First steps for my new-to-me 05 Tundra

Hey all, longer time reader first time poster. I hope to be more active on the forum after I get some of this out of the way. I just bought a 4WD DC '05 SR5 with 98k miles. Came with a bed topper and the factory tow package. I want to do right by this truck maintenance wise, so I started with the lower ball joints (OEM of course).

With that in mind, I am looking at getting a driveshaft center bearing, outer tie rods, upper ball joints, valve cover gaskets and U joints. Other than that, inspection didn't raise any red flags which is great news to me! I was told I may need to replace the exhaust system eventually due to it leaking in a couple spots and just being a rusty eye sore so open to any recommendations on that. Also, I figure while I'm rebuilding everything in the wheel well I may as well replace the bushings so any recommendations for that would also be appreciated.

Anyways, for those above parts, my plan was to stick with OEM unless any of the Tundra vets on the forum say otherwise. Open to any and all recommendations!

Other plans include a Bilstein 6112/5100 lift, an LX460 Brake upgrade, dropping the OEM running boards, new headlights, updating the sound system, rhino coating?, armor, and building a sleeping platform.

Also, does anyone have any preventative rust methods? Was just thinking of wire brushing off the surface rust and coating everything. Even sandblasting and coating if I can play my cards right and its worth it.

Sorry for the long message, just want to give as much info as I can. Thanks in advance!

 

Welcome from TX. Now let’s see the DC and we can get started…

 

Thanks! It's the one in my profile picture! Unless its customary to drop it in the thread, which in that case it's right here.

 

Welcome to the forum. She's a beaut.

 

Before you get to dickering with it, measure center of wheel to the wheel well (all corners).

Set the trip odometer between fillups & do the math.

do a 0-60 timed run.
Exercise the 4x4.
etc.

have a baseline to compare changes to.

also, inspect and adjust the brakes, checking '05 trans fluid is out of my wheelhouse, but at least inspect all the fluids & replace as needed.

turn all the lights on and ac and radio to sorta test the electical.

Keep a notepad and pencil in & dedicated to the truck.

isnt there a 100k or 120k or whatever service interval?

oh, MOST IMPORTANT!! Pull the skidplate & give everything all of the cleaning you've got. Chasing leaks and inspecting wires becomes comically easy.

 

Welcome to the forum.

Obligatory "A lot of the stuff you're looking about is talked about or linked to in this thread"

Including a link to the non-OEM-parts-that-failed-or-didn't thread

The big thing I don't see mentioned in your writeup is the timing belt, which should be finished with the Aisin (OEM) kit, purchased anywhere except scAmazon/fleaBay/WallyWorld. Their kit includes tensioner, pulley, water pump etc. and you may as well do thermostat, properly clocked with jiggle valve pointed upward. Toyota says 9yrs/90k miles on the timing belt, so if not done yet, you're grossly overdue on years, a bit overdue on miles and with a low interference engine, it's a boat anchor if the belt snaps at any significant RPM.

You also need to be aware of issues low-mile trucks like yours typically have. Counter-intuitive, I know, but low-mile can be a bad thing with these trucks. Plenty of examples of that have been posted here.

At least one oil leak I see in your pics is typically caused by cam seals.

Why are you replacing the carrier/center bearing? That's not typically a maintenance or even preventative item, and they don't often have issues at your current mileage.

Since frame rust is the #1 killer of these trucks behind timing belt, and I see in the smaller pics this truck has definitely seen its fair share of salted roads (but more like Utah roads vs. New York roads), do you want to post pics of the frame, especially at the leaf spring mounts, where the spare tire carrier meets the frame, and where the stiffening brackets are riveted to the frame on the inside of the framerail, so you know if the truck is worth investing that money into?

Once you get the frame to a place where the rust is dealt with, Fluid Film, Woolwax and similar are treatments others are using here.

Sounds system may have some complications, all explained in the 1st thread linked above.

Be aware of the potential complications with the brake upgrade you're looking at also.

 

Thanks for that! Great Resource! Still figuring out navigating the forum so this is great! After reading that I feel much more informed.

And yes! The timing belt was the first thing I did (so I didn't think to mention it), but it wasn't done with the OEM Aisin kit unfortunately (Duralast kit). I've got the lower ball joints and outer tie rods taken care of! I have head gaskets, intake gaskets, spark plug gaskets, and everything going into it soon.

The only reason I am thinking its the driveshaft carrier bearing is because I was told it had excessive play by a shop and after recording the driveshift, it was shifting back and forward (again not sure if that is normal based on whats in the thread you linked). It just sounds like it is running rough and maybe I'm just not versed in my 1stGenTundra noises but I could be wrong and it's something in the engine. With the low-mileage concerns on these trucks, and after reading the thread linked above, I'll inspect when I get the valve covers and other seals done.

As requested, here are some of the shots of the frame... my biggest fear is that this one is no good or headed somewhere bad. I'm considering getting it sandblasted or putting the elbow grease into myself depending on if it is still good and in the repairable/preventable stages. Please let me know what you guys think before I start getting too deep.

Thanks! I've already got a service binder dedicated to the truck going! But thanks for the insight! I'll start keeping track! As far as I know, all electrical switches/buttons are functional!

 

None of the steel on your frame has begun to delaminate, and you shot some of the most important areas, i.e. where things overlap as seen in the first two pics.

This pic is the only one that leaves me with some, "Oh, you should wire wheel and treat that": https://tnstatic.net/attachments/img_8353-jpg.924198/
(Where it's partially corroded away)

It's not mint, but we've seen so much worse. Wire brush as best you can, then shoot some OA (oxalic acid) solution up in the joints where applicable , then hit it with (specifically) satin Rustoleum for outdoor purpose once everything is fully dry. I wouldn't use POR-15 or similar, and if you live in an area where they're road salting all winter long, start getting it treated with woolwax, fluid film or similar a few weeks after the paint had time to cure.

