TB's Taco, aka TK-421

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Last picture of Vader in the garage...

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And the first picture of TK-421.

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How's the engine feel going from the 3.5 to the 2.4? I hear the 4th gens feel way more torquey.
 
Joey D
How's the engine feel going from the 3.5 to the 2.4? I hear the 4th gens feel way more torquey.
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The '19 had 278 hp and 265 lb-ft at 4600 RPM.

The '26 has 326 hp and 465 lb-ft at 1700 RPM.

That off the line torque is a welcomed change since I don't think I ever went over about 4000 RPM, so I never even hit peak torque. Apparently that extra power and earlier torque translates to a slightly faster 0-60 time of 7.1 seconds vs the old 7.7.

The twin scroll turbo seems to do a good job of delivering pretty steady power without much lag.

All-in-all, I'm pretty happy with the upgrade.

Now I just need it to warm up, break in and get off of this winter blend because the 13MPG I'm getting sucks. :lol:
 
Sixteen bolts to remove the rocker guards, 24 bolts to install the new steps.

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Still on the hunt for a tonneau cover and I'll be picking up some tint for the front windows.
 
I just ordered a new Lomax tonneau cover. That's the same kind as I had on the old Tacoma and I had no problems with it. The price has gone up substantially in the last 6 years but I came across the Agri-Cover outlet page that has grade B products. Fingers crossed the condition isn't too bad... Guess I'll find out next Wednesday.
 
The tonneau cover came a day earlier than expected and was installed tonight.

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As for the Grade B quality, I'm not going to complain for half price.

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Got some mud flaps installed today.

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I was going to get the front windows tinted but it's absolutely freezing in the garage. I didn't really notice it until I was playing with soapy water to prep the windows. Holding off for a warmer day. Which might mean spring. :lol:
 
TB
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I had the rocker guards listed for sale and met a guy about 3 hours away from home. My wife wanted to go to the outlet mall and I wanted to get some more miles on the truck so I figured why not? At least they're out of my garage now and someone is using them.

I should roll over 1,000 miles on it sometime this week.
 
It was filthy.

The weather is decent.

I need to shimmy underneath to Loctite some bolts.

So she needed her first bath.

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All 24 bolts were pulled out, a few drops of Loctite Blue applied and reinstalled. A few of the bolts were surprisingly looser than they should be after only a few weeks.

I finally got the tires aired down, too. When the dealership did it's final prep for sale, they left the tires at their transport pressure of 50 psi instead of the 32 that Toyota says. I let some air out but didn't dig my gauge out to do it accurately until today.

I still need to read up on the IsoDynamic seats and get them inflated correctly.
 
Not Tacoma related, but...

In the last few weeks I've changed the oil in the Highlander and Escape and rotated the tires in the Highlander and Elantra.

I still need to do an oil change on the Tacoma but in Toyota's infinite wisdom, at the 6 month appointment they only rotate the tires so for the peace of mind, I'm going to do it myself.

I still need to change the oil in the Elantra, the kid just hasn't been home enough to have time.

I still need to rotate the tires on the Escape but in Ford's infinite wisdom, they insist on using two piece lug nuts that corrode and swell. To get one tire off, I will need to use a 19mm (the factory size), 19.5mm and 20mm socket. There's no point in doing that until the one piece lug nuts are delivered on Monday.

I did get the liftgate pistons replaced on the Highlander this morning. Very simple process but they are absurdly expensive.

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Tacoma and Elantra oil changes done.

The coolant is low on the Elantra so that will be remedied tomorrow.

The new lug nuts should be delivered tomorrow, too.

That should wrap up the maintenance for a while. :D
 
TB
The new lug nuts should be delivered tomorrow, too.
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Two weeks later...

Last Friday I started on the lug nut replacement. Two of the five on the front driver's side were not swollen (as evidence by how the 19mm socket fit) so I was saving them for last.

Of the remaining three, the one I chose was arguably the WORST one on the entire vehicle, which meant it was the WORST one I could have selected to learn the process on. I tried putting my 19.5mm socket on but it didn't seat so I used my 20mm. That went on great so I put my breaker bar on it and gave it a turn. If felt like it was loosening but the socket wasn't moving out from the rim.

Crap. That means that they chrome cap is spinning, not the lug nut.

Just to catch everyone up, I fought with that one lug nut for 20 🤬 minutes. It was 78°F and 85% humidity at the time. I was absolutely drenched. And assumed that every one of them was going to be like this.

I decided to just send it and got out a hammer to seat the 19.5mm socket on. Half a turn with the breaker bar later and my nemesis was off. Hallelujah.

One down, 19 to go.

I finished the rest of the driver's side and called it a day.

Until this morning. I had left the tools out so I fired up the radio, cut open the blister packs for the new lug nuts and started my stop watch. The passenger side took me just under 25 minutes to remove, replace, torque and cleanup.

Thanks for nothing, Ford.

Thanks for fixing Ford's screw up, Dorman.
 
My employer had a Chevy Cavalier about 20-some years ago that had capped lug nuts. I feel your pain. Especially after some jackwit shop puts the wheels on with an air wrench. I had to have it towed over 50 miles because I couldn't change a flat!
 
wfooshee
I had to have it towed over 50 miles because I couldn't change a flat!
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Precisely why these HAD to be changed. Not being able to get the tire off and spare back on is kind of a big deal.

Why Ford insists on still using this horrible design on millions of vehicles is beyond me.
 

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