Fixing my neglected truck

Hey y'all! My name is Luke and I have been the owner of a 2006 Tundra DC for a year and a half now. Previous owner beat the truck to hell and failed to fix problems he had with the truck so He ended up selling the truck to me for $2k at 225k miles. I've been endlessly researching (and yes, using the search bar) since the day I bought it and if I'm being completely honest, I need all of the info in one place. I've been creating a list of issues I'm faced with and I would like some help from y'all if you can. Any advice and input is welcome (Yes Mr. Shifty, I know you're going to link the master thread). Hopefully this thread will help out a new owner in the future as well.

• Previous owner lost all keys, bought aftermarket key and fob. Key only works with ignition and tailgate.
  • Is it cheaper to have dealership make a key for door from vin, take it to a locksmith (Quoted $175), or replace door lock cylinders?
• Timing Belt Squeak, Unknown Age and Milage.
  • Noise worse on startup when cold or wet
  • Should I replace anything else (tensioner, pullies, pumps, etc) while I replace the timing belt? Will also be replacing Radiator hoses (Are HPS hoses any good?), coolant, water pump.
  • Radiator recently replaced (6k miles ago).
• Oil Leaks
  • Recently torqued valve cover bolts to 53 in-lbs since they were loose, looks like it closed the seeping for the most part. Gaskets replaced 110k miles ago.
  • Oil Mixing with power steering fluid (Mentioned in next bullet)
  • Any other oil leaks for an engine at 235k miles? Oil pan looks like it might be seeping oil
• Power Steering Resevior Leak
  • Seeping fluid, locations it could be leaking?
  • What to replace?
• Steering Rack Boot Torn
  • Seeping power steering fluid from boot
  • Should I Replace boot, rebuild rack, or replace entire rack?
• Loose Steering
  • Wandering while driving, no steering wheel vibrations while driving
  • Tie Rods, Steering Rack Bushings, LCA Bushings, other causes?
  • Would an alignment fix this?
• Alignment
  • Needs an alignment, never had one after owning the truck for a year as well as installing a lift and larger tires
  • Should I buy OEM or KPO kit?
  • Do I need to replace Lower Control Arms or Bushings?
• Lower Ball Joint Unknown Age and Milage
  • No noise (pops, clunks, bangs, etc) when turning or driving, havent been able to check movement
  • Should I be replacing anything with the LBJ and bolts?
• Exhaust Leaks
  • Headers ticking, most noticible from passenger wheel well (Probably from snapped stud at flange connecting headers to cats)
  • Dripping water at flanges from cats to resonator, resonator to muffler, and tailpipe, and possibly from manifold
  • Best options for repair? JBA Shorties, Doug Thorley Shorties, OEM Headers, Modified Dirty Deeds Long Tube Headers to fit cats? (Need cats to pass emissions)
• Transmission Concerns
  • Hard Shift when accelerating uphill, is this the common lazy shifting quirk just harsh uphill or something worse?
  • Appears to be seeping fluid
  • Transmission Mount plastic Mushroom looking thing broken? Reason to Replace?
  • Replaced the 4 bolts holding the mount to the crossmember. There was a bad clunk when i bought the truck and I figured out there was no bolts holding the mount (Link to that thread)
• SAIS Code
  • Best option to fix? Hewitt Bypass Kit, DIY, Replace System?
• Engine Splash Guard Missing
  • Should I replace this? Trying to keep my engine relatively clean so i can easily identify if anything starts leaking in the future, also want a little bit of protection from the elements while off road
• Doors Issues
  • Front Driver door is hard to close and makes a loud bang when closed.
  • Front Driver door Creaks and pops when opening and closing
  • Rear driver door wont stay open
  • Will Door reinforcement kit from 1stgenoffroad and new door pins fix this? How to fix driver door being hard to close?
• Driver Seat
  • I’m 6’2” and my neck is always hurting after I drive. Should I get seat jackers?
  • Driver seat rocks back slightly, its not a massive issue but slightly annoying to me sometimes. It’s not the mounts
• Window Weatherstrip Belt
  • OEM is ridiculously expensive, is aftermarket from millsupply okay?

 

Reading everything gives me anxiety but gets me hyped because you clearly care about the truck. You have a solid project ahead of you. Do you have a budget for the truck repairs? What is your goal for the truck (daily, farm truck, full restoration....)

Knowing the budget and plan for the truck will help ppl provide the best solutions i feel.

Regarding the doors closing and key issue, is there a chance the truck was in an accident and the driver's front and rear doors were replaced and never rekeyed and aligned?

