So ... you wanna buy / just bought a 1st Gen Tundra, eh?

It's a group effort. It was build by a number of us, I only organized it and keep up with it. If you (or anyone else reading this reply) find something lacking or missing, drop me a PM. I get at least a couple PMs per month and a couple of post tags from folks who want updates. Always happy to oblige.

 

Maybe I should just ask here.....I've seen videos online about getting the radiator replaced. Where to go to buy a new radiator? Does the transmission cooler come with it?

*I've seen at least one video talk of the Tundra's radiator leaking coolant into the transmission....is that a thing?

 

Denso. Rock Auto or any parts store that carries Denso. No, the transmission cooler doesn't come with it, you just reuse your old one unless you think it needs to be replaced for some reason.

Yes, it's a thing. It's why many here recommend proactively replacing an old radiator.

 

Yes, "pink milkshake" is a thing and gets touched on in the 1st reply of this thread. It's possible they fixed the radiator design at some point, because it seems like not all radiators have the shit fittings that separated.

RockAuto has been pretty good to members as far as getting radiators to them undamaged. I've had great experiences with Summit Racing too. But don't rely on their website to get you right. Always go to www.densoautoparts.com to look up your part number, then search those sites for the part number you need. With radiators, be careful to read their instructions. They'll typically have notes "with double cab" or "w/o double cab". The radiator size is different, one is taller. If you have a double cab - i.e. a 4door truck where all four doors open normally, not the 4 door where the rear doors open backwards - then order the correct radiator for "with double cab". This is only an example - look up your own part number at that website I linked!

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Its a "warmer", inside the base.

 

I went to the toyota website listed to look for OEM parts but my vin isn't found. Actually, it's asking for a frame number, different from VIN?

What other websites are recommended for OEM parts

 

If you had a custom package you may be using wrong VIN. For example, X-SP package trucks had two VIN. Confirm the VIN on the dash matches the VIN on the driver door sill sticker.

 

I was just on the wrong website someway somehow, got it sorted

 

I wish this write up existed before I had the "wire harness into belt" issue that took me a while to figure out back in 2021... I was probably one of the examples that led to it's inclusion on this list... Haha. I threw a bunch of parts at it thinking it was fuel related. ended up not a bad thing though cause I used some of those 100k mile parts from my 05 DC to refresh my 220k+ sequoia.

 

Hey what type of fluid should 1gen use in transfer case, rear/front diff? Throughout the forums I see people say 75w90, but the manual I downloaded says 75w140.
I've also seen other people say just use regular oil, 75w for transfer.

I also saw people recommend RedLine, but all their stuff says for LSD, which mine is not. Maybe they were recommending it for newer gen Tundras?

I see a lot of info that seems contradictory, and it's hard to tell if it even matters. Would be great to summarize it in the OP

 

75w90 is what was originally used from the factory, although I'd love to know what they were putting in the LSD rear.

There was some chatter on here, and I asked the local specialty shop and the dealer when I went in for recall work on our 2020 Highlander. Both techs said, "Toyota instructed us to use 75w140 full synthetic Toyota fluids now." I asked about LSD rear. Specialty shop said "Lucas 80w90", while much younger tech at the stealership said, "use additive if it chatters".

Understand something crucial. WHERE YOU LIVE is important to what weight of fluid you're going to use. If you're in the deep south, you can use a more viscous fluid because it doesn't get as cold here. If you're in the far north with subzero winters, that shit is going to be pudding in winter.

In light of that, I think it'd be pretty irresponsible to say, "always use X!" when we have two members from Alaska posting in the main forum lately, and it won't apply to them the same.

Given what I saw when I emptied my transfer case, I doubt I'll change fluid again without a reason. Front diff, rear diff, they need to get done. That said, I'm honestly going to just use Lucas 80w90 in both diffs at my next change. I'm not towing, so that'll be every 30k, if I were towing then 15k.

 

Went back and double checked the manual, does this look right? Should I just use 75W-140 on both diffs? Planning to use

$39 75W-90 GL-5 Limited Slip, Ultra Long Drain 500k Miles, Manual Transmission, Gear/Differential Lubricant (1 Gallon)

75W-90 on transfer.

I'm in northern New Hampshire. Things get cold here, but p much the same as back from Buffalo NY, and I don't drive a whole, tow even less than that, lot so I'm not gonna stress this too much. Just want to make sure I have it right so I can unflinchingly trust my notes here forward

 

75W90 in all diffs and transfer case. If no LSD, then synthetic is fine.

edit: 75W140 is good for rear diff w/non-LSD. I’ve always run 75W90 in mine.

 

Yes, my LBJ recall was done that way. But, recall still showed when searching. I just have the paperwork from 1st owners private shop that did recall work .

 

Going off this thread, I didn't see it covered. I have some squeaking in the cab when going around turns and taking off from a stop. What are the first things I can check. Looking at it from below everything seems to be in place.

 

Used this guide to buy my new truck and was very helpful. Just wanted to offer a thank you to everyone for all the knowledge.

 

Attached is a pdf file of 1st 2 posts by @shifty` as of 01 12 2025 with table of contents to each section and clickable links.

