2005 Tundra Re-Fresh Overdue

Good morning, everyone.

I'm new to the group and want to introduce myself.

I recently acquired a friend of mines 2005 Tundra SR5 with 275k miles. He's had the truck for the past 15 years and he bought it with 80k miles The cats were stolen off the truck while parked in Denver a few years ago and when he received a quote to replace them, he thought the cost was too much, so he parked the truck. I bought the truck from him this weekend and figured I would get this back somewhat road worthy. I will be using it for firewood / wood slash hauling at my mountain property in Colorado. It's not a daily driver as its mainly a work truck for the property and a second vehicle incases my 4runner ever breaks something on the trail.

Before I rip off all the suspension and tires and replace them as they are all very worn (AKA front strut displayed in the images is completely broke off the LCA) HAHAHA, I want to go through the motor. I know this truck can get a lot more miles out of it. He mentioned that the truck at one point lost all the coolant. He checked for leaks and found none. He drained the oil and didn't see coolant in the oil. I have no clue where else it would've gone but I need to go over the engine before any money is spent on this truck. I would like to find this coolant issue and then go from there. He mentioned that happened once and then never happened again. Seems odd and he isn't that mechanical so I will delve deeper into this. Once I check this and confirm nothing seems odd anymore, I will go through the motor and do all new fluids, plugs, thermostat, water pump, replace cats etc. Once the motor is confirmed ok and serviced, I will do some 5100's and some bigger tires.... and yes, I will probably find a bumper at a junk yard or weld a pre bent tube style bumper / kit on it. Taking the bed cap off and doing an add a leaf in the rear will be an option as I will load the bed with logs when logging in the hills by the cabin.

I know this truck needs a lot of TLC, but if I can get it road worthy and get it pulling firewood for the cabin, I'll be happy. This truck is a mountain truck and doesn't need to be perfect. Just needs to be reliable enough to be a spare vehicle and do its work I need it to do. Mind you, the truck sat for 3 years, and we turned the key yesterday and it fired right up, idled fine and I drove home very slow for about 3 miles.

Any insight or recommendations of things to check and look for before going down rabbit hole would be much appreciated. I definitely got a good deal on this truck but need to be cautious of how much I dump into it as it will never be a show truck and will never retain value. Everything will be done on a budget as I have a tendency to rip things to the frame and redo. I cannot go down that rabbit hole on this one....... it needs to remain a farm / wood truck. I have a feeling this will take a moment to sort out so I parked it as close to the tool shed as it may be parked here for a month or so while I source parts hahaha. Anyone in the Golden / Boulder / Nederland area that want to give a hand on a cool project from time to time feel free to come by. Beers and BBQ on me!!!!

 

Everything you need to know is covered in the 1st two replies in this thread: https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-you-wanna-buy-just-bought-a-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/

There’s even a maintenance/baseline outline in the 2nd reply. But really, everything you could possibly need right now is there. We put that thread together for folks EXACTLY like you to learn the ins and outs we’ve spent years learning.

Welcome tot he forum, and keep us posted on your progress, holler (out here in public, not in a PM) if you need some help. Search is also your friend, but you can also use that thread I linked to hunt for keywords on common problems.

 

Thank You for this information! I will definitely dive into this thread.

 

And on your “budget” comment…

NEVER go budget on critical components.

Always OEM lower ball joints, for example. NEVER aftermarket timing belt or water pump (Aisin kit is OEM brand/grade). Toyota’s maintenance schedule is based on the assumption you’re using their heavily vetted OEM brand parts, aftermarket never lasts nearly as long.

Always stick to the original OEM brands (Denso, Aisin, Sumitomo, Dana/Spicer, etc) from a trusted source (never trust scAmazon and fleaBay, counterfeits galore) where possible. Especially when it comes to electronics, Denso is king. Sad reality is, parts store parts are utter shit these days and have caused people coming here more problems than solutions.

You can get OEM parts direct from Toyota at a discount. We have more details here. Sometimes savings greater than 50%, making OEM cheaper than aftermarket.

