Popping noise

Well, I'm glad to hear that ya'll don't care! Lol! It's hard to find nowadays, everyone so focused in the wrong shit. Yes, I've found that titles aren't always good, and they're lied about half the time. That's why I'm trying to get to know this one and see what kind of person he is...just by conversations we've had about my truck and the car, he seems sincere and honest. Time will tell. And Atlanta isn't far from me, unless I can't drive her down!lol just the awful traffic in and out of there to deal with. I'd appreciate some names of the shops you're referring to? Once I get the brakes done in the front, I would really like to take her in and get someone to go over her with a fine tooth comb. With 330,000 hwy miles on her, she's still in excellent shape...with a new engine at that! The whole reason I bought her!! But I also understand that there's gonna be alot more that's gonna need to be done and I'd really like to know if it's worth keeping her and investing. Or rather, me being able to afford it with where I'm at in life. I definitely don't want to think about reselling her, but I also can't afford potentially having a truck I can't use because of numerous reasons. And the mechanic I was using for awhile, while he was rebuilding the rear end differential, rear ended someone on his way to get parts for her...he fixed her up pretty well, but I want to have someone else look at her that knows better than me. Anyways, I think I'm rambling now! Again, I would appreciate some names of you can! And thank you so much for all the information you've shared! Greatly appreciated and very generous of you, @shifty` !

 

Easiest to get to from your loc would be Lextechs, probably the west Decatur location (vs. John’s Creek way north of ATL) would be easiest if you weee coming in on I-20. Given your closer proximity to August, though, and again having 20 as a mainline between you, I’d also look there, I guess? However, I have a ton of faith in Bryan’s input, and if his shop is 15-30 mins closer, I’d be running with that before gambling on something new in Augusta.

Everyone wants good ROI with their vehicles, they tend to be money pits in general. I think that’s why a lot of us prefer to work on our own. Not only because we know what we’re getting, and we’ve seen what some shops will do (and we hear the horror stories from others), but it also saves a shitload of money, though sometimes we end up redirecting that savings into buying tools to finish the job. A lot of that desire to self-diagnose and repair was the inspiration for us to sit down and create the community new/prospective owner megathread, as a means to index or log our collective knowledge in one place, and periodically update it with new, helpful info. It also helps when repeat questions pop up, we can just copy/paste what someone needs to know directly in replies. I’m not the Tundra savant that thread probably makes it look like, I just happen to be the poor sucker that volunteered to post it up and maintain it.

 

Lmfao! I appreciate your honesty, and regardless of your savviness or lack there of, you still know way more than I do. And I too, would love to work on my own, but do not own any automotive tools besides a jack and a few sockets! And yes, the one closer to me would definitely be the quickest. Always good to have more than one, and I do travel on 20 towards atl a good bit. So thank you for that. The DIY book for Toyota's that you can buy from auto zone or napa, is it worth it? I know you shared the link for the parts and diagram website, but as far as having something to hold and look at...yay or nay? And I'm telling ya'll, this is some really good stuff that you have invested your time into for the rest of us! I feel 100% better talking to others about what I've got going on, now. That's invaluable to me...you have no idea just how much!

 

In that thread, 4 or 5 lines into the beginning, there's a series of links. Electrical diagrams, owners manuals, service manuals, brochures, but the service manual for your '06 is probably the most pertinent one for you or any other new member, it won't be free online forever. That's essentially the book Toyota techs use as reference material for doing everything. But it's targeted towards technicians, uses lingo and acronyms which some people may find intimidating/cryptic. Everything in that book is the by-the-book way to do it, as it's done at the factory (hence its acronym "FSM", Factory Service Manual or some call it Field Service Manual). It's good to click through on that, then click the download button and grab a copy for yourself. It covers everything, including debugging, which others may not necessarily get as in-depth with. You *CAN* buy legit copies of the FSM in hard copy, but it's $$$.

