Scheduled Maintenance

Hi Everyone!

I apologize if this question has been beat to death but after searching around, I don't seem to find a very clear answer for my specific situation. I bought my 2010 Tacoma 4WD last year. It had roughly 110k on it and now it has almost 130k. I've done oil changes and replaced front brake calipers, pads, rotors and that is it, I think. Who knows what other maintenance has been done, if anything, previous to my owning it. I want to keep this truck for a long time. I'm wondering what you recommend I do for maintenance at this point? Transmission flush, coolant flush, differential, spark plugs, etc?

Thank you all in advance!

 

Just do a basic drain and fill on the trans and cooling system.

Do all the gear oil drain/fills underneath (differentials, transfer case, etc)

Do the plugs if it's been over 30k

 

Might want to check the serpentine belt while you're at it. Some easy ones to add to the list are clean MAF, check bulbs all around, check and/or replace the air filters if needed

 

Check / change engine air filter, cabin air filter, & take a look at the rear brake shoes. They're probably fine though..... Maybe replace brake fluid.

 

In addition to what’s already been mentioned, grease the u-joints and apply a frame coating before winter.

You also might consider changing the power steering fluid.

 

Has it been done? Probably not
Always assume no
If it needs it, do it
If it doesn't, don't

There is a lot more you can do than oil changes
including but not limited to greasing the 5 or so zerk fittings on the propshafts
wheel bearings
bushings

some people do what they should when they should
and others put on a blindfold then wait for the wheel to fall off

 

If you are going to replace the serpentine belt, check the idler pulley's and tensioner pulley. If replacing anyone, replace them all - three, plus the tensioner.

Replace PCV valve.

If your driving falls under severe service (towing, off-roading, commercial use, etc...) Toyota recommends a full ATF flush every 60K.

 

Don't touch the transmission. Change the coolant when you need to change hoses. You might want to change oil in the diff's and transfer case at around 150,000. Plugs are good for 100,000+, but are not expensive. Since you don't know it might not be a bad idea to change them.

Other than changing oil and all filters on a regular basis that is about all you really need. Check things like the serpentine belt and brakes. Replace when needed.

I have an independent mechanic that I trust, he worked for years at our local Toyota dealer before going independent. I take all of my vehicles to him once a year for a check-up, just like my yearly physical. I tell him to replace anything showing wear BEFORE it goes bad. I don't want to be broke down on the side of the road. I've had my truck 14 years and almost 219,000 miles and have done very little to it.

 

Solid advice

 

A couple items to not miss.

Change your brake fluid.
Change your Power Steering fluid.

Find the 100 Kmile maintenance schedule. Follow that.

(Hint: Its a 'sticky' in the 2nd Gen section)

 

Check tie rods and ball joints for play, replace as required. Even if you don't replace them, get an alignment just for the peace of mind and it will save any future tire wear if there's an issue.

 

Our spark plugs are rated for 30k miles. The v8 in the 4runner and tundras are rated at 100k

and do change the transmission fluid every 60k. You want this car to last, oil breaks down and gets dirty. So it needs to be changed.

transfer case and diffs are supposed to be changed every 30k miles.

a thing I recently discovered is the idler pulleys get old and worn out and might be a good idea to change. Someone made a post recently how they changed them and gained about 3mpg cause their old ones were so worn out and were dragging

 

I bought my '06 4x4 with 120K on it and considered the front end to be shot and this was a Fwy flyer truck. It took me another 20K to do the front end. All wear parts, upper and lower control arm bushings, ball joints, inner AND outer tie rods, drop links, sway bar bushings (I'd already done shocks). It drove like a new truck, seriously. My guess is most trucks front ends are gone at 100K and we just don't notice it due to the gradual degradation in performance.

 

You can get some past maintenance history on your vehicle from both Carfax and Toyota. It will cost you to get it from Carfax, but some shops have a Carfax account and will usually be happy to print out a report for you.

