Thats just part of modifying trucks... Heck toyota sells parts that automatically void warrenties on parts, and they say toyota on them....

Not too worried, I have a oil psi sender hooked up to the unit, and will have the gauge mounted shortly... just waiting on the release of an a-pillar pod.

 

Did you ever install the stuff I sent you?

 

I have a couple of the things in. The mag light holder, and dividers.

I had the dash mount in, but I went with an Ipod controller that lets me control the Ipod from the stereo. I am trying to decide if I want to get XM or mount the SGII on it, been too busy to play with it.

I was waiting to see what tool box I got before putting the bed bolt it, now I need to get another and mount them. But probably wont happen until July.. I dont have a free day this month. In fact I will be so busy I will be flying all night home from a week of work in AK and leaving to go camping for 3 days as soon as I get off the plane...

I am getting my front receiver built at CBI on Monday, but have no clue when I will get it wired.

 

Well, my point was that nothing automatically VOIDS your warranty. Especially not the whole thing. The issue comes when something goes wrong with a related part/system (which can be a lot when you are talking about oil or computer/electrical).

So even if I put in a solid axle, truggy rear, etc doesn't mean my warranty is just flat out void. They don't really VOID your warranty, despite what Toyota will likely tell you. All they can do is deny your warranty claims based on modifications to related systems that could have caused the issue you've taken it in for. Of course, if they deny it and you think they shouldn't have - its going to be on your to take them to court... Moss-Magnuson and all that.

 

Before my 92 I had a multi mount winch setup and really liked it, winch in the front or back, wherever needed... and in the garage when not needed... So I wanted to go back to this setup on my 07.. The problem was I only found one aftermarket receiver setup for the 05+, and it was so low I thought it was an anchor... So I emailed Steve at CBI about making one, he didn't think it would be an issue so I went out there about 3 weeks ago, and this is what I ended up with....

Steve is a fantastic fabricator, and great guy to work with. He does some of the best work I have ever seen. There were a bunch of sliders, bumpers and other stuff around the shop I looked at, simply amazing work...

With the factory bumper removed...



Steve decided to integrate the receiver with the OEM aluminum bumper behind the plastic. This kept the OEM integrity, as well as made fabrication fairly easy. Here is bolting up the mount..



installing the OEM aluminum to the new steel legs.



Checking fitment of the crossmember



Receiver welded, gusseted and ready to be welded to the legs.



All welded, ready to be removed for painting.



In addition to the 6 OEM mounting studs, Steve added a support that bolts to the bottom of the frame end, which has a hole for a shackle in it.



With the bumper installed, the only trimming needed was two supports on the bottom of the bumper, didn't affect anything, and trimming the plastic in the center hole of the bumper (I plan to remove one more section from each side to make it easier to install the pin).



The license plate bracket that slips into the receiver.



The Winch basket



Notice both holes in the receiver, on for the rear and one for the front, maximizing approach/departure angle...



And the receiver in the truck, no real loss to approach angle. Nor will the winch affect airflow when installed (I do a lot of towing in the summer and airflow is key)






I plan to added a hawse fairlead and put syn line on the winch to save weight. I expect to get the truck wired up by September, no real need before elk season.

Steve took careful measurements and kept the OEM aluminum legs to make copies of. He was talking about making these for anyone who wanted, so if you are interested email him steve (@) cbioffroad.com... Trust me when I say the price is right, and the work is second to none.

 

real cool looking receiver for the front. great work, the truck looks amazing!

 

Hey John: That came out awesome. Did you plan on the handles coming out even with the grill? Adds a nice look to it. So much better than the Curtis front hitch that kills the front approach angle.

 

Unless Steve planned it, which wouldn't surprise me, I think it was just luck that they came out that way.

Its sweet, cant wait to use it

 

Geat looking winch mount John... you know you could add a couple of extra tractor "work" lights to the under side of the carrier and they would not look out of place. Just a thought haha

Aviator

 

I would like to have a nice strong aftermarket bumper that allows less rear overhang. However, I also want one with a built in reciever (like the Currie bumper my Wrangler had) so that I can eliminate the low hanging reciever that my Tacoma came with.

Are there any like that out there?

 

One of the big bling bumper mfgr's makes a rear winch bumper w/ receiver.. just cant remember which one right now.

So far the rear bumper hasnt been an issue for me. And I really like the OEM Class IV hitch

 

So after 4 months of waiting for a a-pillar pod to be produced I am tired of waiting and really want to get my trans temp gauge installed... So I have been talking to the guys at gaugepods.com about other places, and they think they could make one for the tray infront of the cup holder, but thats formed to the center console, so making an instert will be difficult...

So, I went the easy way and ordered two of these



I will most likly put them in the tray in front of the cup holders, but unlike with a formed pod I will still have room to store a few things.

If the a-pillar mount ever comes out (supposed issues due to the side airbag options) I will go with it, but for now a gauge is a gauge.

 

Gotta love those estupidio airbags... If I wanted to drive around in a vehicle filled with explosives aimed at my face I'd go to iraq... or maybe london haha

 

I actually dont mind them... I think its silly I cant get a gauge pod becuase of them... but I think the chance that they help is better than the chance they dont.... That and I had to get them to get A-TRAC

 

This is true just becareful you don't bump any trees or boulders off-road or the bags will deploy and the ins. will right off your truck for you...

 

Yep... at least you can turn the roll sensor off

 

The air bags shouldn't go off from anything you're going to hit off-road. Assuming you are going slowly and hit a tree or whatever slowly they won't go off. Its based on *acceleration* of the negative type. You have to be going pretty fast to get them to deploy. Or I should say pretty fast followed by a sudden stop.

