apphunter

Hey, everyone

I am just out of college and now that I have some money I want to perform some maintance on my truck that has been neglected. I want to do as much of it as I can by myself because I am a police officer and well I don't get paid enough to pay some one I can do myself. I am pretty mechanically inclined but I am inexperianced.

On to my truck.

1995 3.0vz auto 4x4 extended cab.

148k miles


I know I need a new transmision. My transmission has been overheating and I can smell burnt metal when I am done. It is usually only at highway speeds but around town is fine. The ATF light comes on if i run it over 65mph for a few minutes. I have put cooler on it and it still does this. I am just waiting on the money from my taxes to either have it replaced or rebuilt which ever is needed. Any suggestions to this would be greatly appreciated.

But what I am really concerned with is the general maintance that needs to be completed. I need to know what should be done and any tips or tricks to help me complete these tasks. I am not looking for outstanding performance. I just need a truck that gets around town reliably

I was directed here from a gun forum I frequent and I hope to get the same quality level of information and fun that I get there.

Elvota

Welcome to YT. You'll find some very good info and people here.

Without knowing the condition of your vehicle, I'd suggest the following, in no particular order:

Fluid level checks throughout (tranny, PS, engine oil, brake fluid)
Oil change (engine, diffs)
Grease all pivots and U-Joints
General tuneup (spark plugs, wires, cap, rotor)
Check timing belt (replace if worn)
Replace acc belts (if worn)
Radiator flush

The 3.0 engine has a few issues. One of which is the HG letting go. If you search you'll find infinite threads discussing this problem and ways to fix it (if needed)

Also, many 3.0's have been neglected when it comes to valve adjustments which can cause multitude of problems. Although this may not be in the realm of your average beginner mechanic, the removal of the heads so they can be tuned is.

If you take the heads off, you can replace the HG and kill two birds with one wrench... so to speak.

If you are serious about learning how to maintain your vehicle and wish to do it correctly, I'd strongly suggest picking up a Toyota factory manual off of E-Bay. They have an amazing amount of information that is very helpful and will pay for themselves in a short time.

I'd try to find a place nearby that offers "free" tranny assessments and then go from there with that problem.

Brenjen

Did you replace the transmission fluid & filter when you put on the cooler? If not, start there.

You can get the codes through the check engine light or get someone to use a scanner on it & pull the codes for you. Use the codes (if any) to guide you to trouble spots. For general maintenance on a vehicle with the kind of miles you have I'd recommend this:

Inspect the cap & rotor & change them if needed. I change those out on any used vehicle I get with over 25,000 miles on it.

Check & replace the plugs & wires if needed. Apparently Toyota's are picky about what plugs they use; NGK & Denso are the recommended plug by most owners.

Check & replace the air filter element & clean the throttle body.

Flush & re-fill the radiator.

The fuel filter is another thing you might replace but only if you think it may be needed as they are hard to get to.

Check the brake pads & replace if needed. Check the rotors & drums surfaces & have them turned if needed at the same time. Also check the brake fluid & see if it's burnt, if so bleed & refill the system.

Of course an oil change, I prefer Mobil1 synthetic & Wix or Mobil1 filters. Synthetic oil costs more but it's worth it. Stay away from fram oil filters, they are about as useless as not having a filter at all.

Lube the chasis & check the fluid in your differentials & the transfer case. The transfer case on your truck uses automatic transmission fluid, don't use gear oil.

Check the timing & read up on how to install the water pump & timing belt kit; at 150K miles you will probably be needing to dig into that before too long.

Check all your belts,hoses & vacuum lines & replace as needed. The PCV is a booger to get to & is prone to line hardening.

Check the O2 sensor & replace it if needed.