1st Gen General Questions

Hey all. I am planning to do a lot of the upgrades on my truck myself as well as learn more about the general maintenance so I thought I would start a separate thread from my upgrading one for the questions I know I'll have. So far about the only things I've done on vehicles are change tires and oil, and install a leveling kit on my old 2003 4R. I grew up on a farm and was helping around construction sites by 12 so I can usually figure things out and like learning new things.

The truck as it sits is a 2006 Tundra SR5 V8 with a leveling kit. The only major thing that's been done since I bought it at 130,000 miles is a new rack and pinion. It was used to spotlight mountain lions by the previous owner (didn't know that was legal, but I guess in some counties here it is) so it's been ran pretty hard. Has quite a bit of loose parts here and there like the driver's mirror, rear doors not wanting to stay open, the front bumper was loose, etc, etc,.

So yeah, that's about it. See ya on the road (or trail ).

 

First question, has anyone bought anything from these guys?

https://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/2006/toyota/tundra/body_mechanical_-ar-_trim/inner_fender.html

 

I prefer rock auto over parts geek. Ordered a side light assembly for my daughters car (99 Nissan Maxima) from parts geek and the fitment was sub par to say the least. Ordered another from rock auto and was a much better product and fit.

 

Hey Flight Sim Guy. First off you will find this site very helpful as I have. Everyone here has helped me tremendously and for that I’m thankfull. How learned best about our 1st Gens was to read the Build Threads (for hardcore 4x4 enthusiasts) and most importantly the What Have You Done (for daily stuff).

Coupled with the reading here and then going over to youtube to watch how to vids is icing on the cake.

These truck are great even after some years of abuse they can be brought back to restoration levels, but it takes time. Tighten some bolts here and there. Clean and tweak that kinda stuff on a daily/weekly basis.

I’d recco starting with ($150) changing ALL your fluids, plugs, grease prop shaft, clean MAF, etc, and then inspect and tweak things as you go along. Crawl around the truck and you will start to see things that need some TLC. Most things are cheap DIY stuff that regular people do not pay attention to and mechanic shops ‘over look’ for what ever reason.

As you go along, you will notice things that need prioritizing. Want vs Needs. Main thing is get the mechanical side optimized and go from there.

As far as parts, from years of experience and also the reading done here its best to use OEM parts. I use a combo of:

Amazon

https://www.toyotapartsdeal.com/

And the Main Toyota site https://parts.toyota.com

Reference the latter two for OEM part numbers and prices with diagrams etc. Then shop those OEM parts on the Amaz site for the best deals. Some stuff is only accessible from local dealership though. You’ll send a little more on OEM (if you shop right not much more), but your DIY labor saving are huge and make up for it. In the long run your truck will be way better off OEM.

Post pics up as you go. Remember to help others out with your new knowledge.

 

Thanks! I'm definitely going to be going over it as I get time. Mechanically it seems pretty sound, but I like the idea of changing the fluids. When I get my Icon suspension and brakes I'll go over those areas really well. It has a few places that just need some TLC such as the rear door window motors/crank?, front right headlight is loose, some inner fenders need replaced, etc.

 

Pretty sure this truck doesn't have VSC, but how do I check for sure?

Edit: Nevermind, I think I figured it out.

 

I’m 99% sure our trucks dont have VSC. If you’re getting new brake lines from wheelers, check under your truck for the number of brake lines you have. Chances are there’s just one.

 

You beat me to the edit. I was just wondering because Wheelers does a two line set for VSC.

 

I checked my truck for that reason.

 

I'm looking for a lockable bed cover. Has anyone used this one? TonnoMax TC-MTF26 6.2' Soft Tri-Fold Tonneau Cover for Toyota Tundra Access Cab

TonnoMax TC-MTF26 6.2' Soft Tri-Fold Tonneau Cover for Toyota Tundra Access Cab

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A7GDYEQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_9ozdCb5SHZ3PT

 

These should fit my truck, correct? From what I can find the first gen Tundras and 2015 4Rs have the same lug pattern. These wheels also have 4.5" BS versus the 5" my stock Tundra wheels have which should give me the space to run 285s better. https://westslope.craigslist.org/wto/d/17-toyota-4runner/6750553751.html

 

Yes, same lug pattern.

