I have been sorely lacking in my rig reviews as of late. In fact, it's been nine months since my last look at what's been working well - and not so well - with the Tacoma, and so rather than just a few trips between this and the previous review, there are 14 trips!
Three quarters of a year is a long time for things to get a little wonky out in the wild, and there were a few things that definitely needed some attention, though as usual there were no real major problems; the Tacoma continues to be an impressive machine 27 years after I brought it home from the dealer.
Unlike last summer's rig review, the Tacoma has been away from home for most of the duration of this one, so the maintenance and modification list is a little shorter. In fact, all of these things happened in the last two weeks:
Maintenance
- Change the oil. The first change since last fall, after 8811 miles.
- Rotate the tires, at the same time as the oil change.
- Grease the drive train. Again, I do this at every oil change.
Mods
- Installed a metal door handle in the passenger door, to replace the original (broken) plastic handle.
- Installed v2 of the Lutzauto speedometer correction device.
- Installed a pair of Diode Dynamics C2R lights in the rear bumper.
- Added a USB charger to the CVT roof top tent for powering/charging phones and laptops when we're not in the cab, which also included updating the 12v electrical box that provides power to the bed of the truck.
And with that, on to what's working and what's not, with the truck.
TL;DR - My driver side alignment got messed up again for the third time. I'm not sure if there's something wrong with the hardware, but I'll be monitoring.
TL;DR - The Kenda's have performed VERY well in all conditions (better than the S/T Maxx) and have been a great tire. I'm trying to find a way to get lighter wheels so I can keep running them.
TL;DR - I got this little inflator as a gift about a year ago, and it has exceeded all of my expectations.
TL;DR - I had to put a new starting battery when my lights were left on by the facility that stores it in Las Vegas. I also took the opportunity to "capture" the battery a little bit better.
TL;DR - There's a new version - based on customer feedback - of the LutzAuto Speedo Correction device that I ran until a couple of them failed, and I'm giving it a try again.
TL;DR - It's taken a longer than the previous one hundred thousand miles, but I'm up to 300K miles!
TL;DR - My 26-year-old door handle finally broke, and I've replaced it with a metal one.
Seemingly solved from previous Rig Reviews
Given that I only had the Tacoma home for a few days before heading out again, I didn't solve any existing problems as a part of this Rig Review. Problems are to be solved another day!
Unchanged / Still an issue from previous Rig Reviews
There are some things that have been featured in Rig Reviews that are - as yet - unchanged from when I originally reviewed them. Rather than highlight those things again, I'll simply link to them here.
- Skid plate attachment could be better
- The Sequoia wheels and Kenda Klever RT tires aren't as great as I'd hoped.
- The jury is still out on whether the 5th gear swap was worthwhile (still collecting data).
- My Cats are Empty [P0420 Check Engine Light] Still get the light. Still resetting it. Wallet still full.
- I've Worn Out My TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) [P0120 Check Engine Light]. Still have the new-to-me TPS waiting to go in.
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When i read your mileage , i feel confident . My Taco has 90000 . Like you i do a lot of maintenance regular and preventive.
there are no miracles; take care of the truck and you can Thrust it. Did you ever break down and not be able to keep going?
Yeah, at 90K, you've got a long life left! I'm hoping to hit 500K with mine, but we'll see if I live long enough, lol!
I've definitely had break downs that have sent me home, but nothing that's left me stranded so far. I am sure it's only a matter of time though!
Three breakdowns that sent me home:
None of the links for the articles work - is it just me or are they broken?
Broken for me too... 🙁
Sorry about that, I've fixed it now!
Should be working now. Gotta love technology and updates, lol.
The title header link works but the "continue reading" seems incorrect.
On your PO420 code have you eliminated the oxygen sensors. The one pre-cat has several functions and is more tightly monitored to throw a sensor code when it goes. The one post-cat is more for monitoring the cat and you may not get a sensor code for it. Yours is a CARB truck so expect the post-cat sensor is a different part number. Tighter spec? to go with the CARB ECU. Average life expectancy for the sensors is 150KM. My Cruiser pre-cat threw a code at 135KM and I replaced both pre-cat sensors (V8 has 2). Some Cruiser guys have seen a percent or two mpg increase replacing pre-cat sensors with more than 150KM, even without codes. (but your milage my vary) 🙂
Notice, I already mentioned this last year, so you probably checked it out.
In fact, I've got a rear O2 sitting here in the box, and I'd planned to include it in this rig review, but ran into an issue replacing it, so the original is still on the truck.
Specifically, the issue I ran into was multi-faceted:
So yeah, this will be in the "next" Rig Review. Or not. 🤦
Its great when things go smoothly, more drama when they don't. Not that you need more drama. Looking to see how this ends.
I have some drama going, stripped sparkplug hole, Have a special tap and insert ready to go. Dreading the tapping and making sure no metal gets in cylinder or that I get it all out. Keep putting it off, but have to bite the bullet.
Good luck with your drama.
Oof, and good luck with yours! I hope to never have to deal with that!
I bought an earlier version of the Flextail pump. It was great but it lasted only a couple times and, of course, one finds this out when they're out away from civilization. Hopefully the newest version is more reliable.
Oh man, that's a bummer. When you say it only lasted a couple of times, what'd you run into? Did the pump itself fail? Battery not charge?
Pump would not turn on nor would the battery charge. It had been several months since I had used it.