 

Definitely will be doing OEM on key components! I guess my comment of budget was just putting it out there that I am very aware after being a custom home builder that this truck could make me go down a rabbit hole haha. It hasn't been serviced well from what I can see, and it will never end if I allow it to get to that point. With 275k miles and no service records, it becomes a point of where you stop if you don't have records. If I really wanted to be my normal OCD, this truck would need EVERYTHING replaced which would put me at a cost greater than what I could've bought a cleaner one for. I'm hoping the deal I got leaves me not under water immediately on a 20-yr old truck with already 275k miles. It's not the truck to let my OCD kick in.

 

Now I'm caffeinated and sitting at a real keyboard where I can type 90mph, before I get into yard work for the day ...

275k is nicely broken in. The big thing for you is that timing belt. It's the engine killer for the V8/2UZ-FE. If you have zero evidence of if/when it was replaced, I'd get the Aisin kit ASAP and get it done, really try to limit driving it. Be wary of the crank position sensor harness routing when/after doing the work, it must get routed behind a specific bracket, and if it doesn't, it'll get rubbed/cut by pulleys/belt. Likewise, caution is required on the cam position sensor under the driver's side timing cover, don't pinch its wiring with the water pump! (Both issues on the two diff't sensors happen).

There's a sticky thread here with videos/details on the process if you want to do it yourself; if not, make sure the shop will let you supply the kit for the work.

Looking at the pics on a larger screen now (was on mobile before), it appears someone cheaped out on the front struts and installed Monroe Quick-Struts up front. Those are known to ride like ass, and the spring is a weird size so it won't mate with other stuff, and the front end is clearly sagging because the driver side has failed totally. If you don't plan to lift, I'd look into pairing up some Bilstein 4600 with OME 2883 springs, or 2884 if you want to kill a lot of the crazy forward rake from the factory for a very mild lift (not quite level), noting you will need a tophat and isolator kit - more info to each in the thread I linked.

And clearly you may want to source a used bumpstop on the broken shock side, because the bumpstop has clearly been beating the living shit out of the lower control arm with that shock being dead! If I were you I'd carefully inspect that driver side LCA, and its bushings. After you replace that shock and head in for alignment, be prepared that the alignment/LCA cams on that side may be frozen or fucked; it may be worthwhile to have parts in-hand to replace. Aftermarket cams, sadly, use plastic sleeves which are only good for 1-2 alignments before they crush and get unusable, but a lot of people buy them anyway to avoid paying 2x-3x as much for OEM which are good for dozens of alignments - just buy OEM parts here, and avoid having to replace the damn things two or three times before you get smart. FYI: You're not going to replace the LCA bushings; Moog and other aftermarket LCAs are, generally, shit. During Toyota Parts sales (there should be one coming soon for July 4th), you can get brand new OEM LCA with new bushings at ~$250 per side.

Windshield is cracked to shit. Another place you don't want to skimp. Leaks from cracked windshields, the windshield surround, cowl, and A-pillar are notorious for pushing water into the in-dash fusebox (by streaming down the wire bundles that plug into the back of the box), and sometimes into the ECU (behind the glove box). More info in the "Definitive Leak Thread" (see sticky thread section). DO NOT user Safelite, this is one place I'd use a local mom & pop shop that's been in business with good local reviews. It's worthwhile, when they pull the vertical side trim pieces (along the A-pillar) to pop and re-seal the three or four plastic fasteners up the A-pillar with butyl, just to ensure you don't get water entry there, and into the fusebox (I'm fairly sure it's one of the leak sources that leads to the common fusebox rot issue).

If the truck was sitting outdoors, and potentially even if it wasn't, there's a solid chance the two cowl fasteners over the blower motor are leaking water into the passenger side floorboard. More info in the leaks thread.

Front driver CV boot is torn. If those are the OEM axles, they'll last 5x longer than anything aftermarket. Toyota sells a re-boot kit. I recommend to re-boot. The rubber boots sold aftermarket, and the ones on most aftermarket CV axles, are made of "chubber" (chinese rubber) that's prone to cracking/tearing within 1-2 years of normal use.

