Just bought a 2005 DC 4X4 w/ 85k miles - Newbie questions

Hello 1st Gen Army,

I finally found my dream truck (also my first truck).

I got a single owner 2005 Double Cab Limited 4X4 with only 85K miles. It was in Arizona its entire life. Zero rust anywhere. Has a color matched hard shell and a bedliner. A couple scrapes here and there and a dented front right fender / smashed headlight. It was driven a good amount for the first 10ish years of its life and then less and less that last decade. I have been looking for a good 1st gen 4x4 for years and finally found mine. I want to build it into a minimalist hunting/camping rig that will last me 40 years or forever. It is not my daily driver so I will be able to keep the miles off it and make it last forever.

I have a few initial questions!

I am going to have a local Toyota specialist shop do the timing belt and water pump next week. While they are in there I am wondering what else I should ask them to pre-emptively replace? After reading through some other post on here I am considering also replacing:

Serpentine Belt
Upper / Lower hoses
Thermostat
Radiator
Idler pulleys
Fan Clutch
Drive Belt
Tensioner

Is this all reasonable? Is this list overkill? Anything you would add or remove from this list? I would rather spend a few grand updating/replacing things right off the bat than risk issues later on. I live in New Mexico and driving out here is hot, dusty, some bumpy roads, and I will be taking it to Colorado mountain passes as well. It has low miles but its still an 18 year old truck that has mostly original components/parts (timing belt was done in 2009). I want to make this thing last forever and avoid any issues down the road.

Please advise!

Thanks for any and all help. This forum has already been sooo helpful.

 

Welcome. Pics please! Read the stickied threads, you’ll be glad you did.

Edit: especially this one: https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-you-wanna-buy-just-bought-a-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/

 

Here is a pic!

 

Looks nice.
I got some replacement centre caps on Amazon for those wheels, not OEM quality but good enough and cheap.

These aren’t the exact ones I got and I’m sure there are others, but these look about the same quality:

4 Pieces Wheel Center Hub Caps 560-6944 42603-420NM Fortoyota Sequoia, Silver, 171 174 179

https://www.amazon.com/42603-420NM-Fortoyota-171-174-179/dp/B09YNKS8Z6?crid=1CQFWDNXZU06P&keywords=03-06+Tundra+WHEEL+CENTER+CAP+HUBCAP&qid=1682214354&sprefix=03-06+tundra+wheel+center+cap+hubcap%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-2

 

Thanks, I have been and there is some great stuff in there! It's a lot to catch up on but I am wading through to update myself on all things 1st gen.

 

Welcome! Great truck. Be sure to follow the advice in the pinned thread linked in this thread regarding low mileage trucks as well as the other great information that will help greatly with your list (like doing the water pump with the timing belt, you're already in there and leaky coolant destroys timing belts). You're going to love this truck, guaranteed.

 

That's the full meal deal. Some may have another opinion but, given the mileage of your rig, you shouldn't need to do all of that. Some of those things time, itself, will degrade, while others need to be used to degrade. Stuff like the pulleys and the tensioner are work degraded and, unless cotorsion is a problem, can sit for long periods of time and continue to work. Stuff like the belts and hoses can degrade just because of time. It sounds like you're having someone else do the work so, how much do you want to spend? Personally, I'd leave the hoses, radiator and fan clutch. If stored in a decent place by the previous owner, those things should be fine and are easy to get to. The other stuff, while some should be fine at 85k, aren't as easy to get to and also aren't real costly. If you're having someone open up the front of the engine, you may as well have them use fresh parts. Just my $0.02.

 

You found a unicorn at 85k miles! You'll definitely be starting new if you replace those items you mentioned. You've listed about 800 bucks in parts. What you might do is tear into it and check the condition of the components before swapping them. Money is tight these days for everyone, I know it is for me.

 

Thanks for your response. I do not mind spending some money now for piece of mind and years of happy adventuring.

So just to be clear, you would replace:

timing belt
water pump
serpentine belt
drive belt
thermostat

You would not replace:

idler pulleys
tensioner
fan clutch
radiator

Thanks!!!