Now, if you're going FAST off road and hit a tree, you'll likely want your airbags to go off so maybe you can avoid death....

 

wow ah64id, this is a great thread! your truck is awesome, i really hope you take alot of pictures of the transmission temperature gauge install, that is something that i would like to do aswell. what winch are you going to use, if you dont mine me asking?

 

I have an XD9000 that I have had for several years on other rigs that will make its way to my 07 by October...

The trans temp gauge install should go this week, I plan to document it well.

 

So I finally got my trans temp gauge installed in my 07 Taco...

Why: IMO an auto tranny isn't the best tranny for backroads towing, there just isn't enough pump or airflow to keep them cool. This is bad for two reasons one the trans can be cooked and two it can cause the engine to overheat as the trans is putting 200*+ fluid into a radiator when the engine is only putting 190-200* so the trans fluid can actually cause the engine coolant not to cool (I have seen it happen more than once). But IMO the 5 spd auto in the taco is a better option, plus this isnt a HD tow rig, just a LD one. So I figured a gauge to keep an eye on the temps was the best option, plus it would tell me if the OEM aux cooler with the tow package was enough.

Where: So I started doing some research on where people with trans temp gauges mount them. I found the most common was in the pan. Most ford/chevy trannnies have a test port in the pan and they put the gauge there. Well the toyota doesnt have this, and I found its not the hottest place, which is what I wanted to see. So I found that some Dodge guys tap them into the line going from the trans to the cooler. I also found some toyota guys doing this but not until it goes to the rubber line, about 3' in front of the tranny, IMO way to far away for an accurate reading. So in the hardline it was.

How: So I ordered a spare cooler outlet hardline from toyota. I also ordered a ISSPRO trans temp gauge. When they both were here I went to the local hydraulic supply shop and said I want this in here. Turns out the hardline is a 10mm hardline. So two 10mm compression fittings, a brass tee and a 1/4" to 1/8" reducing bushing later and I had my setup. I came home and put the "T" together and went out to the truck. I held it to the hardline to find the closest spot I could attach it to the tranny. With that spot noted I cut the appropriate section of the replacement line out and was ready for an install. For the sender install I disconnected the trans lines at the cooler and tried to blow the fluid back into the tranny but there must be a check valve, so I made a small mess. But it went in very easily. Two clamps on the engine and the one fitting on the tranny, the fwd end is a hose and hose clamp. About 30 minutes later it was installed. I waited until it was in to tighten the compression fittings so that I could get the angle perfect. I then started running the sender line. The ISSPRO setup comes with a sender, amplifier, and gauge. I also got a extension for the gauge between the amp and gauge. I put the sender wires inside a piece of 1/4" fuel line and ran it thru the crossmember under the aft of the engine. I ran it up thru the engine bay to a grommet in the firewall. My oil psi sender wire also runs thry this grommet. The wire then plugs into the amplifier and thats mounted on the fire wall. The gauge itself is mounted on the dash below the 4wd shift knob. I originally wanted a a-pillar mount but one of those wont be made due to the side airbag option, so I am told. So I got a universal pod from autometer, and screwed it to the dash. The wires run thru the dash in the coin tray (e-brake location on manuals) and are out of sight. I got power from a tap-a-fuse that is powered by the "on" position of the ignition. I still need to run a wire for backlighting and will tap into the trailer brake controller harness wire that is hot with parking lights and my brake controller doesn't use it.

Impressions: This was relatively an easy install, and works awesome. The gauge is easy to see when driving, and from the short time I have had it installed I would say VERY necessary. Around town driving empty I have seen temps as high as 190*, which isnt too bad, but wow. On the interstate I have seen 190* empty at 75mph and 210* towing 1800lbs at 75mph. All these readings are on 95-105* days. The couple mornings I have driven to work in the 50-60* range it doesnt get above 130* unless I am stopped in traffic. The temp jumps very fast when stuck in traffic. The hottest I have seen so far is 230*, this was on a 95* day at 7500 feet towing 1800lbs, 500lbs in the bed and climbing a slow switchback road at 10mph in 4lo. I dont really want to see temps above the 220-230* range, and would change my fluid if it ever got above 250*. So thats where it stands, I do expect MUCH cooler temps this winter, but my towing is all summer related to I will most likley add a aux cooler with a fan that kicks on at 160*. I also am very disappointed in the aux cooler. It sits directly behind the bumper so at low speeds it get very little to no airflow. I went for 2 test drives today, the first one I saw 150-160* around town, the second one I took the bumper off and saw 140* and was driving MUCH harder and the temp drops super quick w/out the bumper where w/ the bumper it takes a LONG time to drop if it even will. This tells me that airflow over the aux cooler is a HUGE problem. I also have read that the normal operating temp of this tranny is 122-176*, so as you can see normal driving in the summer puts is 15* above this on a regular basis, with the aux cooler. So those of you without the tow package really need to get another cooler, and those with need another cooler/gauge if you do any backroads towing.

I know that the SGII will be able to read trans temps very soon and I will do this flash also. I am guessing that the gauges will read different when driving. I took my truck to toyota after the sender install to have them check the fluid level as you need to check it at a specific temp and I was unsure of how mine read compared to theirs. What I found was that mine was within +2* of both of the OEM sensors, but this was sitting at idle for 15-20 minutes so there was no load, just a constant recirculation. I would guess under driving conditions the OEM ones will read cooler, maybe as much as 20-30*+ since they look to be in the pan which gets cooled fluid and my sender is in the hardline, getting precooled fluid. The OEM fluid is synthetic and under towing conditions is good for 60K, but I will probably flush it at 30K.

The "T" in the hardline



The Gauge


The sender installed


Sender wire thru the crossmember


Thru the firewall