2000 Limited TRD refresh/repair story

Portable. This one from the harbor but other hardware stores have them in various sizes.

 

This is also what I use for MTB parts, my solder station stuff, misc RF adapters, etc. I used to use them for bait and tackle too, but I've since overhauled how I manage my tackle boxes.

 

This is what I’m leaning towards. I’m thinking of getting three or four of those that can fit in a milk crate. One for heat shrink, two for terminals and crimp connectors, another for solder terminals.

I’d 3D print an organizer that would fit in the crate and hold pliers/crimpers/strippers/etc. Spot for a multimeter and a test light too.

 

@FiatRunner finally had a sec to look it up. This is what I purchase last for MTB parts. They worked well, and there's quite a few ways to finagle the barriers inside. It may be possible to cut out the internals to makeshift together larger openings.

 

Undercoating day!

I used three cans of surface shield this year. (4th can was for my Lexus) I think I used 4 or 5 last year. I also used one of these spray can handle things. Absolute game changer. Surface Shield is super messy and this made it 10 times nicer.


I only got the axle housing, inside of the rear fenders and bumper, front suspension, and frame. Really starting to build up a thick layer of oil/grease underneath. There isn’t a good car wash close to my college so I’m hoping that extra protection underneath will do the job that washing would.



Love undercoating the truck. Makes it look so much nicer than it really is.

 

https://bouldertoolbelts.com/products/boulder-bag-ultimate-tool-back-pack

 

I use these two Stanley models, on sale now at HD $7.88, $9.87 ea
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley...ent-Small-Parts-Organizer-STST14022/301461651
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley...all-Parts-Light-Organizer-STST14021/205056097

 

Hahahaha hose clamp on my brake line mounts too What is it with those mounts...

 

The Spotify Car Thing that I’ve used in the truck for years was discontinued yesterday.


If you weren’t aware of what the Car Thing (that’s actually what it’s called) is, it’s just a little screen that stays in your car and allows you to control your music. It looked nice, had buttons that were easy to press, presets for albums or playlists, and my favorite feature: voice control. You could tell it to play an album, artist, song, or you could even say “play that one song by” and it would do it. It worked beautifully. I don’t think I’ve ever used a piece of electronic tech that was as easy or straightforward to use. But here’s the thing: Spotify straight-up stopped them all for working, for no good reason. Probably just to save money. I can’t get a refund because I got mine at a discounted price. So stupid. I’m going to miss having it.

I especially liked it because it keeps me off my phone while I’m driving. The seek/track buttons on the radio will skip songs, so I’m going to hold off getting a nice phone mount for a while. But it’s not the same.

The dash does look nice and clean without it though.

 

Bummer dude...

 

I watched a video the other day about hacking it so you could still use it. This isn't the kind of stuff I do so I couldn't tell you any of the specifics of it but the video was interesting. I didn't even know the "car thing" existed until I saw this video.
LINK

I ditched my factory radio within a week of having my truck and upgraded again to have a radio with Android auto, I know people like having the stock look but man android auto/apple carplay is just so well setup for driving that I just can't see how anyone could be against it.

 

Yeah, a couple people have made them do other things. They're essentially a tiny computer, but they're not powerful enough to really do much besides display something like music. I might see if I can get it to work on my desk, just to display music. We'll see.

And you're right, android auto/carplay is awesome. Really really awesome. But for how much a nice head unit costs, I could fix a lot of stuff on the truck. I think part of the reason I'm so hesitant to get a touchscreen radio is just because it would change the way the truck was during my childhood when I'd ride around in it. Oddly sentimental to the stock radio.

 

Had my Falken Rubitreks for about 4,000 miles already. Here’s the full review:

To preface, the only comparison I have is the Yokohama Geolandar GO15s that were on the truck when I bought it. For most of my ownership, they were worn out and cupped. Dry traction was ok, wet traction was bad, snow was abysmal. However, they were super quiet and rode very nicely.

The Rubitreks are a whole different ball game. I went up in size to a 265/75, but I wasn’t too worried about changes in acceleration/braking/MPG since they’re only 4lbs heavier than the Yokohamas each. They’re a bit louder- I’ve found they’re about 3-4db louder than the old tires. (66-68db vs. 70-71db at 60mph)

The dry traction is great. Super predictable handling, and they ride just as good as the street-oriented Yokohamas.

Wet traction is great. Much better than expected, even with no weight in the bed. Even with the worn out brakes, it was pretty easy to lock up the old worn out front tires in the rain, especially when cold. Maybe 50% braking power would get them to skid. The Rubitreks require at least 75-80% braking power to lock them up in similar conditions. I haven’t been able to lock up the tires in dry conditions.

