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What the #%^$ happened to my truck?

Discussion in '2nd Gen. Tacomas (2005-2015)' started by nyfishhunter, Jan 14, 2011.

  1. Jan 21, 2011 at 12:41 PM
    #41
    David K

    David K Well-Known Member

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    Differential Breather Mod Light Bar: 4 Cree LED lamps Bilstein 5100s Ride Rite Air Bags
  2. Jan 21, 2011 at 12:46 PM
    #42
    Mod

    Mod Well-Known Member

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    stock
    Someone did a good job on that one.
     
  3. Jan 21, 2011 at 12:48 PM
    #43
    David K

    David K Well-Known Member

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    Yah, see the trip photos... it was Neal Johns... 80 years old (or more??)!
     
  4. Jan 21, 2011 at 1:25 PM
    #44
    BlueT

    BlueT Well-Known Member

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    I moded 1999 Taco so much it had turned to Land Cruiser
    That diff looks like it had not enough oil for some time and was running regular oil for really long time. Lots of burn off thats crazy. Thats why 30K is max to go on gear oil changes
     
  5. Jan 21, 2011 at 11:19 PM
    #45
    David K

    David K Well-Known Member

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    I am sure that wasn't the case... he is a devoted Toyota man and four wheeler for life... See his group: http://www.desertexplorers.org

    Neal's own words:



    Baja, Oops!
    By Neal Johns


    It all started out so well, then everything turned to mush. Several fellow Baja lovers on the internet planned a trip to the most inaccessible Mission ruins in Baja, Mission Santa Maria. The road is about 14 miles long and starts off of Highway One 300 miles below the border. We gathered at the village of El Rosario at the BajaCactus Motel. The owner, Antonio Munoz, had supported our expeditions for years and was a good and faithful friend. It did not hurt that his Motel was built to American standards and was also inexpensive.

    Marian had just returned from Tibet (yes, she saw Mount Everest from Base Camp, but did not climb it. :) and had chipped a bone in her foot the second day of her trip, Being somewhat cheap, I mean frugal, she limped around until she got back to Kaiser. She declined to go on another trip with a limp.

    What could I do but ask one of my WiW's (Wife-in-Waiting) to accompany me? Teddi was already in Baja where she had been indulging in her hobby of riding mules over the El Camino Real mule/foot trail that connected the Missions. She met me in El Rosario with her dog, an aging Shepard named Dixie she claimed would protect her from my advances. Dixie ambled over and licked my hand. So much for protection. Threatening to tell Marian (whom she knew) did work.

    The next day we drove an hour to Rancho Santa Inez and started on the dirt and rock four wheel drive road to the Mission ruins. The first twelve miles were �interesting� but no one had any trouble. The last two miles were more than �interesting�. The steep, rocky hill known as �The Widow Maker� was downhill this direction but made you pause and think about the ability to get up it. Then came the first �Oops�, the dreaded Swamp. A lovely palm grove in the canyon was usually dry, but as palm trees require their feet to be in damp soil, sometime it was a Swamp. Due to recent rains, this was one of those times. The narrow road that took you to the other side of the Swamp was lined with palm trees and covered with black water up to three feet deep. Oops!

    We made it through the Swamp, but at one point an unseen dip in one side of the road tilted the top of my Pop-Top camper into the adjacent palm tree. Even at the slow speed of 5-10 MPH, this resulted in a double Oops! The camper top will require major repair or replacement.
    Arriving at the Mission, we admired the choice location and the concomitant view and then on the way out, things got really interesting. The road did it to me again! Different dip, different palm tree, same result. Pish and dottle! No, it ain't cussing, look it up. The Swamp Gods were not through with me, for no known reason, my rear differential ring and pinion broke and I had to be towed up The Widow Maker hill. But wait! There were other lesser hills that I had to be towed or winched up. In the process of being towed, I could not control the speed or always the direction in the curves so I hit a rock and bent a tie rod. This made my tires look in different directions and my steering even worse. At 1:30 in the morning we gave up, camped, and the next morning the crew left me to die alone in the wilderness eight miles from civilization. Well not quite, one of the guys drove to El Rosario, bought parts for the steering back a day and a half later, and I drove out in front wheel drive with an occasional tow up a hill.

    We drove to El Rosario where Antonio gave us free rooms and spent two days finding a ring and pinion for my differential, He arranged for a local mechanic to install it and finally I was able to drive home.

    Just another great vacation in Baja.
     