Frame looks good, typical for Colorado truck, but inspect the normal trouble spots carefully.

The truck has JBL audio - there are lots of quirks to this system, and many people DO NOT upgrade it properly. If there's an aftermarket radio, be prepared. Check the OEM amp connectors for cutting (driver side rear cab wall, under the plastic), they may've bypassed or adapted it if there's an aftermarket radio. A quick peek behind the center dash will tell you.

Those wheels are the best OEM wheels ever made for a truck. Seriously. I loved mine, and miss them.

Be aware of rodent issues up under the intake. Be aware they like to nest on the gas tank. Know they like to get into the airbox and nest, check under the filter. Don't make the stupid mistake of installing a K&N or similar "hot air intake" on these trucks, the OEM Toyota filter flows very well, and the OEM airbox pulls cold air from the passenger fender. Toyota's OEM filters are fucking kickass (oil, air), and note '05+ trucks don't have a fuel filter.

I'd compression/leakdown test the engine ASAP, and change the plugs while at it. NEVER use aftermarket coil packs.

Only use pink SLLC coolant, and if there's any other color coolant in there, drain at the radiator and both block drains, flush with a cycle or two of water before reinstalling pink SLLC coolant.

Radiator is likely overdue. Denso brand only here. Be sure to get the Double Cab version of the radiator. Proactively replace the radiator cap at the same time, yes, I'll tell you to use OEM again here. That may be where the coolant loss happened. Use one of those burp-free fillers to install the new coolant.

DO NOT REPLACE THE OEM CATALYTIC CONVERTERS. There are massive issues with aftermarket cats, and the OEM cats rarely ever get clogged. 9 times out of 10, when someone comes on here with 'cat inefficiency' codes, it's because the O2 sensors are bad, it has nothing to do with the cats.

Replace the rear diff breather. It's a $10 part max, and you don't want to blow a rear wheel seal. Consider swapping when you do the diff fluids. BE AWARE: If your truck has the LSD rear diff, there are several brands of synthetic fluid you CANNOT use.

If you can post more pics, other people may have add'l input.

 

Thank you for this insight and help. This was super helpful! I may register it in a town of CO with no emissions to avoid the cat situation. As for the suspension I will be for sure lifting the truck with slightly bigger tires. All other parts needed for preventive will be OEM or comparable. There is mice in the engine bay as when I was cleaning the engine bay yesterday a few mice were walking around. It's been parked in the mountain side for 3 years. The mice didn't eat anything inside, and no wires seem to be chewed up. All the lights work as they should, inside and out. No were flickering and the truck started right up. I think with a good detail inside and out I will be ok and will clean up their nest.

Water pump, thermostat and timing will be done ASAP but I'm not sure I will tackle that myself. I may have a Toyota Tech friend of mine handle that one. I just need to trust the truck to make it on a 1-hour drive to get there once I fix this suspension. I will most definitely do lower Ball joints and any other worn components. Lifting the truck the wheels have no play in any direction, but I can get after those smaller components one at a time. The truck will never be driven unless I'm running firewood, so I don't feel rushed. It will be a cool project truck and hope to put 500K on it. Would make a cool mountain truck for its purpose.

Your write up was super helpful and its much apricated.

 

Curious if you have a good reputable online supplier for parts when not going OEM. I will definitely go OEM for key components but would like a good website to get parts comparable to OEM for other not so critical. items.

 

Summit Racing.
RockAuto.

Summit will give you better pricing and often fast and free shipping, potentially tax-free depending on your state, with killer customer service.
RockAuto will offer unbeatable pricing, but sometimes the shipping and tax offset the gains over Summit, there's usually no problem, but you can't get a human for support, which bothers some people.

Both vendors will almost always beat scAmazon/fleaBay pricing, and both have a vetted/verified supply chain. You WILL NOT get bogus parts through them, and you will get great pricing.

