2002 supercharged tundra

Hey whats up - new tundra owner and first post - i outgrew my old tacoma and bought a 2002 tundra for $10k with 100k on it as my new welding rig/work truck

I felt happy as a little prick - it looks cool, interior is really nice, body isnt bad, 4 wheel drive and i think the wheels are corny and gotta go, but i think i got a deal HOWEVER i took it to my mechanic and he called me and asked if i knew there was a trd factory supercharger installed....

I said hell no, and seller had no idea either since it was a gift from his father but i was wondering if the supercharger is going to add any maintenance to the truck? does the supercharger need to be maintained regularly? is it a costly item to convert it back to NA and deleting the supercharger? I wanted a reliable and bigger version of my 250k mile tacoma - its fun to spin the tires and it sounds really cool but im coming from a 4cyl rwd tacoma so anything feels more exciting

thanks, not a lot of info out there about this rare option

appreciate any opinions.

 

....and you didn't see all the TRD on the engine when you surely popped the hood before buying

In any case....Welcome, since you're new to the Forum and 1st Gen Tundra, take time to read the Mega thread that contains a lot of info concerning maintenance and other useful tidbits.

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

 

https://superchargersonline.com/202...SysKtLXFZ_KgSgriNdqk-3OFr1mzWTfn0KOpHiSvr_EDn

how do the sparkplugs look?

 

I'd consider this a pleasant surprise. I'm curious what others say about supercharger specific maintenance because I'm not sure.

Do you know if the timing belt and lower ball joints have been replaced?

https://www.tundras.com/threads/first-gen-lower-ball-joint-lbj-failures.141860/

 

Talk about a pleasant surprise!

Supercharger oil for sure. I think it's do like every 30k miles

 

Somewhere around 100,000 to 150,000 you would want to rebuild the supercharger. When you get upwards of 150,000+ on a cold morning you can hear the blades making love to each other, or the inside of the housing. I have heard one do it before and told the owner it was likely in dire need of a rebuild and bearings but i doubt he heeded my warnings.
If you were closer i would trade you all the stock stuff in a heartbeat. You're only about 2000 miles away so no go.

YOU SHOULD ALSO RUN PREMIUM FUEL, one of the killers of the engine with supercharger is the rods. The super light powdered metal rods are virtually bulletproof on an NA engine, but they become the weak link on a supercharged engine. Poor fuel could detonate and knock the rod bearings out or kill the rods and window the oil pain. Pretty sure there is supposed to be a sticker that went in the fuel door that says premium fuel only. So living in California and requiring premium fuel is going to make that truck not so fun to drive. Whats premium like $7.50 a gallon?

 

Great score! If you don't think it will work for you, drive it to Arkansas and I'll swap you your TRD SC for my NA setup. Also, that TB setup looks brand new for some reason?

 

The mechanic didnt see it at first either! so i felt a lot less stupid - he called me back after giving me the quote for a new timing belt saying that removing the supercharger is going to add to the cost....

Spark plugs looked fine, and i had a new radiator and hoses installed, new throttle body and O2 sensor and new timing belt. AC compressor and LBJs are next.

thanks for saying this, forgot to mention it in the original post but there is a sticker on the dash that says use premium fuel and some people have told me it just means 87 or higher which seems goofy because ive never seen anything less than 87 in CA...if i do have to use premium that might just be enough for me look into having the supercharger uninstalled and maybe selling it to cover the cost of the swap...

thanks for replies

 

Sounds to me like you got a good deal in the end, and now you’ve caught up most of the key maintenance, maybe simpler to flip it for a profit and buy a clean NA one?