What Have You Done To Your 3rd Gen Today?

I have a few questions for all you 3g owners. How well does the 3rd gen ride and what are the most common issues with them? Does it ride similarly to the 4.0?
The reason why I am asking this is because later on in the future when my bronco is payed off, I have been thinking about getting a truck. One of my dream trucks is 3rd gen Tacoma TRD pro with the MT and solar octane. And after having two 2nd gen’s I have missed part of the Tacoma experience.

 

No, the only oil that you will loose is what is in the canister plus a little in the oil passage... Basically the majority of the oil is in the oil pan (sump), and the oil pump gears/rotors/veins (whatever) has to be turning (engine cranking/running) for the oil pump to suck up the oil through the oil pump pick up tube that extends close to the bottom of the sump, it then pumps the oil from the pan/sump through the pump to the filter before being distributed to the bearings and various parts of the engine... So no, you will not loose much oil, maybe a quart give or take a tad, but anytime that oil light is flickering or coming on, that means the oil pressure is at or below a very dangerous preset psi (normally 5psi), having that light on while running the engine is the same thing as running the engine with no oil in it for the most part... As an engine builder etc we always want 10psi of oil pressure per 1,000 rpms, so 30psi at 3,000 rpms, 50psi at 5,000 rpms and so on... I think the industrial standard for OEM engines might be as low as 7psi per 1,000 rpms...

So even if your engine is working great now, does not mean you are not removing bearing material off prematurely... You can potentially be doing permanent damage to your otherwise good engine... Better to be safe than sorry...

 

I vary my intervals according to my use. As I drive higher speeds here as I ever did in the US (85+) and have a lot of quick accelerations, I change all my drivetrain fluids sooner than I would in the US and sooner than the owner manual suggests. On the other hand, seldom one of my travels is less than 40 miles, as I don’t take to Taco for short shopping trips. Therefore, I do not exceed around 5k miles for the oil and oil filter change. I use royal purple the recommended grade.
Truth is that the oil sometimes looks so unused that I am tempted to take the old Tacoma oil and put it into my Clio 3. But looks are not all-as with humans… As soon as the oil gets brown, its chemical chains are broken. To what extent? I have no idea-so I change oil regularly and perhaps before even needed.
I do cut the filter and look for debris and run a magneto over it ti see if I have ferrous metal or not. Will have to find a company that does the oil analysis for me here. No luck so far.
Goal is to drive my 3rd gen Taco till it or I die. Hope it is me because it is one awesome vehicle.

 

And don’t forget these:

 

get the Sport

 

Drove around 1000km with the new shoes. Same drive style and routes, same load. To now the mpg went from 17.8 with OEMs to 19.5 with new shoes. They are a lot quieter and feel softer than the OEMs. No rain experience yet.

 

oil gets darker because dirt sticks in the oil

 

Agreed if it is thicker than when new. But not when seemingly same viscosity. Then I suggest heat/overheat and broken chemical chains. Color and viscosity together are a good indication. https://parts.olathetoyota.com/blog... oil gets darker,to darken during normal use.
https://envirolube.ca/engine-oil-co...e, oil naturally,has some contaminants in it.

 

Does anyone have a picture of diode or baja rock lights on there roof rack? I can’t decide between the two. I like how the bajas hide more but the diodes are brighter they just stick out more

 

my 22 Pro is dream like to drive (on or off road). I also drive a 22 Sr5 access cab that drives nice, but it ain’t in the same driving class as my Pro - not even close.

 

too much thinking.....
just enjoy the drive.....
change it at 10k for normal driving...
if you want something to keep running till you die then put it in the garage and drive once a month to the liquor store

 

Oh hell yes. Cab lights rule!

 

Looks like my ‘78 K5 Blazer!

 

Seriously! Truck has waaaay too much white

 

Not the best picture of the BD rock lights on an UpTop Overland Alpha cab rack using their mounts to angle them down.


https://www.uptopoverland.com/collections/rack-accessories-1/products/uptop-scenepod-1

 

How did you find putting the wings on? Did you trim the fender liner like Greenlane does or did you do something different? Getting ready to install and not sure how much to cut.

 

No pics, but I got the new shoes put on. BFG AT KO2s, and had the best Blizzack left mounted on a matching rim (4Skinner 7 pt stars) to replace the original spare (available, if anyone in the Denver metro area is interested). At 95,000 miles, the old Bilstein 5100s were leaking in back, so those got replaced, and we added Eibach 1" blocks to even the stance. Discovered 2 seized control arm bolts, when we went for the alignment, so all 4 got replaced, and there was slop on the driver's CV shaft, at the diff, so bye bye needle bearing for the sleeve, and a new half shaft. New alignment, and all is good, for a while.

Thinking seriously about yanking my roof rack, sliders and front bumper to get them all blasted and powder coated, since they are beginning to look a bit ratty.

 

I pretty much used the instructions the set up in the videos. The sander is really helpful. It took me several cuts/sandings to get to where it is. Probably 6, 7, 8?

 

Rule? Maybe 30 years ago…
Now you aren’t cool unless you have them poked into your grille

 

Just in case people don't follow him on YouTube.