Recently purchased 2005 V6 4runner and have a few questions

[indaclear]

Hey everyone,

First off, this forum is great. I've already done a few mods to my recently purchased truck, and have been able to fix a few nuances with the truck.

I am pretty OCD about taking care of my vehicles so after having my mechanic fix a few glaring wrongs with the truck, I am now wondering about how to go about hashing out a maintenance schedule from scratch. I have zero service records, and I have checked online via the VIN at the toyota owners site and they have none either.

The truck has 168,000 miles and all I know is I have replaced the tires, brakes, and front suspension. I have also performed one oil change on the truck. Here are my questions:

What should I have looked at immediately?

What services should I have performed immediately to guarantee I am starting from a blank slate in regards to a clean service history moving forward?

What intervals should I have certain components fixed moving forward into the 170,000+ range?

Thanks so much for your help. If you have any other advice, please feel free to share it. This is my second 4runner and I really love these trucks.

 

[verman84]

Flush coolant, change front & rear diff fluids, change transfer case fluids, consider a transmission flush or drain/refill (but it can be pretty expensive), grease the driveline zerk fittings, change the air filter and the cabin air filter, change spark plugs. Also have the battery checked. A 2005 more than likely has a replaced battery by this point but I was surprised to still see the Panasonic in my 2008 when I bought mine last summer.

You said you replaced the brakes but was that just pads/rotors or fluids and calipers? 4th gens have notoriously bad calipers which tend to stick and eventually freeze up especially if you're in a snowy/salty environment.

I've started a google doc spreadsheet to keep track of maintenance that won't get lost through the years.

 

[m85476585]

Flush coolant, change front & rear diff fluids, change transfer case fluids, consider a transmission flush or drain/refill (but it can be pretty expensive), grease the driveline zerk fittings, change the air filter and the cabin air filter, change spark plugs. Also have the battery checked. A 2005 more than likely has a replaced battery by this point but I was surprised to still see the Panasonic in my 2008 when I bought mine last summer.

You said you replaced the brakes but was that just pads/rotors or fluids and calipers? 4th gens have notoriously bad calipers which tend to stick and eventually freeze up especially if you're in a snowy/salty environment.

I've started a google doc spreadsheet to keep track of maintenance that won't get lost through the years.

The Panasonic battery will last longer than any aftermarket battery. Don't replace it unless it needs it.

People seem to have more problems with remanufactured calipers than with the original ones, so I wouldn't replace them as a preventative item. Changing the fluid is a good idea.

I use the Toyota owner's site to track maintenance. Sign up for an account and put in your VIN. It automatically gets info from the dealer, and if you do anything yourself or go to a 3rd party you can enter it manually.

 

[fdbyrne]

Is it the V6 or the V8? There are maintenance items that are unique to each engine.

For the V8 you're going to want to address the timing belt and water pump.

The previous poster was right on about the brakes. I'm replacing all 4 of my calipers this weekend. I wouldn't call them stuck, but they are dragging for sure. Almost every one of my pistons were rusted. You can rebuilt the calipers but the cost of doing so exceeds the cost of new calipers if you have to replace each and every piston.

A lot of people flush the power steering fluid too. I did. It's very easy to do.

 

[indaclear]

Hey, Thanks for all the replies. It is a v6 2wd. I know, I know, I just don't have a use for the 4wd at this point in life. Hauling kids and groceries is about the extent of my adventuring these days. I had the rear pads changed as the fronts still had a good amount of life left. I am unsure if the fluid was changed. I am not in a snowy or salty environment so I'm not too worried about the calipers.

Are there any changes I need to make to maintenance with this updated information?

Thanks again, guys. Great info. And a lot of this stuff I can do myself, although I suspect the tranny fluid change will need specialized fill and spill equipment because it is sealed ala "lifetime fluid"
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Also I wanted to ask about the water pump and timing chain...when do I need to address those?

Also, I am noticing a very small oil leak behind the accessory belt near what i assume is the power steering pump? Front passenger side of engine. Could that be a valve cover gasket leak? I can take a picture of the leak if that would help. http://i.imgur.com/NgbLYCm.jpg

 

[2003-4x4runner]

Hey, Thanks for all the replies. It is a v6 2wd. I know, I know, I just don't have a use for the 4wd at this point in life. Hauling kids and groceries is about the extent of my adventuring these days. I had the rear pads changed as the fronts still had a good amount of life left. I am unsure if the fluid was changed. I am not in a snowy or salty environment so I'm not too worried about the calipers.

Are there any changes I need to make to maintenance with this updated information?

Thanks again, guys. Great info. And a lot of this stuff I can do myself, although I suspect the tranny fluid change will need specialized fill and spill equipment because it is sealed ala "lifetime fluid"
----------

Also I wanted to ask about the water pump and timing chain...when do I need to address those?

Also, I am noticing a very small oil leak behind the accessory belt near what i assume is the power steering pump? Front passenger side of engine. Could that be a valve cover gasket leak? I can take a picture of the leak if that would help. http://i.imgur.com/NgbLYCm.jpg

The V6 timing change doesnt need to be replaced and the pump should only be replaced if its leaking. If you can afford it, replace all the fluids and get a tune up.