'05 Tundra - 210k miles - Smart buy? (newbie looking for help)

I would replace both at the same time, just so everything is the same.

Make sure you check the child lock on that rear door before you start pulling it apart!!!!!!!

 

Terrible question here, and I'm sorry for my dumb ignorance... but how do I turn that off? The right side door still opens. Google wasn't much help, especially on the older model.

 

Haha sounds good! Looking forward to learning and doing it myself.

Shocks - they (or one, can't remember) need to be rebuilt. My shop (that I really trust) is quoting one (I think just one...) at $300 - $500. Seems like a lot. They're Kings

 

Congrats on the new purchase, I purchased a 01 with 230K on it and have not had any issues with it and its drives like a champ. Other than your normal suspension wear and tear, which is about to be upgraged. Figured for $2,900 it was a deal.

 

Open the door and look right below the slot where the latch mechanism is, up is unlocked.

 

1st Gen Tundra is something that you will get and never regret it. I flew all the way to San Jose,CA to get my 2006 DC with 36K miles. I drove it back to Temecula, CA and the truck performs great. No rust underneath so last summer I spray coat it with black Rustoleum to preserve the underneath and installed a Hellwig swaybar to prevent the swaying when turning. It works well. Buy the truck and listen to all the advice you get in these forum. Oh by the way guys, What do you think of White Knuckle sliders to protect the truck? I was thinking of putting the 188 DOM will the extra weight affects the gas mileage? Kindly advice. Thank you.

 

This was so simple haha thank you for the help!

Any idea what a good cost for shock rebuilding is? Thanks and hope everyone is doing well out there!

 

Depends.....the more biased your driving is toward city, the more you will notice a loss in MPG....

 

I bought a 06 double cab in December with 108k miles on it. XSP package with leather interior, 20 inch Enkei wheels etc. The previous owner was a sales manager where I worked for many years. Had great maintenance records and everything was done except timing belt / water pump. I had a paint and body shop touch up repaint and match some areas for cosmetic purposes. Had the water pump, timing belt done by a very experienced shop with those. All the add on stuff like idlers, tensioners, thermostat was done along with a new radiator, hoses etc. There was a crazy wobble in the front end that would show up very intermittently and would only go away if I came to a complete stop and then started driving again. Turns out one of the front calipers was frozen locked up so I had new rotors, pads, calipers, brake hoses, rear shoes with hardware, turning the rear drums and flush the entire brake fluid done and now it drives like a new one. I had a Viper alarm system installed that gives me two remotes that lock and unlocks all four doors. I am sure I will wind up with a bit more money in this Tundra in the long run than any NADA /KBB site says it is worth but I dont care. I paid cash for the truck, paid cash for the repairs and it will be used on road only so the 2WD is fine for what I need. I am old and do not want payments on a new Tundra that is pushing 50 Grand out the door in this area. You did good by buying the 05 so do what you need to make it safe and reliable and enjoy no payments for years to come. These 1st Gen Tundras are really good trucks.

 

Low coolant sounds like cracked radiator to me. Mine was plastic and had a couple of areas that would leak when hot and pressurized. May not be as simple as it sounds.
Leaky shocks should be replaced. Don't have to go back with the Kings, although I hear they are great. Can swap in something else if $$ is a factor and your not doing the hardcore offroad thing.
Ball joints are a must. Upper and lower and go with factory on these. Very expensive compared to cheapy parts available. From experience, the cheapy parts are horrible and fail quickly. Not the most enjoyable job to repeat every 15k miles.
Leaky valve covers are an easy-ish fix. Sometimes just re-torquing all the bolts helps. Sometimes you replace them. Do the spark plug tube seals while your in there. Kits are available.
Torn bushing in LCA sounds like the lift on the front of the truck has the bushing twisted out of its normal resting point. Eventually wears out form the additional stress. Could potentially purchase new LCA with bushing and ball joint combo. Two birds one stone.
Fluid changes are something I like to keep up on. As previously mentioned they can get dirty, absorb water over time etc and lead to poor performance and shorter life of the parts they lubricate. Amazing what a brake fluid flush will do after 200k miles for braking performance.
These trucks are in pretty high demand. I would pay $9k for that one all day if the frame isn't rusted out. I'd do all the maintenance items myself though and wouldn't cost me much money. Lot of life left and these are fantastic trucks.
Be aware, Fuel mileage on these is terrible. 12-16mpg with normal use.

