2004 Sequoia major Maintenance - help

My Wife has owned her 2004 Sequoia 4.6L since 3 miles on the clock. She has sporadically changed the oil , im guessing 2 times a year if she remembered at best, most likely never flushed the transmission, and im sure the diffs and transfer case are still running the factory oils.
it now has 225K and i need to bring it back to life.
yikes.
So last night i replaced the spark plugs with the Denso iridium plugs (added anti-seize as they all damn near locked up half way out), swapped air filter , and refilled the coolant ( one gallon low...).
I need some advice on where to start , tricks for getting it done , and any insight offered.
Transmission will be my next move , along with the rear diff and front diff.
Thanks in advance.

 

WOW.

 

It sounds like you've already identified a lot of the areas that need attention. Do you have specific items you need help with?

At 225K miles with essentially zero maintenance it probably needs a lot. How much are you willing to spend?

• Has the timing belt ever been changed? It's required every 90k. This is probably the most important item.
• Drain and replace all fluids including the front diff and T case(if 4WD)
• air filter(cabin too if applicable). Brake and power steering fluid also.
• rear shocks and front coilovers. Bilstein 5100's are popular around here and not terribly expensive.
• fuel filter
• grease the drive shaft
• your front suspension components are probably in dire need of attention. Ball joints, tie rods, etc. I would consider replacing the steering rack bushings but this is less critical.
• rear brakes?
• serpentine belt/tensioner/idler pulley/thermostat. If you do this all at once it's pretty easy with the radiator pulled out.
• I would not just top off the radiator. You should do a full flush. There are 2 drain plugs on the bottom of the engine.

I'm sure there is more but this is a decent start.

 

I'll second that and add PS fluid to that. Did the coils look ok? Any cracks? And where have you been the past 15 years!?

 

HAHA!
Yeah we met 5 years ago . She had pretty much killed that thing before i came along. Ive been doing oil changes every 5k miles since i met her .
How hard is it to pull a radiator and install a new one? I had to replace the fan clutch last year because the engine was ROARING when accelerating.
The timing belt was replaces at 190K , the dealership decal says anyway.
Shocks are on the list , I was thinking OME but 5100s are a good option.
How about the diffs ? i am nervous about pulling the drain plugs , so i was thinking about a transfer pump and just sucking out the fluids. ( if there is any)

 

It's incredibly easy to replace the radiator in these vehicles. 4 nuts hold the fan shroud in place. You undo those and slide it back towards the engine. 4 more hold the radiator in place against the front of the truck. Once you drain the coolant and disconnect the hoses the radiator lifts right out. If you've got that out of the way you may as well replace the serpentine belt and thermostat. Both parts are cheap and much easier to replace with the radiator out of the way.

Is there a lot of rust? If not, you shouldn't be too concerned with removing the drain plug. It's the fill plug you want to check first. If you can't open that but you drain the differential fluid then you're screwed. The owners manual will have the specs. I believe it's around 3.1 qts for the Tundra. I'm not sure about the Giant Tree.

 

Thanks. I will hose it down with some PB blaster for a couple days and see if i can break the fill plugs loose.
I found a Denso radiator online for $125 so i will get that on the way.
Also , the fuel filter will need replaced.

How much are the new Highlanders .......? lol

 

These engines are hard to kill.

Use the Asian Pink Zerex Coolant.

Lucas 80w-90 in rear diff.

Mobil

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

75w-90 in transfer and front diff.

 

Do multiple drain and refills on the transmission over a few weeks. Ease the newer fluid into the system a change at a time.