Just Bought A 05' PreRunner SR5 - First Car - Tips ...

The best way to maximize your mileage is by doing regular maintenance.

• Change plugs every 30k with factory ones
• Clean MAF sensor
• Clean Throttle body
• Change all gear oil every 30k
• Change engine oil & filter every 5K
• Check air pressure in tires once a month
• Change air filter regularly
• Most important do the right foot mod

 

Thanks for this!

Would you guys recommend me to do any of these now? Or start counting miles from what I have now?

My friend recommended Amsoil for my fluids.
Tranny: Amsoil Synchromesh
Rear Diff: Amsoil

$30 75w-90 Synthetic Gear Lube - 1 Quart (Pack of 2)

75w-90

I noticed that this varied with the manual.
Tranny 75W-90
Rear 80W-90

 

Updated to first post for others not wanting to read through it all.

So what's the difference between running Amsoil Synchromesh and

$30 75W-90 Synthetic Gear Lube - 1 Quart (Pack of 2)

75W-90 for the tranny?
Any brand recommendations? Right now I just have Amsoil.

I will try to hunt online for some deals/sales and try to get it done by the end of this month.

1. Tranny/Rear Differential Fluid Recommendations.
2. 265/75/16 Wheel Recommendations?
3. Can you check the spark plugs? Or should I replace them?

Up to date:
Remove lift kit [as far as I see it, the lift kit is there for aesthetics. By removing it, I will get some cash to offset some new wheels, get more comfortable ride, and not have to jump into the driver seat everytime (I'm pretty small compared to my struck)].
Find a set of 265/75/16 wheels
Get a scangauge
Go through all this:

 

Apologies in advance for the length...

There are a bunch of different approaches to initial maintenance for a used vehicle.

For a rare car with expensive parts, one of the most common is to perform each each task listed in the maintenance schedule for the most extreme driving conditions, all the way back to zero miles. This philosophy assumes that no maintenance has ever been performed. Any records that you obtained with the vehicle may help to reduce the initial cost, but this is an expensive way of doing things.

For a Tacoma, which is neither rare nor particularly expensive to repair, I would stop short of this extreme approach and do only those things that are likely to have been neglected or are in obvious need of attention. I usually do something like this:

1. Nothing is more important than brakes. Nothing. Have the brakes inspected by a competent shop. Replace any rotors/drums/pads that are near the wear limit. If there are no records showing that it has been done recently enough to satisfy the maintenance schedule, do a full system flush with the recommended brake fluid.
2. Change the engine oil and install a new Toyota filter.
3. Check (not change) the driveline fluids and lubricate the driveshaft joints. Lifted vehicles need more attention to the joints. Neglecting them can be very dangerous.
4. Check the level and condition of the automatic transmission fluid (if you have one) and the power steering fluid. Big tires put a lot of extra load on the steering system and transmission. Top-up or flush/fill if required.

Pause. Search for maintenance records.

My first stop would be to a Toyota dealer. Every dealer has access to records of maintenance performed at all Toyota dealers. Ask for a printed copy. Ask nicely. Tell them you can come back later to pick it up if they are too busy right now. If you have them inspect/flush the brakes, you can probably get this done at the same time with no resistance from the always-busy service advisors. Look through the vehicle for records of maintenance that may have been performed outside the dealer network. Contact those shops and ask for any other service records for your truck. Ask the previous owner for any additional records or locations where the truck may have been serviced. Investigate. This costs nothing but a few phone calls.

Assemble all of the records you can find and see what really needs to be done to bring the truck up to date. For a truck with non-factory suspension and oversized tires, use the maintenance schedule for the most extreme conditions (towing, dusty environment, etc.) and start a service folder that you can use for the rest of your ownership as well as transfer to the next owner. You get peace of mind and potentially higher resale value with the records in hand.

When all of this is done, come back here and let us know where you stand.

Other notes:

I haven't said a word about fuel economy. Gas is cheap, the drivetrain is ridiculously expensive. If you want to do it, buy a pocket-sized notebook and keep track of your odometer miles and fill-up gallons. Your odometer and speedometer are almost certainly not reading the correct values, so you'll have to do some math to calculate miles per gallon with any precision. The actual numbers are unimportant right now.

I have a Scangauge. It will not help you get any of this done, and is really not useful if you have a manual transmission. If you have an automatic transmission, the Scangauge is the least expensive tool for monitoring transmission fluid temperature. Otherwise, don't bother. Nearly any auto parts store will check for stored ECU codes for free if you ask them.

Only use "premium" lubricants (Amsoil, etc.) where the standard Toyota-recommended lubricants are likely to be insufficient for your individual operating conditions. Hint: this is almost never true for a 2WD vehicle that is not used for heavy towing. Your oversized tires are not putting nearly as much strain on the drivetrain as towing a trailer.

