2006 Tundra hand me down

Hey everyone, I am new to this site but had some questions I thought I might run but some of you much more experienced tundra owners.
First off the truck,
2006 Toyota Tundra Access Cab 4.0 v6 with 137000 miles.
Its been my dad's truck since it rolled off the lot with 12 miles on it, he's been looking to upgrade and with me having a son recently he is basically giving me his truck.
I say all this to ask the forum members out there what tests or service checks I should run. Plus any other advice you could throw my way. I plan on keeping this truck for many years to come and want to keep it running as long as possible.
I appreciate your patience and knowledge!

 

Frame rust is the main thing to look out for. Probably not a big deal down there. Other than that its mostly just normal maintenance.

 

I do know its completely rust free on the frame my biggest concern is that my dad has always been the "if it aint broke don't fix it" mechanic. As in I dont think he's ever had the transmission serviced, it was one of those he would get to it.
I know it needs a U-joint or a Carrier bearing cause it has a rubber squeak while driving. Plus I need to do a coolant flush and I believe a fuel injector is going bad... But other than that he's never had to replace any major components. I apologize for loading that all in one post, I kept remembering things I didn't initially post.

 

The 4.0 is a workhorse, I really like how the oil filter is right there when you open the hood. I’ve got a Tacoma with the same motor. Its got 152,000 on it. I’ve owned it since 2008.

“Major” maintenance I’ve done to it:

Water pump and serpentine belt @ 145k

Center (carrier) support bearing and all u joints.

Front wheel bearings.

 

Congratulations on the truck.
Welcome from NY.

 

You’ve got a sealed transmission I wouldn’t worry about it unless it’s giving you problems. I have not done anything to mine and it shifts good as new. What issues are causing you to think it has a fuel injector problem?

 

Check your timing belt, they're normally swapped around 125k-150k miles. My truck has 191k on it and the only thing ive had to replace is the Throttle Position Sensor. These trucks run like champs and you should have no problem keeping it until 300k easy.

 

What signs prompted you to replace your Throttle Position Sensor?

 

I was driving to work one morning and i was stopped at a red light to merge onto the freeway. When the light turned green, i started moving and there was this douche bag honda civic who was trying to cut me off, so i punched it trying to stay in front and my truck refused to accelerate. I had to pull off to the side of the road and look at it. The check engine light came on, but the engine was running like normal, there were no leaks anywhere. I checked the cable connecting the pedal to the accelerator and everything was connected still. I turned the truck off and back on and i was able to get it moving up to about 15 mph. i limped it home and hooked it up to a scanner and the error message was P0122, which is the TPS sensor. It was a super easy fix, it costed about 150 locally and it took all of 3 minutes to swap out. I did find out that the Toyota changed their TPS on the 4.7L compared to the V6. But ever since i changed it, shes had no issues and accelerates even quicker than when i first bought it.

 

That can be a real good thing if you are able to get as much info maintenance wise and any recall performed if any for that veh. Knowing some of that info will not only help you going forward but the folks here also.

Can't go back now but wished I had of been a little more interested last 9 years in piddling with these Tundras….so therapeutical and brain cell excersing, not to mention shooting the chit with some of these morans.

 

The 4.0 has a timing chain. They usually don’t even need to be checked till around 200k.

 

I know I had heard from a few people to leave a sealed transmission alone if you can help it.

Every now and then when you crank it up it starts shaking bad like there is a misfire, I can turn it off and back on and it is smooth as can be so I'm not sure if its just an injector or what.

 

Mine has the same filter attachment right up top which is nice cause I don't have any concrete to lay on so I try to minimize getting covered in dirt.
Where did you get your bearings cause I plan to try to stay as OEM as possible so It will last.

 

First item to get is a maintenance/repair manual to eliminate your guessing and listening to wrong advise from others. They don't have to pay for your listening to their guessing about advise that could be costly. They say well mine is doing fine w/o it...Forget about it! Use you manual to double check.

Second, get the trans fluid changed by a shop. Just because it can't be readily serviced by a novice doesn't make it immune to having the filter and fluid changed at Toyota's recommended service intervals. Costly mistake to ignore, that's a very important maintenance service. Change differential oil. Also front differential and transfer case fluids if you have a 4X4.