 

Definitely, if the writeup you'r referencing is out "megathread", I just compiled it, with the help of many, many others. So it wasn't just me, this is just a kickass community you've found, with an immensely deep knowledge set, and willing to help as long as you're not an asshole.

On the mice situation. If you have a snake camera, you may want to send it up under the intake manifold, just below the throttle body and scope for nest material. If you see any trace of anything, vacuum in there ASAP. They like to get in there, chew up the knock sensor wiring (2 sensors), and the starter wiring. The damage doesn't always present, but the knock sensor codes will force the truck into limp-mode/fail-safe mode, which sucks. That's coming from me, I occasionally throw a knock sensor volt-high code and the truck runs like shit until it clears.

 

Man if you have no service history AND its been sitting for 3 years, there's no way I'd trust that timing belt. I wouldn't even want to start the thing and let it idle.

 

thank you!!!

 

Thank you very much!!! Definitely see this group is super knowledgeable and very engaged with helping others! This page makes me feel great about tackling this project. Don’t want to come off as an asshole, so incase I said something or seemed to come off as a dick I apologize. You all have been super helpful!

 

You didn't come off as an asshole at all. Three big rules here: Don't be a dick, check any attitude at the door, and very strictly, no politics / LEO bashing.

You might be surprised at some folks we've seen roll up on here wearing their political affiliation on their sleeves as the biggest part of their personality, talking smack to people, acting like a know-it-all, and fully incapable to taking any constructive criticism or feedback without being snowflake-level offended. You don't strike me as that kind of person at all.

 

Ahhh I can only imagine! Don’t have to worry about me. I’m just a mountain guy who’s a freak for Toyotas and very motivated to learn more about these trucks! I have a fully built 5th Gen 4runner for off-roading and picked up this truck for work!!!

Side note, I grabbed a Strut and coil from a junk yard yesterday and put it on the truck as a temp fix to get the truck moving safer. For 40 dollars the truck is sitting straight and drove great last night straight like an arrow. Currently sourcing out new head lights and blinkers and noticed the wiper motor works but the wipers don’t work. Found the fix for that so I would like to get these two things addressed and then I’ll be draining the engine oil, and putting new filters in it.

Talked to my friend who’s been a Toyota tech for 33 years today about the truck. I brought up all of our concerns about lack of maintenance and the first thing he said was, change the engine oil and filters and drive it around the neighborhood for a few weeks before ripping the timing belt and water pump and all coolant lines , radiator etc out. He was very adamant about driving it for a week in the neighborhood and seeing what sticks out right away. He did say since it has little less than 1/4 tank of gas, I can either fill 2 gallons of gas and leave it in the truck bed and run my old gas out and fill once it gets close to dying out or just top off the tank with 91 octane now and drive it.

He mentioned the work we discussed should be done for sure, but he wants me to drive it for a few days to see if anything is acting up or stands out that is a bigger problem than I may be aware of today. He was in fear I would drop a ton on parts for service and then find out it has a bad trans or something bigger. I told him I have no records of the Timing being done and he was shocked, but mentioned even if the belt failed the valves won’t hit and would or should be ok and would have time to pull over and get a tow home. Atleast for the next few days while driving in the neighborhood. I’ll be reporting back soon on anything I see.

The old owner mentioned at one point he lost all the coolant. But it hasn’t happened again. I asked if it went into the motor or transmission and he said no. He didn’t see anything when he checked. I will be pulling the transmission dip stick later to see if it looks to have coolant in it. I drove it yesterday for about 10 min in my neighborhood and the truck had coolant, was not overheating and drove Ifine. When I parked I did notice the radiator cap had a slight leak. Wondering if that’s where he was loosing coolant. Regardless the hole cooling system will be replaced here soon. Radiator, hoses, reservoir etc. but in the meantime I wanted to maybe get a new cap to see if that’s where the leak was at.

These next few weeks will be just monitoring what I see and build a game plan for the preventative maintenance it will go under soon.

