My 2001 TRD Access Cab Repair/Modify Thread

I do have that usb/OBD II cable, which is pretty much useless to me now…

 

1.4.1 or 2.0.4 firmware ?

 

that is a fantastic question…
I’ll have to put the disc in and see what’s on it. I really don’t know. I can tell you I’ve had this copy of TIS and the cable for 10 or 11 years, so it may be the earlier version?

 

When/if you get a chance to check and if your PC is XP, there should be a file on the disk named "checking firmware.exe" that will tell you firmware version you have. I mention XP because that exe file will not run on Win 10 64bit. If it's 2.0.4, you might be surprised of those that might buy it from you OR get you another copy from someone(hint,hint) and have Techstream as a backup scantool ?

 

I know it’s a windows 7 machine.

 

Understood guys. Thanks for the input. It looks like there's a virtual/hypervisor version of Techstream out there, easy enough to block a VM from getting internet; just remove the network adapter from the VM

But yeah, looks like the mini VCI cables have gone up in price. Significantly.

 

Bubba;
I just went through the software that I have for the TIS program and the cable, and I don't see any info regarding which version it is. I have to assume it's going to be the earlier version.

 

Well, I replaced the front ABS sensors and that took care of the ABS light, but still no speedometer or odometer.



I isolated the pertinent sensors for speed, and it appears there are 2 speed sensors that the ECU uses. I'm getting a signal from the SP 2 sensor (accurate with the GPS on my phone) but nothing from the other sensor. That NC0 speed sensor must be on the input shaft for the transmission. It pretty much follows the engine RPM up until 2000 rpm, then it shows no signal. I'm assuming that's normal.
At this point, I'm going to clean the connectors for each speed sensor on the trans and we'll see what happens.

I just have to figure out which sensor is the one not working....

 

Time for a fall update... Truck has been running great for a while now. I was running errands last week and while on the freeway, I noticed my speed jumped up to 110!



So, I figured the speed sensor finally took a dump. I ordered a new one, and installed it...




Then quickly realized the speed was off by about 10 mph. Woops..

I had to swap the drive gear from the old sensor to the new one, to correct the speed, and that fixed it!





Not sure why the gears were different, as the replacement sensor was the correct application, but the replacement's gear was maybe 1/8 inch taller than the original, so the gears didn't mesh at all. After pressing the old gear onto the new sensor, I was back in business...

Love this truck!

 

One more thing.... I've been fighting the ABS pump running at speeds below 5 mph and finally realized my left front wheel sensor wasn't registering speeds that slowly. So, after replacing the LF wheel speed sensor, no more buzzing ABS pump while coming to a stop... Super happy I'm getting all the minor bugs worked out.

 

Did you go OEM or aftermarket on the sensor?

 

Aftermarket unit from Rockauto.

 

shit i forgot i need to dig out the OEM sensors and see if i have one that fits your truck...

 

having the same issue and am curious how you determined it was the front left?

 

Hi Dat..
My Autel MK808 can read each of the 4 wheel speed sensors individually, and at low speeds, the left front was reading 0 mph. Initially, I didn't think that was a problem, but I woke up one night and had an epiphany!

If you replace the sensor, it will work correctly....

so, I did and it does..

Hope that all makes sense

 

appreciate your response. I should purchase one of those. I have a 2004 Tundra and I have been trying to find a method that would isolate the bad sensor rather than replacing the sensors blindly. I believe it is the front left but hard to say. Again, thank you.

 

Autel makes a good product. It was just shy of 500 bucks, but it does a boatload of reading/resetting/testing. More than I wanted to spend, but well worth it...

 

You're making it really difficult for me to resist buying another tool I don't need, but want. I have it in my rainforest wish list, ready to pounce at the first sign of weakness. But first, I must go out and get the new DeWalt DCF913B, because, well, I think I need it.

 

Hey, put it on the 6 month plan interest free! Something like 85 bucks a month!
Or do like I did and tell your wife it was cheaper to spend the money than taking to a shop..

 

Solid plan. But first things first. Keeping it Tundra related as well!

 

Yeah, looks like other less-costly solutions are a bit bulky, or so I found out this last weekend. Got the whole Techstream thing to work w/o issued but man that's a lot to lug around. Kinda makes things like that Autel look like it could totally be worth the coin.

 

Time for a mid winter/ start of the new year update...

I hit 180,000 miles yesterday on the way home from work. No fanfare, it just kept chugging along.



With my kitchen remodel project taking up most of 2021, the body work that I wanted to take care of took a back seat, so my plan for this year is to get back on the truck.
I probably put less than 500 miles a month on it, since my Volt is the primary commuter car I use. So, at this rate, I don't think I'll ever see 200K...

But, hey, that way it'll last well into retirement!
One thing I've noticed is the amount of road noise coming from around the left rear door when I'm on the freeway. Not sure if that's normal or not..

