95 4x4 that needs serious maintenance. SUGGESTIONS?!?

well I found a deal on a 95 tacoma 4x4 2.7L 5 speed manual with 194,000 miles for $1000 that I could not pass up. The motor seems to run pretty smooth but it seems like it lacks power in acceleration slightly. I am sure it still has stock gears and the tire size is 31x10.5r15. I have a 2011 v6 4x4 and its too nice to lift/wheel for me yet so I plan to use the 95 for this and to keep the miles on my 2011 low. Anyways, on the 95 the price was so low because both cv axle boots had been blown for about 15k-20k miles and the previous owner did pretty much no maintenance on the truck other than oil changes since she had bought it with about 100,000 miles on it. The truck also has a small 2-3in spacer lift in the front and aal in the rear which will be replaced with a full ome setup when funds are available. So what other things should I look into replacing other than listed below? I plan to do all of the work myself and might need a little help on cv axles and hubs( I tried searching for a write up and could only find one for a truck w/out manual hubs). one more thing, what fluids should I put in the drivetrain and is it to late to switch to synthetic?

bad things I have noticed so far:
-the suspension creaks pretty bad while turning and hitting pot holes.
-the gear shifter feels extremely sloppy and wiggles back and forth while in gear(probably a worn out joint or bushing?)
-the seat belts dont retract very well
-the 4x4 works but the t case seems to be emmiting a burning smell while engaged.(I immediately stopped and disengaged 4x4)
-while driving at low speeds 10-30mph I can hear a clicking sound that sounds like a nail in my tire, the sound seems to be coming from the front axle area(I am assuming its from the blown cv's but not 100% sure)

shit I plan to replace this weekend:
-brakes
-rotors
-clean/ regrease hubs and everything else
-cv axles
-headlights and bulbs (one housing is cracked slighty, other is extremely glazed)
-air filter/cabin air filter
-diff oil, t case oil, tranny oil, coolant, power steering, brake fluid, motor oil and filter (and flush)
-tie rod bushings
-plugs/wires
-fuel filter
-uca bushings

Sorry for the long ass post I was just wanting a second opinion before I get balls deep in this truck tomorrow. any replies or tips will be much appreciated. one last thing, is there any special tools I need to buy? I hate making 50 million trips to the store to buy stuff while in the middle of a projecthttp://i.cdn2.tacomaworld.com/forum/images/smilies/redface.gif

 

Mine is 03and has no cabin filter, not sure if 95 does or not. Not real sure what the tie rod bushing is, but probaly best to change the whole tie rods for everybody on roads sake. Sounds like a good deal so far and with a little work you will have a nice trail rig. There is some good first gen how too's about tie rods and cv replacement. Shouldn't be any tools out of ordinary. Just read and watch the vids in the how to sec. Good luck! Wish i was close id help ya wrench on it.

 

dont flush the oil, leak waiting to happen

good buy! i wish i could find a deal like that around here!

 

Idk how tie rod bushing got in there I meant tie rods lol so if flushing the oil would cause a leak do you think and additive like lucas oil might help clean out the engine some or am I just being paranoid. And I guess I will go on youtube and do a little more searching on here for a good write up on the cv's

 

Its all in here. I would run some sea foam and cheap oil in it then change to good stuff. http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1s...y-how-thread-compiled-list-helpful-links.html

 

I'd change the ball joints, they might be stock and about to give out on you.

 

Atleast check them for play.

 

Bump

 

Blown CVs do click and it's probably that, but it could also be a loose heat shield over the cat or a slightly bent dust shield on the wheel, probably the CV.

You have a good list, I'll second the seafoam and ball joint check. There's no cabin air filter. When you take it for an alignment they should be able to tell you if tie rods are shot. Run a quality complete fuel system cleaner over a few fill-ups. With that many miles you might consider Restore oil restorer and lubricant. The burnt smell is probably just old oil from the breather, I wouldn't worry too much about that. The shifter has a rectangular metal housing and it could be worn... don't know. Change out the tranny oil and there's a little tank next to the master cylinder, suck out as much of that shit as you can and fill new stuff to the line, that should help the shifter wobble a little.