Some play in carrier bearing is normal. In fact, even this much play, which a member posted recently, is similar to what the rest of us see on our trucks. You do want to be looking out for whether it's making noise, and ideally the rubber shouldn't be cracked in this way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2ncio7Nmmg
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For the other stuff you mentioned or pictured.

It looks like your cam seals have a small leak, which seems to be normal on the VVTi 4.7L trucks ('05-'06). Local auto parts store should have a bottle of ATP's "AT-205" product. Install a whole bottle as long as you don't plan to change the oil for at least 400-500 miles - you can leave it in, it's not a gasket sweller, it's a gasket restorer. I mentioned the leak earlier, just giving more info here.

I'd personally skip the LX460 brake upgrade. You've got 13WL calipers, they're actually great when properly adjusted. Make sure the parking brake cabling is properly adjusted and tight, set the park brake a half a dozen times firmly, then check the rear drums to make sure they're adjusted correctly. Consider spending time dialing in the LSPV so the rears are getting their fair share of braking responsibilies and I think you'll be just as happy with your 13WL as I am with mine - my truck brakes awesome, I just do not believe for a minute the LX460 upgrade is worth it for the 13WL trucks. I truly, firmly believe - assuming you don't have VSC in your truck (here's how to tell) - that 3/4 of the complaints you hear about braking on our trucks are 100% due to poor adjustment which can be resolved with about 30-60 minutes of dialing-in.

 

Awesome, so still solid and not too late? Haha I only ask cause this has been my number one inhibitor on really doing this truck up. Should I just brush out all the areas that are flaking between the frame and subframe? I'm not gonna be jumping this thing, just gonna be doing some wheeling on trails and such. Sounds good on the brakes. Any links for videos with instructions regarding dialing in the LSPV and E-Brake (so I have a reference of how tight I'm looking for).

And for the leak, I have cam seals to replace the current ones, should I also go for the

$20 AT-205 Re-Seal Stops Leaks, 8 Ounce Bottle

AT-205?

 

There's also this spot that I didn't post.

 

You basically want the parking brake cables on both sides to not have slack, no droop. straight, but not viscerally tight-rope-level tight.

There's a sticky thread on adjusting rear brakes, should be near the top of the sticky list. As for the LSPV, this is the lower arm of the LSPV assembly, if you trace this back you'll see it ties directly into the PV (proportioning valve). Let's assume you weren't getting great breaking out of the rears, which makes the brakes feel inadequate, or were wearing out the fronts 2x+ faster than the rears. Don't make this radical of a jump, but adjusting the lower end of the bracket up the shaft as shown should (if LSPV isn't failed) force more braking bias to the rear brakes.

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Basically, the way this system works is simple: When the bed is loaded to the hilt, the ensuing sag will force this lever upward, thus making the system open up valves, engaging the rear brakes more. What you're doing by sliding that bracket upward is mimicking load in the bed.

Also note: If/when you lift the rear, you need to raise that assembly equally. If you don't, and you lift 2" in the rear for example, you're effectively doing the same as sliding that valve 2" downward, which would overwork the front brakes and all-but-disengage the rear brakes. No bueno. There are several companies that sell a simple $20 bracket kit for this, like Toytec, Off Road Solutions, etc. But really you can fab up your own bracket simply. The pair of holes you see at the point where the bracket attaches to the rear axle need to be 23mm apart on-center and are 3/8" diameter. The OEM fasteners have a 5/16" shank and are 12mm long, but you can use any fastener you want up top, just be aware of their proximity to nearby hard brake lines. You'll obviously need two pairs of holes in your bracket, and the center-to-center spacing between those holes should match the # of inches you lifted, it'll look like this when done.

Cam seals, if you intend to do them skip the

$20 AT-205 Re-Seal Stops Leaks, 8 Ounce Bottle

AT-205. It would just (likely) save you the trouble. That 'all you need to know' thread has a link to the service manual. Follow it when doing cam seals, and be very careful to heed the usage service bolts, as indicated, to lock things down.

Still doesn't bother me. But something I do notice is, you may have some squeaking out back. It looks like you may be missing one or more factory shims between the leaf springs. Notice you've got one installed between the bottom two leafs, but lack any above that. I want to say each pair of springs should have a shim between them to avoid noise.

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Hard to provide tips when @shifty` already been here , but in terms of undercoating i'd suggest trying out surface shield by PB blaster.

Some users have had good luck with it and I just recently put some on myself preparing for the upcoming winter. Check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE1_EiZIVHs this guys video for more detail. Like fluid film but doesn't smell like horse poo.

How do you know if you have 13WL calipers. is this by year/model/trim?

Also nice looking truck OP, just curious, is it just the lighting/illusion or is that a bunch of hail dents on your hood lol?

 

It's cast into the caliper. Your earlier model won't have them, but it's a bolt-on upgrade for you if you wanted to do it. You'll find the casting on the caliper in roughly this location, defining what yours are. Later model 1GTs used 13WL which were significantly better. LX460 brakes I believe are 14WA. These are 13WG, only showing this because it's the 1st pic I found on the interwebs. You should be able to see this crawling under the truck pretty easily. Same side as the brake line/bleeder, but opposite end of the caliper.

 

Yea my seller said the redid the front end and the brakes which makes me wonder if he ever upgraded the calipers to the WL, I’ll add it to my eBay Christmas list along with 17 inch rims and some winter tires