AdventureTaco - turbodb's build and adventures

Only the house battery died. What made you think it was both? (I'd like to clarify that in the story so others don't get confused.)

 

It was why also questioned the ML-ACR not isolating the batteries. Understand now the engine battery charged back up. I think your writeup is clear I read it wrong. Do you run the mod to increase the charge voltage? Supposed to keep AGMs in better condition. Nobody has figured it out on the 3rd gen yet. Your write-ups are top notch.

 

AGM type batteries perform best and like a charging voltage higher than 14.2-14.3. Ideal is 14.6-14.7.

You might want to consider a dc to dc specific system for your setup to ensure your AGMs stay healthy and fully charged.

 

OK, thanks for re-reading, glad it's clear.

1st gens it turns out don't do the wonky alternator limiting for fuel efficiency that the newer gens do, so I get a good 14.6 out of my stock alternator, which is great for these batteries - so no voltage increase mod for me. Though, I might go with the 105A alt that some folks have started putting in 1st gens as a direct replacement for my ~80A.

OK, I have a question about this Mike (for folks like Glenn) - since the 3rd gen alt doesn't do a good job of charging at a high enough voltage, do you think a DC-DC charging system in the truck is necessary to keep the batteries in good condition, OR would following a reasonably rigorous CTek charging/conditioning regimen like you do - monthly I think you said to me - be good enough to keep them healthy?

...now that I have a CTek myself, I'm planning to do the monthly thing in addition to our "high voltage" alternators.

 

@mini.turbodb Steals the Tacoma for a Seattle Safari
The day started off like so many others in the last several weeks - we woke up in our own beds. We didn't wake up early... or late, it was just the normal time. And, we knew - or at least, I thought we knew - what we were going to do today: like the days before, we were going to shelter in place!

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Now, that wasn't all bad. See, yesterday @mini.turbdb and I had - unless you talk to her, in which case she would say she had - made up a batch of cinnamon rolls, which we were going to have for breakfast. And that's not a normal Monday morning breakfast - at least around here.

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A day started with dessert is a day started off right.​

Also a bit out of the ordinary - at least recently - the weather here was splendtaculicous. Blue skies, crisp but not cold. The kind of thing where, if we'd been out exploring, it would have been shorts, t-shirts, and smiles all around.

Like a brick hitting me in the head - but in a good way - I realized that today was the perfect day for an adventure. An adventure of the shelter-in-place variety. Because at least where we are, walks around the neighborhood are still recommended - and anyone who's ever read one of my trip reports knows that we're generally walking around outside the trucks - to take photos - way more than we're driving.

As one does, I got the truck ready for a day on the town. Well, not the town - we couldn't go that far. A day on the neighborhood. One might even say,

With the spare tire mounted and a single jerry can on the tailgate - because seriously, would we need two?! - we set off. Oh, and we had the Trasharoo - since that's where we always keep a pack of disinfecting wipes, which we need now more than ever. #WashYourHands

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Today's responsible citylander limits social interactions at fuel stations.​

The trip unplanned, we had no GPS route to follow and decided to play each fork in the road by ear - hoping we didn't get lost along the way; knowing we probably would. Confident in the fact that if we did, we could probably roll down the windows and ask for help.

@mini.turbodb behind the wheel, we made a right turn where we usually turn left. Because adventure. And new driver.

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Soon, we realized that with one turn, we'd chosen the most treacherous route possible - a water feature, rare for this area, staring us in the face - daring us to proceed. Knowing how sketchy this really was, I made @mrs.turbodb get out of the truck while I carefully picked my line and cautiously made my way through.

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I nearly drowned.​

Happy to be alive, it turned out that we weren't out of the literal woods yet. We all stared forward - through the windshield - and out of nowhere, @mini.turbodb exclaimed, "Oh my god, look at all the broken glass!"

She'd just noticed that the windshield had several cracks in it. The most recent was nearly a year old. Guess that's how life is as a nine year old.

Anyway, as I was saying, we weren't out of the woods yet. Somehow, we'd have to figure this out. @mini.turbodb spotted us from outside the truck so as to "not die." Her words, not mine.

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In up to our front tires in woods.​

We never made it through the woods, ultimately having to back up a good tenth of a half of a quarter mile - ok fine, 15 feet - on treacherous, level, gravel parking area, to choose a different route.

Looking for a bit less excitement after our two nail-biting-but-we-can't-touch-our-faces brushes with disaster, we came across a welcome sign not much further down the road. Clearly, this was going to be more our speed.

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Sounds peaceful.​

In fact, the greenway turned into one of the most colorful 300-400 feet of the entire advexpedition. It was garbage day, so cans of all different colors - if "all" includes only black, blue and green - lined the street. It was literally colors of Christmas - except without red, but with black and blue.

