What should I do with my "new" used Tacoma?

Hi, I'm new to the forum and not very mechanically inclined.

This is my truck:
T
96 Tacoma ex
2.4L 4cyl
The cat is replaced with a pipe
K&N and elbow mod

Problems:
Clutch is worn but useable.
Idle is weak and unsteady.
The throttle seems to choke/bog right before revving, so I have to rev once before engaging the clutch.
Previous owner was a slob with kids so the interior is questionable (thecorner panel was filled with candy wrappers when I upgraded the speakers).
260,000 miles

That aside, she gets me from home to school and work (half hour drive) and can still get up to 115mph. What I want to improve is the power and fuel efficiency. I get about 24mi to the galon. I used to have a 89 pickup with headers, that was a fun truck! So I was thinking of putting headers on and possibly replacing the cat.
I wanted to ask the community first. I have done some research and found that pacesetters are in my price range (under $500) but they seem to be hit or miss in quality and performance. What would you do on my budget? Does the catalytic converter help in any way? The exhaust already sounds like garbage especially when I downshift and I don't want it to sound like loud garbage.

Thanks guys.

 

I wouldn't spend alot of money on it. By the sound of it you're going to be needing a clutch and I bet a tranny soon, too.

Drive it for all it's worth.

 

I would start with a tune up. Plugs, wires, filters. Get the engine running right and idling smooth in stock condition first. Then mod it.

260K is a lot. How much more you will get out of it depends on how it was taken care of. I hope it is good to you. A friend of mine recently bought an 82 Toyota Longbed 2WD. He called and asked me what he should do to it. I asked what he paid for it. He said $700 bucks. I said "put gas in it and see how long it runs" Good luck!

 

Aw shoot. A new clutch I can handle. But a tranny is out of the question. What can I do to prolong the life of my transmission? And if I were to buy a new clutch would I need to replace the whole assembly or just the plate?

 

How do you know the clutch is worn? Is it slipping? Making noise? I mean, if it's original I'm sure it's got some wear on it, but why fix what's not broken?

Also, not sure why the other poster thinks you need a transmission. If it shifts smooth and isn't making noises, it might be worth changing the fluid, but again, if it isn't broken don't fix it. If it is broken, call around and get a price on a trans rebuild if you can't do it yourself. I had a Toyota 5 speed rebuilt about ten years ago. It cost me $850, they pulled the trans and rebuilt it and reinstalled. The clutch was low mileage and was reused. If you are pulling the trans to replace the clutch, you could save some money on getting the trans repaired, since it's already out. For what it's worth, I know a guy with an 80 Toyota 4x4 that has 500K on the original 5 speed. He says its super loud now and he thinks it may explode any day . But apparently you can drive them making noise for quite some time.

Definitely buy a full clutch kit with pressure plate, disc, throwout and pilot bearings. Have the flywheel resurfaced while you are at it. Do it right and don't have to do it twice.

 

If you're getting 24 mpg it sounds like it runs well.

If the suspension, steering and brakes are good and the truck is rust free, I'd consider myself very lucky but get ready for a tranny job....probably sooner rather than later (unless someone actually already rebuilt it!)

Now might be a good time to start looking for a trans. but keep on truckin' in the meantime!

 

why is everyone telling the guy to lookout for the transmission when he hasn't said anything about it, other than the clutch?

Remember its a yota, not a chevy


OP:

You said about headers and a new Cat...if the manifold isn't cracked, and if the cat isn't clogged, leave them both alone. Headers wont get you any power. Fix the issues first, then think about mods.

 

That's just it; nobody talks about the tranny (unless they have to)

 

My 95.5 2.4L had over 350,000 miles on the original motor/tranny when I sold it lost year (for what its worth). I think the best i got was like 26 mpg around the city so you're in the area with 24 mpg. I'm betting plugs, wires, etc will do you wonders.

Just do a tune up and a clutch and see how it runs.

 

Change the clutch, do a tune up and Seafoam it. When I Seafoamed mine, it smoothed out the idle and dropped the idle rpm by about 200. Runs much better.

 

I see what you did there

 

This ^^ If the previous owner was a slob, chances are he took care of the guts like he did the interior. Get everything running tip/top then move to the clutch. May just need an adjustment. Don't worry about the tranny until you have to.

260k is alot.....if its a Ford or Chevy. For a Taco, its just getting started!

EDIT: Welcome to TW btw!!

 

Hey thanks for he advice guys, i really appreciate it. About the clutch, it works fine as long as its warmed up and i keep the torque down. And the idle really isnt that bad it dips and sputters until he engine warms. I can see the truck going for at least another 50k as long as i keep the oil clean, i have sea foamed and lubed it and cleaned the injectors.
When i got the truck, i replaced he plugs and wires. That did help. The guy at checker told me to stick with the oem plugs. What do you guys think? And im still wanting headers. Do they really do nothing?

 

Yes, stick with OEM (denso or NGK) plugs.

As far as a header...you will notice little to no increase. I put an LCE header on my 2.7; mainly because the stock manifold was cracked and I wanted to replace it with something better, and I noticed no power gains except for some minor low end torque gains, and it sees to pull a *little* harder in the 4000rpm+ range.

But those could be in my head...and because the stock manifold was cracked pretty bad and causing me to lose power.


It did improve the sound a lot though.