You can have the door lock cylinders rekeyed to the factory key (since it works for tailgate and ignition) for about $20-30 outside of a junkyard, a lock smith might be a little more. I got a replacement tailgate after it was stolen, and bought one off offerup, and had the cylinder rekeyed for $20 from some guy in a van outside the junkyard to match my factory key.

The pop noises can be that the bolts might be loose have you tried tightening them? Are the doors aligned?

Engine skid plates, you can find them at the junkyard for about 30-50$ maybe less, they always put them in the bed of the trucks.

 

You got a screamin deal on that!

Couple of questions if you don't mind. Long term goals with the truck? Budget? How bad are the leaks? Do you have to replace fluid every few weeks?

I'd start with timing belt and ball joints. Test suspension components and then an alignment.

 

I wouldn't say I have a set budget for my truck since I'm going to be taking care of these issues over time.
My truck is a daily driver - to and from college, work, etc - and my long term goal is to maintain the functionality while making it more capable off road. Adding a Quality lift, wheels and tires, some performance stuff and supporting mods, but mostly fixing it up.
The truck was previously a hunting truck and the body is pretty banged up. It's accident free with another vehicle, but I do know that the rear bumper has been pushed in because it was backed into a stump, Mirror has been replaced because it was knocked off by a tree, roof has some denting from a deer stand being put on it, and theres various other dings and dents all over, and passenger corner marker was replaced after bumping into a a tree.
Leaks arent really leaking but more just seeping liquid everywhere. Theres no drips or puddles. I dont have to replace fluid, it all stays level.

 

Good on ya for actually doing some research and reading before shotgunning a bunch of questions. I'm not sure how many of the listed mods you've added but seems like a little bit of cart before the horse. I would start with the stuff that you know to be catastrophic if they fail. Timing belt and all associated with that (water pump, tensioner, idlers), serpentine belt, tensioner and idler (could be the squeak you're hearing, and more likely than the TB), and LBJs. Don't mess around with anything other than OEM parts for the critical stuff. Next I would look at the steering rack and all other components related to it or suspension. I.E. tie rods, bushings, etc. Fix all of that then get it properly aligned. From there you can start picking at the other things. It doesn't appear that you have any large leaks, so fix whatever bugs you most. A plus is that it doesn't appear to be too rusty, although didn't see any pictures of the frame.

 

Your serpentine belt (or a pulley) is squeaking. Not your timing belt. You cannot physically see the timing belt unless you remove a cover.

as a guy who also daily's his truck AND is building it. Plan on planning and trying to cram all the labor into a weekends. Plan on working nights and invite the buddies over. But make a fucking plan. I watched a crazy amount of videos and even looked over everything a few times before i dod my timing belt. Not because i didnt know what i was doing. But because i HAD to finish it by sunday night to take it to work the next day. (Luckily i started it during the holidays so i had 4 days off but only worked on the truck for 2.5) but yea, these trucks are dumb easy to work on. Some things are just a Little labor intensive but theyre not complicated by any stretch of the imagination.

edit: you also get to buy tools. I didnt think id enjoy this part as much as i do. But fuckin a tool shopping is fun as fuck lol

 

I appreciate the input!
All of the stuff in my mods list are just things i needed to replace asap like tires, lights, and then some of it was cosmetics I gained through sponsorships or i bought.
I fixed the squeak but i'm still going to be replacing stuff pretty soon when i can afford it because i feel like some things are a ticking time bomb since i dont know if/when they were replaced.

yessir!! I definitely have a well set up plan, i have it planned down to the hardware I’m buying. I have video after video saved.
I appreciate you reminding me that i was looking at my serpentine belt not my timing belt lmao.
Nothing severely bugs me, I’m just very concerned about the health of my truck. This truck is very special to me, and I’m trying to keep it around as long as possible

 

Don’t over torque your valve cover bolts if you crack your covers you’re going to be pissed.

It literally is incredible easy to replace the valve cover gaskets and spark plug tube seals. Yeah they were replaced not too long ago, but probably with non OEM seals. That will also solve your oil pan leaking issues, as it is most likely coming from valve covers.

Other than that it looks like a very clean frame, low to no rust.

 

Appreciate the advice! Yes i would be furious. They’re torqued at just under 53in-lbs.
i might as well replace the spark plugs while im in there because they’re probably beat to hell as well

 

if your coilpacks havent been replaced. Be prepared to throw down like $6-800 for new coil packs while you change plugs.

 

Yeah, and don't buy those bastards on scamazon or fleabay unless you want to pay 10-20% less for total knockoffs.