 

This is actually smart plan of attack (just mildly risky, at least pull back a timing cover to inspect the belt!) b/c the timing belt/water pump/pulleys/tensioner that come in the Aisin kit require tearing down a LOT of the front end of the engine, so there's a lot of "while you're in there" opportunity.

I'd be testing the fan clutch and checking out its bracket. The fan clutch in these trucks aren't attached to the water pumps as they are in many other vehicles, it's on its own bracket, with a bearing that likes to get noisy/go bad. The fan clutch is probably OK, Aisin makes the bracket also, and you can buy it - may be worth replacing. Be really careful on the timing belt, the crank position harness sits behind that bracket or the A/C bracket, and many people fail to route it behind the bracket, which lends to the harness getting nicked/cut. Also, worth checking cam seals for leaks. Your valve covers will, undoubtedly, be leaking. I'd be shocked if not. Check if the bolts are at least finger tight, and ideally replace the gaskets, parts list and process here.

If it's 3yr old gas, I'd dump a suitable amount of HEET (the red bottle) into the gas, and a full can of Seafoam ASAP. HEET will integrate any residual water in the gas, Seafoam will help clear any gunk as it's spit out by the injectors ('05-06 has no fuel filter, just a sock in the tank pump uptake).

He's actually wrong. The 2UZ-FE is a low interference engine. We've had several members snap timing belt while running over 1k-1.5k RPM and it nuked the engine. We typically see more timing belts snap within the first 1-2 minutes of startup, or at low RPM, but I don't think there's any science behind why.

2005-2006 engines are sealed transmission. If it's shifting, your coolant isn't mixing. Check the radiator overflow isn't cracked and holds coolant. Check for spray inside the engine. Check for leaks before your buddy digs into it. These bullet points are taken from that informational thread I linked you up with a few posts back, we have a running list of all the common leak spots people have found on this forum in the last several years on the 2UZ-FE:

• Coolant leaks: Common sources follow
  • At/around the thermostat housing. Check this out, and alternately see this post is for leaks at t-stat housing/inlet neck.
  • The rear-to-front coolant bypass tube along bank 2 under the intake (video fix).
  • The coolant bypass housing between banks at the rear of the block (pics/info).
  • This reply contains links to three other off-brand/odbball leak cases.
  • For radiator leaks, this is one example of a tiny one - always replace with Denso brand radiator, and know different cab types use different sizes, careful where you order, scAmazon especially tends to deliver damaged products often (RockAuto has a spotless record with forum members). Proactive radiator replacement is wise. The transmission line routes through the bottom of the radiator ... go look up "pink milkshake", it happens in these trucks.
  • Here's a list of all things to check if you're losing coolant mysteriously, but you're not seeing white smoke/smelling sweet exhaust out of the tail pipe.

I wouldn't be surprised if the coolant is leaking from the radiator, but only when you have the engine revved at higher RPM.

That said ... seriously, 10mm ratched, loosen whichever timing cover you can get to more easily (I'd pull the intake tube and do passenger side) by backing the bolts out a ways, then shift open the timing cover. Just make sure that belt isn't showing signs of cracking, or overly shiny, or oil/coolant-soaked. If it is, you really need to show your Toyota tech friend. It's entirely possible that's the factory belt. We've seen claims from others on here of "just changed original timing belt at 250k+ miles". On a properly maintained engine, I can see it potentially happening at 10-15 years old. Now we're closer to the 20-25yr old mark, age does a number on rubber - just look at tires. Would you drive on 20yr old, 275k mile tires? Hell no. So why would you trust one of your most vital low-interference engine parts at that age/mileage?

 

Second on this. This is an interference engine, that being said, we have had some people break the belt and it not destroy their engine, but it really just depends on the situation. This is why I was warning you about it previously.

I understand what youre trying to do and on most vehicles it would make a lot of sense but I feel like on an interference engine, doing the timing belt really pulls a lot of the risk out of driving it. If you are dead-set on driving it, you should at least pull back the timing belt cover and look at the belt, just be aware that even if it looks ok, that doesn’t always mean it is but it doesn’t hurt to check for cracks.

