New to Tacomas

I just bought a 2014 Tacoma with 99k miles cause I’ve heard how awesome these trucks are. What are some things I should be looking out for? I noticed the airflow could be stronger, gonna check the cabin air filter tonight. Any tips and advice is appreciated!

 

In the 2nd gen forum (where you are), there are pinned topics at the top of the forum listing. Check out those threads first since they cover all the major things to know about.

 

Congrats on the 2014! Best year of the 2.5 Gens (or any gen) given that it still has the little OG LED clock that's been in every Toyota 4x4 since the 1980's haha

Probably wouldn't hurt to do fluid swaps - think coolant, diffs & transfer case, oil, possibly the transmission if you feel up to it. I'd also look into swapping out the spark plugs for a new set just incase your truck is still running the factory plugs. There's sticky's for each of these items as @2015WhiteOR mentioned

The one preventative item I can think of off the top of my head is to do the Uni filter mod. I'd also keep an eye out for your frame rusting, depending on where in the country you are

You owe us pics of the new ride, as is tradition. Welcome to TW!

 

Definitely check the cabin filter. If it's not the Toyota OEM one, replace it with one. Part number:

$10 87139-YZZ09 PHILTOP Cabin Air Filter, Replacement for CF10374,CP374, BE-374, ACF004, Tacoma, Dart, Vibe, Includes Activated Carbon, Pack of 1

87139-YZZ09. $20 on line from a Toyota dealer. I recommend this one. Toyota had two part numbers for the cabin filter last time I ordered one. The other is: Part number 88508-01010. It surprised me so I called and asked the parts guy to confirm if second one would fit the Tacoma. He did confirm and ordered one for himself to compare. The second filter is labeled "MicronAir" and appeared to have a charcoal infused element. I have heard that some aftermarket Hepa/charcoal etc ones are more dense and restrict the air flow quite a bit, especially as they get dirty.

Search YouTube. Lots of good videos on how to do it on a Tacoma. Takes about 10 minutes to do it.

Welcome to TacomaWorld! Send some pics when you get a chance.

 

Like Tacoman45 said, change all the fluids, belts, and plugs...thats a good start! and make sure the TSB for frame corrosion is completed, if not have it inspected and make sure its not rusting from underneath you. If you live in a salt state, think about fluid film or woolwax

 

Thanks everyone! I’m super excited about my Tacoma but I let my wife drive it to work this afternoon, I’ll definitely post some pics when she gets home!

 

Welcome aboard. I bought my 3rd (yes 3rd) 2nd Gen yesterday. Long story short, I finally got the one I've always wanted and rust free. The biggest part on any Toyota or truck in general is keeping the rust away or at bay. No matter where you are (unless you're in the desert). These trucks have a very very good reputation for their bullet proof drivetrains but as with my dads past 2 Toyota trucks, he didn't take care of the undercarriage and the frames rotted out around 400,000 miles. Both his trucks drove themselves up on the rollback to be scrapped. Please look into having your frame coated yearly with some sort of lanolin based undercoating such as Surface Shield, Wool Wax, or Fluid Film. Stay away from ziebart, bed liner, or any rubberized or paint coating.

Oil change: 3-5k
Trans fluid: 60-100k
Diff Fluids:30k
U-joints: 10k
Coolant: 5 years or 50k
Plugs: 30k
Keep your gas tank above 1/4th for a healthy fuel pump.

It should be the last truck you'll ever need.

 

Welcome to TacomaWorld, and congratulations on your new (to you) truck!

Regarding the maintenance that others have suggested, it is important to first ask whether you have maintenance records on the vehicle. If you bought it from a private party, and they have good records that indicate it’s fully up-to-date on its required maintenance, there’s no need for you to spend the money to do it over again. For fluids like coolant and brake fluid, there are test strips you can buy to tell you whether they are in decent shape or need to be changed.

As @Sonofliberty92 mentioned, the frames on Tacomas need to be inspected, and depending upon where you are in the country, regularly maintained. If you haven’t crawled under the truck to get a look at it, I’d suggest you do so as soon as is feasible to make sure it’s still in good shape. A little bit of surface rust is not a problem.