 

Yea, if youre in a bind like me. Autozone coil packs are half the price and are doing the job. For the time being. I do NOT plan on these being in the truck for more than a year. OEM denso lasted 255k (before i took them out and destroyed the boots lol)

 

I'll definitely add those to the list, thank you

HAHA trust me i dont trust those anyways. I only buy OEM parts from the dealership (even though it's expensive)

 

I had to buy a CV axle seal for a Camry I'm fixing up...Ourisman wanted ~ $14, but the shipping cost and time were prohibitive. The MSRP was ~ $21. The local dealer charged me $35!!!!!

 

Yeah I don’t get that, same thing with me and a rear axle o ring seal

 

I would suggest you make a bullet list of things you need/want to do. Once you have all the work items paper, put them in a priority order. This will keep you on the right track to get the important items one first. As each item is done, cross it off the list. It gives good encouragement that the list is getting shorter. I do this with all the trucks I have rebuilt. It works well for me.

Good Luck
Paul

 

I have a 9 page paper with Bullet points. I’ll share it tomorrow lol

 

Rock Auto sells Denso coils for like $50. They also sell the boot kits if yours break.

 

Someone needs to sell the damn plastic tubes. If they didn't crack I bet they'd last 3oyrs or more.

 

Alright everyone! I've been putting a lot of money and time fixing some of these issues

• Got new keys made, final total under $75

• Fixed Serpentine belt squeak, but definitely needs to be replaced with pulleys and tensioner

• Checked timing belt and no cracks

• Valve cover gaskets still seeping oil

• Still cant determine where Power Steering is Leaking (Possibly multiple places at hoses and lines)

• Steering Rack Boot Torn worse than i thought

• Just bought new Lower Ball Joints, bolts, nuts, and pins (They were original 235k miles)

• Also just bought extended sway bar links since those were popping

• Exhaust Leaks are reallly bad. I think I'm going to order Dirty Deeds Long Tube Headers and modify them to fit my cats

• Transmission still seeping fluid, will service soon (I think it's the Transmission Oil Pan Gasket)

• Tightened door bolts and the creak in the front driver door has gotten worse. rear driver door still wont stay open

• Will be replacing my shock bushings since they're shot

• Another question: When i lift the rear 2", should I do anything to correct drive angles? (ATS HD Leaf pack)

• Another question: Does anyone who has done the BBK converted the rear drums to disc? Any issues with parking brake or anything?

Edit: I have added a lot of other things to my to do list, other than the ones listed above

 

Is the level in your power steering reservoir actually going down? Or you just see slick on hoses around it?

 

Pull the entire shock/coil assembly and bring it to a shop (i.e. truck frame/suspension shop) and get the old pressed out and the new one pressed into it. Mine cost me about $20/side but that was 10 years back. Otherwise buy a $250 harbor freight 20-ton press and do it yourself.

 

The level doesn't drop at all, it's just slick all down the hoses and is pretty bad in some places. There's no drips or puddles but it's visibly building up in multiple spots.

 

I bit the bullet and bought a press. lol I am officially out of money

 

I have the same issue with the power steering reservoir on my truck. I determined it was worn power steering hoses. I bought some generic transmission line and replaced the oem section of rubber line at the reservoir nipples to solve that issue.

 

Appreciate it! I'll look into it

 

Keys; Dealership will have to reset the security ecu inside the truck and then program a new key to the truck if it's immobilized. Depending on labor rates, a locksmith may be cheaper. The key itself will probably be about $45 for OE.
TB; get a fresh water pump (OE 16100-09201), timing belt set (13568-09070), and timing belt tensioner (13540-50030). Adding in the idlers is optional. Use Genuine Toyota Super Long Life coolant (00272-SLLC2).
Oil leaks; Reseal the oil pan with Form In Place Gasket (

$21 00295-00103 Formed-in-Place Oil Pan Gasket - 3 oz. Tube

00295-00103), Looks like you have some sort of leak at the rear of the engine block, possibly a rear main seal.
Steering rack boot; Likely got trash inside the boot since it's ripped and damaged the wiper seal that holds the fluid. Unfortunately replacement of the steering rack is usually the best route for most people.
Loose steering; Worn out steering rack, outer tie rod ends, steering rack bushings, lower control arm bushings. Alignment can also have a large impact on steering feel. Lots of positive caster can cause touchy/wandering steering.
Alignment (hardware?); Yes. ALWAYS oem for alignment hardware.
LBJ; always a safe bet to replace unknown joints with fresh oems and vin correct hardware torqued to the correct spec for your truck.
Door Issues; creaking is from worn bushings in hinges. be sure to replace hinges in pairs or you'll toast a hinge in short order. You'll need a rear driver door check (expensive!).

 

My power steering started leaking at 200k. Leaks were plastic reservoir and rubber return hose. The short molded rubber hose can only be bought as an assembly with the power steering hard lines about $500 from Toyota. I ended up buying and aftermarket hose set from Rock Auto for 70 bucks and only using the short rubber section.