That in mind, if you just want pure reference that's more targeted towards the home mechanic, and want a physical book to flip through, I'd nudge you to get the paperback version of Chilton's or Haynes' manual for your vehicle. Chilton and Haynes (both) base their books on a complete teardown of vehicle, to the frame, the engine and transmission to the block, and building it back up. They offer a more practical way to work on your truck, show you legitimate/non-consequential shortcuts you won't find in the FSM. Often you can find them used on fleaBay and scAmazon for as little as $10, but the average price lately is in the $18-24 range (for used). A while after I bought my truck, I finally found copies for $12 on one (fleaBay), $11 on the other (scAmazon, as seen below) after tax/ship. Then I was on ShopGoodwill a couple years later and they had a pile of Toyota manuals I won for $8, and landed backup copies, but I've since sent those to other members in need. Which is better? It's like beer or bourbon. They both do the job, and I typically like either flavor.

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Good to know, I will check it out! I had a friend of mine bring his mechanic over to do the rotors and pads on the front end yesterday, so thank God that's done. He said someone had overfilled the brake fluid. Also, I need a new carrier bearing...said that could be where the vibration is coming from after 68mph, the transmission cross member bushing, and control arms(mainly since I've replaced all the other suspension on the front) which I may not have the money after the first replacements and labor, but I'm gonna do my best. So, I had asked if those parts were necessary to get as oem, Denso, etc...he said it isn't so much required since it's not engine components. Which would be a good bit easier for me, since I also need to do work on my car and then get my son's car done. I feel like I'm just chasing my tail in circles with these vehicles and never getting to a point where I don't have to work on them for at least a few months, but that's life, right?! Lol! Anyways, is that correct? About those parts that I need not having to be what I would normally have to get? I've already experienced the issues with not getting genuine parts with the downstream O2 sensors...bought 2 different pairs and it's still showing check engine light with the same code. I know, I know, I'm gonna have to get the damn right ones...but those mfrs are like $150 a damn piece!! So, since the truck is running really well on gas and driving with no issues, I'm gonna continue working thru the suspension...then do the valve cover on the car...then get my son's Saturn sl1's suspension taken care of...THEN finally be able to do the O2 sensors! Lol! Well, at least that's my intention, who knows if it will go as I planned?! It never does any other time! So, there's 2 questions there, if you have the time to weed thru the rest of the crap I threw in with it? And thank you in advance, along with thank you for your help!

 

Carrier bearing should be DANA SPICIER brand.

that's OEM for our trucks.

I would recommend atleast using the bushings from Toyota. Their rubber lasts longer. I'm still on OEM lower control arms. My truck has 277k on the odo. Yes they're not in the best shape, but I'll be damned if you can take ANY off the LAPS brand bushings and they'll last 250k

 

OK, great! Thank you for that info! I see you have the same Toy as I do! What brand is best for the control arms and what is the least expensive that's still relatively compatible with the truck? I'm trying to get the parts together to see what I can afford first. Thanks in advance!

 

Upper or lower control arms, and why are you replacing them?

If someone changed the brake pads recently, that can cause the reservoir to be over-full. More brake pad material on the base plate requires pushing the pistons inside the caliper inboard, which forces fluid to rise at the reservoir side.

Vibration at 60-70 is often a tire balance problem, or tire cupping.

Someone is potentially full of shit about the transmission crossmember bushing. In general, the things you listed don't match what we usually see here.

O2 sensors shouldn't be the amount you quoted. Downstream are usually cheaper also. What codes are you getting?

Advics made many of the brake parts for our trucks. Their pad kit for up front is great. Denso does most of the electronics. Aisin does much of the mechanical. Bearings are Koyo, if I recall, except the driveshafts, u-joints, carrier bearing, all Spicer/Dana as @FishNinja pointed out.

 

this.

 

If you're ever wondering about win/fail with aftermarket parts, this is your thread. https://www.tundras.com/threads/1st-gen-parts-corner-of-shame-oem-minus-or-plus.122591/

PS - O2 sensors are here. Note the position, upstream/downstream.