 

Thanks! Then I may pick those up as that seems like a good price. I'll probably go with some good aftermarket wheels down the road (pun intended) but these should work well for now.

 

Not that I recall.

To these recommendations, I'd add Auto Anything (send a PM; they'll get answered M-F) because @eccracer104 is a member on here, active on the Tacoma side of the forum, and beats *almost* every other price on after-market, non-OEM stuff.

For OEM stuff, check Sparks Toyota and Toyota of Cool Spings for good forum discounts (more stuff for 3rd gens than 1st, but good to check before buying at a local dealer.) Some guys on here have been able to get their local dealer to match quotes after showing what they can get; but more often, these forum participants offer us the lowest price of any dealership.

Another member, Roman (add a @ in front to tag him to a thread, or PM him directly) is a Toyota parts manager who will help you figure out which parts are correct when it gets confusing, as well sell you what you need.

I borrowed a fairly beat up one of these from my neighbor a few months back, to use during a one-week road trip. He used it for a full sized Chevy and I moved it fit my 3rd gen.

One of the cross-members was a bit bent. Also, the seals on the bottom side that that hold the cover above the bedsides were shot, loose and flapping around. I repaired with a marine adhesive, let it dry several days, and it was good to go. BUT my repair made the seals so tight, I'd see the panels pillow upward (viewed in the rear view mirror) at freeway speeds. Basically, the front of the bed of my 3rd gen lets in air, then the repaired seals prevented its escape. I tried asking around to find out if this is typical of all bed covers but no one mentioned problems. I kinda figured my neighbor had just thrashed this one... but it could have been cheap-ass.

All said, it didn't look bad when not at freeway speeds and did its job, which was to secure our luggage out of sight. I haven't tried a cover on my 1st gen yet, or looked closely to see what openings there are on the front panel of the bed. I will say, the price is right on this, it is the most affordable I have seen, and therefore would be high on my list for my first gen, which is not about looks but function. So, if you get one, please keep us posted!

 

FYI, Stevenson Toyota east is selling 4Runner and Tacoma wheels and tires for $800 brand new, take offs from all the lifted ones they are selling. They might be out of Tacoma wheels.

I paid $500 for my set of 4Runner trail edition wheels and brand new tires on Craigslist, so it might not be a spectacular deal.

 

I just bought this from AutoAnything: https://www.autoanything.com/tonneau-covers/tonnopro-tonnofold-tri-fold-tonneau-cover Got it on sale with a gift and free shipping plus they gave me $10 off when I PM'd them on the site. I'll let you guys know when I get it.

Yeah, I see those wheel sets on Ebay for <$700 quite often, but thanks for the heads up.

Probably a noob question, but 4R wheels should handle offroad truck use okay, correct?

 

Based on how many of them are on 1st gen tundras, I sure hope so . New 4runners are not what I’d call light so we should be good.

 

Haha! Thanks!

 

TPMS sensors are pricey...

 

Should I be able to turn my lights all the way off with the truck running?

 

Yes

 

Hmm. So any ideas what would cause them to not turn off?

 

At night, with the light stick in OFF position the daytime running lights stay ON with the keys in the ignition. Same during the daylight.

My daytime running lights are dim mode emanating from headlights. No other lights come on UNTIL turning light stick.

In other words, I cannot turn off those daytime running lights with truck running.

 

OK, I think that's what is happening. It would be nice if you could turn all the lights off, though.

 

That’s not the case with my 06. I can drive around with absolutely no lights. 1st position on the light switch is no lights, 2nd is DRL and 3rd is DRL’s, low’s and fogs.

 

If you find an easy solution let me know.

 

OK, that's what I thought you should be able to do. I wonder if it's a bad switch?

Will do.

 

The 02’ has a seperate button located to left of steering column for the fogs. Parking and nightime headlamps run off the stick control. Daytime running lights switch a factory hardwired feature?

 

I just found this thread: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&sou...aw11NFE4X8B_ZVfZ7dLuQOhZ&ust=1544804992414675 I'm going to do some of the troubleshooting mentioned there and see what happens.

 

Lots of varied problems and solutions offered up in that thread. OP ended up replacing the relay switch with a new one (even though it tested good) and problem solved.