 

Congratz on the nice pickup. Good mileage and condition. Beside the above links I would have them check the head gasket seal.

 

I would probably replace the tensioner too. Aisin makes a kit (part number

$183 TKT-021 Engine Timing Belt Kit with Water Pump - Compatible with Select Lexus GS400, GS430, GX470, LS400, LS430, LX470, SC400, SC430 Toyota 4Runner, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Tundra

TKT-021) that provides many of these items for a reasonable cost, something you might consider.

 

Full timing kit and ditch the paw paw cap. Nice find!

 

Man that’s a nice find. I just bought an 05 DC 4x4with about double the mileage (167k) and have very similar plans for it. Minimalist camping/overlanding/fishing (not towing) rig I want to keep for a very long time.

I’m also of the mindset to do more of the repairs/maintenance upfront if I can afford it and especially if I don’t know the maintenance history. If in your shoes I’d do everything you mentioned except radiator. That I’d inspect and if no obvious weak spots I’d keep until needed.

On a different note note sure if you’ve read this thread below. Highly recommend it. Very fun reading and inspirational

https://www.tundras.com/threads/the...vestment-‘build’-a-chronological-story.46816/

 

If money was an issue (it kind of sounds like it's not), I would replace:

timing belt
water pump
serpentine belt
drive belt
thermostat
idler pulleys
tensioner

You would not replace:

upper and lower rad hoses
fan clutch
radiator

 

Still catching up on the lingo, you mean the hard shell right? lol.

I don't love the look but I do think it will be very helpful for my adventures. I want to make my camping and hunting setup much more streamlined and efficient. I waste to much time setting up and breakdown camp, tent, etc. With a bed in the back under the hard shell, I can wake up, and jet in like 5 minutes with almost no time wasted. I can shelter from rain, wind, snow in there. I can winter camp with a heater and insulation.

I don't like rooftop tents. They are noisy, expensive, and I just generally don't get the draw. The solid shelter of the hard shell is the best option for me I believe.

 

Sweet! Congrats on the find. What are the first repairs / mods you are going to tackle?

 

Cool. Thank you for your input!

 

Thanks! I have read and re-read the potential issues about low-mileage trucks. I am hoping its not the case with mine. It was driven regularly for the first half of its life and then progressively less over the last 10 or so years. If I am not experiencing any leaks or noticeable issues in my week or so of driving it should I be concerned? Should I ask the mechanic to open it up and peak at the heads while they are doing upcoming work just to be sure?

Thank you!

 

He's just ribbing you, as someone who doesn't love caps on trucks

Nope. I wouldn't worry about it, honestly. The driver's head is always worse, and more burnt toward the rear, but you can learn a lot just by popping off the filler tube and looking at the head. It's OK if it's not perfectly silver, as long as you don't see lots of either (A) goo that looks like black jelly or (B) chunks that look like burnt sugar.

The reason I say not to bother with popping the valve covers off is this: The valve covers of these trucks don't use just a gasket. There's a couple of sharp corners where you need to use FIPG, plus half-moon shaped plugs you should pull and FIPG when installing new covers, and ... overall, the process is not hard but it's time consuming, and if you're not leaking, and there's no visible evidence of jelly/burnt stuff, don't go through the pain.

 

Just took a look, looks pretty clean, no goop/gunk or burnt stuff.

As the jedi toyota master who wrote that amazing overview, any maintenance you'd recommend pre-emptively for me at this stage?

Thanks!

 

I'm no jedi master, unless a jedi master is someone adept at assembling info and stringing it together

Without reading what anyone else already recommended above, the 1st thing I'd be doing is signing up for Toyota Owners website, adding my truck VIN, checking what service records are available, and what recalls are still open (if any). Of course, I'd have bugged the person I bought from for any service records. I'd use that info to decide what's next.

I've owned more used cars than most normal humans. I'm always in for 'baselines' of maintenance going by mileage, unless age plays a factor. In a nutshell, I want to start a baseline of maintenance based on what should have been done around this mileage, or every few thousand miles, just so I know it's been done at least once.

