Is it worth it?(long read)

• So I recently got my 02 AC 4x4 4.7 Tundra back from my dad for the great price of free. It had been sitting for about a year after I sold it back to him. So after getting new tires, new tail lights, wipers, insurance, a battery, cam sensor, and various bulbs to get it inspected I noticed it was down on power. It has a driver side knock sensor code that doesn't reset. Its progressively gotten worse. It feels like a clogged cat though. It struggles to get up and go but can go highway speeds. At partial throttle it sounds like a 3 phase air compressor running backwards.
  So I'm wondering how much I should drop in the truck. It has 316,000 miles on it and needs A LOT of work. All the fluids need flushed/changed. Even with new shocks it bounces and sways pretty bad so I'm sure all the bushings and springs are shot. It lunges forward when you put it in drive and has a speed related whine so I think the trans may be on it's way out. The HVAC only blows out of one vent. Needs new bed rails. The clear coat has started to come off and is faded. Most of the coils need replaced. Needs a new steering wheel and door panels. And let's not forget the death wobble when braking from highway speeds. So there's new brakes too.
  It's not all bad though. It's never been wrecked and the body is in decent shape. No rust anywhere. The A/C works, and no lights on the dash besides CE light. I know that everytime I go out to start it, its gonna start. I love the truck but am wondering with how much it needs vs how long it has left. It's my dd for now and I also have a 91 SHO sitting in the garage torn apart. I don't make a lot of money(ex wife issues) but really love this truck. Its served me well for many years. So what do y'all think?

 

If I got that truck for free, I would replace the major issues like brakes, trans/diffs/TC flush, new fluids and plugs, uca/lca bushings(maybe), alignment and drive it till it hits 400k then make it a trail rig. If you’re into it minimally with only insurance and inspection stuff and you’re mechanically inclined, fix her up. She has more miles left in her especially if she doesn’t have any rust like you say.

 

The main question is how much money do you want to put back into it? Sounds like you could easily re-invest $3-4k back into it and get her to 400k miles. So, depending on your driving ranges thats about 4-5 years of driving (based on 15k miles a year).

The math works out to about $100 per month for you for 5 years reinvestment versus buying a new truck for the cost of (fill in the blank per month).

 

I wouldn't be too concerned fixing most of that stuff if it didn't feel like the trans is about to go. And I don't drive it that much, maybe 200 miles a month. I take the kids to school with it when I have them then come back home and get my work van.
If I did sell it I might get 2k for it which would go to getting another first gen with less miles for under 10k. Maybe a double cab too. It's a bit cramped with a 14, 11, and 4 year old. Plus me at 6' 2". All in an access cab. But like I said, i don't drive it much and it's only to school. I use the girlfriends 15 SHO to pick them up and whenever she's not using it.
So what do y'all think is wrong on the knock sensor? When i had the cam sensor fixed they said there was a nest in the valley. Should I buy a new sensor or just pull the intake? Or could it be a clogged cat? And why does it lunge when I put it in drive and shift kinda rough into 2nd and 3rd?
I think y'all make a good point. With it being free I can just fix it and consider that like a car payment.

 

Try doing the sensor and see how it acts. Also, your shifting rough from 2nd to 3rd could be a sign that your transmission fluid needs changing. Mine did this when my fluid started aging.

Your jerking could also be the fluid or a combination of the fluid change and throttle body valve needing cleaning (sluggish throttle/poor rpm holding). Tighten the cable while in there.

Clean your Mass Air Flow sensor. Change spark plugs. New air filter etc.

Check to make sure all your hoses are connected properly. Clean your PCV valve!

All easy stuff here for low cost. Check back in after you do this stuff.

 

I changed the plugs and pcv valve already. So I cleaned the maf and throttle body, changed the fuel filter, and pulled the codes. Its showing a p0440, p1126, and p0325. Cleared them and drove around the block and only the p0325 stayed. It seems to have it a little. I also took a few pics. Looks like there's something missing in some of them.

 

Looks like a rodent was getting busy in your engine bay. I probably wouldnt dump to much loot into it. Especially if the tranny is going.

 

Did you intentionally unplug that big vacuum line? 4th pic down

Would you be doing most work yourself? If so it is a clean looking truck and could be saved. Most of the stuff you listed is cheap parts, transmission would be an expense. I would consider the cost difference between fixing this vs buying something else. If you got it free and can get a tranny in for say 2k and about another 600 in odd parts, that's a low price for a good truck.

 

Yeah, it goes to the air box I had pushed out of the way. Most of the work will be done by me. I'm worried about the 2nd pic down. Something doesn't look right.

