2002 Toyota Sequoia Owner New to the Forum

Good Evening Everyone from beautiful SoCal!

New in the forum (just joined today). I've had my truck for a couple of years and I'm looking for some advise.


1. I need to do the timing belt maintenance. Thought about getting the kit at Auto Zone but someone recommended me to get the Continental brand kit (which is 30 bucks more expensive).


2. I've had alot of issues with the shaft sub-assembly controller (Steering Column Shift Mechanism). I have changed that same part 2 times in the last year. I called the local toyota dealership and they mentioned that the part has been discontinued by them. I have tried for the OEM part but no luck. Has anyone had an issue like this and if so, where can I find this OEM part.


Any guidance y'all can give me will be much appreciated.


--Luis

 

Read this, it applies to you, ignore the "Tundra" part: https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-you-wanna-buy-just-bought-a-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/

Most of the info you're going to need is (A) in the first two replies of that community-created thread, or (B) in the list of "sticky" threads at the top of the 1st gen forum.

1. Aftermarket part quality has gone down the shitter in the last decade or so. Buy parts from whoever the OEM vendor is, the OEM that Toyota used. In the timing belt case, Aisin is the OEM. This is the kit you need. DO NOT BUY THIS PART ON AMAZON OR EBAY OR WALMART, there's risk of getting counterfeits, and it doesn't matter if it's "fulfilled by Amazon", for example, Amazon doesn't monitor closely enough what arrives at their warehouse (they DGAF). RockAuto may have it cheaper, they're another solid vendor, I just prefer Summit's customer service and the two are usually within 5%-10% of scAmazon, and half as much as your local parts stores. All the info you could possibly need, including helpful videos, tips and tricks, is in THIS STICKY THREAD. If you haven't changed your radiator in the last 150k miles, Denso brand, now is the time to do it, knowing you can destroy your transmission if the pass-thru fitting at the bottom of the radiator breaches, as it is known to do. Now is also a good time to check your fan clutch bracket's bearing, and tensioner pulley.

2. Need more info. I don't always trust the stealership to give me accurate info. Here's how to look up your own parts. The part you're talking about will probably be under Body & Interior, once inside that category, search the page for the word "steer".

 

@shifty` I appreciate your advice! I just hopped on the Summit website and ordered the timing belt and water pump kit.

Unfortunately the Toyota parts website does not have in stock the part number (OEM PART NUMBER 33055-0C020 LEVER SUB-ASSY, COLUMN SHIFT) I may need to look for that part at a local junk yard.

 

The part you just reference, I believe, is only the actual shift lever, with OD button, and its wires. Which is an important piece, because the wire sheath will (in time) start to rub through and you'll get random Overdrive functionality.

There are also issues with the 1st gens, where the shift bushing will rot out, making it impossible/sloppy to shift. And the shift lever mechanical portion, the bracket itself, will shear off, making it impossible to shift.

All of that is in the thread I linked:

• Sloppy shift lever OR truck doesn't shift into gear but the lever moves: Here's your thread but you may also want to see this commentary.
• Broken shift lever: This was stupidly common in the earlier trucks, to the point there surely must be a TSB on it. If your shift lever is super sloppy but it's not the problem above, your shift lever base plate may've snapped off. Info on this problem and part numbers to fix info are linked here. Some 2000-2001 owners here are on their 2nd repair at this point... seems like a design flaw!

We've put a lot of effort to make that one thread as informative as possible. Essentially wanted it so anyone could go into that thread, hit the first page, download all literature/manuals/etc. at the very top of the 1st post, and search the 1st page for keywords like "shift" or "shift lever" and find what you need. But beyond that, it's worth taking ~10 minutes to read. Even if you just skim over it to understand what's there, it may save you from banging the Search feature later, or getting heckled for asking a question that's been asked 100x before.

 

Welcome from NY.

 

Welcome from Texas!

My alma mater is NC State, but I won't hold that against you .

The old radio station DJ used to say, "The sky outside is a Carolina Blue, kind of makes you think that God's a Tar Heel fan too"

 

OP - AISIN or OEM for mechanicals and Denso for electrics. MAF sensor is Hitachi. @shifty` is the FGT (and Sequoia oracle.

Mamba - I’m a huge fan of land grand engineering colleges and my daughters roommate switched to NC State but always a Tiger fan.

 

I went ahead and read the thread, I have bought 2 Dorman parts and both have lasted no more than a few months. Don't drive the truck much so I dont know how it breaks all the time and its a hassle shifting gears from the bottom part of the steering column. I might have to start calling Toyota dealerships in SoCal and other nearby states to see who has the part and see if they ship it. Like you said, it seems to be a design flaw. Thank you for your help and guidance sir.

 

@The Black Mamba

Thanks for the welcome!

I'm sure God is a Tar Heel fan, but seems like yesterday he forgot about us vs Old Miss

@bfunke

Thanks for the pointers. Yeah, @shifty` has been of great help and guidance.

 

Welcome from LA (Lower Alabama)!

I'm an SEC fan, except for Ole Miss. I was pulling for y'all!

 

Are you breaking the aluminum shifter assembly? That's a somewhat common thing but is it really hard to shift or is it getting a lot of pressure put on it or what's going on?

 

This is what I was wondering after reading the last couple of replies. The "horn" of that shifter assembly seems to be the weak point, but in talking to the head wrench at LexTechs north of town, he mentioned agressively throwing the vehicle into park is probably the #1 reason that part breaks in that specific spot. Without seeing what is breaking, it's tough to say.

 

Appreciate all the feedback from everyone. Did find the last shift lever housing out of the west coast from dealership in Sacramento. Hopefully this one lasts longer.

Now I have a question for y'all!

I need to change the rear lower and upper control arms. I searched to see if there were any posts regarding where any one has changed those out and what brand y'all suggest?

 

OEM. And we have instructions here on the forum on (A) how to run up your part numbers, and (B) get them at a sizeable discount. In fact, with Memorial Day around the corner, there's a solid chance Toyota will have a 20-25% off sale on parts. If not, and you can hold until late June/early July, they will for sure have one around Independence Day.

The problem with aftermarket suspension parts is not only inferior steel and piss-poor welds combined with questionable quality control, but they use "chubber" (chinese rubber) which tends to crack up and fall apart within a couple of years. Buying OEM directly from Toyota (skipping counterfeit-prone platforms which cannot/won't validate their supply chain, like fleaBay, scAmazon, WallyMart, etc.) you can expect another 15-20 years of services out of the replacement part. Toyota is really strict on their part quality/standards/validation.

 

@shifty`

As always, thank you! I will call the local Toyota dealership to see if the have a promo sale because of the holiday. I tried to look for the post you mentioned, but couldn't find it. By any chance, would you have the link?


Appreciate all the help.

 

You're likely going to get fucked if you use the local dealership. Any time you call them directly or walk up to the counter, they charge you full MSRP on pricing.

If your local dealership participates in the Toyota Parts Program, you can order online through Toyota's website, often for a substantial discount. Sometimes 20-50% cheaper than what they'll quote you over the phone or at the counter. And the stupid part is, you can pick it up at the exact same counter for that far-lower price.

Never interact directly with your dealership's parts department unless it's an emergency.