If you own a Toyota Tacoma - and especially if you drive it off-road or with any kind of lift - you're likely to have a CV axle boot crack or split at some point, flinging grease everywhere and making a royal mess. I was lucky enough to have it…
41 CommentsGuide Section: Engine and Driveline
Timing belt, water pump, differentials, etc.
This is an easy project, and one that I'd put off for way too long before doing for the first time recently. Personally, I'd recommend changing your fuel filter at the same time you do your timing belt - every 90K miles or so - just as preventative maintenance, and…
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It seems like just about everyone does this mod sooner or later, and I chose a little later. 17 years a little later. The fact that we have to do this mod at all is a bit unfortunate. Designers at Toyota placed a breather for the rear differential right on…
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One of the easiest - and often overlooked - maintenance jobs on a Tacoma or 4Runner is replacing the PCV valve. This is a one-way check valve that allows blow-by crank case combustion gases back into the engine to be combusted, rather than vented to the atmosphere (where they would…
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The transfer case on a 1st gen Tacoma is generally known to be a very reliable part - often lasting 300-500K miles. However, it is very common to develop a leak in the seal that keeps - or is supposed to keep - the space between the transmission and transfer…
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I recently changed the timing belt and water pump on my 2000 Tacoma, and it went great. In addition to the story of shop day, I figured a detailed set of instructions for anyone wanting to tackle this themselves would be nice to put together, since it's hard to find…
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The clutch on a 1st gen Tacoma is generally known to be a very reliable part - often lasting 200K miles or more. Eventually though, they all wear out, necessitating replacement. There are several clutch options out there for the v6 (5VZFE) 96-04 Tacoma (or 96-02 4Runner, 95-98 T100, and…
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Over time, rubber bushings wear out and need to be replaced. This happened for me recently when I Replaced All the Bushings on my Tacoma, and I figured that others could benefit from a quick little guide that shows the entire process and lists all the necessary parts for the front…
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I recently discovered a dreaded gear oil leak on my 4Runner, and knew it meant only one thing - it was time to change the rear axle seals (and bearings and brake shoes since they were now saturated with oil). In addition to the story of the 4Runner repair, and later…
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The transfer case on a 1st gen Tacoma is generally known to be a very reliable part - often lasting 300-500K miles. However, if yours does fail, replacement is relatively simple - the hardest part sometimes is finding a replacement case, since they are no longer available new. This guide…
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