 

Finally had some time to sit down and update this thread. I had a failure in the right rear body mount, so I ordered a replacement and after waiting a couple weeks for the part, it finally showed up.
While I was waiting for the part, I took the opportunity to remove the old, rusted mount.


I had to use a 90 degree grinder to get the rusted hardware out, and finally got the old mount out.

Next step was to clean up,the existing mount surface



After cleaning up and painting the surface for the new mount, the new one went in..




After getting the mounts installed, I wrapped the mirror caps with a chrome wrap, because the clear and paint was pretty rough on both mirrors.



The body side moulding was all lined up again after the new mount was installed.



The last thing I wanted to do was to get the 05-06 grill installed, which meant trimming the front facia between the headlights.
The grill mounted perfectly inplace of the original, except for the trimming of the facia.



This being said, I think I'll be putting the truck up for sale soon. I'd like to move in a different direction. I've been eyeing Porsche Cayman's for a while, and once the truck sells, I think I'll be hunting for one. I miss having a sports car. The last one I had was my 300ZX 10 years ago. I'm not sure what to ask for it yet. It's got some value, but I'll have to be realistic.

 

I’ve been looking at Caymans the last 6 months, so many Boxers so few Caymans. I’ve had an itch for one as well for a while, just can’t stomach this current market.

 

I love how you make replacing the body mount seem so easy. Did you have to loosen the front mount to jack it at least 3 inches and get the new one in there? What jack point did you use?

 

Sad to hear! I saw this on Porsche recently. https://www.reddit.com/r/Justrolledintotheshop/comments/w1fan6/guess_where_the_starter_is/

That was enough to make me want to avoid anything new they're selling like the plague. To change the starter, you've got to drop the entire drivetrain out of the car, separate the transmission, then flywheel, and finally you have access to the starter. 24-27 hours labor for a professional mechanic, supposedly.

This seems to be the norm with German cars starting in the early 2000s, I can't do it anymore.

I saw on national news yesterday, there's an expectation the used car market is about to be flooded due to a massive spike in repossessions, expect prices to fall.

Just avoid anything that was assembled after mid-2020. Every manufacturer (Toyota inclusive) is seeing a larger than usual spike in quality control, recall issues.

Meanwhile, on the Cayman topic, tidbits of advice from others that's dated, but valid with almost any German car, although these were specifically targeted at Caymans.

 

Yeah, I forgot to mention that.... I did pull the bolt out from the forward mount. I used a piece of 4X4 wood and simply jacked up the cab using a flat area under the body. Worked perfectly. I was able to get the new mount in with no problem.

 

Some good points here... As is evident from this thread, I do my own work, so I won't have to budget for every shop visit. I'll be looking at cars from 2009-2010 in the 30K range, not terribly expensive.
I haven't looked, but I wonder how often the starter fails on a 987? I haven't seen it listed as a common problem area for the car..?

As we all know, Toyota starters have scared a good number of people away, but how often do they actually fail?

Nothings set in stone yet.. I also like the 370Z.

 

I've still never owned a Nissan, but drove my ex-g/f 240SX and that thing was a blast. everything else I've driven or ridden in felt way too plasticky for my taste.

You bring up a good point about the 987 starter. I think that case is probably a byproduct of the pandemic labor/parts shortages. A lot of things got rushed to market w/o proper QC just because the demand was so high, manufacturers wanted to get things on the road, even if not perfect. It's not dissimilar from what video game houses are doing with games this day, rushing to market when the game won't even run until you download patches for an hour, then install them.

If you're sticking in the late 00's / early 10's I don't think this will be a problem for you, though. I mean, the serviceability on German cars will always be what it is: Labor that's best done by the dealership, requires specialized tools in many cases, and fixing one thing leads to needing to do adjacent repairs like replacing an oil-related gasket on a crankcase just because you changed the alternator, or needing to reprogram the ECM because you changed the battery (just went thru that on my neighbor's 2011 BMW x5).

I think by the time 2007 hit, the automobile world changed. radically. There's a reason I have an '06. It has just enough features, but it didn't quite jump the shark yet. Shy of the starter being where it is, this truck has been exceptionally serviceable.

If I could pick up anything in that arena, I'd probably get another MKIV generation VW or Audi of the same general year, maybe a pre-2005 Porsche. Once you replace all the rubber and plastic tubes in the VW/Audi at least, they tend to be pretty solid and not too much of a PITA to work on. Endless supply of parts too.

 

Really nice build/refurbish on your Tundra! You've done a great job replacing, and fixing your truck to the way you want it. I have always had issue owning a vehicle that's been abused, so I've always done the best I could to refurbish it the best way I know how. Even with all the work you've put into it, it's still significantly cheaper than a brand new Tundra. I was on the fence on wanting a 1st or second gen Tundra, but given the smaller mid-sized feel of the first gen, that's what I wanted to go with. I looked at the current body style Tacoma's, and the first gen Tundra still offers more elbow room, and of course a V8. Once again, great work on your rebuild!