftysix

    fiftysix Mell-Known Wember

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    You should buy a trx or raptor or gtr or whatever
     
  10. Aug 3, 2024 at 5:21 AM
    #70
    BillyE

    BillyE [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Raptor and TRX would be great options until the warranty ran out!
     
    fiftysix[QUOTED] likes this.
  11. Aug 3, 2024 at 5:25 AM
    #71
    fiftysix

    fiftysix Mell-Known Wember

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    Lol!
     
  12. Aug 3, 2024 at 5:56 AM
    #72
    Tacosauro

    Tacosauro Well-Known Member

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    roof rack
    I would wait until next year or two until trading for 4rd gen taco. Let them figure out issues first then buy it. New gen is always risky
     
  13. Aug 3, 2024 at 6:05 AM
    #73
    alphaomega420

    alphaomega420 Well-Known Member

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    It’s a V6 truck, not sure what you’re expecting. It’s not going to be a low-end torque monster, it gets it’s power in the high-revs. Sell it.
     
  14. Aug 3, 2024 at 6:10 AM
    #74
    BLtheP

    BLtheP Constantly Tinkering Member

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    The problem with this view is how many other V6s out there DON’T drive like this. None of them are low end torque monsters but almost all of them are better than this.
     
  15. Aug 3, 2024 at 6:20 AM
    #75
    Empty_Lord

    Empty_Lord Toyotaholic

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    Too many trucks and mods to list.. check builds
    The 3.5 is an amazing car engine. Its powerband is just weird for a truck, the 4.0 felt better as a truck engine.

    but the 3.5 was Toyotas workhorse, it was in everything. So save money sticking it in the trucks to put toward all the other things people cried for. The manual 3rd gens do indeed feel “weird” when I drive them.
     
  16. Aug 3, 2024 at 6:27 AM
    #76
    alphaomega420

    alphaomega420 Well-Known Member

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    Okay then buy one of the other ones, then? I get what you’re saying and I’d even go so far as to agree, but it never ceases to blow my mind how many people buy a Tacoma for “performance” and end up making posts like OP. Did you guys not test drive a Tacoma before buying? Just doesn’t make sense to me.
     
    Phlogiston likes this.
  17. Aug 3, 2024 at 6:30 AM
    #77
    BLtheP

    BLtheP Constantly Tinkering Member

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    When you want a manual transmission you can’t really just buy one of the other ones. If I had to get an automatic then I would go with a full size.

    of course we test drove, my complaints have been alive and well for 2.5 years. Still don’t know what else to get.

    for the record, I never buy my trucks for performance, but all of them have had better performance than this.
     
    .mr.e. likes this.
  18. Aug 3, 2024 at 6:45 AM
    #78
    G2.M6

    G2.M6 Well-Known Member

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    A few, mainly added skids. I like leaving the suspension alone. I drive forest service dirt roafs in the desert west extremely extremely too fast. Toyota nailed this suspension going 65 across desert terrain. Changing it is dumb unless you have a specific need like crawling or mud.
    At exactly zero point in the history of the Toyota "pickup" has it ever, ever been about horsepower.

    You need to saddle up in one of these for a bit. Cool your high run.

    00202_1TjHfQHKD3U_0CI0lM_1200x900.jpg
     
    Phlogiston, Pwakchop, Chew and 3 others like this.
  19. Aug 3, 2024 at 7:09 AM
    #79
    BillyE

    BillyE [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Don’t know if this is addressed to me. I think I’ve answered already. It’s not about power. It’s plenty fast. It’s the drivability issues. I’ve had many vehicles that are slower.
     
    lbhsbz likes this.
  20. Aug 3, 2024 at 7:19 AM
    #80
    lbhsbz

    lbhsbz Well-Known Member

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    it’s not about performance. It’s about functionality.

    Here’s one example…I tow a small 18’ boat with a 200hp outboard on it…the whole thing with the trailer might weigh 2500lbs. I got stopped on a small incline at a stop sign before making a turn out onto the highway. 4Low wasn’t an option because I was turning onto a highway, took about 4 attempts and a stinking clutch to get the thing moving.

    the launch ramp where we go is not steep, and again…need 4 low to get it up the ramp without smoking the clutch.

    if the truck is rated to tow 5000lbs, it should also be able to get load moving on reasonable inclines (as one might to expect to encounter while towing), but it can’t.

    I towed the same boat with a 22R ‘86 4x4 without issue, as well as a 3.4L 4runner, and my 2005 xrunner, all manual trans, without any complaints.

    it’s a truck, not a race car, but it needs to be better at truck. Toyota fucked up with the 3.5 in this, or at least the tune. There’s no reason why this engine can’t make adequate torque down low, while probably giving up a bunch up top, but I don’t really give a shit about power over 4000rpms…but due to CAFE standards and to be able to post some respectable HP numbers on the window sticker., it’s tuned this way…and it sucks. Trucks don’t need horsepower. The old Cummins 5.9 diesel from the late 90s made about 200hp, and it wasn’t fast, but it would pull a house and do truck stuff real well.

    this obviously isn’t a 3/4 ton with a Cummins, but just pointing out that HP numbers don’t mean jack shit in a truck, unless the buyer really wants it to be a car.
     
    Last edited: Aug 3, 2024

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