Buddy needs help from Tacoma world. Plz

My buddy currently has a 95 model ford f150. A guy we work with has a 2006 dclb 4.0 auto Tacoma he wants to trade to it. Well the taco has 243000 miles on it. Said it doesn't use any motor oil but he's loosing antifreeze somewhere. Said there's not any leaks that he can find but he's adding to it? And its overheating. He also said that the trans shudders in overdrive. That he runs it in 4th gear all the time. ? Is is it worth trading for? Opinions plz

 

Its got a slight hiccup in it that hr can't figure out wat is. His truck is actually many trucks been put together to make one.

 

I wouldn't do it, especially if his f150 is still running well. Why trade for a truck with a slew of problems? Plus that's a buttload of miles.

 

Somethin is fishy ..

 

Only person who can answer that is your buddy man. Does he feel the other truck is worth what his is?

 

Well that's why I asked. I'm a new taco owner and don't know much about them and he don't either. Other than the antifreeze and trans shudder the truck looks great. Good body. Lots of new suspension parts and its a TRD sport.

 

Might be a leak internal to the radiator...could be leaking the antifreeze into the transmission.

 

Oh, Trans shudder you say? I definitely think that the truck is having a radiator problem now...

Stay far, far away from that ticking time bomb

 

^^ Yowza.

 

Me personally I think he should trade. He's got a 3000$ ford beater truck now if he trades and ends up spending 2 grand on the taco he won't have but 6 grand in it. Not bad I don't think but idk how much taco parts run usually for rebuild kits and such.

 

The engine has all the symptoms of a bad head gasket. With that many miles I bet the friction plates in the transmission are shot and it needs to be rebuilt. I think your friend should pass on this trade.

 

I would not take that truck...search for "Tacoma strawberry milkshake" transmissions are not cheap

 

Nope. Bad deal.

 

OK. Thanks for the info.

 

Looking for a first gen would probably be the way to go imo. Buying a truck that has a serious mechanical problem is literally buying someone else's headache.

 

If he is half decent at doing his own mechanical work, it could be a good deal. Factor in the cost of a good used low milage engine and tranny from a wreck, add a new rad, if needed, and there's still potential to come out far ahead of keeping the ford. The body, frame, and rest of the overall condition could easily push it the other way though.

 

some earlier 4.0's had head gasket problems and I'd say that's his antifreeze loss and heat problem. Do it himself for about 600 in parts from Toyota. Not an automatic transmission buff but looking at a rebuild if clutches are slipping. Take it out himself and take to transmission shop for rebuild, maybe 1k bucks? I don't know. I would do it but I'm a Toyota freak lol and I'd want rid of that Ford.