 

Makes me feel good about my purchase - thank you!

 

- Leaky shocks - replaced or rebuilt?
- Ball joints - will get on that soon. Doesn't seem like a big rush since I'm not driving anywhere these days. Sounds like I can do them myself? I'm decently handy.
- Leaky valve covers - awesome. Will get on this sometime soon.
- Torn bushings in LCA - not sure I understand this one... I thought when I changed out the ball joints I would change the control arm or is that the same as the bushings? And what does LCA stand for? Sorry if that's a simple Google search
- Fluid changes - I could definitely see this being a must since the truck's brakes aren't all that automatic. Maybe I'm just not used to a bigger truck needing more time to stop. Sounds like the brake pads up front are worn down, but I don't hear any squeals sounding out when I brake?

Thank you for all of the help! I'm pumped on the truck and it's so clean.

Also, what would you make your priority list here?

 

Backup camera can be installed for about $400-$500; Back in 2016 when my neighbor helped install one in my Tacoma, it was like $400 for everything (head unit, cable, backup camera, license plate mount)...

 

On the LCA thing - Lower Control Arm. Its the bottom arm of the suspension that the lower ball joint and lower shock mount are attached to. Where the arm connects to the frame of the truck is the LCA bushing. when replacing any bushing in the suspension, do not torque the bolts down when reinstalling the bushings until you have the vehicle in its normal weight bearing position. Such as on the ground with the tires on, or with a jack underneath and the suspension bearing its weight on the jack. Tightening them down with the suspension drooped will have the bushing squeezed in the drooped position. When you then put the vehicle back on the ground, the bushing will twist slightly with the control arm as it settles into the weight bearing position. Riding around with this twisted tension on the bushing will wear it out prematurely.
Also, I added a backup camera to my truck with a new Pioneer touchscreen unit a couple of years ago. All Amazon purchases, $300 all in with the parking brake bypass (allows videos to play and inputs to be made while the vehicle is in motion) and a USB / Aux plug to replace one of my 12v plugs. Great investment to bring an old truck up to date. I recommend getting the largest screen that will fit (probably 7") and get the Android or Carplay compatible. They now have a wireless dongle for the Carplay you can add so you don't have to plug in every time. Stick with a solid name brand head unit. The cheaper ones tend to have slow interfaces and can be glitchy.

 

All great advice so far. I appreciate it. What I'm having trouble with deciding is what to fix between the ball joints, control arms, tie-rods, and bushings. I feel like I can replace what is needed here myself. But I'm a bit out of my league on knowing what actually needs replacement.
Seems like there are 4 things going on just around the wheel:

1) ball joints - how many are there on each side (2 - upper and lower?) and do they all need replacement? According to the service report, can I just replace the ball joints and call it a day for a while? At some point, I have to stop spending money lol
2) control arms - two arms per side (lower and upper), is it necessary to replace them too?
3) tie-rods - inner and outer, are these necessary to get or no?
4) bushings - where do these come into play or are they already a part of the bushings/control arm? haha again, total new guy here

Thanks for all the help everyone, I'd be lost without it

 

Tie-rods are easy to test...

https://youtu.be/brI2feYiEi8

 

Perfect. I will check that.

As for ball joints and bushings - the report posted here on page 1 says that "driver lower ball joints have play" and that "lower control arm bushings torn". Does that mean that I only need to replace the left lower ball joint and front bushings for both sides? According to this site that says they sell OEM parts, the parts (part #'s 12 and 13) should cost a total of $280. Does that sound right - does that sound like all that needs immediate attention?