As it's 4WD, the first maintenance thing I'd be doing is greasing all zerks on the drivetrain, and I'd read directions on that 'black hole' zerk for the slip yolk, since it puts everyone off. There's a plethora of information here on the forum about that. I prefer

$13 Valvoline VV985 Valvoline Moly-Fortified Gray Full Synthetic Grease 14.1 OZ Cartridge

Valvoline VV985 in my gun for everything.

The plugs are good for about 100k miles if still on the original iridium plugs recommended in the back of your owners manual. The NGK plugs they recommend ... maybe you want to do them early ... it's an easy job. Don't use anti-seize on them, don't over-torque. Don't bother unplugging the coils, just pop out the bolt and lift out, then set on top of the intake. The clips like to break. I've learned this on a couple of Toyotas already. Never un-clip after it hits 8-10 years old.

I'd be pulling out my handy 10mm, picking the easiest-to-access timing cover, and backing off the fasteners enough to shine a light in and verifying the condition of the timing belt. Look for cracks, etc. If both sides are easily accessible, may as well look at both sides. Use that info and svc records you found to decide if TB/WP is needed.

Check the operation of the e-brake. Confirm it works. If it works as intended, set/unset the e-brake several times to force the rear brakes to adjust appropriately. Get in the habit of repeating this process 1x-2x per year. Properly adjusted rear brakes make a world of difference on your driving experience in these trucks.

I'd take a minute to clean the MAF with CRC MAF cleaner. It's a very easy thing to do, you just pop out the two screws, spray MAF cleaner all up in its bits, inside and out, then let it sit for about 15-20 minutes to dry out and come to room temp before reinstall.

Check your fluids:

• Flashlight to brake fluid for color, and check level.
• Check power steering fluid level.
• Check coolant level.
• Check oil level and smell.
• Your trans is sealed, can't check. Toyota claimed they're 'lifetime' fluid, but recently reneged on that. May be worth having a dealership swap trans fluid (no rush).

Visually inspect rotors up front, inner and outer faces.

If you intend to park outside, be aware of two things: 1) How much rodents love chewing wires and nesting above the gas thank and under the manifold, and 2) Read the sticky 'definitive leak thread' because everyone's cowl inevitably leaks in the exact same spot, which is explained in that thread.

Check air filter.

You shouldn't need to worry about the radiator yet. But, I'll be honest, whenever you do your TB/WP, since you gotta drain the damn thing anyway and the Denso replacement costs so little relative to the damage pink milkshake can cause, it's worth proactively swapping - others may disagree.

I'd take a minute to check your sunroof drains - knowing I don't have a sunroof so have no clue how, only DC trucks have them. If this was an AC or RC truck, I'd tell you to check the rear window drains.

Take a minute to give the truck a really good wash and wax. The metallic trucks specifically have an issue with clearcoat failure, your red, and the green trucks, they suffer the worst. If not already failing, yearly wash and wax is your ticket to longevity.

That's about all I can think of. I'm sure I'm missing something.

Oh, and just know, that cap is worth at least $600 as-is. You can potentially get as much as $800, maybe even $1k depending on your area. But it'll only fit a DC truck, DC bed is shorter than all other cab types.

 

I did timing belt, serpentine, water pump, crank seal. Greased driveline. Replaced a whole bunch of old super dim lights with LEDs. Huge improvement in lumens even if I don’t love the crisp white color of light. Oh and replaced both tailgate cables which were beginning to frey.

Next up is spark plugs, at least 2 of the 4 oxygen sensors, air filter and possibly ignition coils.
Also important for me (remember I have a lot more miles) is to replace lower ball joints and bolts. After that I’ll feel a lot better about the whole rig and start doing combination of maintenance and upgrades at my pace.

 

Wow! Thank you for such a thorough and helpful write up. I truly appreciate it.

I am going to dig in and check off as many of these things as I can.

Now I am scared of rats and mice! I don't have a garage to store it in yet.

Thanks!

 

No one wants you here! Go gloat somewhere else where me and my north eastern salt bathed frame can't hear you!

Hahaha....just kidding man, welcome to the forum. Nice truck.

