What should I do to my 2002 Tacoma

Hi all,
I just bought a 2002 TRD Tacoma with 151,xxx miles. The last owner said that it basically sat for two years before being sold. I'm new to Tacomas and was hoping to get some input on what maintenance/preventative mods I should do to makes sure the truck runs to 300,000 miles. It has the V6 with a 5speed manual and a read diff locker. The truck is also completely stock.
Thanks!

 

Nice find.

Maintenance.. everything.

- when I bought mine wayback when.

- spark plugs
- oil change
- transmission oil and diff change. I have a 4wd so it was 3different, I count the transfer case as the diff
- tires - depends how good are yours
- battery
- water coolant
- power steering fluids
- fixed a couple small items - cluster lights and added Bluetooth.
- oh almost forgot timing belt

Most of the work done was done by myself except for the timing belt.

The leaf springs a year later and shocks.

Enjoy the truck. Since then all I have needed was radiator and alternator. I was also able to get new LBJ for from the dealer under a recall. Good luck.

I'm sure I'm missing some stuff.

 

For all maintenance items of a used vehicle, if you don't have documentation it was completed, assume it wasn't done at all.

Lower balljoint failures are most definitely a "thing" with these trucks, so put those at the top of your list.

As for a timing belt, assuming it wasn't done by the previous owner, it's definitely due. That said, since these are non-interference engines, a worst case scenario is the engine quits and you roll to a stop. The engine won't eat itself like a 4 cylinder will. Lots of people get way more than the recommended 90k miles out of a timing belt. Not saying you should ignore it, but a failure in a lot of cases is more of an inconvenience, than a "safety issue" like the ball joints are.

Once you get all the fluids and all that stuff taken care of, whatever else you do is totally up to you. At this age, all your springs, shocks, and rubber bushings are almost certainly worn out, though none of those really present much of a safety issue, and depends on how much you care about how it handles.

Aside form that just drive the crap out of the thing. The more you read around here, the more you'll realize there are endless things to spend your money on to make the truck personalized to you. The more you drive, the more you'll figure out what changes you want to better suit your needs/wants.

Good luck and have fun!

 

On top of what's already mentioned... grease your drive shaft zerks.

But most importantly replace your lower ball joints with OEM.

 

Also make sure to actually try the locker and ensure it engages. The actuators on these trucks can fail from non use. It's good to regularly use the 4wd and locker at least once a month to keep stuff moving.

 

Nice find, welcome to TacomaWorld!

 

That truck looks awesome. I'd say a suspension upgrade with new shocks and springs

 

All of the above is exactly right. The timing belt will be the time to get a new water pump/coolant and pulleys - AISIN kits come with eveything to swap, may as well throw a new thermostat in there as well as it's cheap to do during the timing belt swap. the LBJs (OEM) are easy to swap, if you plan on putting new suspension in, do it when you swap the coilovers. Grease the zerks (8 or 9 on 4wd) when you swap the diff fluid. When you do the leaf springs and rear shocks you'll probably need new shackles, main eye bolts, and obviously ubolts. Congrats on the find, check that frame over and do any necessary rust mitigation before coating the sucker in cosmoline or fluid film.

You can do all this for less than $3-4k pending choices on gear.

 

Paint look good. Mine is peeling alway clear coat

 

Would love it if you were on the west coast lol

 

Agreed, start with the basics first, but after that, I think a small lift and a brush guard is a fun and easy way to make the truck look even better.