2005 Tundra novice build - "The Rez"

[OverlandMitsu]

Digging the build mate!

 

[Kpack]

Awesome thread, I'll be following this.
Duratracs are terrible and mine have a vibe like yours around 68-72. Was worse because my wheel bearings were shot and I had a u joint on the way out. Now the truck rides smooth in its 302k mile glory.

I also love the look of the brute force fab stuff, previous owner installed the arb style bumper, and regular sliders on mine. And the same superwinch but with steel line.

I miss living in Washington, I was out in Kitsap County, but now I'm back on the front range in Colorado
View attachment 458930

Thanks, and I'm beginning to agree with you regarding Duratrac's. My experience has been less than positive. Nice truck! When I ordered my Superwinch they accidentally sent me the steel cable version, which I was able to return for the correct one, and I was surprised at the difference in weight between the cable version and the synthetic line version. It was at least 20 lbs, probably more. With my truck being a double cab, saving weight where I can is a priority because the truck is so heavy as it is.

Digging the build mate!

Thanks! It's a work in progress. Lot's of trial and error for me.

 

[Kpack]

My truck was beginning to feel a bit sluggish on the shifting, so I figured it was about time to do a drain and fill on the ATF fluid. I had the tranny flushed at the dealership about two years ago (~20k miles) before I began towing with it. The truck shifted significantly better afterward. I was a bit surprised to see that the tranny was feeling sluggish so soon.

Following the procedure in the Factory Service Manual, I drained the fluid from the pan and measured how much came out. Only 2 quarts....hmm. I put 2 quarts of Toyota WS ATF in, then followed the procedure for warming up the fluid to the proper temp. I was able to add an entire quart. Somehow I was a full quart low on ATF....no idea why.

I wasn't expecting the old fluid to look this dark after 20K miles:

Truck shifts much better now. I have another 5-6 quarts of the WS ATF, so I may drain and fill a couple more times over the next few weeks in order to get as much fresh fluid in there as possible. I'm questioning whether or not the dealership actually did a full flush two years ago....or did they just drain and fill like I did and charge me $300 for it.

 

[OverlandMitsu]

Damn man! That oil is nasty!!! I did my Xterra tranny oil every 20k miles too. I was towing a lot though. Sometimes I did a flush and fill and sometimes just a full drain and re-fill.

 

[SportsmanJake]

Speaking of shifting.
Do you know if our trucks have to relearn shifting habits after having the battery disconnected?
I know all modern vehicle have a sort of shifting memory that is saved in the computer, but I'm not sure to what extent it is with the Tundra.

 

[Kpack]

Damn man! That oil is nasty!!! I did my Xterra tranny oil every 20k miles too. I was towing a lot though. Sometimes I did a flush and fill and sometimes just a full drain and re-fill.

I think I'm going to make simple drain and fills part of my yearly routine. Perhaps I'll have the tranny flushed again before I do that though.

Speaking of shifting.
Do you know if our trucks have to relearn shifting habits after having the battery disconnected?
I know all modern vehicle have a sort of shifting memory that is saved in the computer, but I'm not sure to what extent it is with the Tundra.

I have no idea on this. I'd think that the shifting is pretty well set because there are products out there (for Tacoma's) that adjust the shift timing...doesn't seem like it's something that is variable under normal circumstances. But that's just a complete guess.

 

[Kpack]

I *may* have found the solution to my vibration issues.....tires.

Had my mechanic do a thorough drive with me and under truck evaluation. Driving didn't sound like wheel bearings, vibration definitely noticeable in driver's seat (pedal, floor, steering wheel), but not hardly at all in passenger seat.

Put the truck on jack stands so all four tires were off the ground (front jacks were right next to LBJ's to get a somewhat normal angle on suspension), and ran the truck through its paces. 2WD first showed no noise in the rear axles or bearings, both rear tires were perfectly straight and true. 4WD showed no noise in the front differential, wheel bearings, or axles. Slight noise on transfer case output, but probably not related. No noise from u-joints, and all tested solid with no play before we ran the truck.

Mechanic had me look at the front tires as the truck ran on the stands, and bingo.....both from tires were wobbling slightly back and forth. Just had them balanced and lugs are tight. Once stopped, we ran our hands over the outer edge of both tires and we could feel the cupping. Hard to tell because the tread is so aggressive, but I could definitely feel the scalloping.

My guess is that something in the alignment is to blame. Truck was aligned last year after I installed coilovers, new LBJ's, and new inner/outer tie rods. Before I get new tires I want to be sure I'm not going to have problems with alignment in the future. What else could throw the alignment off? LCA bushing? Steering rack?

 

[Loubaru]

I'd definitely check or replace the LCA bushing before getting another alignment. If I remember correctly you have a good amount of miles? Have they ever been replaced?

 

[Kpack]

I'd definitely check or replace the LCA bushing before getting another alignment. If I remember correctly you have a good amount of miles? Have they ever been replaced?

That's what I was thinking. Never replaced to my knowledge, nearly 195K on the clock right now. Visually they look okay, but you really can't see much of them so it's likely they are worn out. Most people say it is easiest to replace the entire LCA rather than just the bushings.

Any thoughts on LCA brand? OEM, Moog, etc?

 

[Loubaru]

Ive heard terrible things about every brand other than oem. Might be worth buying a used set and doing the bushing on those.

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[collkid]

Sheesh. Though it looks like you did a lot of amazing things to your truck, it has been quite a journey to get there.

Hope things smooth out.

 

[trailscape]

From past experience, I'd probably do the bushings on the oem arms. When I did them on my 02 with Moog arms they were rusting less than a year later. I'm not use to seeing rust either.

 

[blueranger501]

I thought my lca busing were fine, had them replaced with oem and the difference was immediately noticeable (130k). Truck drove much tighter, steering more responsive, less body roll when changing lanes (guess the arms flexed a bit before responding to steering inputs).

Crossing my fingers for you, my truck has been flawless for 144k Miles (had it since new), they are great trucks! Sounds like you are almost there, good luck!

 

[tennesseewj]

Did you eliminate wheel bearings already? Bad wheel bearings are also capable of causing noise, vibration, and tire wear similar to what you describe.

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[Kpack]

Looks like I'll be looking around for a good price on OEM LCA's with bushings already installed, instead of pressing in new ones on my current LCA's. I've read that replacing the bushings is like slitting your wrists and doing pushups in salt water. Unless you guys have had different experiences? I'm guessing that these bushings are the original. If they are anything like the bushings that were on the original shocks (which I thankfully replaced with ICON), then they are completely worn out.

Did you eliminate wheel bearings already? Bad wheel bearings are also capable of causing noise, vibration, and tire wear similar to what you describe.

Two front bearings are brand new within the last 10k miles, no noise now and smooth. Rear bearings are completely silent and no play whatsoever. Confirmed by two mechanics.