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Plenty of places to empty the Trasharoo... if we'd wanted to touch anything outside our own home.​

We toiled along, slowly, having failed to air down at the beginning of our excursion. If we had, the uneven surface of the road might have been less daunting. I was - at the very least - glad to have the upgraded suspension as we weathered the bumps we encountered.

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Getting flexy, that truck is sexy.​

Of course - as always seems to be the case - what seems bad at first is often the easiest part of any trail. Soon, the road got so bad that the local authorities had closed it off and were forcing everyone onto a reroute. We were lucky to arrive when there was no other traffic - if there had been, I might have had to spend time editing out their plates.

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Throwing caution to the wind, we rolled on - now a good several blocks from our original departure point. And the question on your mind right now is likely the same that was on ours - would we have enough fuel?!?

Only time would tell - we were clearly getting lower.

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The reason we carry a jerry can.​

Before long, we found ourselves cresting a a nearby hill and driving under a pedestrian overpass. It was unremarkable by any measure, and yet clearly a highlight of our perilous journey.

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Unremarkable.​

The overpass, while totally unremarkable, did provide us with a bit of contrast for the next leg of the trip. Not long after the overpass, we came upon a partial view of the lake.

On anything except a real estate listing - where it would be sold as "expansive," or, "steps from the shore" - this view would be considered completely underwhelming. But, when compared to the pedestrian walkway... it was only just... underwhelming.

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1,452 steps from the shore.​

And all that water wasn't just confined to the lake. As we made yet another right hand turn - in addition to feeling as though we might just be driving in circles - we noticed a seriously muddy spot that could cause all kinds of trouble for adventurers less prepared than ourselves. Still without any type of traction board, I was glad to have a shovel in the back of the truck. Luckily for us, we were able to stay to the right - on the pavement - to avoid the muddy section.

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Traction board reality check.​

Having narrowly avoided the need to call for a recovery team - which would have really thrown a wrench into things given our desire to remain self-reliant and socially distant from everyone around us, we continued south until we came upon what I can only describe as an abandoned vehicle. Likely what had happened was that some adventurer with a similar idea to ours had gotten themselves in a little over their head. Unable to drum up a rescue team - or perhaps not wanting to put others at risk, given the situation across the nation at the time - they'd likely hiked their way back to civilization. A quick check revealed it had been abandoned for a week or two, and they'd appeared to have taken all of their belongings with them - we could find no personal affects anywhere.

I looked at @mini.turbodb and we both knew that the least we could do was get their vehicle back to safety so that they could retrieve it later. So @mini.turbodb climbed in, and I pulled from the Tacoma. Eventually, we had them cleared from the road and out of the way of any other traffic that might happen through the area.

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No longer blocking a parking spot.​

Having spent the better part of seven minutes on our rescue and road clearing, we realized we should have been keeping a better eye on our fuel levels. We'd been getting lower before, so it only makes sense that we'd be lower now. We took another look at the fuel gauge and confirmed our suspicions before making sure we wouldn't run dry.

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If there'd been fuel in this jerry can, we'd have siphoned it.​

By now, everyone was getting tired. Having languished at home for the better part of three weeks prior to our expedition, spending a day in sunlight was more than enough excitement to overwhelm even the laziest of explorers. Throw in the mud, unremarkable views, and a continuous series of right hand turns and it was a recipe for exhaustion.

We decided we'd better head towards home before our luck ran out. Via right hand turns, of course.

As one does, we continued to stop along the way - we weren't sure if we'd ever pass this way again, so photos were a must. And the views, well - these are the ones you pay the big bucks for with real estate in Seattle. I give you, the clearest view of the Space Needle we could muster.

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Squint and you'll see it.​

Eventually we covered the three blocks or so back to the house - and, to our delight and relief - without running out of fuel! As we pulled into the garage, we realized we needn't have gone far in search of spring splendor - the color had been staring us right in the face all this time, peeking out from every nook and cranny. We'd been ignoring - or perhaps procrastinating - these little bastards for weeks.

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It had been quest like no other. An exercise in exploration. A thrill for all involved. Next time - perhaps - we'll venture elsewhere. With - shhhh - left hand turns.

Thanks for reading!

 

Yes, definitely, on 2nd and 3rd gens.

A ctek type of system like you and I are using is effective because our batteries regularly get more than 14.2v and sporadically higher than that. When an AGM type predominantly only sees 13.8v (at best), it will effect the health of that battery long term. Recall, I am certainly not an expert in these things, only regurgitating things I've read. There is plenty of written documentation on the topic for those that take the time to do the research.

