Hello, a friend is looking for a cheap manual transmission toyota. I want to know what to look out for on these older vehicles. I know alot of them have frame issues. How does one go about getting a new frame from toyota? When did these pickups start having frame issues? Anything i should know about the engines, trans ect?
Friend looking for an older toyota pickup 1990s
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The 3.0L V6 is a head gasket blower and a non-interference timing belt motor.
1st that I've heard of frame issues?
Maybe in upstate NY they use lots and lots of rock salt in the winter.
Maybe in upstate NY they use lots and lots of rock salt in the winter.
Maybe find one that has been run in the south where rust is not an issue. FWIW a friend of mine has a 1991 Toyota V-6 5-speed and it gets worse (yes, actually worse) gas mileage than my fullsize Chevy. I would look for a early 90s C-1500 instead with the 4.3 5 speed. Much better, more capable truck.
Originally Posted By: Silverado12
Maybe find one that has been run in the south where rust is not an issue. FWIW a friend of mine has a 1991 Toyota V-6 5-speed and it gets worse (yes, actually worse) gas mileage than my fullsize Chevy. I would look for a early 90s C-1500 instead with the 4.3 5 speed. Much better, more capable truck.
+1
Maybe find one that has been run in the south where rust is not an issue. FWIW a friend of mine has a 1991 Toyota V-6 5-speed and it gets worse (yes, actually worse) gas mileage than my fullsize Chevy. I would look for a early 90s C-1500 instead with the 4.3 5 speed. Much better, more capable truck.
+1
My son inherited my '96 2wd 3.4 5 speed. With benign neglect, it still made it to 300k miles before he lost confidence in it. Still running strong.....But after a clutch slave cylinder failure, he traded it in.
(Still had the original clutch, by the way.)
(Still had the original clutch, by the way.)
Originally Posted By: 4wheeldog
My son inherited my '96 2wd 3.4 5 speed. With benign neglect, it still made it to 300k miles before he lost confidence in it. Still running strong.....But after a clutch slave cylinder failure, he traded it in. (Still had the original clutch, by the way.)
Yeah I couldn't think of a better reason to get rid of a vehicle than that
My son inherited my '96 2wd 3.4 5 speed. With benign neglect, it still made it to 300k miles before he lost confidence in it. Still running strong.....But after a clutch slave cylinder failure, he traded it in. (Still had the original clutch, by the way.)
Yeah I couldn't think of a better reason to get rid of a vehicle than that
Originally Posted By: eljefino
I think you have to have owned the truck when the frame recall was announced. IOW if you don't already, you're out of luck.
I'd be very, very careful, as these seem to be worth $7000 the year before they won't pass inspection anymore.
X2.
Cheap and Toyota truck don't really go together, especially in a rot state.
Frame rot needs to be your main concern by far. It will total the truck before you know it and there's no recourse from Toyota for someone buying now.
Maybe you can find a truck that had the frame replaced already, but I don't know if the new frames were actually improved. Also anyone in NY selling a Tacoma they know is rust free or has a new frame will probably price it accordingly.
As mentioned, the 3.0 in 1995? and older pre-Tacoma trucks had problems with head gaskets. Toyota was fixing them for a LONG time outside of warranty, but I am sure that is long over with.
If your friend just needs a cheap truck, a Toyota is the wrong thing to shop for. Shopping specifically for a cheap Toyota truck sounds like asking for trouble to me. People don't just slip up and sell these for cheap because they don't know what it is. Any super cheap ones on Craigslist that look suspiciously good in the pictures are a scam.
I think you have to have owned the truck when the frame recall was announced. IOW if you don't already, you're out of luck.
I'd be very, very careful, as these seem to be worth $7000 the year before they won't pass inspection anymore.
X2.
Cheap and Toyota truck don't really go together, especially in a rot state.
Frame rot needs to be your main concern by far. It will total the truck before you know it and there's no recourse from Toyota for someone buying now.
Maybe you can find a truck that had the frame replaced already, but I don't know if the new frames were actually improved. Also anyone in NY selling a Tacoma they know is rust free or has a new frame will probably price it accordingly.
As mentioned, the 3.0 in 1995? and older pre-Tacoma trucks had problems with head gaskets. Toyota was fixing them for a LONG time outside of warranty, but I am sure that is long over with.
If your friend just needs a cheap truck, a Toyota is the wrong thing to shop for. Shopping specifically for a cheap Toyota truck sounds like asking for trouble to me. People don't just slip up and sell these for cheap because they don't know what it is. Any super cheap ones on Craigslist that look suspiciously good in the pictures are a scam.