Do not simply check the spark plugs. Gaining access to them is a difficult and time-consuming job. If you're that far in, replace with new ones. Only do this at all if you cannot locate maintenance records that show that it was last done within the recommended service interval.

Mike

 

How do I check the fluids and is there a DIY for greasing/lubricating.
Just went online and found the Toyota online records thing. Goes all the back to when he got the car. Looks like everything was done at a Toyota dealership.

Last service was 5 months ago.





I personally can't understand what was done exactly and what I will need to do now. Hopefully you guys can share your insights.

 

I think you can get more detail if you drill down into each individual service entry. There are some large mileage gaps. You can also get a sympathetic dealer to print the detailed reports.

Mike

 

Here was the most recent one:

 

Wheels recommendations? Stock 245/75/16 or 265/75/16
What about tranny/rear diff fluid? Does Amsoil offer it for both of them in

$30 75W-90 Synthetic Gear Lube - 1 Quart (Pack of 2)

75W-90 and 80W-90?

 

Looked at Amsoil.

$30 75W-90 Synthetic Gear Lube - 1 Quart (Pack of 2)

75W-90 for tranny and 80W90 for rear diff. Should be a pretty easy fluid change for both. You can use whatever brand you like. I go w/ Amsoil myself but any quality brand name will give you a good fluid.

I would just change the spark plugs as well. Didn't see where you got an answer on that. If you go through the trouble to get to them, you might as well change them out and forget about them for several thousand miles.

Congrats on your truck. Enjoy it.

 

Something else you may want to invest in, runs about $25 comes in really handy for specs and how to DIY. Toyota manuals are the best but can be quite steep to purchase from the dealer. Chilton also makes one. I have the Haynes, it's your Trucks bible.

 

So I want to get rid of the lift and the 33's.
Will 245/75 look okay on my truck?

How will I go about this on a budget plan? Find a set of tires for cheap? Then remove spacers/wheels and sell those? Will the rims I have now fit the 245/75? Or will I need to buy those too?

Pretty lost on how to start on removing the spacers/going back to stock wheels.

These look nice at ~$400.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...ccess Cab With TPMS&autoModClar=2wd Prerunner

However I don't mind getting used ones. Would like to cut somewhat even after doing all this.

 

This is the stock tire for the base trim 4x4. I run them and think they look fine with no lift. The stock wheels for this are 16x7. The 265/75-16 is the same diameter, but 20mm wider. It is a slightly heavier tire and produces slightly more aerodynamic drag. I think that it is normally installed on 16x8 wheels.

I recently bought four of the 16x7 steel wheels with tire pressure sensors and center caps for $200 from a guy who installed aftermarket wheels. Craigslist! I believe that not all 2005 trucks have the TPMS, but it can be an expensive hidden cost when changing wheels. If your wheels are 16x8, going with the wider stock tires may be the least expensive path.

Any decent tire shop will remove wheel spacers and (if necessary) install new wheel studs and lug nuts when they mount/balance the tires.

Cut what? The cost, or some part of you truck?

I rarely see used tires that are worth buying, but I have seen 2 Craigslist ads in the last few weeks where Tacoma owners were selling the OEM tires with just a few hundred miles on them. If your current tires are in good condition, you can take your time shopping for used stuff and finish the swap with a lot more cash in your pocket.

Mike

 

He doesn't have wheel spacers. I'm pretty sure he means removing the spacer lift.

 

In that case, I would have my regular shop do it and then an alignment.

Mike

 

So first I'll shop for a set of wheels. What will I need? I see that slowmachine, you bought it with pressure sensors.

Then get bring the tires to my shop and have them remove the old wheels/spacer lift and be done with? I will ask how much it'll be to do all that.

Any of these good?
Wheels and Tires, missing one cap - $150
Prerunner wheels/tires - $75
Tundra Wheels and Tires - $285

 

I think the Tundra wheels have the wrong offset for your truck. The steel wheel/tire set is what I would buy. Again, I am not sure whether all 2005 Tacos have the TPMS. I think that the dealer can tell from the VIN. IF you need them, its usually less expensive to buy them with a set of used wheels. Also, as far as I know, only Toyota dealers are able to program your truck's ECU to recognize the new sensors, and they must read the serial number from each one before the tire is mounted on the wheel. Maybe somebody else with more knowledge cans identify a shortcut that can save some labor and money.

Mike

 

Found these for $75? Take them?
Comes with wheels and tires. Tires worn but driveable.

No lug nuts. No tpms.

 

Pass on them and get the correct wheels for your truck.

Mike

 

Also as an update.
The "reverse grinding" was just tire rubbing on the inside.

 

I'd grab them if the wheels are in good shape. I've actually been looking for a set of wheels like that. They are 1st Gen wheels and will stick out a little further than stock 2nd Gen wheels. There are a few local members using those wheels, they fit a 2nd Gen perfectly fine and look great in my opinion.