1st Gen Tuners/Programmers

Have any of you tuned/programmed your 1st gens? I have a 2001 with the 3.4 4WD. Don't know if they are a good platform to tune, so I was looking for some insight.

 

there isn't one on the market

 

Toyota made the ECU very difficult to decode. Or at least difficult enough where no one wants to invest in developing tuner programming.

 

Supercharger is the way most people go it seems. 90 horsepower (I think) bolt on upgrade.

 

Pretty much the Split Sec FTC or the AEM FI/C 6 are you only piggy back options, no true plug and play.

 

The TRD/Magnuson supercharger adds 60 hp, if you do the smaller pulley/7th injector you can add another 20hp though

 

You are correct.

It's a product for other vehicles. Nothing on there says Toyota does it?

Go here and check for yourself.

 

there was tuners for these trucks. i believe unichip and jet still make them. That being said i talked with both jet and unichip reps and both said that youl really only see at max 5-6hp gain on the 91oct tune and only for the last few hundred rpm. Definitely not worth the $700.

 

S/C is the only way for more power then. And at almost 250k miles on my 3.4 it's not worth throwing that much power at it. Correct? Transmission would be the next thing to go out with a S/C. Isn't a S/C high maintenance and $$$ anyways? And what's the deal with the knock sensor codes people seem to get? Is that because it's running too lean? Never understood that.

 

I wouldn't call them 'high maintenance' but there is definitely more cost to owning one than just buying it and putting it on. Premium fuel, gauges, upgraded spark plugs, bigger injectors (or the 7th injector kit) to prevent lean out, stronger clutch for the manual trans, etc. Once you get it all dialed in right then really the only added cost is premium gas, as well as changing out the nosecone oil ever 30k and having to do a rebuild at around 100-150k.

Then of course there are other mods you can do that aren't necessary, like the smaller pulley and fuel pump upgrades.

Boost definitely ain't cheap.

 

you can spend $700 on some headers and hate your life installing them for ~10hp. besides that boost is the way to go. at the psi the sc is pushing it doesnt really hurt the engine mechanically. If trans was well maintained i cant see it failing. they are pretty bullet proof. SC themselves are fairly low maintenance and itl be years before youl ever need to rebuild it. knock codes and pinging is from a lean condition allthough this seems to be hit and miss. some trucks do it and some dont

 

It wouldn't be to me.

Trans should not be an issue unless you are ham fisted. Manuals might need a clutch upgrade, especially if you're racy. Autos should have a temp monitor, aux cooler and a temp gauge installed, along with syn fluid, IMHO.

Unless you intend for the vehicle to be a long term keeper/project. Like rebuilding the motor when it's time and all the other things it takes to make a 'lifetime' vehicle.

With that type of commitment, it doesn't much matter what you do, it's your entertainment money.

You know. One that your insurance company would only pay you about 10 cents on the dollar for, unless you had a declared value policy.

 

I plan on keeping this truck forever. Rebuilding tranny & motor when it comes time. I have my Tacoma just the way I want it. I previously had an 06 Tacoma sport w/ the 4.0, " the way I wanted it " first brand new truck I ever bought, but then I went through this thing called a divorce! LOL! Bye Bye Dream truck!!! But at least now I have my 1st gen and slowly but surely dialing it in the way I want it.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/mapecu3-feeler-possible-group-buy.458556/

 

In that case, I'd start saving now, and add the SC, headers and such on a fresh motor.

Maybe find a donor motor to do your rebuild on while driving this one. When it's all done, do the swap.

 

The fic 6 is a great product for tuning. The install is straight forward but tedious. With it and an entire exhaust system upgrade I could see netting 20 hp at the wheels and you'd be making a shit ton more power in the mid range. Is that worth $1500? Probably not.

The TRD s/c is as durable as the truck. That said, it's not exactly a power house. I wish I would have had my s/c in combo with the fic 6 I am running now. The closed loop tuning capability on the fic is the only way to truly utilize the s/c IMO.