 

well I assumed there was a cabin air filter since my 2nd gen has one. I will definetly check the ball joints. I got off work early and am about to run to the store to buy all the parts, I understand the manual transmission calls for gl-4 gear oil but what weight and how many quarts? I am leaning towards the store brand 80w-90 full synthetic. I will use gl-5 in the rear/front diff and transfer case but need to know the weight and quantity for those as well. gosh an owners manual would be nice!!!

 

would a haynes or chiltons manual work too? I have tried all the links on TW to try and download a fsm and they are all old and dont work

 

and would switching to full synthetic with 200,000 miles on the clock cause any leaks or negative results? I have no idea what fluids are in the truck

 

haynes or chiltons will work fine.
i don't see a issue with it, you might find a few leaks from fresh oil.

 

Things not mentioned that quickly come to mind:

-Buy a new rotor and cap and replace when you do the plugs and wires. (yeah, they finally did away with them in 96)
-You may want to do a compression test as well. If you really want to get into the motor you may as well replace the timing chain and water pump. New head gasket. Get the injectors cleaned or just replace them.
-I bought junkyard seat belts when my retractors started acting up.
-Be careful with the fuel filter clamp, its in a crappy tight spot and can snap.
-If you're going to do the UCA bushings you might as well do the LCA bushings as well.
-Check the rack and pinion very well. They were notoriously bad on the 95.5. I went through three.
-Go over every inch of the frame with a fine toothed comb. It took 15 years, but the frame rot finally showed up on mine.
-Check the rag joint on the steering shaft, its probably pretty beat up by now.

-There is a special socket (I had one made for free) that is needed for the retaining nut (its a round ring) if you are going to pull apart the front hubs and replace the wheel bearings. If memory serves, the bearing is a sealed unit... There's a retaining clip that gets removed and it needs to be pressed out. Don't bother messing with it unless it's bad.
-Cleaning and regreasing the lockers isn't too bad, you may want to pick up a rebuild kit if you can find one. I also upgraded to stainless allen head bolts for the hub.

You want one of these if you don't have one: Very handy for the tie-rods, and the one I have fit perfectly for the ball joints as well.

-Since your shifter has seen better days, you could upgrade to a short-shift kit. The new hardware will more than likely clean up the slop.

I don't envy the amount of work you've got ahead of you, but that little truck is going to be a lot of fun! If anything else comes to mind I'll post it here.

 

It's old, its going to leak a little anyway. I did full synth change around 150k, didn't develop any *new leaks, and it reduced knock in the motor when it was cold. Still had to run 93 in the winter though to keep it smooth.

IMO the Chiltons was much more helpful. Now they are the same friggin company, so you may be SOL.

 

Well I will give synthetic fluids a try I guess and I added all of your suggestions to my growing list, thanks!. All I meant to do today after replacing both cv's was unhook the hackjob wiring of the speakers and amp that came with the truck and next thing I knew I had all the seats and carpet torn out so it looks like I have decided to bedliner the interior. The carpet in this truck was freaking disgusting!! I think I am going to add a URD SS to the list as well to help with the sloppy shifter, I love the one in my 2nd gen.

 

Looks like you are not messing around

Really sweet mod I did later on was to swap out the old buckets for a nice set that came out of an 01 or 02 4Runner. Direct bolt in replacement, and a giant improvement for my butt and back.

 

Cabin filters were extremely rare in the 90s... generally only found on high end cars.
Tacoma got them in '06 or '07. All of the 2nd Gen got the door, but there was no filter installed the first year or two.

 

Yeah I plan to get new seats because I can feel the springs stick me in the back on mine! I can't seem to make my mind up on them yet but I like the idea of getting some from a 4runner. Well I just got a gallon of bed liner and am about to start slopping it everywhere

 

I don't remember if the cab had drain holes. You may want to consider that, and use the bung caps from a Heep Wrangler.