Maintenance/Oil Changes

I just bought a 98 Tacoma with 166,000 miles on it. I don't know how to do anything but put gas in my vehicles, and check the oil and tire pressure. I've read in this forum that going to the dealership for service/maintenance isn't the most cost effective way to go. I've also read that synthetic oil is the best choice for my little truck. Does anyone use places like Oil Can Henry's, or Jiffy Lube for routine oil changes? How often do you change the oil on a vehicle this age with high miles that is only used for hauling things (200 miles a month)?

The truck didn't come with any manuals, etc. so I'm learning as I go. Need to find an honest Toyota mechanic. So easy for us girls to get ripped off.

 

check out the stickies for 1st gen tacoma, lots of great info on maintenance. It's a truck so a lot of the maintenance is easy for DIY. Try to find a local trust worthy local mechanic if you feel you can't maintain your Taco

https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/1st-gen-tacomas-1995-2004.4/

 

Hello and welcome to TW. In the drop down menu above there is a mods and tutorials section with step by step, detailed procedures which are very helpful. This forum has threads with answers for everything.
Mike

 

To be honest with you, I wouldn't suggest taking your Tacoma in to jiffy lube or any of those quick oil change locations. Half the time there are teenage workers behind the scenes changing your oil. Not to mention, they LOVE to over tighten your drain plug. Depending on your situation, try changing it yourself. It's not that hard and ensures the job was performed correctly. If you're in an area where that isn't suitable, look for a local garage. Many local shops are composed of honest individuals who have experienced techs working on your ride. I recommend changing conventional motor oil around 5,000 miles. Synthetic oil can last around 7,500-9,000 miles before needing to be changed.

 

I have a 2006 TRD Sport Prerunner 4.0 V6 with 145,000 miles on her. I started using the Mobile synthetic 0w30. The 0 in the 0w30 (in real basic terms) means that the oil doesn't have to heat up to certain temp before it reaches its best viscosity (the factor that helps lube everything up). Changing your own oil is not very hard at all, there are several youtube videas that show you step by step. I usually put a piece of cheap plastic tarp, park my truck on it when I do mine. The $3 is a life saver if you happen to spill some oil. I changed mine last weekend, I got a 5 quart bottle of 0W30 from wal-mart for under $30 and a Bosch platinum long range filter for around $7. But you can still use the quick change places just tell them which oil you prefer. But for those items it will probably cost you well over $60 at those places. As far as how often, I try to stick to the 3,000 mile rule. But I am one of the over cautious peeps because I never plan on selling this truck and spending a little extra now always pays off later

Hope that helps.

-- edit --
previous poster was right about the over tightening, they strip plugs and pans alot.

 

go by your local autoparts store and pick up a haynes manual on your vehicle. study it. you should at least learn the basics like an oil and filter change and brake change. or even how to change a tire.

read it as much as you can but without prior mechanical knowledge, don't attempt any repairs really beyond that level of difficulty.

 

I don't follow? What do you mean? 0W30 will start flowing through the engine at cold temps faster lubricating the engine faster than 5w30. Maybe I didn't phrase that correctly. In the end 0W30 in all conditions will get oil to through the motor quicker. It does not have to warm up to flow.

 

going by miles you could be ok with once a year with synthetic oil. 200x12=2400 so not bad on miles but oil(even synthetic) does degrade over time.
depending where you live pre-summer and pre-winter is a better idea; more often wont hurt anything and $60 twice a year for oil change is money well spent IMO.
also the K&N oil filter

$16 hp-1002 K&N premium oil filter: protects your engine: compatible with select FORD/LINCOLN/TOYOTA/VOLKSWAGEN vehicle models (see product description for full list of compatible vehicles), HP-1002

hp-1002 is a big help if you change it yourself. the 1'' nut on the end means you don't have to be hercules to get the filter off next time.

toyota recommended interval is every 5000 miles or 3-5 mo.
thats for regular oil and synthetic is supposed to be ok for 15-20% more miles/time.

edit;...hp-1002 is for the 3.4l v6.

