I found a thread under the Maintenance/Detailing section of the forum regarding 3rd Gen scheduled/preventative maintenance but the thread only had 6 posts so I thought it would get more views and more commentary if it was in the main 3rd Gen section.
Here's the preventative maintenance schedule I've done with my 4runner and other vehicles and I'm wondering what the rest of you do.
Engine Oil and Filter every 3000 miles unless you're using synthetic which will allow you to do it less frequently. I believe synthetic oils will allow you to change it up to as high as every 15,000 miles. Supposedly, with regular non-synthetic oil, changing your oil every 3000 miles is excessive since engine oil technology has improved a lot over the years and you can change it every 5000 - 7500 miles. For me, I'm going to stick with the old school suggested oil change frequency of 3000 miles because an oil and filter change isn't expensive and it's easy to do. And, I also believe the single best thing you can do for your engine is regular oil and filter changes.
Engine Coolant (Antifreeze) should be changed at a minimum every 30,000 miles. I just do a drain and refill of the radiator and I usually renew around 8 quarts of the 9.5 quart cooling system capacity.
Transmission Fluid should be changed at a minimum every 30,000 miles. If you do a lot of off-roading or towing, a 15,000 mile interval is recommended. Since I just do a drain and refill of the pan and not a full flush, I change my trans fluid every 10,000 miles to keep the fluid in good shape. I renew around 5 quarts of the 12 quart capacity every drain and refill.
Power Steering Fluid should be changed at a minimum every 30,000 miles. I did several rounds of the turkey baster method of drawing out fluid out of the reservoir, replacing it with new fluid, and turning the wheel back and forth to cycle the fluid. Now that my fluid is looking clean, I plan on maintaining it by drawing out the fluid in the reservoir every engine oil change and replacing it with fresh fluid. With past vehicles, I never paid much attention to the power steering fluid but I'm going to do a much better job with my 4runner.
Transfer Case Gear Oil should be changed every 30,000 miles.
Differential Gear Oil should be changed every 30,000 miles. If you do a fair amount of off-roading or hard driving like towing, changing the rear differential every 15,000 miles is recommended. If you have a 4wd 4runner and you don't use 4wd very often, you can change the front differential much less frequently. But, since it's simple and affordable to do, I just change the front differential fluid anyway when it's time to do the rear differential.
Greasing U-Joints and Slip Yokes should be greased every other oil change but giving them a little grease every oil change isn't going to hurt anything.
Air Filter should be changed at a minimum every 30,000 miles but more frequently if you're driving dusty fire roads or trails.
MAF Sensor should be cleaned every 30,000 miles but again more frequently if you've been driving a lot in dusty conditions.
Spark Plugs should be replaced around every 30,000 miles if you're using standard copper plugs. If you have the iridium or platinum plugs, you can probably replace them every 60,000 miles.
Timing Belt and Water Pump should be replaced every 100,000 miles. I've heard it's advisable to replace the tensioner and idler pulleys too while you're in there. and the mechanics never replaced the tensioner or pulleys so I'm wondering if this is overkill.
Brakes should be inspected every 30,000 milesHowever, I've paid (never done one myself yet) for several timing belt/water pump replacements , whenever you hear abnormal braking noise, or your brakes are pulling one way or the other.
Tires should be rotated and balanced every 5000 miles.
[MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] and I have a video coming out soon that shows changing all the fluids, greasing the u-joints and slip yokes, inspecting the brakes and changing the air filter.
