What Have You Done To Your 3rd Gen Today?

Hey everyone today I drove my 3rd gen to work again!
Can’t wait to drive it home!!!!
But seriously regular maintenance etc.
New battery a few months ago.
Purchased from dealer truestart!
Fresh date and very close to Wally prices.
8 yrs almost on original Toyota battery why not right.
Hope you all have a great day

 

Globe union makes a good battery Johnson controls as well. I get exide or deka. Myself.

 

These are the top manufacturers of batteries. Diehard, interstate are all from one manufacturer all good batteries. When buying a battery. Find out who makes the thing first!!

 

lol I make the lead casting machines for Johnson controls!!
I’d avoid them
Joking!!
Seriously we make the casting machines and take pride in what we do!
28 yrs as a machinist here!

 

I delivered exide batteries for two years in the eighties. Small world.

 

I work at Hazelett strip casting.
The old man developed a casting machine that’s cooled with water no cool down times. We are a small company but pennys come from our casters drink cans batteries etc. We do some pretty amazing crap for a small company.
I have an amazing view of lake Champlain from my mill!

 

Got this OEM Style switch from Guild Outfitters but no wiring schematic. I got my harness for my Lasfit Light bar (they forgot to send me the light bar fml) but I'm curious while I wait is anyone can tell me which wires go where when I splice this together.

On / Off function and I would like the backlight on the switch.

Thanks.

 

Not as good as this.
https://youtu.be/91CBr6iryOY?si=FdYtvkVhnmZEKpJu

 

Found a project. Haha

 

haha dude I like looking at the lake not being in it! I’m better at sinking than swimming. The wife and I did a cruise told her if this sob bitch sinks I’m gonna be at the bar! Of course I thought we were sinking a lot.

 

Hopefully the third wire is for a relay out. If not, you should wire this to a relay so the full power to the light isn't going thru the switch. I would assume red and black are power and ground and the yellow is the switched power out, but hard to tell without seeing everything. I didn't bother with rewiring the cheap switches with my setup, I just ran new wiring for my accessories and pushed them all thru relays. Simple wiring after that. This video is great if you're just getting started: 3 Easy Solutions To Wire Switches And Accessories On Your Toyota Tacoma

Older pic of my aux setup, the relays are underneath:

 

That video was taken on the lake leaving the Burlington Vt. T-force terminal heading to the break bulk hub in Montgomery Ny. We dubbed the ferry the uss driftwood!! lol.

 

Always so sketch playing with solvents and plastics. Glad you didn't melt it. My luck is I'd have a melted grill.

 

Cool name like you said small world! we have done ferry crossings a few times.
It’s a nice ride!
Just not comfortable being on the water not a good swimmer. I keep the life jacket close.
I’ll post a pic of lake on my way out today. got construction trailer blocking windows sucks but it’s work.

I forgot and just excited to leave!
Happy Friday everyone enjoy your weekend!

 

I think you mean AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat).

There are may pros, to AGM over typical Flooded Cell:
- AGM has hugely less internal resistance, meaning it can output its full capacity of charge VERY quickly (high, instant, amperage output) where Flooded Cell (FC) has much higher internal resistance.
- AGM Charges much faster, also due to the low internal resistance. If you have a car with the auto engine shut-off when stopped, and it starts the motor when you let off the brake, then it likely has an AGM battery (if not some higher chemistry), a FC Battery takes too long to re-charge, between stop lights, is not enough time
- AGM batteries work in extreme cold, a FC battery has less than 10% of it rated output at -50f, but an AGM still has about 60% (My memory is not vivid for these percentages, but it is drastically different, and I know from experience, that FC batteries will not start any car at -50 and AGM is still happy to crank.)
- AGM batteries have very low static loss. A FC battery looses something like 20% of its charge just sitting on a shelf in about a month, but an AGM takes more than 6 months on a shelf for the same 20% static loss.
- AGM batteries have no free liquid. you can make a hole in the case and it will still work, but it will die slowly from evaporation. Because of this, the AGM battery can be installed in any position.
- AGM is sealed after initial activation, and there is no water maintenance.