 

I’ve taken all your advice and will be replacing the Belt / Water Pump / Thermostat and most likely all the coolant lines radiator etc.

While in there, are there any pulleys recommended to change? I watched a few videos and they mentioned to replace the tensioner. I just wanted to ask since I’ll be in there and a lot will be taken out, maybe that’s a good time to change other pulleys.

 

Is there discount codes I can use for parts being apart of this page? Curious as I make a parts list and would like to see if I can save some money buying things during a potential 4th of July sale.

 

Read this, if you haven't already: HOWTO: Use the Toyota Parts system to find & order parts | Toyota Tundra Forum

 

Thank You!

 

That's the best way to look up your parts right there ^^

And to see exploded diagrams, so you can see what all is "around" where you'll be working.

It depends on where you're buying from.

If you're buying from RockAuto, there's always a 5% off discount code, which you put into the "How'd you hear about us?" box. There's always a current code floating around in the "1st Gen Lunch Table" thread, searching within that thread directly for rock auto code will get you one. It'll offset some of shipping, or some of tax, which helps.

If you're buying from Summit Racing, they usually offer a discount if you order through their mobile app, often do free shipping over X$, and if you get their mail catalog, they have codes attached. They also email out codes from time to time.

If you're able to source parts locally, like on spark plugs, if you have an Advance Auto nearby, they virtually always have 15%-25% off coupons, if you order online for in-store pickup. If they don't hit you up with coupons right on the homepage, hit RetailMeNot.com to dig up coupons for them or any of the vendors I just listed. Sometimes a 25% off coupon at Advance will get you out the door with instant gratification cheaper than scAmazon, Summit, RA, or others.

As with all things, TMMV.

For the national Toyota Parts site @ https://autoparts.toyota.com ....

When you search their national system, and find the part, IGNORE THE MSRP PRICE! That's just the price you'll pay directly picking up at the counter, and most dealerships will charge you that if you walk up to their counter to make their person touch a keyboard. There are two opportunities to get a cheaper, and then a cheaper-er price!

After you plug in your part number (see TBM's reply above for looking up part numbers), the national parts site will give you a bunch of links, "SHOP THIS DEALER". Click on the first button, i.e. for the closest dealer to your ZIP code, in the list. Check the price. **If** there's another nearby dealer, feel free to click the BACK button in your browser and view their price. Every dealer has a different MSRP discount they offer. You may find a dealer a few miles farther out that's giving 10-20% more discount. Save yourself some $$. When you find the cheapest dealer, add the part to your cart. Then search for any additional parts and add those to the cart while 'shopping that dealer'.

That's how to get cheaper parts.

To get cheaper-er parts, shop during national parts sales. There's one before/during/after all major national holidays, like July 4th coming up. They discount, variably, an additional 15%-25%. There was a "flash" sale that ended a few days ago giving $50 off orders over $150, and I think @FirstGenVol mentioned the July 4th sale coming up will be 15% off all parts. BUT! Be aware: On those sales, the price discount is not reflected until you get to the 'Checkout' page. So don't look at your cart and think that's the final price. In fact, whatever that price is, take off X%, and that's what you should be paying at checkout.

ALSO...

Free shipping on orders over $75 from most dealers you see in that list.

If you can wait on parts, and you don't live in Alabama, this specific dealer location in Birmingham will ship free* over $75 and is tax-free which ultimately knocks off another 7-10%. (But avoid that dealer's Decatur AL location, the parts manager is an d-bag, if Eric F still works there, and can't be trusted)

Don't forget to order oil filters. And maybe air filters. And a new rear diff breather. Wherever you're ordering from. This is a great way to get consumables, to pad your way up to $75 if needed.

 

Oh, and if you're stumped on part numbers, or you think you need a verification to vet part numbers, it may be worth poking your head into the sticky thread '1st Gen Lunch Table' which is a general off-topic/BS thread: https://www.tundras.com/threads/1st-gen-lunch-table-general-discussion.60450/unread

That will take you to the most recent post you haven't read. Which may start you at the beginning as a new member. Jump to the last page.