Where do I begin? (2nd gen)

So I find myself in the process of slowly inheriting a 2009 TRD Off Road Tacoma with right about 126k miles on the odometer. It's my father's truck, but it's starting to spend some time in my care.

Two rubs. Rust and Neglect.

Maintenance has been somewhat... spotty. The front diff, rear diff, manual trans, coolant system and power steering system all have their original fluids. It goes on. Spark plugs? Not quite, but only the second set. Brakes? Original in the rear. No problems with the AC, at least, as my father, ever mindful of fuel economy, decided to save the weight and cut it out with a reciprocating saw when it went upside down in the fish bowl. Not a problem for me here in Maine. Oil changes every 8-10k or so.

Just about the only thing not original, it seems, is the rust, which is getting pretty severe in some places that look kinda complicated to me. There's a spot in the frame near the hinges of the front doors that I can fit two or three fingers through the holes, and the skid plates look like a commercial for dinner biscuits.

So yeah, there's that... but it runs beautifully! In fact, it just did a 1200 mile road trip from Tennessee to Maine, where it sits in my front yard as a weekend slow roller. The miles were almost all highway, and many of the mechanicals actually feel excellent for its age. The clutch bite point could be brand new, and the shifter feel is still quite good. No gear soup for me. Interior is excellent. Recall on the leaf springs has been done.

So let's get into why I care.

My dad got it new in 2008 rather ironically through a buyback of his rusted out Gen 1. In the next few years we did some serious stuff, the kinda stuff the bearded guys like me call "overlanding" these days, all through the Catskills while I was but a mere lad. I intend to return her to her former glory, and build out a proper overlander for, among other things, the North Maine woods and coastal trails.

I had intended to surprise the significant other with an MR2 for myself on my 40th birthday in a few years, so there's some potential reallocation of funds if I really decide to go down this path. From where I sit the frame is the main problem, but hardly a deathblow. I have a lead on a place that specializes in such things, and really the bit that is the scariest runs parallel to where a reinforced skid plate would run anyway.

As for routine things there are some fill and drain plugs that haven't been twisted on since this thing was in the factory, and the chances that they come out without a fight is basically zero. My plan for this is to take it into a dealership and have them lube the diffs, transfer case and tranny while getting a trained set of eyes on the situation in general.

And so I find myself here. So far I've done an oil change and have coolant, spark plugs and an air filter on the way.

What obvious low hanging fruit am I missing? I've seen and taken into advisement BlackBeerd's excellent guide to 2nd gen Taco upkeep, and am considering things like MAF cleaning and throttle body cleaning along with some other miscellanery. I think I have some vibrations in the prop shaft, but am unsure how to proceed. Should I "condition" the belts? The serpentine belt is actually almost brand new. Is it true that light bars impress the opposite gender?

This is how it starts. Looking forward to this.

Cheers

 

Welcome to Tacoma World Jesse

Try going to this page on the site and look thru the "stickied" threads near the top of the page.

Tells you all about the 2nd Gen care and feeding:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/2nd-gen-tacomas-2005-2015.5/

 

Welcome aboard!

 

If the place you are considering to help with the frame are something like Safe T Cap experts, that 'may' work out ok.

But I think I'd be looking for a replacement frame. Depending on how much labor your skill set could supply in a frame swap, it might come out very little more in cost, and set you up for long term success, assuming proper care of the replacement.

No, it's not going to be easy to find where you live. But you could get lucky, so it's at least worth shopping for.

Photos of the area you speak of, along the frame rails and where the leaf springs mount will tell the tribe a lot.

 

Go drive the truck and enjoy it while you can. I'm surprised at that much rust on a Tennessee truck, but it sounds like it's only got a couple more years of useful life. It will only get worse in Maine. I don't know if a frame replacement is economically feasible or not.

My 07 has 259,000 miles on it. I changed the diff and transfer case fluid at 170,000. I don't ever plan to change the AT fluid. It's more economical to just drive it till it dies and have it rebuilt. I figure I have at least another 100,000 miles before I have to worry about that. I changed the coolant and hoses at 250,000 miles.

I replaced the rear brakes at 200,000. The fronts have been done 3-4 times but I still have the original rotors. I'll replace brake fluid and rotors with the next brake job. Plugs should have been done at 100,000, but I've seen lots of guys go 150,000 with no issues. I would replace the serpentine belt yesterday. They need to be done every 100,000 and if it breaks on you on the road it's a problem. That's not a job you can easily do on the side of the road. You'll have to get it towed somewhere.

 

Thanks for the warm welcome, guys.

Serpentine belt was just done last year. It did, in fact, stand my father around 2AM with about five miles to go in a 1000+ mile road trip. Whatever its failings, at least this truck has a sense of humor.

The lead I have is a local shop that gets warranty work sent their way from some dealerships in the area. They even have full tube frame rebuilds and kit race car stuff on the menu, as I understand things. I sincerely hope it doesn't come to something like that. That said, it's possible that between my father and myself there's more will to keep this truck running than is strictly rational. If something breaks my hope is that I can replace/rebuilt it; I'm not ruling out the possibility that it becomes a Franken-truck in time. It will never again need to do such mundane tasks as commute or drive in the snow. That's what sports cars with winter tires are for!

I will grab a few photos in the coming days and do some more hunting around the forum.

Cheers

 

Welcome to Tacoma World.

I realize there's probably some emotional ties to the truck, but if you can stick 2 or 3 fingers through a hole in the frame, you may just be better driving it until it dies...don't spend a lot of money on it, especially at the dealer. You may be able to have someone weld in patches, but before a person gets too deep, the whole frame needs to be inspected.

Diffs and the trans are very easy to change the oil, do it yourself. Same with coolant and power steering fluid.

Sorry to wet in your Wheaties, I want you to go into this with your eyes wide open with realistic expectations. This truck could easily become expensive and time consuming.