 

It's a legit fear to have.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/if-you-get-a-p0325-code-or-a-broken-wire-on-a-knock-sensor.52632/

https://www.tundras.com/threads/need-help-cleaning-engine-block-rat-nest.28458/

I think I saw one of the forum mods post about this stuff being effective at repelling them, but I haven't seen anyone on the 1st gen forum mention it:

SEALUXE Rodent Repellent for Car Engines, Mouse Repellent Rat Repellent for Car, Under Hood Animal Repeller, Mint Mice Repellent, Peppermint Oil to Repel Mice and Rats 2 Jars/Box

https://www.amazon.com/SEALUXE-Repellent-Engines-Repeller-Control/dp/B08M6892JW

 

My dad has used this and other similar products in the cabs of his tractors and farm trucks has had no issues since using them. Need to find a way to put a few in the engine bay though, haha

 

Nice find. I would do all the fluids, all. Congrats

 

I may have missed it but I really recommend OEM parts on a toyota. I typically will go to ebay and find a dealership selling OEM parts at about half the cost of my local dealership. I figure they do this to keep the volume high enough to get a parts discount which helps them make more money on the in-house work.

I use generic parts on my other cars as they don't last as long and I don't put as many miles on them. But if your goal is 100k plus the 85k you bought it at then it makes sense to use OEM as you will get better reliability out of them. My local shop won't allow me to bring parts in so that may be an issue for you, too. I only use them when I run out of time and need the vehicle asap.

 

Quick update!


1st of all, thank you so much for all the support and advice after purchasing my 1st gen. It was so helpful and reassuring to know what to tackle first. I appreciate everyone who helped me.


I have completed all the initial preventative maintenance, timing belt, water pump, changed all fluids, etc. I added skid plates, got new tires, pulled off running boards.

We built a wooden bedframe and drawer storage system in the bed


Now have a few questions and am wondering about the next round of mods.


#1 Paint Care / Preservation: I am worried about my paint breaking down in the New Mexico sun, wind, and dust. I do not have a garage to keep it in yet. I drive on some very dusty roads. Based off the paint condition, this truck was garage kept for most of its life. What can I do to preserve my paint? Please explain it to me like I am 7 years old….lol I have never waxed a car before. Any specific brands of wax or pads you recommend, steps, techniques. I don’t want to be out there shining up my paint every week, but if there is anything reasonable I can do to delay the paint deterioration I would love to do it. I do drive in the desert and mountains a lot and always end up scratching my paint on juniper, cactus, and various other things pretty often. Any tips here are greatly appreciated.


#2 Battery: It has an older battery that I will probably preemptively replace at some point. I have read through a lot of the battery threads here and still don’t really know the best option for my purposes. I drive a lot of bumpy roads so thinking AGM might last longer be less likely to have any leakage? Also read about some of the Tundras not having strong enough charging system voltage to fully recharge some types of batteries? Is that an issue with 1st gens? I don’t mind spending $$$ on a great battery to ensure I’m never stranded in the desert wasteland alone… I’ve looked at the X2 Power AGM and some other AGMs. But there are too many options to make sense of these days…


#3 Suspension stuff: My main objective with the suspension is to gain some height for clearance when offroading, keep the ride super comfy, address the extra weight I’ve added, and be confident taking this rig on some super rough roads without worrying about any issues.


· My lower ball joints were replaced in a recall by the former owner in 2008 (this truck is a 2005). Should I trust these LBJ still? Any reason to replace the LBJ again?

· I have added some weight since purchasing the truck (135 pounds in skid plates, 80 pounds of bed frame / drawers, 150 to 300 pounds of gear at any given time). Is it a bad idea to keep rocking the stock suspension setup? I am wondering about a reasonable suspension upgrade to handle all this extra weight and off-road adventuring. I am not very technically inclined, and all the suspension threads here leave my head spinning.

· For tires I got 265/70R-17 BFG KO2’s which gained a little height and I do not anticipate getting new/bigger tires.

· Given what I’ve read, Bilstein 5100 seems like standard upgrade. What would Bilstein 5100’s gain me given my situation? If I do go with 5100 should I also get lifted springs?

