2005 Tacoma Base Access Cab 5-Lug RWD Manual – Ryan’s Build

On a dark and stormy night, I crashed my beloved 96 LX into the median avoiding an accident. Perhaps in shock, or no longer trusting of my faithful steed, I deemed it not worth fixing. Being it was my only vehicle, I hurriedly, and perhaps rashly, bought this 134k boring-ly silver replacement. Me thinks the suspension is shot (probably original) and the clutch is going (I surmise the same). Also, no Bluetooth (or aux input even) and no intermittent wipers? WTF, Toyota!

On the plus side, the 2nd generations’ interiors are more posh and I have like 1k cup holders! This one’s for my coffee, this one’s for my red bull, this one’s for my fancy bubbly water, this one’s for my, er, apple juice? Also, my seat belt retracts and no longer hangs out the door!

This is my journey on making an aging 2005 drive at least as well as my neglected 96. Hopefully better. I abused my beloved 96 (you “don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone!”) It handled like a car and carried like a truck. It swayed like a drunken sailor, but never fell down. Until it did.

So, here we go!

Current - March 2020


Pretty Much How I bought it - 134k miles - December 2019

Except I added the rack.

Upgrades

• Aux Input to Stock Radio (12/2019)
• TracRac TracONE Universal Truck Rack (12/2019)
• Replaced a wobbly aftermarket rear view mirror with another cheapy (12/2019)
• QA1 TS703 Shocks in Rear (1/2020) Installation
  
• 4 Leaf 4WD/X-Runner Leafs (90-297HD) (1/2020) Installation
• Intermittent Wipers – OEM 84652-04141 (1/2020) Reference / Done!
• Hellwig Rear Sway Bar HW7670 - 3/4" Diameter (1/2020) Installation
• Runner Boards – OEM PT212-35053 (1/2020) Reference / Installation
• UP-107 Mod
• Energy Suspension Sway Bar Bushings
• Cut Down TracRac
• Bilstein 4600's Upfront (3/2020)

Upgrades Postponed

• Front Suspension: Coilovers! Coilover adpater ordered. Brands and springs weights in research mode. Most likely QA1's double adjustable with 450# springs.... 3/2020: Coilover adapter was crap. Not sure what to do...

Upgrades Likely

• Clutch
  • LCE 2TR?
  • ???
• New Wheels
  • 15's
  • 16's
  • 17's
• New tires
  
• DIY "Polish" head lights, if... meh, look into "cooler" ones.
• New OEM Shackle Bushings – OEM 90389-A0003 (ran out of time...)

Upgrades Considering

• URD Short Throw Shifter
• More rugged Floor mats
• Bed mat – OEM PT580-35050-LB (I can’t see how this won’t get ripped off, though.)
• “Fancy” Brakes
• Scan Gauge thingee?
• Moving/Replacing/Getting rid of antenna (it hits the bushes/trees on my ride home…) look into "stubby"
• fog lights?
• Bed Side Rail Cap? - See and Link

Maintenance TODO

• Change Power Steering Fluid - See
• Lube Yoke (possible thud thing)

Fixes TODO

• Door fob and key intermittent? Fails more in cold weather?

Repairs Inprogress

• Replace Rack and Pinion. It's leaking :-(

Inspiration

· Ozzie - I stupidly watched some video with a young kid driving his car around the canyons raving how it handled… I...Want...That! Except mine’s an access cab and I need to haul stuff…

Reference

• Kelson
• Gerty
• 2nd Gen Lowering Info
• Officical 2nd Gen Lift/Lowering

 

Welcome to TW!

And nice truck! I have pretty much the same truck but without the extra cab space...

 

Also, I was feeling pretty much the same way about the intermittent wipers when I got my truck; My truck is a 2010, purchased new by my dad in September 2009 right after I got my learner's permit, and given to me as present...

I didn't realize my truck didn't have intermittent wipers until 2 days after we brought it home! I finally installed them in December 2016; It's one of the easiest mods to do on these trucks!

 

QA1 TS703 Shock Absorbers - Rear Installation
December 2019/January 2020

Done: Finished with the Leaf Install

In-Progress: I had one on and went to open the next box and BAM! used shock with missing parts. A-M-A-Z-O-N!!!!!! Lesson learned. Unfortunately, I had destroyed the old OEM shock because of a stuck top nut. So, with stores closing early, tomorrow being a holiday and the next day me needing a car, I quickly found some cheap aftermarkets at a local Napa store and installed those.

The positive is I will drive on the new cheapies for a week, and then install the QA1s and be able to compare them. Are expensive shocks worth it? I’m going to find out…

First One Installed... now let's do the next one... DOH!


Shock comparison for my future reference

I thought I had aligned these better, but the QA1s are a little shorter... hope that's not going to be a problem ride wise... The one installed fine...