 

You need to replace both LBJs...get this kit.

https://parts.toyotaofcoolsprings.com/oem-parts/toyota-joint-kit-lower-ball-0400662134

Now, here is where you make a decision. The LCA bushings, just for one side are $150...so that is $300 for both. New lower control arms are about $245 x 2. Replacing a LCA which comes with the bushings is fairly easy...replacing the bushings in a LCA is a PITA unless you have the right tools (i.e. press) and then it's still harder then bolting on new LCAs. So, if you are not doing the work, you need to find out what the shop will charge you and decide which is more cost effective/easier.

LCA Bushings #s 12 and 13 for each side = $300

https://parts.toyotaofcoolsprings.c...ed--4-7l-v8-gas/suspension--shocks-and-struts

Left $245

https://parts.toyotaofcoolsprings.c...yYSZ5PTIwMDUmdD1saW1pdGVkJmU9NC03bC12OC1nYXM=

Right $245

https://parts.toyotaofcoolsprings.c...yYSZ5PTIwMDUmdD1saW1pdGVkJmU9NC03bC12OC1nYXM=

Cool Springs Toyota has free shipping this month which will make them the cheapest you will find....plus you can reach out to @Roman and he can confirm you are ordering the right parts.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/cool-springs-ships-free.64278/

 

Awesome, this is exactly the kind of walk-through I need. Thank you.

Okay, so I need new LBJs both sides. Just order from that link and I will have everything I need. Got it.

Then I have two options:

Option 1) replace just the LCA bushings for $300 total. It will be a pita and I will need a special tool (ie. press)

Option 2) replace the Lower Control Arms on both sides which already include bushings for $500 total. Will not need a special tool.

It sounds like for $200 extra, it's best to go ahead and replace the LCAs because it's easier, has bushing already attached, does not require a special tool, and it won't be an issue in the near future. Does that sound right?

 

I would concur on that assessment...

 

Great! That makes things so much clearer, been trying to wrap my mind around what needs what down there. I will bite the bullet and spend the $700 needed to fix it all.

As for the LBJs, those are fairly easy to replace, yeah?

 

I have not replaced them personally on this truck...but people swear it's not hard and there are plenty of videos showing it on Youtube.

 

Lower ball joints are relatively easy. They just bolt on. Have to separate the LBJ from the spindle. A pickle fork tool or just whacking the collar with a hammer and some penetrating oil. Then just unbolt the old one and bolt up the new one. Uppers require a ball joint press tool.

 

Okay, good deal. Sounds like a mallet would do the trick. Don't think I need uppers,,, hopefully.

 

Anyone have an opinion on head units? These two caught my eye.

Sony XAV-AX1000

Pioneer DMH-1500NEX

Will be pairing with backup camera.

 

Kenwood DMX906S, I have it in my Tundra and Tahoe. Great double-din unit.

 

Looks nice! Little out of my price range though

 

Anyone ever use this tailgate handle back up camera? Seems like the cleanest way to go, but I'm open to other's opinions.
https://tailgatecamera.com/products...te-handle-backup-camera?variant=8086777888812

 

Personal perference: but to me, no volume knob on the Pioneer is a deal breaker. I'm constantly adjusting the volume due to speed, road noise, varying tracks of music, varying stations, phone call coming in, etc. To be pushing up-up-up-up-up, or down-down-down-down-down is maddening!

 

It's not the cleanest way to go and you can replicate it with 10 minutes work and less than $60 with a brand new handle and a good camera (or your current handle for $40). There is a cleaner option, but too rich for me...let me see if I can find it....found it....this one is $144 with "10OFF" coupon till 4/15



https://www.mastertailgaters.com/pr...zVzd162yooTuobJIIFyliToz8O37ctGMaAsVdEALw_wcB