Fixing a Clapped Out Tacoma

Hello - new guy, recently picked up a 2008 Tacoma TRD. Glad to be on a forum, as it has been hard to navigate Facebook groups to get information. Also half the posts in the Tacoma Facebook group is about Jeeps (I also own a 2016 JKU). Thanks for your patience as I go about fixing the truck.

I am not new to wrenching, but haven't really fixed any cars since the ricer days, as I have been focusing on motorcycles the last 10 years.
I may have been blinded by a clean frame (I live in Virginia), as it was a Cali/Arizona truck - and am now realizing the list of things that need to be replaced/attended to. This list has been growing, unfortunately.

It does not look like the previous owner knew much about maintenance, or just wasn't tending to the truck.

Truck - 2008 TRD, ICON Stage 2 suspension, MB 16" wheels, 285/75/16 tires. 150k miles.


Per dealer inspection:
Both lower ball joints need replacing. My buddy at Toyota says it may be easier to just buy new lower control arms. Would like some opinions on this - thanks.

Both tie rods need replacing. I read that RockAuto is the place to get OEM parts.

Per my driving:
There is a shake at 50-70 mph. Googled and did the 4WD test, and the shake it still there - likely not the needle bearing. Driver's tire visibly has uneven wear. Wondering if this is due to the worn ball joint/tie rod, or as simple as a bad balance job.

There is a rubber squeak that is audible at lower speeds. Previous owner said it was the leaf springs, but it gets faster as I go from 5 mph to 20 mph. Googled it, and moving the drive shaft, it looks to be the carrier bearing, as I can move the shaft up and down within the donut. There is no spacer above the carrier bearing, and with this lift, it could be the culprit.

I am unable to push grease through the rear zerk/u joint. I was able to grease the front and middle of the rear drive shaft no problem. I would assume with this many miles, it may be wise to just replace all the U joints while I replace the carrier bearing. Or am I missing something - I pushed the ball bearing at the zerk fitting, and it does go in just fine, but the grease will not pump through.

CV boot torn. Not a big deal, plan on fixing this once I sort out the other bits.

Clunk from the front end when offroading. Did some gravel roads, and I can feel a clunk in the steering wheel on smaller pot holes. Not sure if this is due to the worn ball joint/tie rods.

Snugtop locking mechanism is fubar. The locking forks on both ends do not engage well, and when key is turned the rods barely move. I would assume replacing the whole bit is on order.

I have also been weighing my options, is it worth keeping this high lift and continually having to replace stressed parts, or go with something like a TRD suspension. I don't plan on doing anything crazy, we go camping where 8-9" clearance should be fine. The tires are 285/75/16 on +18 wheels, the TRD suspension may not be able to clear it. So I may source some stock wheels. I have no issues going stock.

Planned basic maintenance:
Transmission fluid
Diff fluid
Transfer case fluid


If you've made it this far, I am wondering if there are other maintenances that should be done at this many miles. Dealer inspection checked off everything else, but was hoping from your experience what 150k miles need. Thank you - appreciate you reading.

 

Also include spark plugs
Replace cabin and engine air filter
Clean throttle body and MAF
Wouldn’t hurt to replace belt
Front wheel bearings are common to go bad on our trucks also

 

I would start with the BJ and tie rod ends along with tire balance/rotation and alignment before dealing with the driveline. Worn suspension components along with possibly an inaccurate allignment on a lifted truck will cause the clunks,vibes, and uneven tire wear. Unless the ride quality or lift is not to your liking, nothing wrong with keeping it. As stated above, change the oil and plugs. You can confirm lack of maintenance by the PO when you pull the 6 spark plugs. OEM uses 3 Denso and 3 NGK. Just stick with all Denso when replacing.
OTW, nice rig and welcome to TW.

 

I would like to hear from others how you verify the LBJ needs replacement? Do you have the stock upper control arm? With the stage 2 and those tires I would think that would be something to check. I would agree with the post above -- take care of the knowns first and then dig in. Sounds like tie rods, plugs, alignment and fluid changes. I only question the LBJ b/c I have 170k with a 2" and do a decent job beating it up and mine are holding up fine. I do have aftermarket UCAs which definitely helped. I also have play at the carrier bearing and will replace that at some point, but adding a few shims helped my vibes -- after many hours reading and measuring driveline angles, which you'll find a ton of info on this site.

