Stockpile Maintenance Parts?

My 13 Tacoma has 120K on it and I'd like to keep it until I'm legally unable to operate a motor vehicle. With the current struggle getting much of anything what parts do you think are worth sourcing now? What do you guys think, if anything, should be in a box in the garage now as opposed to hunting for it down the road? PFA

 

You should maintain it
parts belong installed on the vehicle, not sitting on a shelf

there is not increased demand for Tacoma repair parts, because people do not have them worked on
you're probably due for rear axle seals, among other things.

 

I guess I didn't make sense. I continue to maintain the truck as needed. And I'll continue to do so. But is there anything I should get now so I have it on hand for the future is what I was getting at. I have Diff and engine oil stuff on stand-by. Just didn't know if I should get a water pump and belts. That kind of stuff.

 

if you want:
-grease propshaft zerk fittings
-A/C performance. Hopefully your condenser isn't too beat up, or too many fins bent. It probably has a bunch of dirt that could use rinsing off
-replace center propshaft carrier bearing holder
-brakes if needed
-suspension ball joints and bushings if needed
-various bushings if needed, such as radiator support mount, steering rack bushings, body/cab mount bushings
-frame possibly cleaned and protective treatment
-possibly wheel bearings
-certain seals if they are leaking or will soon leak, such as rear axle seals
-inspect condition of rear brake drum internals
-verify alignment and good tire wear
-have all fluids in good condition
-maybe clean and lube door door hinges
-spark plugs
-filters
-maybe some lock lubricant in key cylinders
-maybe replace front accessory drive stuff such as belt, pulleys, idlers, tensioner, water pump, thermostat
-verify fan/clutch (engine cooling) working properly
-maybe replace or upgrade radiator before it fails from a plastic end tank crack/leak going brittle from age/heat
-see if CV boots need replacement or upgrade
-some people do cam gear mod
-A/C drain mod
-might be better alternator/charging, battery, and wiring systems out there
-slip yoke grease
-tie rods, sway bar end links. Not sure if steering rack or pump should be replaced pre-emptively. Probably not.
-possible drivetrain mounts upgrade
-some other stuff is kinda mods, kinda maintenance, depending on how you look at it. Like re-shape/cut/weld downpipes bend for higher clearance

I mean really there's gonna be stuff you can see by eye under the truck like bushings
and stuff you can't, like things buried within the dashboard
that is either gonna be a problem you need to diagnose, making it necessary to do that, like a bad module
or knock on wood, you'll never have one go bad

with shops, sometimes if they specialize in that vehicle, they know what to look for
Or, they just give it a basic lookaround and so long as that's fine, they focus on either A) doing the service you brought it in for or B) diagnosing specifically the issue you brought it to them to fix
There is also a TSB catalog if you can figure out a way to gain access to it, if you're bored and feel like reading something.
Not every TSB will apply to the vehicle. It's just a list of what "can" happen to the model to help a mechanic diagnose the issue by looking through the TSB's (list of possible issues known to manufacturer) first before coming up with his own theory of what the issue may be.
This might also get you up to speed on what can go wrong with the truck.
It might not.
Say you have an '09 and find a TSB that states '07 had a problem and after that the part design was upgraded in production. That obviously would not be applicable to your truck then.

Weird thing with Toyota is that a lot of this stuff may have already failed on other cars but may still run strong on the truck.
Just think about the average car owner. They don't know as much as you do. Yet they still get by just fine.
You probably know what a zerk fitting is. They don't.
And they keep driving everyday. Until they see a fluid leak, smell something burning, hear a weird noise, or have a check engine light. Then they bring it to a mechanic.

Usually people buy a second beat up car "for parts" as a spare to keep at home, if they have some collector 1980's car or something they still drive
that has parts no longer made. So what they need, they just pull of their donor car. Fortunately, 2nd gen Taco is not within that realm.
Or professional race teams will bring with them a lot of spare parts to keep the racecar performing if there are any issues, to win the race where every second matters

"if it ain't broke, don't fix it"

 

No guarantees I guess, but I think you're being overly paranoid here. Some of the supply chain & inflation issues in part end up becoming a self fulfilling prophecy due to thoughts/actions like this by folks, and in the end leaving nothing more than higher prices and a stockpile of unused stuff sitting around.