  6. Apr 30, 2011 at 9:34 AM
    #46
    Isthatahemi

    Isthatahemi Well-Known Member

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    BFG AT's, Weathertechs, Hoppy's brake controller.
    Well I hope this is the only rear end issue you have. I am on rear diff #3, and going in for #4 this week. The first one grenaded, the second and third are making loud whining noises.
    Toyota should quit building trucks. I mean shit, they let this problem persist for 7 years now?
     
  7. May 2, 2011 at 11:06 AM
    #47
    David K

    David K Well-Known Member

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    Differential Breather Mod Light Bar: 4 Cree LED lamps Bilstein 5100s Ride Rite Air Bags
    and yet, I am on Tacoma #3 with all three totalling some 262,000 miles with NO differential problems...??? Just got back from Baja last night... awesome truck. Sorry you are having issues...
     
  8. May 2, 2011 at 1:00 PM
    #48
    aficianado

    aficianado Well-Known Member

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    back to bone stock.
    kind of hard for me to believe you have to come to a dead standstill before going from reverse to forward.

    it cannot be much more "loading" than using 4-lo to climb a big rock from a standstill.
    glad you got it fixed. in my idiot days, i dumped the clutch on a 1984 4cyl jeep cherokee with 31" tires. KABLOOM! the r&p blew up so hard it dimpled the diff cover from the inside. amazing.
     
  9. May 2, 2011 at 1:30 PM
    #49
    excalis

    excalis Well-Known Member

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    Man, all this is making me afraid of going out and getting some off roading done. Are the trucks that are having problems coming with the Danco rear ends?
     
  10. May 2, 2011 at 5:46 PM
    #50
    nyfishhunter

    nyfishhunter [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I see the thread has come back to life -- no problems since the differential was replaced. Like David K - this is my second Tacoma. If the frame hadn't rusted-out, I would still be happily driving my 1998.
     
  11. May 2, 2011 at 5:59 PM
    #51
    jandrews

    jandrews Hootin' and Hollerin'

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    Did a lot of research on this after I grenaded my rear end wheeling.

    Basically, the 8.0" R+P isn't enough gear for trucks the size of a 2gen Tacoma in addition to the newer more powerful engine. Toyota had a bunch on the shelf from the 1st gens and decided to shove them under these trucks to save costs. Since 99.9% of TRD ORs never leave pavement, they won that bet. Daily driving won't stress the diff enough for it to matter.

    Putting in a larger ring and pinion would require a new axle housing, which is obviously pricey, doubly so for Toyota to do the R+D, get the parts made, etc etc.

    So, pretty much, it was laziness on ToMoCo's part. Toyota is still better than most every other auto manufacturer, but they're not what they were in the mid 90s.

    FWIW, the easiest "fix" for this is to go to an aftermarket gear set. They make the pinion smaller and therefore create room for the ring gear to be thicker cut. They may also be hardened to a higher degree than the stock gears. There's a strong suspicion out there that not only is the 8 inch rear too small, the gears are also being made poorly. I'm driving mine like glass until I get some aftermarket gears in there and broken in, which will hopefully be soon.
     
  12. May 2, 2011 at 6:49 PM
    #52
    excalis

    excalis Well-Known Member

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    Hey jandrews, since I have just purchased a 2011 TRD Off Road, should I be worried about my vehicle having problems with the rear end?
     
  13. May 2, 2011 at 6:51 PM
    #53
    jandrews

    jandrews Hootin' and Hollerin'

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    Is it gonna do work?
     
  14. May 2, 2011 at 7:41 PM
    #54
    excalis

    excalis Well-Known Member

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    Just some light off road, boat recovery, some hauling here and there. I guess it will be fine, I am not going to be rock crawling, etc.

    I will just have to be mindful of how I engage and use the 4x4 capabilities.
     
  15. May 2, 2011 at 7:44 PM
    #55
    jandrews

    jandrews Hootin' and Hollerin'

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    It'll probably be fine for that. Mind wheelspin when on the boat ramp. Easy does it.
     
  16. May 2, 2011 at 7:46 PM
    #56
    05tacoSPORT

    05tacoSPORT Well-Known Member

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    Geared and Locked
    get a sport
     
  17. May 2, 2011 at 7:47 PM
    #57
    jandrews

    jandrews Hootin' and Hollerin'

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    :spy:
     
  18. May 2, 2011 at 7:49 PM
    #58
    StandingCow

    StandingCow Well-Known Member

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    Same here man. I loved my 1st gen. :(
     
  19. May 2, 2011 at 7:50 PM
    #59
    excalis

    excalis Well-Known Member

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    Should have, but oh well :D
     

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