bulletbikeguy

Hey all, this is my first post on this site.

I recently picked up a 96 2.7L Tacoma 4x4. The truck has 160k miles and I got it for a pretty good price. It's has a few issues that I've been working on and thought some insight from the pros would be helpful.

The truck had been sitting in the last owner's driveway for 2 years but I haven't had any dried seal problems (that I know of yet)

I drove the truck from Salt Lake City, to Montana 2 days after I bought it and it did ok. The following is a list of problems I've had and solutions I've done so far.

1. Vibration at idle. The vibration was bad, it was rpm based so I figured it may be a cylinder not firing or something.
   1. Replaced plugs and wires (The motor ran smoother but the vibration persisted)
   2. Ran some sea foam through the brake vacuum hose (again smoothed out the engine but did not solve the vibration issue)
   3. Replaced worn out fan clutch (vibration solved) The old clutch bushing/bearing had worn out and the fan was spinning off access causing a horrible vibration.
2. Heater got cold passing through west yellowstone, which is scary this time of year. I stopped for gas and checked under the hood and the motor was cold to the touch
   1. Replaced thermostat, (engine still seams to run very cold)
3. Bellcrank levers seized
   1. Hardware is worn enough that replacements are needed
4. Battery was shot and no battery tray/hold down bracket
   1. replaced battery and installed new universal tray. Had to cheat by using self tapping screws to mount the tray. I felt bad molesting the truck like that.
5. Steering pump started whining today. Inspection showed very low fluid level. Fluid is very dirty and rusty. Added new fluid and pump ran low again after an hour of driving around. Rack/pinion is leaking badly, which is a new problem. Considering a re-manufactured unit from Oreilly's but I've been reading that may not be the best idea.
6. Need to install core-heater for the negative temps up here. Priorities say this will have to wait though.
7. Owner told me he installed an add-a-leaf to the rear but never got around to installing the spacers in the front. He told me it caused the front tires to wear on the insides. When I had new tires installed and alignment done the big-o said the camber was set all the way out and couldn't be adjusted further. Would putting the spacers in fix this? I have them but haven't wanted to mess around with the spring loaded struts.
8. The check engine light came on and when I pulled the code (sorry I wrote it down and lost the paper), it had something to do with, air leak before cat, cat problem, or O2 sensor after cat. When I replaced the battery the light turned off and hasn't returned, though I figure it will. The truck has a newer Cat but who knows.

Any advice you guys have on these topics would be awesome. I've done a lot of reading on all these things but haven't found all the answers.

bulletbikeguy

Some good news I think. I got the truck into the air and ran it while inspecting the rack/pinion. It looks as though the the leak is coming from the lines and not from the rack itself. I have not yet removed the lines but I'm having a bit of a panic attack because the cheapest I can find the things is $300+ on the interwebs. There has got to be a more reasonable route to replacing the lines if they are damaged!

I also noticed that as I raised the front of the truck and the suspension let out, the tires went back to good camber. I think the spacer will make a big difference. While I'm at it I'll probably replace the shocks.

Anyone replaced only the shocks and left the springs? What are the chances that the springs are shot?

Thanks!

bulletbikeguy

That was a huge pain in the neck for such a simple job. Getting tools into the engine compartment to get the hose clamps off was a nightmare. The silver lining of that cloud was that the return line rubber hose had cracked and was causing the leak. I replaced the hose and got everything back in place.


Now for another problem. I decided that since I had the truck up in the air I would install new shocks and put the spacers in place. Well I removed the lug nuts and couldn't get the tire off! I tried everything, including spraying the joint with some stuff that ate the laminate off the rim! OH NOOOS! Anyway, I spun the wheel and smacked it with a sledge from the back and couldn't get the thing to let loose. I'll be doing a search in a sec but if there is some trick to pulling the front wheels off I would be all ears.

bulletbikeguy

Man, the engine is still running so cold! Don't get me wrong it's not hot outside so that's not helping but my heat isn't blowing hot enough to take the condensation off the windshield and windows. I was going to tackle the heater core but once I started digging around through the duct work I decided I didn't have enough time.

I was going in through the passenger side, removed the air duct to the far right vent. Do all the electronics have to be pulled? Ugh, it's too cold to be doing this crap!

Oh and what gives, not even one reply? Did I neglect to give the noob reach around or something?

bulletbikeguy

So I needed to drive from Billings, MT to Denver for a meeting. I decided I should put the front spacer in and while I'm at it swap out the brakes and struts. I've done this sort of thing in the past so no big deal right. Wrong, epic failure. Rusty bolts, struts that wouldn't compress to save my life, and leaving Billings 6 hours behind schedule.

The shop that ended up putting things back together did a good job and it seemed to drive well. That is until I got to Casper and the battery light started flashing on the dash. "OMG you've got to be F'ing with me!" is all I could think. I shoot a call off to my dad to call around to parts places in Casper for a replacement alternator. Of course no one has one in stock. The truck dies and I revive it by shutting off the headlights. I limp into a gas station and take a peak under the hood. The jackass that owned the truck before me had removed the plastic insulator from the positive connection to the alternator. It had shorted out. I tried arranging it so there was no short but the alternator was fried.

Rental car from Casper to Denver. BTW the 2011 Toyota Camry is pretty damned nice, the satellite radio and bluetooth integration were welcome over the noisy ride of the taco.

Meeting is done and I pick up a new alternator in Denver and drive back to Casper. I work on the truck, in the dark, freezing cold as the wind blew at 30-40mph. I get everything back together and it starts right up.

I drive back toward billings. About 15 miles out of town I'm at a quarter tank of gas and everything starts going to hell. Horrible performance, over heating, noises. Basically all the things that make you go, "My engine is sucking down a bunch of dirty water, sticks, and dirt right now."

Again I limp into a gas station and fill her up. She jumps back to life and I make it home.

Notes for the future. Put together an all inclusive set of tools that never leaves the truck, ever! Buy a plane ticket and save hundreds of dollars. Pack my mechanic jacket in my emergency bag. Pack a hat. Buy a flashlight that doesn't hurt my teeth to bite on. Pack more blankets in case I end up sleeping on the side of the road in Wyoming. Pack my gun, in case I end up sleeping on the side of the road in Wyoming. Pack food, in case I end up sleeping on the side of the road in Wyoming. You get the idea! FML!