 

the only things I have seen now as shortage and inflated price is toilet paper (was) and ammunition (current)
there may be more
ammunition because of peoples paranoia about politics and COVID, and less workers working (half sent home as precaution to "stop the spread") in addition to places just simply happy to price gouge

which happens because a lot of people want ammunition. And a lot of people want(ed) toilet paper.

Not a lot of people have Tacomas. Even less of those Tacomas break. And even less of those people actually take care of their Tacomas.
Meaning the supply of parts for it is probably not stressed. And still plenty parts in stock.
When COVID happened nobody shit their pants and said "hold on, before I hoard all this toilet paper, even more important is to change my trans fluid" aka spend money
in a time when people were paranoid about spending lots of money (financial insecurity)
toilet paper on the other hand is not $300+
a trans service is, on a good day

 

Thank you for the comprehensive list!

I never considered the radiator housing (plastic area) degrading but that for sure makes sense to look out for! The cam gear upgrade I just started looking into yesterday. Less needless high rpm's and potential for better mpg's sounds nice.

I love having a project and I've learned a ton working on this truck. Again thanks for the helpful reply.

 

Yeah probably overthinking it. But I do that. It's such an odd time man. My friends are having a tough time getting ammo still. I've never had a problem. Academy Sports you just show up 15 min before they open on Mon or Wed and odds are good you can get what you want without mark-up. I shoot and run training a lot so I'm glad this hasn't been a big issue. I miss free ammo from my Govt days though!

 

on one side, maybe you don't need to replace the radiator
maybe it's reliable
I don't know how much heat it gets to make those end tanks brittle. The fan is pretty strong. And there's lots of room in the engine bay.
Usually it's cars with weaker fans and smaller tight engine bays that keep heat inside, that make parts more brittle.
On the other side, the Taco may be far out on a trail somewhere. Vs a Civic just so happening to break down while passing Autozone.

It's cheap. Not a full metal radiator. But plastic on the sides that hold the coolant. After 140k that can spring a leak on any car.
I've never heard of it happening on a Tacoma. If it does, I bet the repair and diagnosis is simple, cheap, and easy.
Simply find the leak, order the $50 part on RockAuto, and install.
Some people do that before it leaks. Others wait until it does leak.
Mine is fine, so I'm lazy and forget. RockAuto has like 4 versions and I haven't figured out which is the right one.
As opposed to if it started leaking and lit a fire under my ass, it would force me to figure out which is the right one to order real quick.
No idea if it will last 200k or more. Kind of a roll of the dice at that point.
But usually, it's the same across the vehicle.
Like if everyone has X brand X model X part fail at ___ miles then it'll be common knowledge
Like BMW E36 M3. I've heard that by now, their shifter detents need replacement, causing the shifter to sit crooked. I bet everyone with that car knows about it, has done it, wants to, or will.
But your radiator. If you've never heard of one leaking, then it's probably fine.

However, forum knowledge is not the same as professional knowledge.
If you were a Toyota mechanic for example, seeing Tacomas day in day out, seeing what fails, when (year, miles) and why it fails, that would build a better idea in your mind of what the problem areas are
(every car has them, Toyota is no exception)

If you change cam gears that is an opportunity to do valve cover gaskets and possibly more while you're in there

 

Yeah the radiator thing is interesting to consider. I like going over stuff like this in my head because when I'm working on the truck I'll remember this and give it a look. Before the Tacoma I had a VW R32 I did a ton of work to. I remember upgrading the entire coolant system was very beneficial. And the 2008 parts were in good shape for the most part. I'm not stressed about the radiator but good to check the plastic parts.

For sure hands-on is never replaced by theory. That's one reason this forum is so great. You can get feedback in real time on pretty much anything.

 

Overthinker, eh? Welcome to the club! Better to be thinking than not...although there are times where just turning my brain off would probably better serve me than keeping it on.

But I know what you mean, weird times indeed.

 

Yeah we rotate a pantry of food every 6 months, run generators every 3 months and cycle stored marine fuel every 4 months. I feel like they're good habits that are not too overreaching. I agree, turning that part of the brain off would be great for a minute! Just can't do it. I just try to balance being prepared with living a happy healthy life.