Me and a 03

Hello, just joined up here. Picked up a 03 taco, slushy box (picked a automatic for a distinctive reason on this truck)

Going through what probably most of us go through buying used, such as....changing fluids that have been carelessly forgotten about (oil, coolant, etc)....in my "let's bring it back to par standards" when I changed the coolant, something (pretty much whatever was holding the radiator/ATF cooler tank together) let go and I got the added joys of getting coolant in the Trans (ALL BAD!!) and ATF into the engine cooling system (ALL BAD!!)....replaced radiator, flushed it out, replaced with new coolant.....transmission, tried replacing fluid and well....it worked for a few hours before everything inside gave me the "your number one!" Flip off and quit.....so out for a rebuild it went. Sigh. Oh well.....it got fixed and life is moving on. I have a couple other minor issues, but it's getting there. The seller, let's just say he was real good at painting a far better picture than reality turned out to be. It's ok though, I'll get her up to standards. Oh and Te tires that WERE on it....turned out to be FAR larger than it originally called for. (Standard is a 205/75/15 I guess...it had 235's on it....killing gas mileage....and they also were no good.....got some nice BFG advantage tires on there now and mileage has significantly increased)

The distinct reason I chose a auto is I drive nearly 200 miles a day in a lot of mixed traffic, various loads. So there won't be a lot of heavy mods, no extreme lowering or anything.

 

Welcome to the club Jimmie!Nice truck!You've been through a lot already with it and hopefully it pays you back and treats you good!

 

I hope so!! I had a Mazda b3000 before this that I it a TON of work into (upgraded seats, stereo, a bazillion parts for maintaining it that would go down (battery and alternator went out within 3 days of each other to name a few, p/s pump, had the entire AC system replaced, along with a new clutch and all internal in that one...all told on the Mazda, I was near 7 grand into and had a nice new steering rack that was going to be installed (last item it needed actually to be 100%)).....and some lady decided she didn't like how straight my frame was and rearranged that truck into a spaghetti noodle (she ran a light at 60+ mph and creamed my beloved little Mazda (no license, shouldn't have been driving, not her car...list goes on....I am looking at a forever and 2 days to get anything back on that deal)....and she is ditching her responsibilities and not answering her phone or mail or anything....I haven't heard a word from insurance yet (been over a month and a half since I reported the claim.....I've never been in a accident in my life, so this is all new to me.


I had a 94 Camry YEARS ago, told my dad that was Toyota one chance to make me a believer (paid $450 for it and to say it was a beater is being kind)...I literally hammered on that poor car (never changed the oil, when the oil light would come on, I would simply pour another quart in it)....at 389,xxx miles I came out and someone had actually stolen that car. Had to laugh at that one but it was a trooper that car. So went it came down to getting another truck....I said nothing less THAN a Toyota and here we are.

 

Good luck!Hopefully the tides will turn for the better now!

 

Well, still have a couple issues dealing with (like 3 little nipple looking things on top the intake, 2 are capped off, one is open but no line going from it to anywhere....keep trying to look for a manual or a diagram but the FSM link here appears to be dead due to removal) and a weird steering issue I haven't figured out yet....steering seems like it may be hanging up on return to center....possibly a brake caliper holding it because I had a totally wasted rotor and a destroyed dust boot on the drivers side. Knowing me, I'll replace both sides entirely.

It's getting there, little by little. Next week gets a new windshield and tinted windows.. It's bleeding hot in AZ!! Like walking straight into a oven

 

Remember to post questions or look for info in the 1st gen.section of the TW forum!A overwhelming amount of help and knowledge available!

 

Welcome to TW. Good luck with fixing the truck up; hopefully it'll run just as good as if not better than your beater Camry (hopefully you'll take care of the taco a bit more though )

 

I am looking through the threads. I try to search to find relative stuff before making a thread that may already be answered.

 

That poor Camry didnt get stolen, it ran away to find a better home lol

 

Yeah, my care/maintenance world has changed a little (LOT) since then.

Amazingly, once I started to do some real cleaning on the Camry, it was turning out be a better than I originally thought car (still had a hundred issues, but it never quit on me, had no CEL, and that AC would freeze you out).

 

Actually found it like a year later (this would be about 5 years ago now)....I had the title, called the cops...and when he asked what I wanted to do....I slipped the title in between the window frame....and let it go. I got my money worth out of it. Lol