First Tacoma - For Granddaughter's First Car!

@Chuck W.

Well, that's my story; I told you this story because my truck had not even 10K miles less than your granddaughter's and was obsessively maintained from day one. It sounds like hers was purchased from a reputable source, but as stated above, you are talking to a guy who didn't wanted a used 2.7L with 50K miles.

Also, Pennsylvania requires a yearly emissions test for in 25 out of 67 counties for all gas-powered vehicles that under like 10,000 pounds GVWR; I forget exactly what the weight criteria is, but 2500 and 3500 heavy-duty pickup trucks don't require an emissions test regardless of what county they are registered in, and neither does anything bigger than that. All diesel vehicles, from little Volkswagens all the way up to big rigs, are exempt from emissions in Pennsylvania.

I know that California is much stricter than Pennsylvania about smog testing, and what I find strange is that my truck passed an emissions test probably a week before it overheated and started showing signs of head gasket failure. An emissions test in Pennsylvania involves hooking up some sniffer thing to the exhaust pipe and plugging a scanner into the OBD port; 1995-older vehicles don't get a full diagnostic scan in PA because they are OBD1 and most mechanics do not have the manufacturer-specific OBD1 scanners anymore. OBD1 vehicles also require a dynamometer test to be properly tested...?

Anyway, I can help but wonder if my truck would have pass California smog with a failing head gasket?!?!

 

I actually ended up deleting the original two posts and combining them with the third (See above). Turns out that my Tacoma did in fact have a blown head gasket at less than 160K miles; I was pissed because I remembered reading about the guy who put over a million miles on his 2TR-FE delivering nuclear medicine for cancer patients, and then my truck seemingly needed a new head gasket at 157K miles?!?!

 

FYI, you'll probably want to start reading after the "" emoji in my long post. As I said, I believe that the head gasket had been leaking for over a year prior to the thermostat failure, and the thermostat was the final nail in the coffin. Driving it to upstate New York not long after the gauge pegged for the first time probably didn't help matters, but I don't believe that head gasket completely failed until it pegged again until it really overheated for the very first time.

 

Nice first truck! Be forewarned that 2.7 has one major issue



It’s beyond stupid reliable and she’ll likely never learn how to repair anything on it!
(10 years at a Toyota dealer and I’ve only ever seen one replaced. Due to neglect at 260k miles)

 

Going back to my story, they'll run even with a blown head gasket if you keep up with the maintenance!

 

Yea obviously they’re a few outliers. Things happen.

but the 2.7 and the dual vvti 4.0 I rarely see even minor issues with

 

I wonder if I should do a 4.0L/5-speed auto swap when this engine goes...? If I hit the lottery, I'll totally do it! Yes, I can drive stick, but I don't feel like rewiring my cruise control for the manual transmission...

 

Cruise is handled purely by the ecu. Just needs the clutch switch input. My 93 mr2 with a sienna ecu has working cruise

 

I’m south near Redondo Beach, for about 53 of my 60 years. Family dates back here to the early 1900’s.

A subject I could rant endlessly. If there’s a phone holder and hands free know how, there can be no excuses, I’ll end it there.

 

Ok: timing: all caught up know and all the pieces of the puzzle are there, explained, and fit. Great read and education. Once you read a case-study like this, it sticks: and if the signs show up in yourown vehicle someday you recognize them it all comes right back; Maybe not perfectly, but enough so you investigate sooner than later and maybe avoid a complete meltdown.

Thank you for taking the time to post it.

 

Also, I don't think that 2nd Gens were meant to have a manual transmission and a foot pedal parking brake; I don't know if you knew this, but

$73 2005-2015 Toyota Tacoma With 4L Right Petrol intake air snorkel kit high performance system compatible kit Replacement black Rotational Molding (2005-2015)

2005-2015 Tacoma with an automatic tranny have the push-on/push-off foot pedal parking brake, while stick shifts have the old school twist and turn parking brake that the majority of Japanese pickup trucks had well into the 1990s (2004 for the Taco).

 

Would probably need a complete donor truck to pull off that swap if you wanted everything to work like factory. You probably won't ever wear the 4 Banger out anyway.

 

I'm around your era... never was into MG's... but your future wife's 240z was the bomb when i was i highschool. Those things were scary fast. I had some decent cars also before kids... 71 tr6 and traded it in on a 71 porsche 911 targa and had a 75 bmw 2002. wished i would have kept them all, as well as I should have bought my dads 63 studebaker avanti for cheap when he got rid of it.

 

Very awesome of you! My 20 year old nephew has wanted my truck for some time now, but he's not getting it haha.

@PennSilverTaco what a photo op that would have been with the twin trucks but linking up for dinner and chat was awesome.

OP I'll echo what he said as I did the wiper mod. It's about 10 minutes tops and no wiring to mess with.

 

Welcome to TW.

 

@PennSilverTaco what a photo op that would have been with the twin trucks but linking up for dinner and chat was awesome.[/QUOTE]