Grease all zerk grease fittings.

Change out motor oil + filter.

Change out spark plugs and air filter.

Clean MAF sensor.

Remove the wheels and check the brake shoes and pads for continued serviceability.

Keep tires filled at correct psi, etc.

Look at your newly acquired spotless Toyota Tundra repair/maintenance manual for reference to this stuff.

 

Welcome.

Toyota ‘Sealed Transmission’= code speak for bring it in so we can overcharge you to diagnose your transmission problems and maybe sell you transmission service or a new truck!

You can do this yourself, although the the 2000-2002 models are easier than the 2006. Just research around here and have your plan lined up before executing. New fluids are good! It won’t hurt to change it out.

These engines were designed for 25 years service in third world conditions on basic maintenance.

Start a service log to give yourself a baseline of work performed.

Obtain/research your parts with online OEM dealers.

Carrier bearing change out is fairly easy. Per you u-joints replacement I’d use a heavy truck service center or driveline specialist and have them do both simultaneously since its all connected.

 

Any codes thrown indicating the fuel injector is the problem? It could be something else. I've even heard of transmissions intermittently causing issue as you state, however, I'm not saying that's the problem. Plug in the OBD-II and see what you got.

 

I'd have to ask my Dad exactly which codes were thrown but I know he used his scanner from work(the really nice snap-on one) and he had said it was I think a injector on cylinder 2 or 3 I can't remember what he said that was about a month back.

 

Are you loosing any coolant, even very slowly? The ‘05-06 4.0L engines have a known weakness in the head gaskets. Coolant seeps into the cylinder while the engine is shut off causing these symptoms on start-up. Mostly cylinder #5 paired with a P0305 missfire code, but other cylinders can be the culprit too.

Hopefully that’s not the case, but better to check before buying injectors or other parts that may not fix the issue.

 

Sounds like your dad's a professional or seasoned mechanic and knows what is required to fix any existing issue it has.
Advice is listen to him w/o question and get what he says done. The repair/maintenance book is still a necessity if you like doing repairs yourself.

Congratulations with your newborn son.

 

Once again unless you are hearing a very audible hum at freeway speeds (60-70) or some sort of clicking type sounds at low speeds. The wheel bearings don’t need to be addressed. With that said my Tacoma front bearings came pre assembled and pressed with the hubs. I’m not positive if they offer a pre assembled unit for the first gen tundra.

 

Save large boxes from large item purchases like LED TV, refrigerator, etc. to throw under the trk to stay out of the dirt. A full or halved thin sheet of plywood works also. If ya grab a bed sheet, first make sure it's OK by the wife. They can get really riled up by some of the things we do.

 

Or a $20 creeper from Harbour Freight for at least the lifted folks, works great.

 

Well luckily it sits high enough I usually lay a tarp down on the rare occasions I'm under it.

 

You don't even need a lift. But you DO need a flat hard floor under your truck. They don't work so good on dirt....

 

Good point, missed the part about dirt.

 

So since I finally have time today I'm going to attempt to make a small list of everything I know needs servicing that hasn't been touched. Thank you to everyone thus far for giving me ideas and a direction to go next.
I must admit this is the most helpful forum I've ever been on. Also am I supposed to post a mini bio in the new member area or at this point is there no point haha.

 

Just send me your CC# and we’ll be good.

 

Change those lower ball joints...it's time with those miles. OEM only.

You can run the VIN at the dealer as there was a recall and you may be able to get them done for free.

 

Ok I have an update on my truck issues situation since I've been driving it lately.
A couple of new issues have arisen, and by that I mean old issues i forgot to post about last time.
1. When I'm braking at higher speeds the truck wants to start pulling to the right. But its kind of intermittent

2. This annoying vibration inside the cab behid the glove box i swear its been there for a decade or so.

Opinions appreciated

 

1) Could be many things from worn out suspension parts to stuck calipers.

2) Open up the dash. Go through the climate control dash by removing 5 screws. Stick your hand up in there and feel around (she said). Not sure how to mimic the vibration, but you know your truck and can figure it out.