There are a couple of negatives:
- AGM is Expensive
- AGM do not particularly like being on a trickle charger, even if the charger is for AGM. With regard to snowmobile, ATV and Jetski batteries, I learned that putting it on a trickle charger on a shelf can kill the battery, better to not charge for 6 months, then charge for an hour before use, than to maintain it for 6 months. I learned after killing several batteries in one year, then woke up. Note, that left in a vehicle while in storage, that the vehicle will slowly drain the battery. This is good for AGM, so instead of trickle charging, I prefer to charge it one day every 30 to 60 day, cycling the battery enough to keep it exercised.
- AGM batteries require higher charging voltage TO REACH PEAK CHARGE. I emphasize this, because it will charge well and fast, and be perfectly happy without changing your charging voltage (this is highly disputed), it just will not reach peak charge. Make note that given the low internal resistance, you will never notice that the battery is not fully charged. Plus, there is some science that indicates that fully charging a battery, causes the battery stress, and not charging to peak can extend the life of the battery. I have an AGM battery in an 09 Tacoma, without charging mods, that is going on 12 years old now. The truck has an electric snow plow, sits all summer (is winter truck) with only starting once every week or two to run the length of my driveway, and never fails, even in temperatures below zero. (Expect it will probably die tomorrow).

I think that covers it, I only purchase AGM batteries, I have an AGM charger, but I do not alter my vehicles to increase the charging voltage. BTW, charging a FC battery with a charger set to AGM will boil the battery. Charging an AGM battery with a computer regulated FC charger will charge it, but stop short of Peak Charge. Charging an AGM battery with a 'Dumb' FC charger, for too many hours, will eventually boil the AGM battery, and being sealed, I have seen them turn into a basketball before the valve releases. Suggest you keep dumb chargers to only a couple of hours on an AGM.

 

Did the transmission drain and fill. What a PIA. Why don't manufacturers make dip sticks anymore?! Installed the All Lights On module- nice upgrade. Pulled more power steering reservoir fluid and topped off again- it's getting cleaner looking. Touched up paint chips and waxed her.

 

Big month for this truck!
-Wheels and tires (black 703 and Baja Boss, just OEM sizes for now)
-2025 car wash mod (windows down in a sandstorm on the last day of desert season was the last straw)
-Paid off mod

 

I’ve had a super bad habit of buying mods and sitting on them for waaaay too long, years at times.

Some, especially ones with wiring got sidelined trying to figure out where and how I wanted things mounted….like my voswitch, mrcb, fuse box and wire type and routing.


After two years sitting in limbo finally got the r4t anytime backup/front cam done, this one is well worth it.

The bull bar on my bumper made it a pita to figure where and how I was going to mount the cam. Also I had cut out the small grill inserts that were blocking the behind the grill light bar, so that also made it more of a pita.
I ended up bending a T bracket and drilling it to accept the cam…..the cam threads had some bizarre size and the supplied nut didn’t go on at all.
And I had to extend the cam threads to reach my bracket. Oddly I was able to tap threads (m8x1.25) in a light fixture nipple, some locktite and shrink tube to make it look better.
It came out ok….if you buy the kit make sure the parts fit and the harness is good before installing, mine was slightly melted.

I had a bad harness after I installed it and luckily they sent sent a whole new kit. It was a pita to pull it all out when all I needed was the vid splitter harness, also it seems like it could have had many of the connections done beforehand….unless other vehicles had a different set up.


***Added a pic of the bent Tee bracket.

 

The lightbar from Lasfit came with a relay / switch power ground harness, I'm just wanting to ditch their shitty provided switch for the light bar OEM style switch I got from Guild Outfitters, but for some odd reason they have different colors on their switch pigtails than everyone else. I reached out to them, hopefully they respond with an answer or I'll just trash them and order new ones. Don't really feel like popping fuses.

In the meantime since Lasfit forgot to ship the lightbar, I beat my hitch tow rings back straight with a sledge, some heat, sanded and painted them. It's completely rebuilt for the DD hitch pod I ordered lol. Pulled my 1 ton Ford out of the mud back when all I had were dinky Amazon "demon brackets" and didn't wanna rip my whole ass cross member out.

The hitch tow rings are definitely not rated for that, but they didn't rip off, or break any welds. May weld on some gussets in the future if I notice any fatigue. Don't tow much anyway. That's what the F350 is for. Anyway couldn't sit still today after getting hyped up for the lightbar install.

 

Heading to the I’m laws