New to me 2002 TRD limited access cab

Clunk when shifting => Normal, ish. That's covered in the 'so you just got a 1st gen tundra' thread linked earlier. Could also be a u-joint.

1st thing you should be doing, knowing it's 4WD, is greasing the driveline, which is also covered in that thread, in detail. The slip yoke especially needs special process, and is often the cause of 'clunk'/'thunk' in 4WD trucks.

Seriously, if you haven't read that thread yet, get on it. 1st two replies cover a lot of info we've worked together to assemble and it should be your 1st stop before you get started. https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-you-wanna-buy-just-bought-a-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/

Search that thread for the word "clunk" and you'll find the link to the greasing process.

 

You should see the 4runner forums latest troll, dudes only about a week old and being razed like hiroshima. I doubt he lasts another day or two.

Did you say $3400 ?
not even gone lie thats dirt cheap and the thing still shines, thats super nice. The exhaust is about as special as..... eh i'll keep that to myself i got a 30 day vacation last time i made a funny comment about how i felt about something.

 

Oh, and it appears you have the infamous cowl fastener leak. More info in the "Definitive Leak Thread":

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I will absolutely read up on all of that I really appreciate the info from you guys already!

yeah I seen that too, but being 3400 can’t expect it to her perfect I’ll take some joy in taking care of her! I’ll have to read up on this infamous leak as well.

Trust me you’re not the only one lol. It does have an exhaust leak I’ll have to address. But for sure would much rather go with a full exhaust that’s not too obnoxious, I’m all for a good sound. Not a big fan of the Loud straight pipes type deals tho. All in time I’ll figure it all out haha

 

that is some really good info on there. When I get back from vacation I’ll certainly attend to the greasing the drivetrain and come back to that tread to follow it as I do it. I also looked at the wiring part for different pre wired models. I didn’t see anything for the steering wheel controls. Any idea if the AC TRD limited is an easy swap for the steering controls? If not I probably won’t end up doing it if it’s super involved. But worth an ask.

 

I haven't had to do it, but the thread I linked does have some embedded links pointing to step-by-step member posts with all the instructions you'll need, and it should be clear whether it's too much work or not.

 

Not mine.

 

Yours also has the raised passenger side plastic molding on the rear bumper. Mine has that too. Must be a common-ish thing? When I was shuttling my old truck around after buying the Tundra, I let a friend drive the Tundra and I followed behind him in the Tacoma. I was thinking "crap, my rear bumper is crooked, must have been in an accident". But no. Just the plastic bumper top lifting up. I think I found plastic tabs underneath that are supposed to hold it down. A couple are either broken or just not holding anymore.

That frame is ridiculous.

 

All Limited came from the factory with paint matched rear bumper. If yours doesn't have it, it got replaced, either by the dealer due to pre-sale accident, or by a previous owner.

The plastic tends to fit shittily after any incident. Someone tapped my bumper in a parking lot and it shifted the plastic up, it won't sit right on the passenger side now. And that's also why I have a chrome bumper out back instead of the OEM/factory paint-matched.

 

2000-2002 Limited had chrome rear bumpers.

Body color rear bumpers on Limited were 2003-2006.

2000-02 Limited had the body color trim on top of front bumper, side trim, and fender flares.

 

^ That checks out with my truck. Which is currently away from me getting a new set of tires or I'd take photos. But I'm no expert. I can't know what the dealership or previous owner did.

 

The body color rear bumpers weren’t a thing until 2003, coinciding with the revised front bumper and grill.

 

FF

I would definitely get one of those steam cleaners and a good brush to clean that carpet flooring in addition to cleaning the leather seats.

Still a great buy even if you had to replace the transmission. I’d do a complete fluid flush via the auxiliary transmission cooler lines and replace it with synthetic ATF. It’ll help to smooth the shifts a bit and prolong its life.

 

I would advise to anyone reading this down the road, research the correct fluid for your transmission before touching it so you don't fuck your transmission, they didn't all use the same fluid over the years. These are courtesy of @bfunke

• Blue bold text you're using WS Fluid
• Yellow highlight you're using Type T-IV fluid
• White with non-bold black text, you're using Dex III compatible (Dex fluids are backwards compatible, so higher DEX# is OK)

You may actually find the "U" or "A3" or "A7" transmission model number on a tag on the transmission itself, take a look.

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How accurate is this info with no trimming there’s still no rubbing on this wheel tire setup? 20x12 is definitely too much work and don’t wanna kill the geometry of the truck too bad.. lol not sure if it matters too much this description specifically says RWD. I have a 4WD

 

Here's what I'd say.

First off, Rough Country is garbage. Avoid like the plague. This isn't me being dramatic, it's fucking garbage, there's a reason it's priced the way it is. And don't tell me it's the 'only thing in budget', we've heard that bullshit line before. It's not worth the potential damage, and damage we've seen from newbies who came here for help with suspension problems. You risk doing much more damage than you'd pay a little more for quality components. Unless it's all for looks and you don't give a shit, in which case ... you're at the wrong forum, dude.