Link to Upstream, $115 from a legit well-respected vendor
Link to Downstream, $46 from a legit well-respected vendor

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@Jsim, if it's lower control arms you need, I have a pair of OEM Toyota's I will send you. On my dime, if needed. Perfect condition. All you would need to do is have someone press new bushings in, and I would strongly encourage genuine Toyota bushings. Hmu in a PM if interested.

 

Omgosh ya'll! I'm so sorry! I didn't even see all the new messages! Happy new year!! And thank you so much for all that additional info @shifty`, @Fishfish and @Desert Dog! I swear to the good lord above, you have saved my pockets and my sanity with all the knowledge and info ya'll have shared...it's been so damn frustrating and stressful trying to take care of my Toy and get her right. In answer to your question about the control arms, the mechanic that did the pads and rotors is the one that suggested it. Just by the stuff I was describing to him. I had asked him to look at all the stuff ya'll had suggested and other things that I've seen on her. And I asked if he could tell me what parts I needed. He had suggested the control arms, since I've replaced so much of the suspension and there's still some noise and play in her turns, along with the caster/camber on the front driver side being so out of line. See pic. The cross member bushing...omg, I can't even remember what he had said about it...I'm losing my f***ing mind, I swear. I'm sorry, I'm sure I'll remember as soon as I stop, lol! The carrier bearing, the rubber is worn and hard, so he said that could potentially be the cause of the vibration above 68mph. And yes, the tires were balanced when I got 4 new ones put on back in Sept or Oct. I understand that's usually the first thing you check, however, being as it just got done, I didn't think that was the reason. But I am going by the shop that did it today after work to have them check the balance again. Along with the alignment shop to check that as well, cause since the brakes were done, the truck is now pulling to the left! When I brake and going straight!! Wtf?!!!!?!?! Not terribly, but it shouldn't be at all!! The pull when I brake, the wheel isn't moving, but it's like the left front brake is stronger than the right, if that makes sense? I don't know ya'll, like I said, I'm at my wits end with all this shit and it's added frustration that I'm replacing and fixing stuff, only to get it back and be worse or something else that needs done. I can't make enough money to keep up with it all! Also, the rotors and pads were from Detroit Axle, same place I get all my brakes from, including the drums and shoes, since I found them. Is that not a good choice? I thought they were good, and they've been great on my car since I put them on a year ago. But you tell me. And the O2 sensors I had gotten from auto zone the first time, then ebay the 2nd, then when I was told I needed oem for proper operation and to cancel the code out for good, I looked up the oem part and you could only buy one at a time and they were $130-150 a piece on the toyota dealerships website, near me. I'm gonna check out that link that you sent, for sure! Dash lights drive me crazy...and I don't like not being able to get an alert that something needs done. As far as you, @Desert Dog, and your amazing offer for your control arms (completely floored that you would be willing to even do all that for me) are you sure about that? That's extremely generous and so kind of you! And like I said in the beginning, ya'll have helped this old girl out so much...smh...I can't even express how much! Brings tears to my eyes, just fyi...I know, I know, stop being such a girl, lol! But that's the honest to God's truth! Life has been hard for the past 3 years and it's such a relief to have some guidance in one of the most important areas of my life, so I can make the money needed to keep on going. So thank you, all...and I'll stop being sappy now. Anyways, the brake pads were never changed till the other night, although I had the drums and shoes done about 5 months ago and had asked him to check the brake fluid as well so he may have been the one to top off the fluid. I don't know. The guy that did the front the other night said that it was full and bled them. The old rotors and pads had a glazing or film?? I can't remember what he had called it, but he said it was from braking at high speeds, cause there was still plenty of pad left and the rotors weren't that bad. Anyways, I'm gonna check out the link you sent me for the sensor and get ahold of that guy to ask about the cross member bushing, and get back to you on that. Thanks so much, ya'll!

 

Jen - can you take some photos of your truck showing the suspension, control arm bushing, alignment cams, LBJs etc? Also let’s see your carrier bearing.

 

Caster not moving ... wondering if the cam is frozen on that side. Maybe is the source of your alignment woes. @assassin10000, you're one of the few internet people I'd trust to give input on those alignment results, what say ye?

