Preventing major failures

So is there a link to this? Searching turns up nada.

I am wondering what major things should be checked/replaced so that they do not fail in the future and cause catastrophic damage. I have read that it is recomended to buy a new radiator as to not get the "pink milkshake." This is the stuff I am talking about

Is there a link to a list of this stuff?
How to check ball joints?
What other crap needs to be done so something real bad dosen't happen?

 

I am at 120K and considering my truck is a highway commuter and I put nearly 171 miles a day, yes that number is correct, on it almost 3 times to week, maintenance is crucial so I do not get stranded. I just had a MAJOR service done to the truck, and this is what I did. The truck is payed off so even though it was pricey, it's still cheaper to maintain a used truck than to go out and buy a $30K new Tacoma.

New:
Timing Belt
Water Pump
All tensioner pulleys
Cam seal
Crank seal
All belts
Thermostat
Fuel Filter
Resealed rear main axel seal, fresh fluid
Resealed oil pain seal
Transmission flush
Throttle body and injector system cleaning
New Denso spark plugs/wires
Complete radiator and engine block flush with fresh Toyota coolant
New front pads, rotors, new brake fluid
New Michelin AT2s, road forced wheel balanced

I am probably missing something, but those are the major ones I can remember off the top of my head.

 

When you do the timing belt might as well do the water pump and thermostat while you're at it. If you haven't done the coolant in awhile you could do that also since some will drain out anyways with doing the water pump. Keep up with oil changes and check the oil and the oil's smell and appearance to make sure you limit the build up of burnt oil on engine internals. Good advice is that a small leak, will eventually, turn into a bigger leak... Happened on my '88. Keep your tires balanced and aligned properly and rotate your tires. Do routine maintenance you should be fine.

 

Nice
I definitely need to do a lot of that, I just thought that recently I have read some pretty scary stuff. I've been seeing a lot about how there is a possibility for one small part to fail causing a lot of damage to a certain area.

 

Yeah I will do all that stuff when it comes time for the timing belt to be replaced.

I wasn't so much talking about oil changes or small maintainence, I have always changed my oil every 3,000 and bought the expensive filter.

 

THIS. Also get in the habit of popping open your hood and especially getting underneath your truck during the day and look for obvious signs of wear, leaking, damage etc... This is when you may catch a small problem before it compounds into something major, or better to catch it in your driveway than on the side of the highway at midnight.

 

I was just saying that checking the oil you could catch a head gasket going or another issue and burnt oil left on internals can cause damage, but you seem like you shouldn't have to worry about that. I mean there are a couple sensors in the engine that if they throw a code you should replace sooner then later, like the knock sensor as an example.

 

Yeah, I do think my coolant is going somewhere. Reservoir is empty but there aren't signs of it dripping on the floor, and there is no water in my oil.

Yep, my O2 sensor threw one last year. Started my truck before school one morning and my check engine light was on, scared the crap out of me. I never wait if there is a sign of trouble to get something taken care of.

 

I would have reset the ECM first before replacing the O2 sensor, but thats just me For the coolant, does your truck get up to the proper place for normal operating temperature?

 

My scanguage usually reads 186~188 (needle slightly below half) when shes fully warmed up. I can see a little coolant at the top of the radiator, its like none is ever in the res though.

 

Preventing major failures

 

Aside from fluids and fluid filters on their recommended intervals, the timing belt and water pump cover cleaning are the biggest thing (every 90k miles). Well, spark plugs could go out of gap and the spark plug wires apparently need changing from time to time. Air filter..... obviously. At 200-250k I'd like to change the pistons, gaskets and internal seals. But that may not be necessary.

Luckily we aren't driving 4Runners, which need new radiators around 100k miles, or they started cross contaminating coolant and ATF....

 

I would say top off the radiator and reservoir and then watch the level and see if it falls

 

You may have a pinhole leak in the upper part of the coolant system (hose or radiator). That would vent steam all the time, and not drip liquid. Happened to me once. Right after driving it, take a look and try to locate (or hear) the steam venting.

The catastrophic failure that worries me the most, involve the lower ball joints. That could cause a serious accident. Most other items mentioned (outside the timing belt) would just cause the truck to run poorly.

 

Saw the pic of the condom and the thread title on the home page. I lol'd

 

That is actually one of the problems I was talking about. I have read that Tacomas can do it too

 

Im 99% sure it's not a tacoma issue. Although we use the same engine and trans, we don't have the same radiator. When i researched this in 4runner forums, a few different people said the issue doesn't effect tacomas. I've also never seen it raised as an issue on tacoma forums.

 

The big one most seem to overlook is the valve shims in the RZ motors. As the exhaust side gets to tight and you end up burning valves and then your getting in deep for cost. I just had mine checked and the right sise put in as they get to tight over time

 

I agree 100%, I have the exact same mentality and is pretty much the main reason why I went with a used 1st gen VS. a spankin new 2nd gen. Now if $ wasn't an issue.....ehhhhh...well I probably would still keep my 1st gen.