Second, it's really important you pay attention to cab types. The RC and AC suspension and what you get is very different from the DC, which more closely resembles the Sequoia. Most vendors are selling kits tailored to the Sequoia and DC, not much is intended for AC/RC and virtually none of the kits are specifically intended for the AC/RC trucks. You need to be looking at other AC trucks like yours when checking for setups, because if the guy you just cited is rolling in a DC, what he has is NOT going to translate cleanly to your AC.

That and other lifting tips are in the "Suspension, wheel and tires ..." section of THIS THREAD, which is worth a read. From that thread, note on wheel/tire fitment in red:

• Wheel fitment (backspacing/offset info) ... backspacing/offset plays an important role in whether or not you're gonna rub when choosing larger-than-OEM tires. If you need help with understanding what ballpark you should be aiming in, this is a good thread to read. Gist: The best put year near the fender edge w/o rub on 8½" wide wheel is ~4¾" backspace, at 9" wide ~4.5" backspace. Popular OEM 7½" wide wheels had 5" backspace. You can run oversize 275/70r17 tires on 17x8.5" wheels @ 0 offset (i.e. 4.75" backspace) leveling up front w/minor rub.
• Wheel fitment (caliper rub): If your truck has larger 13WL calipers, beware of caliper rub! 13WL is std on 2003+
• Wheel fitment (from other Tundras): 2007-2022 Tundras use 5-lug wheels. In 2023, Tundras started using 6-lug axles again, but the hub bore is smaller (95mm on 3rd gen vs. 106mm on 1st gen), so they technically won't work unless you spend a couple hundo on custom-made spacers.
• Wheel fitment (from other Toyota models): Anything from Tacomas, 4Runners, Land Cruiser, LX470 and GX models that are 6-lug will typically fit. Someone here is probably running it already, and pics of it are in the OEM wheels thread.

That said, I guarantee you that person you just copy/pasta'd from pulled his front mud flaps because there's no way in hell he wasn't rubbing his front mud flaps with that setup. His setup is 18x10 @ -24 offset. Running that thru a calculator for backspace:

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That's actually a pretty good number, 4.56 backspace at 10" wide but you'd need to be careful about your tire choice, you'd also need some lift for vertical clearance during compression events (bumps) to avoid catching your fender edge/flares. I think 4.4 backspace is about the lowest backspace I'd personally like to see at 10" width. 4.53 is where I was running with my 17x9 and 32.2" tires and I was absolutely eating front mudflap at every turn with a 2.5" lift and custom uppers. I probably could've aligned that out a bit with more caster, but I'd still be eating flap with any amount of turn, and turning while under compression.

If he was truly "no rubbing or scrubbing" on that setup, I assume he's hammered pinch weld, and maybe lifted closer to the 4" end of things? Remember though, lift only gives you vertical clearance, it doesn't magically change where your tires will grab the corners of your wheel well or frame or mud flaps when you've got the wheel cocked at full lock either direction, and just because someone isn't rubbing at full lock rolling forward does not mean they aren't rubbing at full lock in reverse.

Also, and remember this: People lie about rubbing. I had several people tell me I wouldn't rub with my setup, just running 32.2, but it wasn't the case. I definitely have rub. I suspect the person who posted that setup on the CO website isn't being forthright, or they're leaving out details. Like "rubs frame at full lock", or "rubs mudflaps". I don't rub in normal situations, but even after chopping up my mudflaps, there are still cases where I eat flap. And I can't hit a bump while turning without my tires grabbing wheel well insert.

 

really appreciate the info and reply’s. I don’t mind a little rubbing at full lock, I definitely do wanna go some type of route to have a 18 19 or 20 inch rim with some type of negative offset and to be around the 32” inch range. I understand I’d have to do a good amount of trimming on the pinch weld hammering and fender trimming. That’s just what I’d be interested in, maybe 10” wide with a 2.5 level lift. Or 3” level lift. And I believe at 3 inches UCAs and diff drop is needed? Or only UCAS.. read a lot of the threads that were posted. Forgetting a few things. My only main concern would be really just changing the geometry of the front end which is the reason for the questions. What ever is the more reliable and quality level lift I’ll get and not cheap out on a trash brand.

 

20x9 & i THINK 285/60-20. Just rubs at full lock (and UCA). Spacers got the tire off the UCA, but made the tires rub the fenders earlier.

 

What’s the offset? And how much did offset change with spacers?

 

I think they're +6, and they were 1-1/4" spacers.


Started to rub the outside of the tire on the bulge for the mudflap bolt.

 

BROdozer. That's the word I use.

 

Professional Hand Model comes to mind.