My truck also had 110K when I bought it a few months ago, and interestingly it has no information on the Toyota site above. It was originally a Canadian vehicle so perhaps that has something to do with it. I have no maintenance history at all prior to about 2016 when it came into the U.S. As a result I've been through a LOT of maintenance items on it; some I knew it needed going in, some definitely not. The worst of it was the struts (which I knew about) that led to the discovery of frozen lower control arms. That was the most expensive of the unknowns, and the front wheel bearings which were discovered when they went to do the alignment. From the Carfax report, I learned that the A/C compressor was replaced a few years ago, and the motor mounts just last year.

Lots of good responses here, but I'm going to toss out everything I did since we're at similar points in our Taco's life. All of these will have links to procedures in the sticky maintenance thread.

First: Get your frame looked at for rust issues right away. Since you have a 2010 you're right at the 11 year limit for getting it fixed by Toyota if you have issues. Please do this ASAP.

Repairs/Replacements
Battery
Front Brakes (OEM, including calipers)
Front Wheel Bearings (OEM)
Lower Control Arms (OEM)
Struts & Shocks (new KYB)
Tires (Cooper Discoverer AT3s)
TPMS (Denso)
Spark Plugs (Denso)
MAF Sensor Clean
Throttle Body Clean
Transfer Case Vent Hose (cracked, patched)
Idler Pulleys (OEM)
Tensioner Pulley Bearing (Nachi)
Belt (OEM)
Thermostat (Aisin)
Coolant Drain/Refill (did twice)
Transmisison Flush (see below)
Read Differential Drain/Refill
Front Differential Drain/Refill
Transfer Case Differential Drain/Refill
Power Steering Fluid Flush
Brake Fluid Flush
Headlight Bulbs (Phillips +50)
DRL/Turn Signal Bulbs
Polish Headlights (me - WOW what an improvement)

Common Issues
U-Joints (mine were fine, all but one original, I lubed 'em all)
Carrier Bearing (mine is okay for now but rubber surround is worn)
Transfer Case Actuator Vent Hose (cracks, falls off, water gets in, bad juju. Mine was cracked and almost fallen off!)
Front Differential Actuator Vent Hose (same as above)
Intermediate Steering Shaft (small u-joint goes bad, I just ordered one as mine is very marginal)
Alternator Bearing (just check while you have the belt loosened/off)
A/C Compressor Pulley Bearing (same as above)
Blower Motor Connector (look for signs of overheating at plug)
Check under battery for acid corrosion (mine was surprisingly bad, had to clean up and paint)
Heat Shields (they get loose and rattle)

If you think you'll be doing any water crossings, in addition to checking the actuator vent hoses, consider doing the rear differential breather relocation mod.

Check all of your bulbs, and the aim of the headlights/fog lights. My fogs were borked, had to work on both of them and adjust them out. Had six or seven bad bulbs in the truck, mostly the little push-in type used in the instrument cluster, 3rd brake light, license place lights, etc. And I recommend putting in LED replacements for the dome and map lights, a super cheap and surprisingly satisfying change.

Regarding the transmission fluid: I think there are more opinions on TW regarding this maintenance item than just about any other. Many counsel against a flush. I went to a local transmission shop and I spoke to the owner, he explained how their flushing machine works (pan is OFF when it's done) and I was completely satisfied no gunk from in the pan could mess up the inner workings. They added some Lubegard Platinum additive upon my request and agreed it was a good thing to do. Look for posts from @gearcruncher to learn more, and pay attention to the details in his posts. I felt strongly that my ATF needed a full flush but YMMV.

I hope you find this useful. Enjoy!

 

Apparently Toyota brake shoes last a long time. I personally got 150k+ out of the rear brake shoes on my 3rd Gen 4Runner. My mechanic called them the “300k Toyota brake shoes”. Not sure if they’re the same shoe on the 2G Tacoma’s tho