It is important to note that a dc to dc system is not an ml-acr, meaning, the batteries cannot be force linked for winching or self recovery when a dc-dc system is used.

 

I think the sensor circuit (since 2nd and 3rd gens have ECU controlled alts) modification to make the output increase is probably the easiest. People that do it have no issue getting into the high 14v ranges. The alt is entirely capable, the ECU just keeps production rather low if it can to be less of a draw. I'll go recede back into the shadows now.

 

Can the DC to DC system be used in conjunction with my ML-ACR? I have just started reading about them and just not sure.

I have not found any information on modifying the 3rd gen. The 2nd gen is easy as there is a Alt Sen fuse and that is where the modification is placed to fool the ECU. If you have found a link on the 3rd gen please share, the DC to DC solution is $$. I have been using a conditioner on my batteries but still think it is not enough.

 

I think not based on what I've read. It is one or the other as near as I can tell.

There are some very smart dudes in this thread that can probably answer this question. IIRC, a couple have made the switch from ml-acr to dc-dc.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ts-see-them-multiple-batteries-thread.295653/

 

I've read some posts on some different forums of people running a ML-ACR switch for jumping on a separate positive line between the batteries strictly for self jumping and always off the rest of the time. Redarc has also has the SBI12 for self jumping that also has to get wired on a separate power line between the batteries. I dont believe there is anything like the alt-s fuse for 3rd gens since its ECU controlled, at least not that I've found yet.

 

Thanks for the thread. This is a good read on ML-ACR

 

The 3rd gen has a sense line, nobody can identify what line it is. I have spent sometime looking at the wiring for the ECM and think I have it narrowed to two lines. More research necessary. One of the main reasons I have two batteries was to power the winch when needed. All the configurations I see with a DC to DC charger is only charging one AGM and that wont work for me. I need to figure out how to fool the ECM into increasing the voltage and keep using the ACR.

 

Replacing ADS Spherical Bearings, Again
It seems like just a few weeks ago that I replaced the spherical bearings on my ADS coilovers for the first time, though it turns out, it was actually a few (4) months ago. Prior to that, I'd put some 27K miles on the new ADS suspension (see installation) - miles that really proved to me that it was a worthwhile investment.

Unfortunately, on our last trip down to the Eastern Mojave, the coilovers had been squeaking again. Well, really they'd been squeaking before we even left - but with only 7K miles on the odometer since the previous change, hoped it was just the springs squeaking as they compressed and extended. By the time we got back, another 2500 miles behind us, I knew that wasn't it - the sound was coming from the bearings - again.

Now - a regular reader may recall that last time when I did this job, it wasn't just the spherical bearings that needed replacement, it was also the misalignment spacers and lower shock bolts - the spherical bearings being so worn that they'd caused the other components to fail as well.

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I learned last time - procrastination can be costly.​

Not wanting the same thing to happen this time, I set about the familiar process of removing the front suspension so I could press out the worn bearings. More details on that are available in my first replacement, and I was happy to see that this time none of the retaining clips had broken, allowing easier access to the spent bearings using my Channellock 927 8-inch snap ring pliers.

A bit of press work, and the first side was disassembled. I took some time to inspect the hardware.

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There are a few things worth noting here:

1. The spherical bearing is clearly shot. Check out the filaments that are seemingly escaping from between the race and the ball. Interesting, no? Note: more on this later.
2. The misalignment spacers are in much better condition than the last time I did the job, but you can see what looks to be a bit of wear on the interior surfaces. I couldn't feel any irregularities however, and I believe that some of what we see there is actually mineral residue from water that evaporated after I washed the truck.
3. The bolts are in better shape, but you can definitely see where the misalignment spacers were seated on the bolts, with a bright line around the circumference of the shaft, where the spacers don't quite touch as they are inserted into the ball.

As one does - despite the expense of the shocks - I cheaped out decided to save a whopping $21 and re-use the misalignment spacers, lower bolt, and clips rather than replacing them with new. I set about pressing the new spherical bearings into the races - an easy job with the .

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From there, I was able to reasonably easily re-mount the shocks - a process that I've grown to loath due to the inconvenient top-of-the-frame mounting location for the remote reservoirs - and wash a significant amount of mud off the inside of the wheels (left over from the Mojave trip and messing with my wheel balance at 65mph), before getting them remounted and eventually torqued.

Torque specs - for anyone interested - on this job are:

• Three (3) nuts on the shock top hat: 47 ft-lbs
• Lower shock mount bolt: 101 ft-lbs
• Wheel lug nuts: 89 ft-lbs

With everything put back together and ready for the next adventure - whenever that may be given these crazy times (!) - I found myself wanting to understand how these spherical bearings worked (at least a little better) since they seemed to last... not a long time.

