Finally bought my Taco and I have a few questions (Warning: Pic heavy)

I have been busy completing mods and working, so I am just now getting around to adding pictures. Last Saturday I bought a 2005 SR5 DCSB. The truck has 145,000 miles on it, which worried me initially. I did my research and went and looked at it twice before making a decision. I also dropped $130 to have it professionally inspected by a Toyota dealership. The mechanic pointed out a few issues, but nothing that scared me away, so I pilled the trigger. It was priced at $14,999 and I picked it up for $13,500.

As you can see from the pictures, the exterior is in rough shape; dents, dings and scratches everywhere. This isn't a huge concern to me, but the maintenance is. On the Toyota website, I put in the VIN and it showed that the truck was surprisingly well maintained. All major service was done at the dealership and done on time. It runs smooth and rides great. I made quite a bit of money by trading in my Jeep, so I am going to put about $1000 right into it to fix a few problems.

The two main problems the mechanic pointed out is that the transfercase is leaking because of a small dent. His guess is that a rock or something hit it and broke the gasket and that is causing the leak. He said it should be an easy fix, but what do you guys think? The other problem is the front passenger CV boot is leaking. I have read that this isn't a HUGE problem anymore because CV axels are cheap. Basically, run it until you have a failure. Is there anything wrong with doing that?

All in all, I am pleased with my purchase. I think it will last a long time with a solid maintenance schedule and regular upkeep.




First mod

This was important because I tend to wear out the steering wheel easily, so I wanted to keep it smooth.


I owned a 2005 4runner two cars ago and I kept this. I tried programming it, but I couldn't enter "programming mode". I'll have to work on this more.


One of the reasons the previous owner traded it in was because the compass and temp gauge stopped working... if only he were on TW...




It works!



Next easy mod. This was simple, but hopefully will give me peace of mind.

As you can see, the interior is VERY clean for 145,000 miles.

Brand new TRD cloth mats. It also came with some all weather TRD mats, but they are in rough shape, so I will be getting some WTs when winter rolls around. Not a bad idea to have two sets of mats.

I love the look of the non-functional hood scoop.

I would be lying if I said this wasn't a huge deal for getting it. It is a simple thing, but I like simple.

As you can see, tons of little pits. I'm not sure what to do with this just yet... any ideas?

Here is the picture of the Tcase leak. If you look above the axle, you can see a trail of oil.

Rush bubble on the wheels. I will have to get a set of FJ rims some day.

the only big dent and it isn't super noticeable with the paint matched bumper. I guess I will probably replace the bumper someday.

Who takes out the cup holder insert and doesn't put it back??? 25 bucks on fleabay is the cheapest I have seen. Anyone have a better solution?

Another huge reason I wanted a TRD was the seats. I think they are the most comfortable seat I have ever owned in a vehicle. They are in decent enough shape too.

I will need to replace the weather seal soon, I get a bit of road noise from this.

I have plenty of more pictures, but it is nothing you guys haven't seen before.

thanks for taking a look!

 

All I can add is, the truck looks to be in great shape from the pics you posted.Congrats.

 

Your truck should be easy to fox and as for the rims just get rid of them and get some TRD headlock rims

 

Awesome deal man. Good luck with the new truck!!!!

 

thanks, guys. I am pretty stoked. I have a few things to fix, but who wants a truck they can't work on?

 

I'd get the CV fixed BEFORE it fails and you get stuck somewhere. It won't get better on it's own.

 

Congrats on the truck. I think you got a pretty decent deal on it.

Re the spray on the underside, it looks like grease from the u joints. If it were the output shaft seal leaking, the transfer case oil would be dripping on the floor, but it doesn't look like it is dripping, as far as I can see. If it is the U joints, pretty cheap fix, but do it before they go completely bad and start vibrations that damage something else. (Ask me how I know.)

If you grab the driveshaft and twist and pull on it by that joint, if it has any play it's bad. It could still be bad even if you can't do that. It looks like there is a fair amount of grease on the u-joint itself, which is why I was thinking that.

 

that could also be grease from the CV joint. They tend to sling it out everywhere. It would be a lot thicker than transfer case oil.

 

Thanks, Ross. I am originally from CO, I hope to get back there soon. The T case is definitely leaking. Its not bad enough to drip, but I can put my finger up there and feel it. So, are you saying the U joints aren't supposed to spit grease like that? If not, I guess I have three major problems. I don't feel any vibs yet, but I guess they are coming?

 

$25 is about what I paid for my cup holder divider too. Mine didn't have one either. The dealer is about $40 for reference.

 

just Chill Out & enjoy that nice truck ! BUT get under it ,wire brush any rust that you see. Brush with "Rostolum Rust treatment" & paint over it with Rustolum flat black paint. You will not be sorry..........
greenpants...mike

 

You should plastidip it, that way it doesnt look like a used tampon? But really awesome truck and glad it all went well at the Stealership.

 

I just came back from a driveshaft shop a few minutes ago. They said that some grease flying off the u-joint is ok. It can seep past the seals if the seals are worn. I can't really tell how much is up there from the picture, but I can see what looks like a fair amount. But if there is a lot of grease, either check out the driveshaft or have someone do it. If you're not having any vibrations, the u-joint can't be too bad off, and maybe you don't need to do anything. It would just be good to have it checked. If the drive shaft does vibrate, it can damage a seal to the point it starts leaking. That's what happened to my pinion seal. I just took my drive shaft in yesterday. They replaced both u-joints, took off the end caps and welded them back on, and balanced the shaft. All for $172. So even if your u-joint is bad, it's not a major problem unless the shaft starts vibrating and causing other damage.

 

Thats not a bad deal. I'll take it in and have them look at it, but I don't think it is too bad. I might get that checked out soon. Welding the caps seems like the way to go though.

 

4wd? Really nice truck, and very clean interior.

 

Yes sir! Works great. I think it should be necessary for snow and I plan on moving back to Colorado some day. I am pretty pumped.

 

Grats on the truck! I just scooped up one myself. I also notice the same oil/grease in the same place.

Those that mentioned vibration, what speed would it start at? I ask as I have vibration in the steering wheel starting around 100km. Feel like balancing in the front but I could be completely wrong. Any info on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

I would first probably check your tires for uneven wear and possibly rebalance and align them before assuming its play in the driveshaft. Just saying

 

Congrats! Looks very clean!

 

I thought you said that truck was in rough shape...That smear is grease, not transfer case oil. It just means that someone who had that truck before you was a good boy or girl and regularly greased the driveline u-joints. You're supposed to pump grease into them until you see clean grease escape. Then when you drive your truck the excess that you can't reach with a rag gets flipped all over the underside and looks exactly like your "transfer case leak."

Transfer case oil is much thinner and and you could probably smell it from 5 feet away because gear oil stinks to high hell. You should check the oil level in your transfer case just to be sure. It should be up to the bottom of the fill plug. With 145,000 miles, your truck is about due for new oil in the differentials and transfer case anyway. Don't quote me on it, but I think the service interval for these is every 50,000 miles. If you are not sure how to do this, go here:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2n...ront-diff-transfer-case-oil-change-howto.html

You should also fix the CV axle as soon as you can. It's not going to break in the middle of the day in August in the parking lot at Napa, it's going to break on a Sunday night at 11:30 pm in a blizzard 150 miles away from home. Anyway, happy new used truck, you will love it!