 

You are a legend sir.

 

Sweet! Thanks for taking the time to do this, @BubbaW

 

Is toyotapartsdeal a legit site for Toyota parts?

 

I know Toyota Parts Overstock is Lakeland Toyota, but Toyota Parts Deal is a different animal, definitely NOT linked to a dealership.

Toyota Parts Deal is showing an address of "2506 Troy Ave, South El Monte, CA 91733, United States" which appears to be a cluster of tiny warehouses, they have no clear signage in front when I looked in Google street view, you can see the address for their neighbor, but not them.

They got some pretty nasty feedback over on Tundras.com sister site TacomaWorld. I would not use them.

 

I think they're a dealer network and ship from multiple dealers. I had a pretty bad experience with their customer service personally, and they also tried to charge me freight shipping for a CV axle and smaller suspension bits. The parts I did get through them were shipped by a dealer, and not "Toyota Parts Deal". I wouldn't use them again or recommend them.

 

Can you link this to post #1 now that you are OP?

 

So I read through all of this and I've been searching the forums and I haven't been able to find the answer to 2 questions I have. 1) does anyone actually have a write up where they installed DC buckets into a RC? I found a really nice set of 05 DC buckets at my local u pull it for 90 bucks with the console included. I would like to install those into my 01 RC, and I don't mind mods, I know that I'll have to do some, but I would like to have a write someone has done just for reference. 2) I've seen everyone talking about the recall for the frames, is that something that's still going on or has that expired? I wasn't able to find a clear answer on that either. Tia

 

$90 sounds like a low buy-in price knowing you can probably turn around and sell the seats along for $150-250 on Facebook or Craigslist after ...

Frame sticky thread has all your info, it's linked near the top of the 1st reply. Have had people get frames replaced as recently as 2-3 months ago.

 

Yeah the price is really good. I think the reason he gave me such a good deal on the seats is because the truck is close to being crushed. It's been there 428 days. I think they crush at 500 days unless the vehicle has less useful parts they can sell vs how much they make on the scrap metal. Not 100% sure on that but that's what I was told by someone else.

Yeah I went back to that sticky and started reading it and I guess I just read past the dates the first time because I found it literally a minute after I asked the question on here. Fml.

 

TGIF!

 

Suspension question: If we're gonna lift using Bilstein 6112s which is about a two inch lift in the front, do we still need to consider aftermarket upper control arms or am I fine with OEM style control arms? Also would you still recommend the aftermarket extended sway bar end links? I bought TRQ replacement suspension components & considering the Bilstein lift soon.

 

As long as you didn't get TRQ balljoints (upper or lower), or TRQ lower control arms, you should be alright. If you made the mistake of getting any of the items I just mentioned from TRQ, I'm telling you in advance, you will absolutely regret it. Return it.

Your other questions ... I believe it's covered in the Suspension wheel & tires section, red text is pertinent for the sway links question, and purple text pertinent to height question:

• Extras... At 1.5" of lift or higher, you'll want extended swaybar links, Suspension Maxx sells, to avoid travel limitations. As you approach 2.5" of lift with 1GT trucks, you're closing in on thresholds of OEM travel and should consider extras to compensate. Examples: You'll want new upper control arms (UCA) to more easily hit alignment numbers. At 3" and beyond, you may need to snug up your OEM CV boots or get ORS extended boots or similar to avoid grease-sling or ripping, and probably add bumpstops, etc. There are a lot of considerations - think about it, or ask questions in the forum if you need a sanity check!

I understand, "as you approach 2.5 inches of lift" is maybe a bit vague, and that's intentional. The suspension on our DC trucks like yours, versus an AC truck like mine (RC and AC are fairly identical), they're two different beasts. When I originally talked with the couple of folks who helped us build out the suspension section, we actually hit the reply-to word/letter limit on the first post by identifying "AC / RC / DC" for everything. It was totally necessary to be vague and pitch numbers that would be true across all models. To that point, you need to understand 2" of lift is pretty substantial, but with a DC truck like yours, I wouldn't be jumping out the door to get aftermarket UCA or other aftermarket parts to compensate. But you can expect to be throwing grease from your CV axle boots, and may need to re-clamp them (there's a ton of clamp info on here, @ToyotaDude posted, look up "NORMA" in replies posted by him using Search, you'll find it fast).

Now ... if you're replacing the UCA anyway *OR* you're replacing the upper ball joints, *AND* especially if you're replacing the UCA and the upper ball joints, then I'd tell you, since you're lifting 2"+, go buy yourself some JBA upper control arms. They'll come with new balljoints, and they're a far superior arm, they'll help with alignment, ride quality, and wheel orientation/correction issues many people encounter while lifting, and they're really not that much more than what you'd pay for aftermarket parts, but they're waaaaay superior. The the bushings are going to last far longer than the "chubber" (chinese rubber) most aftermarket parts manufacturers - TRQ and Moog being a couple of the big ones - are using, chubber, as we've seen repeatedly on here, tends to start cracking up within 18-36 months, if not sooner.