What have you done to your 1st gen Tundra today?

If I was a guessing man, I’d say $1000 labor. Many shops don’t like to install owner purchased items.

You have done your suspension work right? I consider that more involved than the injectors, but I hate suspension work. Main thing is not be in any hurry to complete the job. Start early and take your time. Look at the drawings I did. Do one side at a time. Do not lose any washers!

 

Smelled burning oil on the way to work this morning. Opened the hood and found the drivers side valve cover coated in oil. Going to try a retorque on the bolts and see if it helps.

If not it can wait until it gets above 20 degrees for new gaskets. Oil level is still good so it's not priority 1.

 

I retorqued mine about 3 times in 2 years before finally getting to the VC Replacement.

You’ll be shocked at how loose those bolts are. You’ll be tightening the pass side as well cause its probably the same thing over there. You’ll need a 10mm socket and two different lengths extensions. You’ll be combo’ing all the lenghts in variations due to each nut being hard to reach.

 

Yup I figured I'd hit those too. Thankfully my in-lb torque wrench isn't too big and it looks like I'll be able to get most of them with a deep socket.

 

I certified my truck today

 

Even a 10mm baby wrench will do the job. I used a 3/8” ratchet.

 

I bet you feel better now knowing eveything is ok.

 

Is that one of those fancy step sides?

 

One of a kind extra “special” edition.

I feel soo much better

 

I got all but the last lower bolt on each side with the deep socket and a 6 inch extension. Had to use a 3 inch for those two.

They were indeed super loose each turned probably at least a full turn. I'll recheck them in 2k miles at the next oil change.

 

It’s cold and the trucks dirty, but I cleaned the fogs enough last weekend to add some Lamin-X film to them, but I need your headlights & corners.

 

I might copy that grille when I lose these bumpers and build tube bumpers.

 

Just be sure to plasti-dip it or paint it first, after about a year and a half whatever clear sealent they sprayed it with started giving it a burnt look. I just dipped it & called it good.

 

So what's all this fearful talk of grenading tranny's that I've heard for all these years if you tow without turning off O/D? I don't think reduced engine braking is going to be a major concern with the 4.88's. If anything, I should have a huge improvement in engine braking because I'll be in the powerband more of the time. Am I thinking correctly?

 

Keep in mind, there is a break in period on the new gears. No towing or drag racing for 500 miles.

To your point on grenading trannys: Its funny reading some of these other Tundra forums posts dated from 10-12 years ago and everyone has a story of a story they heard about something that never happens.

Been towing/hauling for 17 years and the 02’ will let you know when to switch out of O/D (windy and hilly).

This pink milkshake other story (I believe) is fake news like the trannys one. A ten year old story, but no one has had it happen to them from my understanding? Its alway someone ‘heard’ or I read somewhere... haven’t seen one yet from an actual person that it happened to.

 

I already have yellow bulbs in my fogs but I've just ordered the laminex yellow covers too.

 

I deal with pink milkshakes on tundras and 4runners quite a bit working at the dealer. Not very uncommon

 

I like how they put the trans dip stick DIRECTLY in front of that bottom bolt on the pass side.

 

Well thank you for this info. Its nice having a Toyota mechanic set me straight. Its also frustrating reading through posts of people talking about what they heard and it might be this or that. Seems like finding the right info is hard to find. There have been some threads here lately about this pink milkshake. Did you see those?

Now we know who to bother with Toy mechanical questions!

 

Lol I saw them. The 1st gen tundras and third gen 4runners seem most prone to the failure..
if it’s caught quick and the fluids changed the trans usually survives.

 

Whats the exact cause and is there anyway to know ahead of time (potential warning signs) that it may happen?

 

The problem is heat from the transmission hunting between O/D and high gear. If you can keep it in O/D you're fine towing with it on.

Yea that's fantastic, my extension has a little wobble built in and without that I'd have been out of luck.

 

Thats why I recco’d the baby 10mm wrench. It works great if you have no universal.

 

I was being anal and wanted to set them to the proper torque. I've had bad luck with snapping of little bolts apparently I'm a gorilla.

 

Installed the Hewitt SAIS bypass kit, along with their Valve Solenoid Pack. My gauge cluster is back to looking like it should.

 

Twinning!!

 

So what's the mystery breather next to the battery then? Amazing that none of us can seem to figure it out. I know one is for the diff but the other is....?

 

This is what I am wondering. The problem I have is tracking the mystery one, as it gets lost around the frame and its so tight that I just say I’ll figure it out another time. I do know that both breathers next to the battery go to hard pipe around the lower frame area where they get lost on me.

 

One of the first gen guys I follow is rebuilding his engine if anyone is interested.

Apparently he got water in the engine which is why he's having to rebuild at 190k.

 

Looks like fun.