Ask the Toyota mechanic!

TOYOTA MECHANIC: Question for yeah, were can one get the maintenance procedures for our trucks, I have a 23 Tundra Platinum I Force Max. Just the basic stuff, changing fluids in diff's, transfer case, intercooler coolant, inverter coolant, ATF and brake fluid. Thanks in advance

 

Really not a technical question but for the time maintenance schedule it should be in your owner's manual "warranty and maintenance". If you need the "how" there is some basic info in the owner's manual. For the more technical stuff you will have to buy a subscription from the Toyota site TIS. I suppose you could probably find a Hansen manual as well but I've personally never been a fan.

 

Thx for the info on TIS

 

Dear Toyota mechanic

Bought my 2018 from a Toyota Dealership at 118K miles a few months back, and they did some service on it before i bought it (listed in the pictures) just hit 120K and when I bring it for my 5k oil change I also want to have any factory-recommended 120K services completed. It will be the first major service I have had done since owning the truck. My Toyota dealership (a different dealership than where I bought the Truck) wants all the work scheduled in advance, and I hope to not double pay for things I don't need/they were already done 5K miles ago. What would you do in my position? just cross things off the factory-recommended 120K service list from the pictures above and go through with everything else. They also were trying to convince me for a transmission flush, when I have always heard "drain and fill". I'm going to have them look at the brakes and rotors because I am getting some steering wheel vibrations when braking on the freeway. Some of the items listed in the last picture don't exactly line up to the work order like "check and adjust fluid levels".

 

Have a look in your owner's manual and it will have the info regarding what service is required at what mileage. Never ask the dealership what they recommend because they will upsell. Transmission service should be done every 6 years or 60,000 miles. Never do a flush on a Toyota transmission. Only do a drain and fill with Toyota WS transmission fluid.
Do you have the service history of the vehicle? If you don't asked the dealer you bought the truck from for the information. If the truck was serviced at any Toyota dealer the information is available to them.

As for the brakes, a vibration at highway speed when the brakes are applied is likely from the front rotors need replacing. Brake rotors and brake pads are change together. I would go back to the selling dealer and complain. Most used vehicles have some kind of warranty and you may be able to get the repair done at no cost. It's worth a shot.

 

Got info I needed on torque specs and instructions for the things I can do myself, again thanks for the heads up on TIS.

 

No problem and TIS is invaluable. For those that that dont know, you have to pay for the subscription but it's only $25 for two days and you can print off all the info you might need in the future.

 

The LICENSE has a subscription for $25 for 2 days. How do I get the software to be able to use that $25 license?

 

I've never paid for a subscription. I have other sources for the info. You don't need any software. You will get a user name and login password to access the TIS info.

 

I was thinking of Techstream. I'd like to be able to modify some of the settings mentioned on this site that require Techstream.

 

Techstream is a dealer use software. There are sources for it and you can buy it from Amazon and Ebay but most of the software is risky to use because of viruses. Do a search on the forum to find a source for Techstream. You will find it difficult to find a source for Techstream because the forum will not allow anyone to post info about counterfeit software. If you do find a source for Techstream only load it onto a older laptop that is not connected to the internet. You will also need a interface to connect to the truck. Tactrix Openport2.0 is probably the best and cost effective interface but there are counterfeits that only work for a short time. The cheapest is the Mini-VCI J2534 and is sold on Amazon and eBay along with a copy of Techstream. It will give you some data but it's limited in what modules it can access. Also a not so careful user of Techstream can get you into trouble if you access certain utilities and you could end up with a visit to the dealer and a costly repair. If you don't know, don't go.

 

Thanks for the clarification. I found a super cheap Black Friday laptop ($220) to put Techstream on. After initial setup of the laptop (before Techstream is installed), it will never see the internet again.

And I know enough to avoid messing with settings that are not crystal clear. Thanks for the heads up.

 

What do you plan on using for an interface?

 

I bought a VXDiag VCX Nano for the interface. It was highly recommended by someone else on this site.

 

Yup, that's a good one.

 

Question, on transfer case fill and drain plug (36136-0C020) removal for fluid change it states to install new drain and fill plugs, does anyone know the reason behind using new ones, not re-use of the ones removed? My dealership parts dept is saying it will take about 2 weeks to get them in low supply. Also anyone know of a suitable sub. Thanks

 

I've never heard of replacing the plugs unless they are feckt up (bad threads or stripped head)
I know it's recommended to replace the washers if they have them

 

Why do you need to change the transfer case oil on a ‘23 Tundra? As already asked, why the new drain plugs?

 

I dont yet, but reading through the stuff I printed from TIS, after changing the fluid, it says to install new plugs, I was going to get the plugs to see if I could have them and check them out to see if I could figure out why, I was curious, as working on Aircraft, there are some hardware we don’t reuse, but there are explanations for it.

 

That is how it is for the front/rear diff, replace the washers, but reading the sheets I printed from TIS, it says to install new plugs.

 

That’s very odd. Does TIS say there is a gasket or is the plug pipe thread like the previous gen?

 

I dont know about previous gen, but from how the pictures are, looking at it on the truck, looks to me to be the plug type.

 

The reason I mentioned am the previous gen is because they are pipe tread. If the 3rd gen used a pipe thread aluminum plug I could see replacing. If your regular plugs with gasket is made from steel I couldn’t see any reason you would need to replace.

 

Here are the plugs, look aluminum

 

That's pipe thread. Did you try a magnet to confirm it's aluminum?

 

Nope, didnt think of it, will go check and let you know.

 

It is magnetic, so one would think you can reuse, just wonder why Toyota says to install a new one.

 

Theory: Toyota normally installs them so tightly that they usually get messed up upon removal. Replacing them enables the next person to actually remove the plug the following service.

 

Then I would just reuse the old plugs. It's the exact same design as the previous gen and the plug are reusable. Make sure to use thread sealer on the plugs are don't over tighten (pipe thread).

 

The problem is people forget these plugs only need to be snug not ugga-dugga tight