Why do these things fail so quickly?

Onto the interwebs I travelled, precious little data available on the expected lifetime of these little buggers. In the end, info was so sparse that it's hard to even link to a few good sources, but here's a diagram I put together with what seem to be the important bullet points.

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So, the key to the lifetime of a spherical bearing - at least one with a "T" designation, such as COM10T - is keeping the Teflon liner in good shape. As long as it is functioning, you'll have a quiet joint that's working as designed. However, as soon as that fabric/liner starts to get chewed up - usually from mud or muddy water introduced via off-road conditions - the entire bearing is on borrowed time; less than a few thousand miles - at most - until it needs to be replaced. That Teflon liner is what I captured above as filaments coming out of the spherical bearing.

Now, you may say to yourself, "What?! Why do these expensive race-style shocks use such a temperamental part?" The answer is right there in the question: because these are expensive, race-style shocks. These ADS shocks - but also King's, Icon's, Fox's, etc. - anything with spherical bearings at the lower mount - were originally designed for use by high performance race trucks. On those trucks, teardowns and rebuilds - especially of the suspension - are a regular maintenance item that takes place after every race. Every few hundred - or a thousand - miles at most. The two goals of these shocks are performance and rebuildability.

By design then, the spherical bearing does a great job of allowing really good articulation and tight tolerances, but at the expense of longevity if the joint gets dirty. A rebuild of the lower mount runs between $15 and $60 depending on how much of it you have to replace, and must be performed every 7K-15K miles.

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A typical spherical bearing joint rebuild kit - the bearing itself, misalignment spacers, and retaining clips.​

Compare that to OEM shocks, or mid-tier replacements (Bilstein, OME, etc.). These last longer - 30K to 60K miles - by using rubber bushings rather than steel parts, but those bushings allow for much more play in the joint and aren't rebuildable - at least, not usually or easily. Instead, replacement of the shock is necessary - running on the order of $300 or so (if you keep your existing springs) or $800 if you purchase new coilovers.

For me, with the number of miles I put on the truck, the racing shocks turn out to be cheaper in the long run. With 3 bearing replacements a year I will spend ~$100/year (and time!) keeping them in top shape (plus internal rebuilds every couple years). Compare that to rubber-bushing based shocks that I would have to replace every two years - or between $150 and $400/year. And sure, there was that initial outlay for the ADS shocks, but it wasn't all that much more than the Toytec BOSS kit that I installed a couple years earlier... and they were worn out when I removed them.

Anyway, here's a chart for the data geeks - and cheapos - like me that does a cost breakdown over time. Six years is about the break-even point, though it gets close around three years.

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How's that saying go? Buy once... cry as you keep on paying...​

 

Those front lower bearings just get subjected to so much dirt, mud and junk. I just replacemed mine again. Luckily the uppers on the front and both on the rear shocks last like 3-4x longer.

I think you should try this and see if it makes a difference - for science.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/your-unique-mod-on-the-1st-gens.118241/page-20#post-8240835

Edit: You can also get King 'wobble stoppers' off the shelf. They're really meant to prevent rotation, but they might accomplish the same thing.

 

Maybe wrap them with duct tape to keep debris out.

Slather on some vaseline or other water repelling lubricant.

Oh, just spray on some of that ceramic wax that everyone is raving about these days. I think I saw someone compare that stuff the Chuck Norris when it comes to repelling water, mud, dirt.

On a less sarcastic note, I wonder if there is something that you could....oh nevermind. It's an offroad truck and you have accepted the rebuild time. Just trying to think of ways to effectively delay rebuilds.

 

Negative. Would be hard to get a boot over the lower shock mount, and if you did, it'd just collect mudmethinks. Perhaps what Brett mentions here though in the next quote...

Hmm, now just need to find some old shocks so I can steal the bushings.

I worry that putting a bunch of grease on them will repel water but attract dirt and dust; might make the life even shorter.

Maybe just go back to OEM shocks . Nah!

 

Check out Boeshield.

 

I thinking spraying anything on those bearings will just make it worse. It's not going to help the teflon liner, and will just attract more dust and dirt.

 

Yeah my experience with spraying lub is it made it worse. Best thing is take it to a car was and high pressure wash them with water.

 

I wonder if some silicone tape wrapped around the whole assembly would do the trick. We used it for high voltage electrical insulation in the lab. It's really strong stuff as long as you stretch it good and tight.

$23 X-Treme Tape TPE-X36ZLB Silicone Rubber Self Fusing Tape, 1" x 36', Triangular, Black

https://www.amazon.com/X-Treme-Tape...&keywords=silicone+tape&qid=1588265004&sr=8-4