Carrier bearing ("center support bearing" can cause vibration. As can bad u-joints. As can a sticking brake caliper, or a pinched brake line, which you've just mentioned just having stuff done in that area recently. But rule out the tire balancing first by going back to the shop and telling them you need them to re-check the balance because you're getting weird vibrations between 60-70mph. If they didn't properly tighten the two mounting bolts on the back of each caliper it could cause the problem too, one is clamping harder/straight and the other isn't, and you'd pull one direction. But you should know, if you don't flush your brake fluid on schedule, the brake caliper (the part that clamps the rotor disc) will get gunk in its pistons if your fluid gets super dirty, and it prevents the rotor from releasing once it's clamped down.

With tire balancing, sometimes tire weights will sling off hours, days, or weeks after getting balanced if not mounted tightlight, or the surface of the wheel was not cleaned proper, I just had it happen the last time I went in, you should always rule that out first. OR when someone is working on your brakes, they can knock off wheel weights while reinstalling the wheels. Usually if they stay in place for at least 2-3 months, you're golden, but again, careless technicians can cause these issues, or may remove weights intentionally to get you back in the door sooner with "weird vibrations".

Detroit axle is "good enough". Don't sweat it.

Rotors straight out of the box have a coating/film on them you must remove with brake cleaner before the pads make contact. This is a mistake rookies sometimes make. Also, properly "bedding" (seating) new brake pads is an actual thing you should do with new pads and new rotors. "Glazing", he may be referring to something else entirely.

Rather than ask the guy about the bushing, why not shimmy under the truck for a sec? Look for the crossbar (crossmember) that looks almost like a 2x4 board across the frame, just under the cab holding the transmission. There's gonna be two oval-shaped holes. Look up in there, you should see two bolt heads in each oval. Try spinning them if all are there, to make sure they're able to be backed out by hand. Take a pic of the top of that crossmember where it meets the transmission, if I recall on the older years there was a fibrous shim there, but I wouldn't call it a "bushing". It had a penchant for disintegrating, which caused the bolts to loosen. When they got loose, they'd fall out, and that would lead to clunking sounds when you turn or accelerate.

 

Caster is the pull to the left most likely. If the alignment cam is seized in the bushing, this is why they were recommending new control arms/bushings. Not cheap.

Unfortunately they only did a toe set, not a full alignment. You'd have to find out if their tech even did anything with the cam bolts. They could even be fine.


The vibration can also be a road force balance issue, not just a standard tire balance. You'd have to find a big chain or dealership that has a road force balancing machine.

 

Yesss! I'd be happy to! I'll go out on my break. Lbj is lower ball joint? And I got the big wigs on property today so I'll explain all the other stuff as soon as I get a chance. Thanks ya'll

 

OK, I didn't mean to send doubles...this is crazy! Lol! Hold on, I've got more.

 

I think I got them all? Did I miss something? And a few of those are of all the oil, I didn't realize it had gotten so bad. I just got back from running to the store and had a few min to get under her and take pics...I've got to get some of that uv dye and run out thru to find the leak. There's no oil on my driveway, so it must be just while I'm driving and it's coating the bottom of the truck. So you're saying they didn't do a full alignment? I ended up having to get the caster and camber bolt replaced on the front drivers side, then took it back for him to complete it, and that's when the boot got twisted up like those other pics I had sent before. So I took it back up again and the manager fixed it. As you can see in the 2 front tire pics, especially the driver side...the tire is sitting wrong. And I'm at the point that since I can't do some kind of conference call with ya'll (lol) I feel like I need to take her to that shop in Dalzell, that one of ya'll recommended. Do you think it's ok to drive her for about a week, while I take my car in to get the valve cover done, then take the truck and drop her off? Cause I've got to have a vehicle to drive while the other one is getting work done. This is so freaking stressful and overwhelming having 2 rides that both have needed so much work done, continuously!! Yes, I broke the rotors and pads in as soon as he got done. I didn't get home till he was already about done so I have no idea if he used brake cleaner, but I will find out. I still have to call him to find out why he suggested replacing the cross member bushing. But I did post a pic of it. The carrier bearing he said the rubber was worn and hard and that the driveshaft (while the torque is high? Did I say that right?) it tightens up and then relaxes(that doesn't sound right, but I don't know how else to describe it) but that the vibration could be coming from that. I just realized I didn't take a pic of the top of the cross member where the 4 bolts are, only the bottom. I'll do it as soon as I can. I'm trying to scroll up and down to the find all the questions that were asked. So if I'm missing some, I apologize. Also, the drive shaft is new, from auto zone and replaced a little over a year ago. Same time the engine was replaced. Brand new on both of them. And the truck has about 5,000 miles on it since it was done, if that helps anything. Oh yeah, so...it's it possible to chat on zoom or something like that to make things a little easier? Just an idea, definitely understand if it isn't an option. And still extremely fucking grateful to all of you!