Rear Shock Absorber Replacement Instructions

1. Block front tires
2. Spray shock fasteners with penetrating oil
3. Loosen lug nuts (21mm)
4. Lift truck
5. Put on stands
6. Remove wheel(s)
7. Remove lower fasteners (17mm)
8. Remove upper nut (14mm) (could be a problem)
9. Install new shock
10. Hand tighten upper nut
11. Hand tighten lower fasteners
12. Torque upper nut to 15# (or “snug”)
13. Put on and tighten top lock nut (if provided).
14. Put wheel back on and “snug” lug nuts
15. Lower truck
16. Bounce on back of truck a few times
17. Torque lower fasteners to 74#
18. Torque lug nuts to 85#
19. Test drive

Notes:
1. Make sure you have all the parts. Duh. Open the boxes! FYI, I got one on and opened the second box and DOH! Used with missing parts!
2. If removing stock, there’s a good chance one of the top nuts is going to give you problems. Be prepared! It might be seized. You might break the top “thingee” off the rod. Who knows! This is what will change this from being a quick and easy job, into… dammit! FYI, I broke the top “thingee” off… my solution was to cut off the plastic bootie and use T&G pliers on top of the shock “top” for grip. Other people break out the angle grinder/hack saw.

 

I didn't realize it either... until it rained. I kept searching for some way to make it work. I thought... it's got to be here... And the wipers were shot, so it was like *SCREECH* *SCREECH* *SCREECH* all the way home...

I've never heard of a modern vehicle without intermittent wipers!

And the radio... well, I thought maybe they wanted people to upgrade to a better system, but the better JBL/6-CD changer didn't have an aux input either! The I-Pod was probably at the peak of it's popularity!

 

Even the 3rd Gen Tacos don't have intermittent wipers standard! You've always had to get a bare minimum of the SR5 trim on 2nd and 3rd Gen Tacos in order to get intermittent wipers. An OEM control stalk is around $140 at the dealer and quite easy to install!

 

As for my stereo...

The Tacoma didn't get an AUX input until the 2009 model year, but unless you had the JBL system you were better off replacing it. My truck has NONE of the original stereo system left; I've got a Pioneer touch screen head unit with Apple Carplay as well as USB and AUX inputs, a Rockford Fosgate external amplifier, a JBL component speaker system, and a Kicker 8" powered subwoofer. I've even got an aftermarket backup camera! If I were you, I'd rip out your factory head unit and get a nice Pioneer or JVC double-DIN head unit to start (this way you can add a backup camera easily later on if you want one)...

 

@RyanTacoMC

Does your truck have crank windows or power windows? From what I've seen, 2nd Gen Access Cabs (even base models) with manual windows tend to be quite rare!

 

Weirdly, I think I have cruise control. Unfortunately, I'm rarely in need of it!

 

I actually have power windows... which I always thought I wouldn't like. "I love the crank windows!" Well, actually, power windows are quite nice. Even nicer, are the power mirrors! On my 96, I would be driving and look over and be like, damn, that's the side of my car... Not really helpful... What can I do? Oh, yeah, nothing. Must remember to fix that... NOT! Weirdly, "life" would randomly bring them back into "focus."

 

Soooo... have you ever thought of new wheels? I've spent, er, hours, looking at wheels and it's like... "black wouldn't stand out enough...", "silver would get lost too much...", other colors "would be trying too hard..." or my wife thinks the other colors look "cheap." And then there is size... did you go up some? What are you running?

 

Oh, it's not the complexity... It's... why do I need to pay $150+ for intermittent wipers? Grrrrr.... I know I'm going to do it... It's just been a dry-ish start to the winter... And I replaced the wiper blades so it's a little more quiet!

 

I had new wheels (which I’m still trying to sell) from October 2013 to about March 2019; They were 16” and I got rid of them primarily because they got beaten up. Also, no outlined white letter tires would fit the aftermarket wheels (235/70R16).

 

WTF? I've seriously never been in any vehicle that didn't have this! It's sort of ludicrous... It probably costs Toyota more to have two different parts than to just give people a basic feature... Hopefully, some A-Hole won't be like... "you know...we could make people pay more for... high beams!" Ba-dum-dum.

 

I must say, I've notice this dilemma! I really want white letters, too! But 16/17's... no go! On my 96, I had my wife get my last new tires, and they asked her which way the letters should be and she... said... put... them... inward!

I was bummed!

 

My aunt used to have a 1982 Mercury Lynx (rebadged Ford Escort); She sold the car and bought a brand new Saturn SL2 in 1992. This Mercury had no air-conditioning and one thing she specifically told me about in the early 2000s was that it did not have intermittent wipers. I laughed about this because every car we’d owned since 1990 had them; When I realized my brand new Taco did not have them, I immediately thought of my aunt’s shitty old Mercury hatchback!

 

Get Cooper Discoverer AT/3s in 225/70R15; They fit the factory steel wheels perfectly and give it that rugged look!

 

Also, don’t you have a friend who’s a mechanic who has their own garage? I could have my friend switch the tires the letters are facing outward!

 

Yeah, I had a beat up 96 that some a-hole broke into and stole the cheapest mp3 compatible stereo I could find at the time. The damage to the door lock was more than the friggin' stereo! Until it's demise, you still couldn't use a key in the passenger side...

I did hard wire a cheap amp under the seat and used Bluetooth to play music. cRaZy wires hanging out of the dash to discourage the unsavory...

But, this truck is much nicer... It's going to have to "look stock" for all those crack heads... unfortunately.

The stock doesn't sound so bad, though... the 2nd gen's interior are much quieter...

:-(

 

Not as easy to steal a radio from a 2nd Gen...

If anybody tried to steal my radio while my truck was parked in my driveway, I’d be outside beating their ass before they knew what hit them; The HVAC controls have to come out, and then there two screens that are really hard to get to.