Need help with 05 Tacoma bought from auction

Just bought a 05 Tacoma 2wd prerunner from a auction and need some help. I don't know much about cars / trucks but I want to do a complete tune up on it. So far I got spark plugs , cabin filter , engine filter , oil filter and oil. ( I am capable of doing this ) What else would you guys check / change ?

When driving this truck passed 40mph, the steering wheel starts to shake... I am not sure what it is but the tires are all worn at different levels ( ex front left 60%, front right 40%). how can I find out what's causing vibration / shaking ? Do I start with getting a alignment ? Or do I get new tires? Change wheels around so that identical threads are in the front wheels, and identical in the back ? I also noticed that 3 of the shocks are blue and 1 is yellow ? I assume yellow is aftermarket ? Current wheels are 265 70 17, and it's got 135000 miles .

 

Change the differential fluid, and brake fluid, and power steering fluid

 

replace your coolant, change out the rear diff. fluids, and air filter if it's dirty. the shaking could be an out of balance tire. if you're on a budget, just get the wheels/tires balanced to see if that helps. if you have extra cash then consider getting all new tires if they're mismatched and/or uneven wear. if the shocks are mismatched, i would consider replacing them with a matching pair just to be on the safe side if you don't know the history of the components.

 

I would be concerned about the mismatched shocks. Did you run a car fax? Was it in an accident? If the tire wear difference is that bad you will likely need new tires, complete with balance and an alignment to resolve the vibration.

Edit: BTW welcome to TW.

 

Thanks guys , history is clean ... Any shocks you guys recommend ? Don't need it higher then stock

 

Cheapest bet would be to find some brand new TRD Bilsteins off craigslist for $100-$150 for the set. Many people swap them
out when they lift right after purchase. Aftermarket, the sky is the limit.

 

Ok shocks are ok , not sure why one is yellow, but it's only on one side. Had a balance and alignment done and same thing , also the dash vibrates when I crank up ac all the way up ... Is that normal for a truck with 140k miles ?

 

Not that I have heard, maybe it was removed at some point and not reinstalled correctly, or maybe something is broken/loose.

 

No. As mentioned maybe your dash was removed and not reinstalled properly. By AC do you mean fan? Does it happen with just the fan on high and AC off? I bet the blower motor is on its way out and has a bad bearing or something causing it to vibrate.

 

It's weird it only happens when on high and yes the blower ... Other then that it's working fine .. Really I'm more concerned with the vibrations when I go passed 20mph...

 

theres probly just one dust cover missing off of your stock bilsteins? they are yellow with blue dust covers.
for the shake i would start with the tires, 95% of the shake in my truck was just tires.

 

I'm gonna go out on some 4 runner wheels soon and that will tell me if my tires are bad

 

also try to figure out where the shake feels like its coming from, if its more the cab its most likely coming from the rear, in the steering its most likely coming from the front. look at your carrier bearing and u joints just to make sure its not driveshaft movement. my carrier bearing was toast and was letting the drive shaft go nuts.

 

Ok guys so to get rid of some of the smell that was prior in the truck i opened the back window and boom i started hearing squeeking noises when i start to accelerate, common sense would be that its coming out of drive shaft. Got home and looked under the truck u joints are pretty rusty and lots of play in the center bearing. Ordered new spicer greasable u joints and also spicer center bearing. I will replace these tomorrow and let you guys know if that solved my vibrations... Just in case if someone has the same issues

 

Ok so update on this. Replaced cb and u joints. Big difference but im still getting shutters and vibrations at take off. Could it be my tires .. They do have small cracks in them

 

Cracked tires with uneven wear....yes it's a possibility. Tires will make a HUGE difference.

 

Can you shoot a picture of this truck? The vibration in the dash when the fan is on high, is the same problem I had. Remove and clean your blower motor, theirs probably trash that has fallen down into the blower fan cage, and now it's out of balance. Mine had a rubber gourmet fallen into the fan causing it to be out of balance. Easy to remove I think you need needle nose pliers, flash light, and 8 mm socket to remove it. If your tires are evenly worn all you need is to reblance them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adQ4ICkS8o4