 

Yes, the dealer inspection noted that the lower ball joints and tie rods were worn. The truck has stock upper control arms.

I will add the following to the list, per your suggestions):

Also include spark plugs
Replace cabin and engine air filter (done)
Clean throttle body and MAF
Wouldn’t hurt to replace belt
Front wheel bearings are common to go bad on our trucks also (I was looking into this as well)

Picked up 2020 TRD wheelset, and am looking to pick up stock TRD suspension.

Thanks everyone for the replies, the forum format is much better than Facebook!

 

Definitely get an alignment check since you are running 33's with stock UCA's and tires have uneven wear. It's likely you may need aftermarket UCA's to get the alignment adjusted correctly due to the lift, which my guess is close to 3". As for WB's - spend more for the whole assemblies and look into the ones sold on here.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...s-service-4x4-prerunner.537080/#post-17293000

 

... if you find yourself replacing the wheel bearings consider the ECGS bearing upgrade ... assuming you're 4WD. The OEM bushing tends to go on lifted trucks and their replacement addresses the vibration. Search here and you'll find gobs of info ... and welcome to the downward spiral haha ...

https://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-8536125-toyota-8-clamshell-bushing-eliminates-needle-bearing.html

 

Yep. Some solid advice given in here already.

Nothing that you've mentioned would cause me to regret that purchase. A few easy maintenance items and you should be good to go!

Center Support Bearing and U-Joints

You said that the drive shaft moves in the center support bearing, but didn't say how much. IIRC, 1/2" of play is considered "normal" and anything beyond that and you should consider replacing the center support bearing. The bearing is different between 2wd and 4wd. One is sealed and the other is not. Recommend replacing all 3 u-joints in the main driveshaft when you do the center support bearing. It isn't a hard job, just tedious. Make sure you have some wobble socket extensions to get the driveshaft out.

Here's a post from when I did mine (even includes a YouTube video on the job): Parts I used, should be the same since you are also 4x4. Spicer is the OEM supplier. My spicer bearing even had the Toyota part number stamped on it.
Center support bearing: Spicer 5002007
U-joints: Spicer 5-1330-1X (qty: 3)

Lower Control Arm Ball Joints and Bushings

I'd recommend using the OEM LCA as a replacement. When my LBJ went bad on one side, I figured the other was close. Even if it wasn't, you should replace wearable parts like that in pairs. I went with Dorman LCAs because of their lifetime warranty. I think they cost around $150, which is a steal compared to the OEM ones. However, they only have about a 12 month service life. If you like replacing LCAs every year, go with the Dorman. Others will recommend Moog LCAs, but I have no experience. After replacing the Dorman twice, I went back to OEM since I got over 100k out of them.

Also, be prepared for the OEM alignment cams to be seized. You may have to cut them out. If that is the case, replace with OEM. The quality of those compared to aftermarket is night and day. Whether you replace them or are able to reuse the original, coat the non-threaded portion of the shaft with grease to prevent seizing in the future.

CV Axle and ECGS bushing

Again, OEM is the best. I would recommend getting the Cardone CV axle off RockAuto (like $35). This is the same axle that Napa sells with the lifetime warranty (over $100, I think). Put that in and order an OEM reboot kit. Rebooting the OEM axle is pretty easy. That way, you have an OEM spare when the aftermarket one rips. @turbodb did a great write-up of how to replace the boots. Only thing of note is that there is one fewer snap ring on the 2nd gen tacoma (his is a 1st gen). I used the Cardone HD (thicker boot) and it lasted about 2 years before having to be sent in for replacement. RockAuto was awesome to deal with for the replacement. My cost was $7 to ship the old one back. Since the HD ripped within 2 years, I'd save the money and get the OE Cardone replacement.

While you've got the axle out, clean the axle seals. They get dirty and just wiping them off with a clean rag can prolong their life. Inspect to see if replacement is warranted. You could consider doing the ECGS bushing. I did it for peace of mind, but it is a bit more of a PITA. Check your regional sub-thread to see if someone in your area has the removal tool to loan.