Snow traction is outstanding. I used to load the back of the truck with wood, metal, cinder blocks, whatever I could find to get some weight on the rear tires. And it would still struggle to get going at stop signs. The new tires are so much better that I’ve been driving around in 2WD and unloaded without much issue. Of course, the right rear will spin a bit when accelerating out of a right turn, but that’s almost expected. I haven’t had a chance to try them out in snow much deeper than 3 or 4 inches, but I’m sure I won’t be disappointed when I do. On both the slushy/wet snow and the hard packed stuff, they’ve been great. They’re a little bit louder in the cold too, but once you drive for a few miles they usually quite down.

And my favorite part about these tires: how much feedback they provide. The old Yokohamas would provide little to no feedback when they were approaching the limit of grip. No shuddering, no squealing, just boom! you’re sliding into incoming lanes. It lead to a couple of really scary situations. The new Falkens are quite the opposite- they squeal like normal tires do, and I’ve found it really easy to feel when they’re starting to slip a bit, and correct accordingly.

So yeah, they’re awesome. Would totally recommend to anyone with a FGT. Plus they look badass.


More stuff coming. Bunch of maintenance items to do before I go back to school.

 

Woke up the ol Fiat from it’s slumber to get the tundra in the garage.


Did an oil change after only 5k. About 40% was highway driving, the rest was around town. The oil wasn’t super dark but there was plenty of froth in the oil cap.



Also upgraded my oil drain pan to a concrete mixing tub. $7 at Home Depot and the corners are plenty sharp to drain into a funnel. Super thick plastic too.


Serpentine belt started squeaking, ended up being the idler pulley on top. Went to RockAuto- and there was this one on closeout for $5. Decided to give it a try. It’s not an OEM of course, but it’s from a name brand and was made in Germany. Pretty sure it’ll make it until the summertime when I can afford a new NSK bearing.


I noticed when removing the skidplate that the bolts were pretty hard to turn. I made a makeshift tap to clean out the threads by cutting a slot in an old water pump bolt.


It worked great, a ton of gunk and rust came out. This is just one bolt hole:


I then used the same bolt to replace one that was stripped.


While the skidplate was off I sprayed more surface shield on all the stuff under there.


Also hit 219k.

 

Cleaned the interior really good today. It really cleans up well considering it’s age. (Minus the drivers seat bolster)


I use a leather conditioner/cleaner two or three times a year. The stuff I use is made by Griots Garage and it really works well. The seats really soak it up, and I can tell that the leather is in nicer shape than when I got the truck. It makes the interior smell super nice too, but not overpowering like a cheap air freshener.

I think that these interiors have aged really well too. Hard to believe that it’s a quarter century old.


We’ve been getting a ton of light snow recently that creates a layer of ice on everything. I’ve found that the mini projectors don’t produce enough heat to melt the ice on the headlights.


It doesn’t seem to have much effect on the light output or pattern though.

My winter break is over- so I’m not sure when the next update will be. Maybe my spring break? We’ll see.

 

Sweet

 

Thanks! They still work really well.

I sometimes turn them on when reversing to provide some additional light, but they automatically turn off at 5mph. I’m looking into a way to disable that feature so I can turn them on whenever I want.

 

When you figure it out, holler at your boi! I cannot turn on my cargo lights anytime I want right now because my speedometer is out

A speedo kill switch May work as a workaround?

 

Interesting. So you can’t turn on your cargo lights at all, because your speedo is out?

Makes me wonder if they will only turn on if the ECU sees a certain value from the speed sensor, not just “circuit open when speed above 5”

 

No, I can turn them on at ANY time as long as the speedo is not on

 

Just re-read my post. Auto-correct is a bitch

 

@Tundra2 I looked into the cargo lamp wiring some more. It seems to me like I could clip the wire circled in blue, and I would retain speedometer function.

If I'm interpreting this correctly, the power for the cargo lamp is controlled via the "integration relay". However, the integration relay provides power to the ECU, the 4WD, all sorts of stuff, and there seems to be only one speed sensor wire going to it. I'd be worried that clipping that one wire would cause issues with other things that might have their power turned on/off via that speed sensor wire. Have you noticed any other things not functioning properly because of the speedo being out?

 

Everything is normal as far as I can tell. Yiu could always splice that wire back together

 

Cool. Now I just need to find this wire.

 

Let me know how it goes, and location of the wire

 

That J7 connector shown in your highlighted picture is in area behind Combination meter and then behind fuse panel to Integration panel. Good luck with that IP area, tight quarters.

pic below is on iphone and may be hard to see J7 circled.

 

I was a bit worried about that. I’ll have to remove the cluster and see what’s behind there.

 

If memory serves, there's a crossbar in there for dash support and some HVAC tubes that will be in the way

 

Why can't I cut the wire at the integration relay? Just thinking out loud here.

From what I can tell, the connector 1L is on the front of the integration relay. Which means I should be able to pull the kickpanel, and it should be right there. Am I reading this right?

 

I don't know, but make sure to leave enough for repairs if you have issues