 

Jen - appears your lower ball joints have Zirc fittings. Those are not OEM. You need to verify this and if so, replace them ASAP. This is the biggest threat to your truck unless TB is also aftermarket. It's not a hard job if you have some basic tools and a floor jack. Valve covers are definitely leaking but that's an easy driveway job with basic tools - be sure to get either OEM or FELPRO only. I would replace the valve cover bolts as they have a rubber donut that gets hard. Delphi kit has the donuts. OEM you need to buy the bolts. Be careful not to overtighten these. Don't forget to use some FIPG on the half moons and corners. Steering boot is kinda funky and hose clamp is not the FSM solution - should be an Oetiker clamp. Carrier bearing is upside down but doesn't look that bad and they normally have some play. Need to compare with a good one.

@shifty` - please look at Jen’s LBJ photo to make sure I’m not hallucinating.

 

Them LBJ's are sus.

100% looks like a zerk and someone filled the fuck outta it with grease to make it stop clunking/popping.

carrier bearing looks fine.

UCA bushings look fine.

UBJ look fine as well, boot isn't greasy/wet looking.

Lower shock bushings look fucked. Not sure if those are cheapo replacements, but those are notorious for the lower bushing giving out. Another source of clunks.

Oil leak could be as simple as the valve cover bolts are just loose. (Mine were) 10mm rachet and snug them down. Takes all of 10min. Solved my oil leak.


Sounds like the current mech you got is your typical bottom of the barrel shmuck. Lol

could probably do a great job on a Chevy or ford. But these Toyotas are another animal all together.

 

Pretty sure the carrier bearing is supposed to have the single hole down. Even looks like the helper tab is pointed upside down in the pic.

 

Aftermarket lower ball joints need to be replaced asap. OEM only.

Aftermarket cam alignment bolt and sleeve as well. They use plastic inside and can clunk.


Struts are cheap china replacements and should be replaced one day. Unsure how long they'll last but the bushing already looks like its going out. This can be held off on until later.

Crossmember has all the bolts but can still be cracked and its not visible with all the grime.

 

Driveshaft is so far up in it, it looks like a buttplug too. Totally looks off.

Looks like shadetree-level work, cheapest possible parts, across the board.

I'm trying to figure out how/why there's so much grime UNDER that crossmember.

 

Also, do the 2wd’s not get double cardin joints there?

 

I think the grime is from having the oil leak and it being blown back onto everything when I'm driving, picking up all kinds of crap. But what do I know?! Especially from all the feedback from ya'll...so is there anything right?! And what needs the most attention first? Is it OK to even drive, or am I taking a chance of fucking up my truck and getting stranded? And thank you for all the feedback, but damn that shit is so hard to hear...especially after the amount of money spent. I have no idea about the drive shaft...as I said, the previous owner bought it from auto zone brand new and put it on himself. Everything else I've had done was by one mechanic, outside of the alignment and the front brakes that both just got done within the past month. I'm getting tires balanced again now. And honestly, damn near close to tears. No I don't have a 10mm ratchet, but I guess I'm going to get one. Thanks guys, I appreciate the bad news! Lol! But for real though, I really do...just sucks.

 

No, 2000 2WD does not have a double carden joint. And yes the carrier bearing holder is upside down.