Originally Posted By: kschachn
Originally Posted By: 4wheeldog
My son inherited my '96 2wd 3.4 5 speed. With benign neglect, it still made it to 300k miles before he lost confidence in it. Still running strong.....But after a clutch slave cylinder failure, he traded it in. (Still had the original clutch, by the way.)
Yeah I couldn't think of a better reason to get rid of a vehicle than that
I agree. But I live 1200 miles away, and couldn't actually work on the thing. And he needed not only a reliable vehicle, but one he had confidence in.
Young folks did not grow up with cars that needed something attended to with frequency. And.....The ability to fix stuff tends to skip generations.....If your Dad could fix stuff, you didn't have to.
Originally Posted By: 4wheeldog
My son inherited my '96 2wd 3.4 5 speed. With benign neglect, it still made it to 300k miles before he lost confidence in it. Still running strong.....But after a clutch slave cylinder failure, he traded it in. (Still had the original clutch, by the way.)
Yeah I couldn't think of a better reason to get rid of a vehicle than that
I agree. But I live 1200 miles away, and couldn't actually work on the thing. And he needed not only a reliable vehicle, but one he had confidence in.
Young folks did not grow up with cars that needed something attended to with frequency. And.....The ability to fix stuff tends to skip generations.....If your Dad could fix stuff, you didn't have to.
I think buying old cars because they're supposed to be reliable is a rookie mistake that many make which is why the price of them is so high. After a certain point, the prices pretty much stop going down and then it's really a question of maintenance.
The Tacoma had the frame problems. Not the older gen trucks. Can buy them here cheap all day long.
https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/cto/5292984483.html
https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/cto/5292984483.html
The 1994 and earlier 4WD have a cult following and are seldom found cheap in good condition. You might find a 2WD cheap since most people want them for off-road. On-road, their gas mileage is terrible (under 20 mpg) even with the 4 cylinder.
There's no such thing as a "new frame from Toyota". They bought out the rusty Tacomas rather than repair them.
There's no such thing as a "new frame from Toyota". They bought out the rusty Tacomas rather than repair them.
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Originally Posted By: mk378
There's no such thing as a "new frame from Toyota". They bought out the rusty Tacomas rather than repair them.
It depended on the value and age of the truck, but yes, both Tacomas and Tundras got new frames from Toyota. Lower value, older trucks were bought back, higher value trucks got new frames...
http://www.rcmt.net/forums/showthread.php?18531-Recall-frame-replacement-for-Toyota-Tundra
There's no such thing as a "new frame from Toyota". They bought out the rusty Tacomas rather than repair them.
It depended on the value and age of the truck, but yes, both Tacomas and Tundras got new frames from Toyota. Lower value, older trucks were bought back, higher value trucks got new frames...
http://www.rcmt.net/forums/showthread.php?18531-Recall-frame-replacement-for-Toyota-Tundra
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
It depended on the value and age of the truck, but yes, both Tacomas and Tundras got new frames from Toyota.
Didn't know. Has this ever happened on any other vehicle? Strange to me.
It depended on the value and age of the truck, but yes, both Tacomas and Tundras got new frames from Toyota.
Didn't know. Has this ever happened on any other vehicle? Strange to me.
Originally Posted By: lubricatosaurus
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
It depended on the value and age of the truck, but yes, both Tacomas and Tundras got new frames from Toyota.
Didn't know. Has this ever happened on any other vehicle? Strange to me.
Frame replacements happen sometimes in the collision industry, but it's pretty rare. It's not unheard of with something like an expensive crew cab truck though.
The Tacoma/Tundra recall is the only one I know of where the entire frame was replaced. Other rust recalls on vehicles like the Windstar and Rodeo/Passport were just reinforcements/patching up or a buyback if the damage was unrepairable.
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
It depended on the value and age of the truck, but yes, both Tacomas and Tundras got new frames from Toyota.
Didn't know. Has this ever happened on any other vehicle? Strange to me.
Frame replacements happen sometimes in the collision industry, but it's pretty rare. It's not unheard of with something like an expensive crew cab truck though.
The Tacoma/Tundra recall is the only one I know of where the entire frame was replaced. Other rust recalls on vehicles like the Windstar and Rodeo/Passport were just reinforcements/patching up or a buyback if the damage was unrepairable.
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^^ They also replaced frames on the Sequoias. They replaced mine for a rust hole that was barely an inch long. Dropped it off on Monday, I had it back on Thursday.
My local dealer had it down to a science, getting them in an out in less than three days. And after I crawled under it, I saw why. My steering shaft pinch bolts were nowhere to be found, the bolts attaching the body to the frame were barely hand tight, mangled brake lines, antifreeze only half full, brake fluid all over my tires from when they bled them, only two of the six bolts holding the gas tank protector were there, etc etc. Its all been remedied now, but I was NOT happy at the time.
