What Have You Done To Your 3rd Gen Today?

I forgot to mention another fun thing on the beach was I got to recover a person stuck in some deep soft sand.
An old guy, who is out there regularly picking up trash, got stuck. A couple other people were trying to help but couldn't get close enough to pull him and didn't really know what they were doing so I got to show off my recovery skills.

So I got to off road giving the Bilstein 6112/8100 a good workout, have a quiet peaceful lunch, walk the beach and see some sea turtles swimming, and rescue a vehicle while sharing how to properly recover vehicles to the people there.

It was a great time, I would 100% go again and recommend Padre Island as a great Texas beach trip.

I grew up in the Houston area and we would always go to Galveston. Galveston is a dump compared to Padre.

 

It seems the LCAs will clear at full droop but it would be easy enough to cut a little more out of it until it does clear. Benefit of building things myself

 

Just got the OTT tune done.

 

I used the wash. It has new card readers at it so I didn't need a stack of quarters. It is a really nice wash, I assume it got new management because the older reviews are pretty bad.

I spent about 8 minutes solid with the pressure washer getting all the sand off the frame, and I still missed some. It was caked on thick, I did splash the ocean water a few times so that might have been a contributing factor lol.

 

I didn't figure this one out until you posted. Thx

Brilliant!!!

 

Did an oil change on both vehicles. Ignore the fact my garage looks like a hoarders house. Got a shit ton of wood for free that will become a shiplap wall for all my tools.

 

Changed coolant. Used a vacuum refill for the first time. So fast! No more burping the coolant for me.

 

Don't know if we're talking about the same place. My place has a hoop (actually several for several lanes) that you drive the car back and forth through as long as it keeps spraying. It looked quite ancient when I used it (within the last year). A pressure washer and a nice appearance would be a total rebuild of what I have been using through the years.

 

This is the one I went to. They did have under spray rinsers.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/yJfzp1iVYXCvKVep6

 

I have a coolant question. How much coolant is in the block of 3.5 V6 vs the radiator/recovery tank. Every vehicle I have ever owned I’ve always just drained the radiator and recovery tank @ 50,000. I put 100’s of thousands of miles on my rides over the years and have never had an issue with the cooling system. Yes, I know the coolant in the block is not being drained out. But I figure the new coolant I put in mixes with the engine block coolant and it seems to work for me. Your opinions please.

 

about 3-4 qts come out of the block drain, usually around 7 qts total between the rad and the block drain. Idk I would say you're fine to just do the rad and skip the block drain but that's me. Either way doing the coolant change in some capacity is better than not doing it

 

50k maintenence
*Oil & filter
*Engine air filter - pulled the TRD filter after 50k, going back to oem paper for now
*Coolant drain and replace- radiator and reservoir only, don't want to mess with the block
*Power steering fluid extract and replace- did it 6 times
*Brake fluid reservoir- extraction and fill
*Cabin air filter
*Tire rotation
*Brake check- ok
*Tire pressure reset to 41- seems to be my sweet spot for the ko3
*Rear diff fluid check- all good
That took some time, now I know why dealer charges so much!

Shout out to Soft Taco at Team Oil Drop for the maintenence links and info. Always makes it eeasier and boosts confidence


Next, got to get ready for the 60k and the spark plugs.
I'm thirsty.

 

Don't forget the transmission drain and fill at 60K (if automatic)...

 

Thanks, yup, I see that in the list too. I may look for help on that 1. Gotta watch the vids and see what's involved.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-automatic-transmission-fluid-level-check-diy.547455/

 

Hand wash and Aero Cosmetic Wash Wax All. Sometimes I can get away with using the AC by itself but I got a little behind and vehicle was pretty dirty. AC WW does a good job cleaning and conditioning the paint but I definitely need to clay bar or polish before winter.

Grocery store parking lot.

 

Thanks for your input. I think that some of the block coolant drains from bottom radiator hose. And it sounds like about half is in the block and half in the radiator. Unless there is something different about a Toyota that I’m unaware of, I’ll just keep doing the same coolant drain I have always done.

 

I got Toyo Open Country A/T 3 tires and they are all shiny and smell like fresh rubber. And they drive super smooth and just hum a little bit.

 

Rear diff is easy. When you do the plugs, just pull the plenum. So easy.

 

If you have a front differential, Consider buying from a Lexus dealer plugs 90341-24016 and 90341-18060. They have outside hex-heads instead of internal 10mm holes that can strip. I paid $28 for the pair.