· Given the weight in the back, should I add a leaf? get a new leaf spring spring pack?

· How do I decide if and when I should get new upper control arms, and or lower control arms.


Thanks in advance for any advice. These trucks are badass, I’ve already taken it on some wild stuff with just a new set of tires.


Thanks!!!

 

I mean, the biggest enemy of clearcoated paint is SUN and HEAT. So anything you can do to keep the truck in the shade when not in use is in your best interest. If that's not possible, a car cover would suffice.

There are a ton of wax technologies out there these days, between the spray-on ceramics and hybrids, it's pretty easy to keep waxed and most give some level of UV protection. You don't need to be a weekend warrior, just RTFM and follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer. Wax isn't going to help with the brush/organic scratches, that's what polish is for. And any time you polish, you need to re-wax

Really, there's an entire detailing forum here. Probably best to hit them up and ask them how you can effectively prevent clearcoat peel, knowing the red metallic, green metallic, and the taupe metallic trucks have wicked probs there.

Link: https://www.tundras.com/forums/detailing.66/

If you go AGM, there's a diode you need to get and install into the ALT-S location of the engine bay box, IIRC. More info available if needed, but I'll need to look it up or hope someone else here that's done it chimes in. I have the part, I just don't plan to toss out my 3 year old perfectly-fine battery to install it with a new AGM. Waiting for my current battery to eat a bag of chubs first.

The 'you just bought a Tundra' intro thread covers most of what you need to know. Really, you're in the heaviest of the beasts with a DC/4WD/V8 so most of the kits and products marketed at 1st gens will install true for you, height-wise. It's up to you.

If it was done by dealership, you know it was an OEM replacement, so really the key factor to consider is how many miles ago that was. My recall was done quite a while ago as well, but less than 50k miles ago IIRC, I have no intent to change mine. I go by mileage vs. age on steel items as long as it's not in harsh/corrosive condition and the part was well-maintained.

There's nothing wrong with rocking the stock setup. When you start climbing in miles, springs sag and fatigue with age - both coils and leafs - and shocks eventually break down. For anyone who asks me, if I know they don't know about vehicles, I'll usually say 100k is the lifespan of a shock or strut in normal driving conditions. But I've been in some taxis with far less than 100k miles on them here in the city and it was clear the shocks were blown. Driving conditions matter.

It's normal for your head to spin on this stuff. Mine did too. I'm fortunate that I've got a few decades in the automotive world, mostly with sport suspension and lowering, and a lot of that translates to lifting, to some degree. Dealing with driveline angles and other concepts. The big concepts to gather are this: In front, if you exceed 1.5" - 2" lift, you need to think about adding extended swaybar links and aftermarket upper control arms (UCA) and there are a few UCA options available with various joint types, some joints have similar-to-OEM maintenance, some require extra maintenance. You need to get aligned after lifting. You can either buy a kit, or if you want to go simple, you can pay a little extra to get your front struts pre-assembled from some vendors, offering a bolt-in installation. If swapping your front struts, may as well get new springs to go with it, and lifted springs are a great option.

Cool, as long as you don't rub.

5100 is a good upgrade. 5100s with stock springs would give you a solid ride on-road and off, and give you some height adjustability ... although to change height with OEM springs, it means removing the strut assembly, compressing spring, changing the cup height (using their circlip), then reinstall. With a lifted spring, you don't need to dick with the circlips, it's probably best to following manufacturer recommendations and - when using a lifted, non-OEM spring - always use the bottom circlip. That's perfectly OK, but you really need to make sure you pick the correct spring for your truck's stats, which will vary based on drivetrain, engine, cab type, and how much weight you plan to add..

Your call. A lot of folks on here would probably recommend a new Alcan leaf pack or similar, but sometimes picking the right leaf to get the right height is a bitch. This is one where I would defer to other Double Cab owners, there are a few on here, figuring out what they used with their weight load, and follow suit.

Are the rubber bushings good? If yes, you don't need new uppers unless you exceed 2" - 2.5" lift. Don't bother with replacing lowers unless the bushings are shot.