Need some general advice 2005 Tacoma

About to purchase a 2005 4 cylinder 5 speed. So far it sounds fairly reasonably maintained.

At what mileage should the timing belt have been replaced ? It has 159,000 , and he's the second owner , I'm still awaiting an answer on this.

How much , roughly , does it cost, market rate, to change the timing belt? (New England USA)

Rear shocks need replacing, any advice on brands , and rough price ranges? He says the springs are still okay.

Also , just found out it's one Key. The key fob thing is needed to open the doors . The ignition key is the non-programmable type but I will want a backup, and will need another key fob to open the doors. Roughly how much would that cost?

Thanks

 

Hearing New England, make sure you do your due diligence looking over the frame for corrosion and delamination.

 

second the frame inspection!! and about a grand for a timing belt, and rear shocks are whatever you choose. Bilsteins are nice

 

As far as I know the 4cyl has a timing chain not a belt, and I'm pretty sure toyota says it's supposed to last the life of the vehicle.

 

For sure check for rust and do a used vehicle inspection (either look everything over thoroughly yourself top to bottom or pay a shop and hour or so to check everything over) before you buy.

As far as timing belt it doesn't have one, both the 2.7L and the 4.0L in the 2nd gen trucks use timing chains. They should last the useful life of the engine as long as oil changes are kept up with.

 

He said the frame had no recall and is okay so I assume it was one of the coherent ones. I did run a VIN check on it and it passed that. A pro mechanic is inspecting it tomorrow. Truck was built in Fremont .

 

Thanks, I think usually that includes the head gasket , hopefully , as they've already got all apart , correct?

 

oh really? Glad you mentioned that. There seems to be a cult following (mostly frugal young dudes) who love the 4 Cyl.

 

+2 confirmation on that . I once had a Saturn SL-2 wagon ('94) whose chain failed. Glad I took the extended warranty . And the wagon was USED!!! Looks like oil changes were done , and he's replaced a few things and the interior isn't trashed , which is always a good sign.

 

Love that profile photo. So it is humanly possible to somehow camp in a pop up short bed? I think I'll have a 6 foot bed. I kinda lean towards a full metal cap setup because I'm moving to an area that has scary wildlife that wants to kill you, and then eat all your food.

 

I've only ever seen one Toyota that had a timing chain totally fail, it was on a car but I don't remember the model.

The trucks typically throw timing codes when the chain gets worn out (stretched), I can't recall seeing where anyone had one break though.

 

Oh and does anybody know if the mount thing for the oil filter is made of plastic? I will totally replace that before it explodes . Where to get one? I'm also new to this online parts market thing. It's addictive. But lean towards the OEM...

 

That's amazing. My Saturn just went Kkkkkkkkkk. I think it wonked out and the engine light came on. I think I AAA'd it to the dealer. Dude had that solemnn look on his face "uh, sir, uh, you do realize..." But they fixed it and the engine wasn't totally F-ed.

 

I see you are a Moe fan. My granpa , who was a very talented Mad Man , lived next door to Moe's son. The year was around 1966. One day he said 'wanna meet Moe?" so we went outside. Moe was, I swear to God ... Mowing his son's lawn (this was in Rye NY) . He was waaay old, but still had black hair, maybe a wig or something. I was like "Hey Moe! I shook his hand , he mumbled something unintelligible. Then went back to cutting. I swear this is not BS. It totally was him. I should have got his autograph , but I was too freaked out.

 

Technically, he is correct in that there was no "recall." There was a court case settlement that led to a service campaign where frames were inspected and replaced if they met certain criteria. I would be highly suspect of any 2nd generation Tacoma frame from an area where road salt is used (like Vermont) that has not been replaced. I live in upstate New York and early second generation Tacomas with original frames just don't exist anymore. Some of them are even working on rotting out their replacement frames. Be very careful here!

 

I gave the pro mechanic a full heads up on that. I am also fully capable of sliding under there myself , with a 900-lumen flip LED light and a ball pein hammer as a second guess. After, of course, I paid the awesomely legendary, cantankerous mechanic $119.00.... I do wonder if these guys bother to shoot videos now? It would help them gain credibility in these "troubled times". I went to school in Cortland , BTW, tell me about "lake effect". LOL

 

Some shops do photo/video inspections but it's not super common.

 

Just an idea, would cover some liability issues , IMO.

 

Yea many bigger shops tend to do it, most smaller ones do not because of the extra time and resources it takes.

 

as far as the scary animals that eat you...with a topper you're just like opening a can of Tuna to a Grizzly....