TL;DR - The linear clutch pedal spring I installed is working great. Everyone with a torsion spring on their clutch pedal should do this proactively. For anyone looking to do this upgrade themselves, I've got a short, simple guide to the work: Fixing the Clutch Pedal Spring (Torsion to Linear, Eliminate Squeaks) As easy as the conversion from the stock torsion clutch pedal spring to the linear spring (90507-14030) variant ended up being, it took me quite a while to get around to doing the swap, for two reasons: I had a bit of a tough time learning exactly where…
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TL;DR - After replacing the transmission seal on the transfer case input shaft, my leak disappeared for about three months. But, it's back, so I need to replace the seal again. When replacing the seal in the transmission where the input shaft of the transfer case connects to the output shaft of the transmission, I was super careful to ensure that I aligned the two components so the shaft wouldn't mar the surfaces of the seal. Or so I thought. I've got the same leak as before, so I'll be doing the job again. Oh, joy! Still dripping.
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TL;DR - For the last several months my clutch pedal hasn't been returning fully. Clearly, the plastic bushings on the torsion spring are wearing out (they're squeaky too), so I'll be replacing the torsion spring with a linear spring. I don't know why, but not all manual transmission 1st gen Tacomas use the same spring to return the clutch pedal to the out position. Those equipped with a 4-cylinder engine use a linear spring (90507-14030), and those with a 6-cylinder use a torsion spring. The problem with the torsion spring isn't the spring itself - it's plenty strong and never…
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TL;DR - The seal in the transmission that accepts the input shaft from the transmission is leaking and needs to be replaced. At the same time I noticed the slow leak at the rear diff, I also noticed a drop of gear oil on the transfer case skid plate. A quick inspection led to the seam between the transfer case and transmission - a cavity that should be dry. More often than not, a bit of oil leaks into this location, with the probability increasing if the two components have ever been separated. After noticing the gear oil, I added a…
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TL;DR - the form in place gasket (FIPG) used to seal the carrier to the rear axle housing is leaking just a tad and needs replacing. Not much more to say about this for now. I suspect this will be a reasonably straightforward fix, which I'll take care of when I change the oil in the rear diff this winter. The biggest issue will be cleaning the mating surfaces well in order to get a good seal. Caked dust - a telltale sign of a slow leak.
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TL;DR - I had my first oil analysis done, and with 235K miles on the Tacoma, it came back great. I've sort of postponed getting a Blackstone Labs oil analysis, since I was worried about what it would say. For the first 16 years that I owned the Tacoma, I probably only got 4-5 oil changes - though, to be fair, I only drove the Tacoma a sum total of 40K miles in that time. Since then, I've put quite a few dirt miles on the truck, and since 2016 I've been using an aFE air filter - something that…
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TL;DR - the new transfer case seems to be working great so far. After the input shaft bearing in my transfer case gave out on a trip to Death Valley, I quickly picked up a new (to me) transfer case from a local junkyard and swapped it into the Tacoma. My priority - of course - was to get back out on the trail as quickly as possible. So far - some 5500 miles later, seems thing to be really great. As in, the replacement transfer case seems to be in much better shape than mine had been for the…
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TL;DR - I need a new transfer case. Like most of the rest of the Tacoma, I "only" have 200K miles on the transfer case. While these are generally viewed as rock solid components that can last upwards of half a million miles, mine actually started to show signs that something was wrong nearly 100,000 miles ago. I thought I'd rectified the problem after changing the oil, but clearly that wasn't the case - the damage already done to the bearings that keep things spinning smoothly. Everything came to a head in the Back for More trip, when a strange…
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TL;DR - I've put 10K miles on my reinforced axle housing and it's working great. I'm really in no rush for my new one to arrive. Back at the end of September, as I was driving home from the Aftermath trip, I noticed that my rear axle housing had cracked at the perch for the passenger leaf spring. Taking a cue from Ryan @Reh5108, I refrained from simply welding the crack, opting instead to fabricate a patch to fit over the entire housing in that location. At the time, my solution was meant to see the Tacoma through one or…
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TL;DR - Like lights, bushings wear out, and I'll be replacing several on the front of the truck. The LCA bushings are likely the cause of my misalignment as well, so I'll get that addressed after I replace the bushings. Over the last few trips, the bushings in my lower control arms have been getting louder and louder. This is understandable - they are after-all, original and 21 years old. Additionally, when I removed the front skid plate to extract and replace the bolts in the rear mounts, I noticed that the front diff bushings are also completely worn, so…
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TL;DR - seems to have resolved itself. The fluid was power steering fluid, I believe. I still had bit of spray at the beginning of the trip. A quick inspection of the engine bay by everyone came to the conclusion that it was power steering fluid from when I removed the PS pump to replace the A/C compressor. We agreed that it was either: residual fluid that'd seeped into various crevice's and was leaking back out as the engine bay warmed up, or I didn't get the banjo bolt quite tight enough on the pressurized power steering line. By the…
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TL;DR - I don't really know what this is, but I'm going to keep monitoring it. Hopefully it's nothing. A couple times during the last (Roaming Around Rainier) trip, when I opened the hood to connect the air compressor and air up the tires, I noticed that there was some sort of oily looking splatter on the timing cover. At first, I thought it might just be water from a puddle, but eventually I was convinced it was some sort of oil-based substance. My guess was that it was one of either power steering fluid or A/C oil from the…
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TL;DR - I have oil leaking from the transfer case where the front drive shaft attaches. The truck is subjected to a lot of muddy water crossings and over time that muddy water gets in the various seals and things start to leak. That has happened on one of the transfer case seals, so I'll need to replace the seal between the transfer case and the front drive shaft. The part number for this is Transfer Case Oil Seal - Inner Front Drive Shaft (90311-41012) and I'll also need to replace the Transfer Case - Front Drive Shaft Stake Nut (90179-22016) at the same…
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TL;DR - The rear axle seal replacement seems to worked beautifully and there is no more leaking at all. My trip to Canada and the Whipsaw Trail was cut short when I discovered a leaky rear axle seal on the driver side. Upon my return, I replaced the seals using the Step-by-Step Guide to Replacing the Rear Axle Seals & Bearings I'd put together when doing the job on my 3rd gen 4Runner, and the project went off without a hitch. I hadn't driven the 4Runner much since doing the job, and the job on the Tacoma was done only a…
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TL;DR - Couldn't be happier. I was considering getting some CVJs to replace my CVs, but I don't think I will anymore. Having busted both of my inner CV boots after installing my ADS coilovers, I rebooted both CVs earlier in the year. They've held up great since then, and I think dialing down the pre-load on the ADS coils has resulted in a healthier angles for the CVs in general. When I rebooted the driver side CV, I had a problem with the tulip, but I've not had any issue with the rebuild since it's been on the truck.…
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I think I often overlook the little stuff that I take on trips that just does its job, or that may not be used every trip, but is really handy when the time comes. A few of those things saved the day this time and I think it's worth highlighting their value: Full-Size Shovel - I think most folks recommend taking a shovel, but often it's of the folding variety, or a short shovel to save on space. The full-size shovel this time really saved our bacon when we got stuck in the mud, and that's the third time it's…
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The CVs performed flawlessly on this trip - something I was a little concerned abouts given my surprise when rebooting the passenger side. The boots - as expected from an OEM kit (04438-04021) - are holding up well, and the Moog Universal CV boot clamps that I got for the inner joint are holding just fine. I expect these boots to last for many years, especially since I've taken some of the pre-load out of the ADS coilovers.
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