Finally found me a 1st Gen Tacoma so need help....

Usually when the ball joints start going bad you'll hear clunking in them when turning, and you might feel more slop than usual in your steering. But as stated above, sometimes you might not notice anything at all. 1st gen Tacomas have a shitty lower ball joint design which is why Toyota completely changed it for the 2nd gen Tacomas (and you rarely hear of them having issues with them).

The best way to know if your ball joints need to be replaced is to physically check them for play, like so...

https://www.youtube.com/embed/tqw85L_sMgE

Jack the front end up off the ground and use a pry bar to push up/down on the ball joint assembly...if you see any movement at all then they need to be replaced. There is an 'acceptable' amount of play for them according to Toyota but it is so small that you need a special tool to measure it, so if you see it with the naked eye then they are bad.

As a general rule, it's a good idea to replace them every 100k. Use OEM ones. The design is shitty so it's best not to take chances with aftermarket parts, stick with Toyota's.

My last pair of LBJ's only lasted 55k miles before they developed play in them so I replaced them with new ones. I do a lot of offroading though which puts more stress on them.

 

Real informative. I really hope you didn’t type it all out for me lol. I already knew 98% of all of that. I was just wondering if he had any warning signs because I know mine need to be replaced but they feel real tight when I shake them down. however they are OEM and the dust boots are almost gone completely which tells me they probably have 317k on them. I’m just trying to get my order of operations together for this truck. Certainly don’t want them flying apart with no warning signs. sorry to jack the thread.

 

Haha no worries I just did my LBJs last month so the topic is fresh in my mind, plus I think it's good info for anyone to know that is interested in 1st gen Tacomas.

 

All good advice in here so far. Your first step will be to check all major systems for the usual wear and tear, from there you can make a list of priorities. All the rubber items are probably starting to show their age, but beyond that it’s hard to speculate online. The job to tackle first would be changing all fluids like other members mentioned. It’s going to force you to look all thru the truck anyways, and you’ll likely learn a lot about the condition of the vehicle.

In no particular order after that: valve cover gaskets, spark plugs/wires, lower ball joints (very important as you can tell), lower control arm bushings, front coilovers/rear leafs, IAC/MAF/Throttle body cleaning, steering rack, driveline ujoints, carrier bearing, brake soft lines. That should keep you busy and your wallet light over the next few months!

 

Yea I did, hope I got a great deal, so far seems truck rides like should for truck of the age and miles

 

Just hang out on TW and watch the posts for a while. You'll get the mod bug and your wallet will become much lighter. I'm putting on new ball joints on my 99 model 3.4L with 228,000 miles this weekend along with new stainless brake lines. I found some cracks on my front left brake line that called for a replacement. Rubber starts to go after 20 years.

How are you fixed for tools?

The neat thing about Toyota is most work can be accomplished with Metric 10,12, 14 MM tools. I've found a few 17 and 19.

 

I noticed it from their YouTube video. Very clean truck

 

Congrats on a beautiful truck. I agree with what other said and is what plan to do with mine (hopefully this weekend).

Check everything over from bumper to bumper. Consider changing and fluids you and filters you don't know the life of.

Look at all wear out parts and rubber at a minimum (belts, hoses, vacuum lines, etc)

Most important though is take a step back and enjoy the moment. You got a sweet truck that it sounds like you have been wanting for some time!

Look forward to seeing what if anything you decide to undertake

~Rafe

 

Thanks!!! Yea I love the nostalgic value of 1st gen Tacoma .. seems everyone really appreciates this model

 

Yup, had an '04 for 10 years...was a great truck!
Enjoy and cheers, Jeff

 

Wish I knew a mechanic in my area that could be referred to me.. always own a Nissan and went to dealer because of warranty, and went to Toyota when I had a tundra under warranty.. but like find a mechanic that is trustworthy and knows his stuff

 

I have just average tools And I watch YouTube videos for the instructional motivation cause always looks easier watching them.. guess a torque wrench be a good investment.. n WiFi boost for when I am outside under the truck watching a video with constant playback it’s always the fear of going over a bump and falls apart and I am sitting in middle road with just steering wheel in my hand n car seat under me

 

Definitely get a torque wrench....some people don't use them but usually they have a lot of experience wrenching and can tell when something is as tight as it needs to be, but even then I would always feel better knowing something is torqued to spec and non over or under torqued.

I use a Pittsburgh 1/2" torque wrench from Harbor Freight and it's served me very well for a couple years now, you can get it for around $30 if I recall right.

There are some bolts especially on your suspension that you want to make sure are torqued to the right number. Ball joints, tie rods, leaf spring bolts, etc.

 

Except the 2nd and 3rd gen guys who seem to just be jealous that our trucks hold their value better...

 

LOL...here we go...

 

this is a service I happily provide at no charge