 

I wasnt talking to you?

 

I would think there would be a Toyota Person close to the OP that could help or recommend a good shop.

Tell us where you are??

Finding a Good shop is very hard . So few take no pride in there work

As to the quickie oil change places no doubt some are very well managed but the horror stories in general tend to keep the more knowing people away .

 

Goofy lube is capable of doing a good job, but you may want to check your oil level and look for leaks before you leave. I am not saying they are all idiots, but their employees are usually kids who are not very well paid to begin with.

 

Finding an honest independent mechanic is the first thing that any vehicle owner who is not into DIY should do. It may take a bit of effort, but it's not really that hard.

OP There is nothing excessively quirky or unusual about your truck, so you don't really have to have a 'Toyota guy' as a mechanic. Good shops have online services like AllData that will help guide them through anything they might not be familiar with, should that arise.

If you are interested in DIY, basic tools and workspace are in order. As well as some mechanically savvy friends who can look over your shoulder with a little coaching as you learn/experience new things. I'm speaking of actually mechanically savvy here, not just some goofball whose knowledge is limited to plastidip, big tires and cheap lifts.

There are lots of you tube videos and internet forum readings that will help you learn and understand procedures, then decide if it's something you want to attempt or not.

Have fun. Be safe. Enjoy the truck!

 

Funny you say that the two shops here in my little town both told me" you need a new ignition switch "

Your key does not come out!!

Your battery does not hold a charge either we needed to boost it to start it !! After we parked it outside and could not get the key out.

 

A big THANK YOU to everyone who responded to my post. I live in Portland Oregon and due to some health problems I probably won't be crawling around under my truck (in this lifetime at least). I retired recently and now have the time to try lots of DIY projects, but I limit myself to one's where I can't do much damage when I mess up. LOL! I am glad to hear that this is not a complicated vehicle to work on. I also have a Subaru so I took my Tacoma to my Subaru mechanic to see why my left turn signal was working sporadically, or if I held it down lightly. He told me on the phone it was probably something simple so I took it way across town to have him fix it. Two days later he called to say it was something wrong with a switch in the steering column and wanted $400 to fix it. For that amount I can hold it lightly until I find someone else to work on it. Just thought maybe routine stuff could be done closer by. Think I'll look for a "Japanese Auto" shop for both vehicles. Thanks again for all the info!

 

I work in an independent oil change and preventative maintenance shop locally. Definitely, at all costs avoid Jiffy Lubes and other large quick lube chains. Not all are bad, obviously, but there are lots of horror stories. If you have to go with those guys, look into Pro-Lubes or Valvoline Instant Oil Change shops, those companies still have pretty high crew training standards last time I looked into them.
Places like Walmart and Costco service centers wont even change your oil filter if you bring the truck in unless you nag on them about it. And if they do, they typically use some cheap chinese, knockoff, or extremely low quality filter like the Orange Can of Death. (Fram)
Your best bet for filters are obviously Toyota OEM which are made by Denso, Purolator Pure 1, Wix/Napa Gold, Mobil 1, Bosch, Pennzoil Platinum HPZ, or K&N. Those filters tend to get a little spendy, but a few of them filter up to 99% micro particles and can be used for extended drains or 2 oil change intervals.

 

Hopefully, your truck came with the owners manual, typically in the glove box. That will tell you the maintenance intervals, oil type and spark plugs to use. Ignore advice from guys who do own different brands and/or generations of trucks. Those usually have different requirements. OEM (ie - factory toyota) is always the best, but most expensive.

I do my own maintenance, but I always get the oil, oil filter and spark plugs from the dealer. For those items, at least, the cost is about the same.

If you have any males in your life that know anything about cars, have them go with you when you take it to a shop for diagnosis or maintenance.