 

Hey everyone! sorry for being quiet the past couple of months. I now have an updated list for my truck.

Transmission:
Still seeping fluid. I know the transmission oil pan gasket is a culprit but now I'm wondering if there are other issues. Am I overthinking what needs to be done? Are those lines leaking?

• Bolt With Washer - 90080-11496 (20) Replacement bolts for the pan
  
• Bolt With Washer - 90080-11387 (4) Replacement bolts for the mount
  
• Engine Mounting Insulator Rear - 12371-0F080 (1) Replacement mount since mine is broken
  
• Straight Screw Plug With Head - 90341-10021 (1) Replacement drain plug
  
• Transmission Drain Plug Gasket -
  $8 35178-30010 luxlead 20 PCS Transmission Drain Plug Gaskets Oil Crush Washer Seal Rings Compatible with Toyota Lexus 4Runner Sequoia Tacoma Tundra Lexus GS450H, IS250/350, LS430, LS460, Replaces 35178-30010
  35178-30010 (1) Replacement drain plug gasket
  
• Transmission Oil Pan Gasket - 35168-60010 (1) Replacement transmission pan gasket
  
• World Standard Automatic Transmission Fluid -
  $85 00289-ATFWS Automatic Transmission Fluid, 192 Ounces, 6 Pack
  00289-ATFWS (8) I'm guessing my fluid is low anyway so I should probably replace it

Engine:
Valve Cover Gaskets seeping fluid, Rear Main Seal leaking, I don't think my cam seals are leaking, Oil pan gasket seeping fluid. First owner had the lower engine replaced at 75k miles when the oil pan blew up, VCG were replaced at 120K miles. Truck is now at 240k miles.

• Bolt - 90080-10330 (18) VCG Bolts
  
• Cylinder Head Cover Gasket Left Hand - 11214-0F010 (1) VCG
  
• Cylinder Head Cover Gasket Right Hand - 11213-0F010 (1) VCG
  
• $10 DENSO 1502010 Denso Engine Oil Filter - 150-2010
  DENSO 1502010 (1) Oil Filter
  
• $60 DENSO 6731303 Denso Direct Ignition Coil - 673-1303 (Fits Select Years of Toyota: 4Runner/Land Cruiser/Sequoia/Tundra and Lexus: GS430/GX470/LS430/LX470/SC430 Vehicles)
  DENSO 6731303 (8) Coil Packs
• Mobil 1 High Mileage Full Synthetic Motor Oil 5W-30, 6-Pack of 1 quarts. Oil
  
• NGK 94279 (8) Spark Plugs
  
• Oil Filter Gasket -
  $12 90430-12031 Genuine Toyota - Oil Drain Plug Gaskets (QTY10)
  90430-12031 (1) Drain plug gasket
  
• Spark Plug Tube Gasket - 11193-50010 (8) Spark Plug Gaskets
  
• Straight Screw Plug With Head - 90341-12023 (1) Drain Plug
  
• Type T Oil Seal - 90311-A0002 (1) Oil Pan Sealant

Steering:
PS Return hose disintegrating, rack boot torn, accidentally whacked TRE with hammer when replacing LBJ, Alignment needed.
I'm not going to list part numbers and everything since I'll be replacing the following together

• ATS HD Leaf Springs
• Toytec Front Coilovers and Rear SHocks
• Perry Parts Bump Stops
• Hardware (clips, nuts, bolts, pins, etc)
• Energy Suspension Rack Bushings and 333 Fab Clamp
• OEM Cam parts
• JBA UCA
• OEM PS Hoses
• Detroit Axle new Rack (yes ik its not OEM but I need something I can afford)
• LSPV Relocation
• OEM LCA
• OEM TRE
• U-Bolt Flip
• WS ATF
• Alignment

Belts and Stuff:
Serpentine belt is in bad health, squeaks after it rains. Timing belt looks great but I don't know the age on it. Might as well replace all of it.

• Coolant - Super Long Life (3)
  
• DAYCO 85016 (1) Timing belt tensioner
  
• DAYCO 89154 (1) Serpentine belt pulley
  
• DAYCO 89255 (1) Serpentine Belt tensioner
  
• DAYCO DP1319 (1) Water Pump
  
• $45 GATES K060908HD FleetRunner Micro-V Serpentine Drive Belt
  GATES K060908HD (1) Serpentine Belt
  
• GATES T298 (1) Timing Belt
  
• NSK 62TB0630B07 (1) Bearing
  
• Timing Belt Idler Sub-Assembly #2 - 13503-0F010 (1) Timing Belt Idler

And thats all of the major maintenance stuff. Any input?