Suspension

I'd just roll with what you got for now. Just inspect it really closely while you have everything else apart. ICON has had a few runs of poor quality products. Check all the mounting points for cracks or fractures. If it is all good, just leave it until it is time to replace. If you find any evidence of abuse or stress fractures, replace it immediately. If you just don't like it, replace it and sell it on the marketplace after you get to 50 posts.

 

When you get the belt off, check all four idler/tensioner pulleys to see if their bearings are on their way out. They should not spin too freely. If you need to replace one of them, I would just replace them all so you don’t have to think about it for many years. Note that the bearing in the tensioner pulley has to be replaced on its own unless you want to have a bigger job to do (Toyota sells the tensioner pulley as part of the tensioner assembly, which includes the bracket the alternator bolts to). And FYI the bolt on the tensioner pulley is a left-hand thread. It’s an easy job, everything is accessible from under the truck. There’s a great thread about this, check it out.

 

Some additional items I had on my list when I bought my Taco.

• PCV valve
  
• Brake fluid flush
• Power steering fluid flush
  
• Coolant change, thermostat change
• 4WD actuator vent hose inspection/repair (there are two, transfer case and front diff)
• Rear differential breather relocation
• Check blower motor connector for signs of overheating
• LED bulbs for dome and map lights
• Check all bulbs, I had SO MANY burned out (climate controls, license plate, 3rd brake light)
• TPMS replacement when you change tires (buy direct from Denso)
• Inspect spare, if original probably cracking by now
• Tailgate Anti-Theft Bracket - love mine

Nearly every one of the above items has one or more dedicated threads discussing the procedure plus any pros/cons (as is the case with what's already on your list). As I'm sure you've been discovering, TW is just an amazing resource. I caught a failing transfer case actuator vent hose before it caused any internal damage by doing a bunch of reading here after I bought my Taco.

 

I got complete LCAs with bushings and ball joints on Amazon I believe. Pretty cheap replacement and did it myself, then drove it to get aligned. That itself cleared up vibes and shaking that my POS had when I got it. Speaking of clapped out, my truck was a complete disaster when I got it. Took off the drop bracket lift and put lift spindles (I’m 2wd) on, LCAs and newer struts and she drives like a dream after the alignment.

I got a clunk now going slow with a cranked wheel over bumps so I’m not sure what to look at for that lol

 

:Clapped out. I wouldn’t be too hard on the original owner..your truck is far from clapped out! Pretty much standard maintenance items for a 150000 mile truck.

 

I was gonna suggest your front struts making that noise but it seems you've already replaced them... maybe check your body mounts for play, I know guys have had issues with them wearing out and making clunking/ popping noises. A Couple of my bed mounting bolts came loose once and every time I'd hit a bump it would clunk real hard towards the back end so maybe that could be another thing.

 

You guys are awesome, I appreciate every response.

I uninstalled the 33's, installed a set of 2020 TRD wheels and tires. Vibration is gone. I do have a weird squeaking, that is worse in reverse. I've read on here that it could be the carrier bearing. Was on the list anyways - thanks @CowboyTaco for the part numbers, confirms what I have read in another thread. I will get those ordered.

I may leave the Icon suspension on there, but just at the lowest setting. For the leaf springs, are there any particular ones that must stay on when lowering it?

 

Installed the OME/ARB driveshaft spacer kit. The squeaking isn't as bad now.

U joints, carrier bearing, to be delivered tomorrow. Hoping to have the truck up in the garage Thursday.

Also picked up spark plugs and gap tool. Waiting to be installed.

 

Completed the u joints and carrier bearing.

Less vibrations, and no slop from a stop.

For my future reference: mark all yokes, splines, driveshaft alignment. I went to turn the driveshaft to get an angle on the nut, and nearly lost the alignment.
Insert the u joints prior to tapping in the bearings. Youtube videos show tapping in a bearing slightly, then the u joint. I actually had to bang one back out to make the u joint fit. That wasn’t good.
Crows feet aren’t necessary, wobble extensions did not work for me. Short socket 14mm and an elbow joint to the torque wrench worked perfectly.