Do note that just because well-maintained Tacomas can go a half million miles does not mean that you won’t be replacing any parts. Things can and will go bad, but the core elements like the engine and transmission are generally considered to be pretty rock solid.

If you have a 4WD, take a look at the actuator on the transfer case. There’s a rubber vent line that goes to it (looks like a vacuum line) that has to bend 180 degrees and the stress causes it to crack and loosen up faster than other hoses. If it falls off, water can get in and cause your actuator to malfunction. The fix is often as easy as cutting off the last 1/2 inch or so of the hose and reinstalling, but I put a 90 degree elbow in mine and a new short piece of hose which took that strain off. I’ll probably never need to worry about it again.

Of all the things you have going for you with a Taco, TacomaWorld is one of the best perks. Friendly and super helpful folks here.

 

So from what I was looking at yesterday this still needs the uni mod filter?

 

My 07 engine and trans has been solid. Other little things not. Here are some tips not covered above. Nice looking Taco, BTW.

Fan speed issue - this is likely to afflict your Taco if it hasn't already. A fan speed will not work, or fan will only work on high setting. It is usually misdiagnosed as a faulty resistor. It is usually corrosion build-up in a connector - at that resistor and/or the blower. Several threads on this.

Rear drum brake. Rear drums on passenger vehicles will soon be a thing of the past. The biggest issue is removing them on high mileage cars because, as they wear down, the shoes dig a groove into the drum, making them very difficult to remove. Just check for that groove periodically and resurface the drums or get new ones when you feel that groove getting deep.

Front wheel bearings. If you off-road, you will be replacing them more often than not. Good thing is you no longer have to press them on/off the hubs. You can get assembled bearing/hub units making the job a lot easier.

Carrier/Center bearing. When they go bad, do not cheap out and get Chinese made carrier bearings - they last for shit. Ask me how I know. Get Spicer/Dana units, which make the oem units. Relatively speaking, they are not cost-prohibitive as other oem parts.

Rear tailgate - they are super easy to remove and can be a high theft item based on where you live. A simple solution is to put a hose clamp on pass side where it pivots out. Not a prob if you replace the tailgate handle with a locking one. I did both.

 

Hard to tell from the photo but it doesn't look to have been done. I haven't got around to mine yet either.

Idk why someone put that K&N on there, was getting cooler air from the wheel well. K&N filters aren't the best for filtration either from what I've seen.

 

Yeah I plan on taking that off this weekend, I haven’t heard great things about them. Is there a specific part that I should replace it with thats best?

 

For the breather mod go with UNI UP-107

For the air intake hose go with OEM
Part number: 17882-0P010

It's a really simple replacement.

 

Thank you! I think that K&N intake is like $300 new if I’m looking at the right one. Does it have any resale value or just toss it? sorry I’m real new to this stuff

 

You can use marketplace to list it up. Throw it up there for how much the OEM one sets you back. You might get lucky and someone will buy it. Put it away for a few months, sometimes it takes a while. If nothing, toss it.

 

Do the Uni-Filter mod as soon as you can. There are many YouTube vids by Tacoma owners you can reference. I did this on my 2014 with 104k on it as soon as I got it, The little foam filter inside it was fine, but the reputation they have is a "change-to-goo" catastrophic failure without warning and then it gets sucked into the air-injection system and valves. Huge money/$$$$ to fix. If you do it, keep all of the old parts you remove. You'll likely never have to revert and the Uni-Filter will prob never need to be cleaned or replaced, but keep the old foam filter (if it's good) and the inlet cover, just in case you need to put everything back for a smog check.

 

Hard to tell from the pic but I can't see your SAIS. It would be in the upper left hand corner of your engine bay just on the other side of your air intake "box". A search on here will tell you what to look for and how to do the swap.

Also looks like your brake fluid might need to be changed.

 

The previous owner moved it due to the K&N filter it’s actually up by the radiator cap now. I’ve put the uni mod on already. The brake fluid container seems stained cause the actually fluid is much lighter and higher than the “mark” it shows