What have you done to your Tacoma today? 1st Gen Edition

I'm gonna try and get them done before I hit 140K on her. Plus a new tranny filter and oil cooler is gonna be installed sooner or later.

Good luck. Big topic on that earlier on this trend.

 

That's what I did. Save that for gas money.

 

Yea im sure, lbj’s are always popping in and out of this thread. I don’t have the time to always keep up with it

Free to rent at auto zone, just requires a deposit

 

From reading/research etc. The inner/outer tie rods don’t look very hard to do either.

Any comments? (Other than ill need an alignment after)

 

I thought and read the same thing about the stock control separating from the spindle with just a few blows with a 4lb maul until it didn't work for me. Luckily I was prepared w/a 4 1/2" angle grinder and had to cut the bitch of a bolt off in order to separate the two. Better to be over prepared.

 

Common problem. Take it out and wash in soapy water.

 

Yea I suppose ill rent one because ill have to stop for blue lock tight anyways

 

Before 140K? Nice. I was at about 171K and the fluids were all original, according to how they looked and my service records.

 

Plan on buying at least one new tie-rod end.

Hammer method to deform the tappered hole and release the tre didnt work for me. Also, the castle nut is too soft, so dont try threading it on and hitting it. I ruined my TRE by trying that.

Grab a pitman arm/tre puller and a ball joint separator pickle fork to make life easy.

 

It's not stuck, it's fully retracted. It won't go back into the mechanism. If I pull or push on the belt nothing happens.

 

Or play in the steering rack. Pull the driver side rack boot back then shake and observe the rack shaft and inner tie rod.

You need to understand that the normal state of the LBJ is in tension. No amount of shaking or prying will show play in the joint if it is already under tension. The tension must first be relieved. The wheel should be off and the lower control arm jacked up to as near to "ride height" as possible. Only then can a pry bar between the LBJ and the spindle show the actual play. Keep in mind that the (OEM type) upper control arm bushings themselves are capable of placing tension on the LBJ if the test is done with the suspension in "droop", below normal ride height. The upper control arm pivot bolt is intended to be tightened at "ride height" so at any droop below ride height the UCA bushings can be putting the LBJ in tension.

See above, even the FSM fails to note the torsional effect of the upper control arm bushings on the LBJ and essentially says to check at full droop, fail.

 

New rubber + New kicks!
Sadly, won't have them installed till Friday

 

Def get the puller, it'll make sure its an hour job for both sides.

 

Anyone have ideas on what the length is from the air box to the driver side knee panel is? I'm trying to put in a order for aux electrical panel, but I'm out of town so I don't have access to my truck?

 

So finished the lbjs but still have small side to side play in the tire??

Outer tie rod looked fine, not too sure about inner or what else it could be

 

Doesn't have up and down play

 

Did your tie rods have some rigidity to it when you let it go? I.E. was there slop in it and once you let go of it did it drop down without any resistance

 

Yea once the outer was hit out they kinda flopped down

 

It's probably shot then, my are the same. I let go and it went down right after that. Will be replaced during Christmas break

 

Yea probably, ill replace relatively soon as well.

When the outer was detached I checked the inner for wiggle though and seemed to be “okay”... just may be a bit worn out

Theres no harm in driving with them with a small amount of play is there?

Not like having lower ball joint failure etc