The early and mid 90's trucks did not have frame issues (not like the later Tundra/Sequoia/Tacomas). The 90's era 3.0 V6 is absolutely gutless, with all the power of a 4 cyl and the fuel economy of a Chevy big block with a fuel leak. The later 3.4 was a welcome improvement, but marginally so. Both had head gasket issues, though the 3.4's were much less frequent. We had both a 3.0 and 3.4 trucks and in 400,000 combined miles, we never had to replace any head gaskets. Bought LOTS of gas though. Very reliable, but very slow, and very thirsty.
Offroad, they were excellent, they'd plow through anything and go anywhere. Tried to get it stuck, we just couldnt. I took that truck though places I never should have been able to get out of. For that reason alone, I could be convinced to get another. But the fuel economy and lack of power when driving on-road are big negatives.
My local dealer had it down to a science, getting them in an out in less than three days. And after I crawled under it, I saw why. My steering shaft pinch bolts were nowhere to be found, the bolts attaching the body to the frame were barely hand tight, mangled brake lines, antifreeze only half full, brake fluid all over my tires from when they bled them, only two of the six bolts holding the gas tank protector were there, etc etc. Its all been remedied now, but I was NOT happy at the time.
The early and mid 90's trucks did not have frame issues (not like the later Tundra/Sequoia/Tacomas). The 90's era 3.0 V6 is absolutely gutless, with all the power of a 4 cyl and the fuel economy of a Chevy big block with a fuel leak. The later 3.4 was a welcome improvement, but marginally so. Both had head gasket issues, though the 3.4's were much less frequent. We had both a 3.0 and 3.4 trucks and in 400,000 combined miles, we never had to replace any head gaskets. Bought LOTS of gas though. Very reliable, but very slow, and very thirsty.
Offroad, they were excellent, they'd plow through anything and go anywhere. Tried to get it stuck, we just couldnt. I took that truck though places I never should have been able to get out of. For that reason alone, I could be convinced to get another. But the fuel economy and lack of power when driving on-road are big negatives.
I thought all Toyota's had rust problems? At least they did in the Northeast--but then again, everything up here has rust problems.
Not sure if I'd touch a 3.0, but maybe the earlier ones are ok. IIRC the problem goes back to an EPA(?) change that disallowed asbestos in the head gaskets--so overnight the 3.0 had issues. The 2.4L I4 is not immune to the issue either, and despite being a timing chain, still needs some timing chain work, at least for worn guides.
For a toy it could be lots of fun.
Not sure if I'd touch a 3.0, but maybe the earlier ones are ok. IIRC the problem goes back to an EPA(?) change that disallowed asbestos in the head gaskets--so overnight the 3.0 had issues. The 2.4L I4 is not immune to the issue either, and despite being a timing chain, still needs some timing chain work, at least for worn guides.
For a toy it could be lots of fun.
Liking what one can learn on these forums! Toyota must not want to lose their face, as they say....
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/toyota-recall-better-to-lose-profits-and-save-face/
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/toyota-recall-better-to-lose-profits-and-save-face/
I beat the living snot out of my 3.0, pulling a boat through the hills of KY with my foot planted firmly on the floor (no choice, I had too) for miles and miles at a time. It was durable and we put a lot of trouble free miles on it, it just had no power. And man did it suck the gas. My 4.7 V8 Sequoia gets better mileage than my old V6 4Runner ever did, and pulls my boat like its barely even there.
If I remember right, the 3.0 head gasket issues seemed to center around the goofy exhaust crossover pipe, which took the passenger side pipe and routed it along the firewall over to the rear of the drivers side head, joining the outlet of the driver side manifold into a half-arsed Y-pipe/crossover/downpipe concoction that added a lot of heat into a small area on the rear of the driver side head, and thats where the gaskets usually let go. So I've heard. I also heard the gasket problem centered around improper installation at the factory, mainly the right and left sides got swapped and installed upside down. Heard the same thing about the 3.4 head gaskets. I have no idea if that is true at all. I know they were fixing them for free for a long time after the recall. Mine never let go so I didnt have to deal with it.
If I remember right, the 3.0 head gasket issues seemed to center around the goofy exhaust crossover pipe, which took the passenger side pipe and routed it along the firewall over to the rear of the drivers side head, joining the outlet of the driver side manifold into a half-arsed Y-pipe/crossover/downpipe concoction that added a lot of heat into a small area on the rear of the driver side head, and thats where the gaskets usually let go. So I've heard. I also heard the gasket problem centered around improper installation at the factory, mainly the right and left sides got swapped and installed upside down. Heard the same thing about the 3.4 head gaskets. I have no idea if that is true at all. I know they were fixing them for free for a long time after the recall. Mine never let go so I didnt have to deal with it.
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