 

Mine looks a bit different, abs I guess. The 2nd pic under the hood looks like a connection isn't connected.

 

It goes to the throttle body.

 

Did we change the tranny fluid? And yes the 2nd pic from top has a hose not connected (or missing). Oil is leaking from valve cover gaskets (easy replace/repair) or snug down the cover bolts for temporary relief.

How did the PCV port (that the PCV goes into) look inside? Gunked up? Mine was bad when replacing gasket covers and PCV.

 

Not yet. I just did some simple stuff this time. PCV was kinda gunked up but still good. And there's oil all down the pass side on everything. But there's nothing at all under the truck anywhere so I think it's an old leak. Next weekend I'll pull the intake and check the sensor(I'm betting a rat chewed the wire), oil change, pull the TB off and give it a good cleaning. Maybe a PS flush if I'm feeling froggy. So for the trans should I just drop the pan and replace the filter or full on flush? Oh, and the rear drums are covered in nasty on the back side. I guess the wheel cylinders are out. The front calipers say 13W. Those are the good ones, right? Any other little things I can do next weekend?

 

Establish your monthly budget.
Prioritize your service & repairs.
Do what you can each month.
Avoid aesthetic & lifestyle upgrades until after ALL of the repairs & service are completed.

 

I’ve heard of tranny issues occurring after dropping the pan. When people have checked the filter, it looked new still. I would do a drain and fill or have a reputable shop do it for peace of mind.

As @Professional Hand Model mentioned, your valve covers seem loose. You can either tighten the bolts to 53 inch pounds or replace the gaskets and spark plug tube seals while you have the covers off.

 

Yeah just do a drain and fill on the tranny. Fresh fluid in there should do it good. I’ve never done it myself but have heard a pan drop is a way of doing the change. I’m not sure, but think mine was done via pan drop at the shop that did it. Another option I’ve heard floated around here is sucking the fluid up through the dipstick tube. Doesn’t sound right to me.

Avoid a flush. Use Dexron 2 or 3 fluid.

 

Your seals on the back axle might be toast. Replace seals and do a rear diff fluid change since its all connected. Just had mine done last year. Rear end felt stiffer afterwards. Think they changed the bearings too? Not sure. Felt way better in the rear afterwards. Especially towing.

 

I'm gonna pull the intake tomorrow to check the wires. Do I need a new gasket for the intake manifold? And I figured I'd pull the throttle body and clean it out. Do I need a gasket for that? It's been a year since I changed the oil so I figured I'd do that too. Only about 1000 miles since then. Any other cheap suggestions or things to check?

 

Yup. That's a rat's nest.



So now what?

 

No turning back now. Looks like you took off the old gasket. You going back with new?

 

Yeah. And luckily the Toyota place had a new harness for the knock sensors. $50. I guess I could've went to a junkyard and cut one off for cheaper but I don't wanna solder anything and its peace of mind.

 

Where does this connect to? Did they give me the wrong harness?

 

Well I ended up cutting the new harness and tying into the old one. Ouch. So throughout this whole ordeal I've realized a few things.
1: I am not a good mechanic.
2: I don't have near enough tools. I had to buy a set of wrenches to change the fuel filter and bought a new 22mm for this job. I need a torque too.
3: I will never be done working on this truck.
4: there is nothing easy about the passenger side back of the motor.
I buttoned everything up and took a spin around the block. It fired up fine and idled wonderfully. It had no problems getting up to speed and hit 70 no problem. 2-3 and 3-4 shifts it kinda hesitates then shifts a tad hard. 1-2 is fine. That's one problem down, about 100 to go. Thank you to everyone for the advice, opinions and comments.

 

Oh, and I forgot to mention. My timing belt looks good. I could see it through the acc belt and water pump outlet. I'm guessing that's bad.

 

If a trans is the biggest issue save the pennies and grab a low mileage 04 trans from here

http://www.car-part.com/mobile/index.htm

Mine was 300 plus 500 to flush and install. Shifts smoother and is a stouter unit than the original 00.

This a great site for searching bone yards without calling or driving around. Shipping may sting so search locally for the bigger parts.

 

If it does turn out to be that I will do that. After the knock sensor fix I'm thinking it may be ok. I believe the whine is coming from the carrier bearing or something else. I'm pretty sure everything on this truck is bad.

 

@bmf4069 any updates? Curious how the repairs are going.

 

Not much since then. I have a pile of parts waiting to go in. A bunch of rear end stuff I've been afraid to tear into. Hes been running great since the knock sensor fix. Still needs a lot of TLC though!

 

@bmf4069

Is this your official build page?

I would use your revival meme, but I can't find it.