URD Cam Gears + OTT Tune

Just an update;
On my 2015 Ext Cab, 4x4, 4.0l, 6spd-
I had a tune completed by Masteryota up here in the NorthEast (PA) about 1.5-2 years ago. (He is a satellite tuner for Overland Tuning). I had been searching through the forums and came across the cam gear upgrade. After reading through the posts and lessons learned, I pulled the trigger in the spring and bought a set of the cam gears from URD.
I did make sure to have the wrench extender to break the cam gear nut loose and also had to buy the trq wrench adapter but all in all it wasnt that bad. (Watch the video a few times)
Anyhow, its been a few thousand miles and thought I would drop a users update.
I freaking love driving this truck. I got rid of the rev hang in the tune and its just snappy and pulls all of second and even a little in 3rd. My only complaint is having stock tires that like to slip with that low end trq.
Id say if you have a manual 2nd gen and are looking for just a little extra, these two upgrades made a difference.
Dont hesitate to ask any questions.

 

I still need to install my cam gears. In your opinion, what was the most challenging part?

 

Cam gears on my 2nd gen for 50k miles now, zero issues. Paired with a 1/2in lower intake manifold spacer (makes runners longer) and tune (my own custom tune with some help from JustDSM via hptuners). Its a quickish truck for what it is. But the IMS and Cam gears definitely helped the already pretty good mid range torque of the 4.0L.... I got in a buddies stock 3rd gen with the 3.5 and was like.... oh god eww its gutless.

The little things together add up but dont expect amazing drastic changes.


@OP, looks like you have done a good job of regular oil changes with good quality oil, inside of that mill looks great!

 

Honestly, I think this job is pretty straight forward if you have basic mechanical skills beyond taking off an air intake or changing the oil. You are going to pull off quite a few electrical connectors/hoses and of course removing your valve covers. And also messing with an extremely important area of the engine (timing).
I personally bought the valve cover gaskets, wrench extender and trq wrench adapter. I also watched the popular video on doing this a few times to make sure I understood the process of removing the timing chain and installing the new gear correctly.
Hardest part? Hmm, for me, was remembering where all the connectors went and the stress of not letting go of the timing chain when putting in the new gear, which honestly isnt that bad.
I would dedicate the afternoon to doing it. If i remember correctly, I was probably in it for 4-5 hrs and I did it solo.

 

Thanks man, try to keep up on the mechanical side! I use mobil 1 and change oil on the regular.
And totally agree with you on its pepiness and mid range torque.
My wife has a 2017 and I hated driving it until we got the OTT torque tune put in. Its an automatic but it shifts much better and fun to drive when you get those rpm's up.
I made the mistake of taking her to run by the dealership this weekend to see what was new and on the lot and brought home another truck (shaking head).
So, the 2017 will be making a departure soon, lol.
Also forgot to mention in the post that I did add the manifold spacer as well.

 

I tried 100% rev hang delete and found it to be too much at the time. These trucks do not like to be shifted that fast to keep up with it.

don’t know why but I got Mild and am debating switching to Lite.

 

Interesting..
The only problem that I have is taking off in 1st. Seems like the electrical signal is spotty or something and the truck likes to jerk back and forth a little. But if I stay on the gas then I can usually make it smooth. But I drive pretty aggressively as it is.
Im not even sure what type of delete I have (didnt know there were levels to it) but I have no hang at all and I can shift and it pulls just fine.
Did you use a delete from overland?

 

You can shift it plenty fast, but it helps to get rid of the clutch accumulator.

 

Cool. I've just been lazy on putting it on and I always get nervous when messing around internals. My original plan was to install them before I installed my supercharger but I got impatient and sent it. Now I have to take the blower back off but there's some other things I need to replace while I'm at it. I just need to carve out some time on my schedule to knock it out. Thanks for the feedback.

 

No worries and good luck with it. Post a pic or user feedback after its done!

 

Needed you to give me some help. I took 3 days but also changed spark plugs and other maint items. Then got a tune. Nice difference in the way it drives for sure.

Note: I've got a stock 2nd gen now also and bought the cam gears for later. Was talking with a guy that does tunes and he said replacing the cam gears in a stock truck was not necessary that the tune alone would suffice. I tend to disagree but would appreciate other opinions.

 

figuring out a way to improve the finish on the valve covers, which I did not do because of this

 

Our tune will do far more for power and overall driving experience than the cam gears alone. That said, the cam gears on a 2nd Gen Tacoma are one of the recommended mods that compliment our calibration.

 

Sorry that I did not mention that in the post to begin with and I fixed that in the original post.
In case anyone reads this further, Masteryota is someone in my area (PA) who has the tools and direct connection to OTT (Justin/JustDSM) to flash your truck. He sets up regular events in the Northeast to flash/tune to your needs and can work with OTT for the custom stuff like I got for my 2015 4.0l, 6spd.
I also conferred with Justin before I installed those cam gears to make sure there was no conflict and he was very responsive and told me they would compliment each other.

 

Does anyone ever have any issues with the exhaust cam shaft rotating when the chain/gear is removed? I've had that issue on other vehicles where the force of the lifters against the cam lobes (from the valve springs) rotate the cam shaft after the gear/chain/belt/etc. is removed. While not insurmountable, it can be a pain sometimes.