buy 1st gen Tundra??

[blazinid]

Opinions on buying a 1st gen tundra TRD excab with 93k miles and matching shell. I would use it as my daily driver and to move around materials for home remodel. I would also like to use this truck on the trails to go camping and sight seeing. Is there much after marked support for a tundra?

In the future I would like to upgrade the suspension and put a winch bumper on the front but doesn't look like there are many options for this??

 

[kcowyo]

My opinion - great trucks, wish I had one. Someday I might.

:smiley_drive:

 

[upcruiser]

I have a 2000 that is bone stock and love it. I'm trying to keep it stocka as a daily driver and only have added a cap and a sleeping/drawer platform in the back to make it easy to use for a lot of different stuff. Mine is an SR5 extended cab and is a great combination of ride comfort, size, and hauling/towing ability. I have 150,000 miles on mine and it runs great, only issue is a slight exhaust manifold leak when the engine is cold but that's pretty common on them. There are a few well built Tundras on this site if you poke around a bit.

 

[zolo]

There are plenty of companys that offer suspension and pretty much any after market wish list item you might want.
We have built a few in our shop and our customers have been more than happy.
sway-a-way,
some nice rear add-a-leaf from alcan.
ARB part# if Im not mistaken #39150202 {sahara Bar with winch}
If you want PM me and I can send you some pic of the last Tundra we built. And the specs.

 

[Cackalak Han]

I didn't know until recently that the 1st Gen came with a 3.4L V6? (as well as the V8). And 5-sp manual was standard? Sweet set up right there.

The only issue with the 00-01? I've heard was with the transmission. I believe it was the planetary gears? It's not a prevalent case, but it's affected 4Runners, Tacomas, Sequoias and Tundras in that era. Let me know if this is false info.

 

[jim65wagon]

Great trucks, Tundras. I've had mine since it was new. It's still nearly stock, and has done everything I've wanted it to do. Off road, onroad, doesn't matter. Lumber for the house, dirt, stone, gravel, during the weeks in springtime; camping gear, fishing gear on the weekends. If you need a do-it-all daily driver it's an excellent choice.

front bumpers
ARB sahara bar
Kennesaw Mountain wincher
Fab Fours?


3.4V6 could have the 5spd, V8 was auto only.
2000-2002 had some front brake issues, an upgrade to 2003 parts would take care of that.
some years had a lower ball joint recall, if this one was affected it should be done already, check on that.
Don't know about the trans issue...

 

[dyogim]

I say go for it.

The issues with the transmission was in 00-03 models. A lot less in the 03. The issue was suppose to be the planetary gears exploding. However, I think it's something different. When I tore mine apart to inspect, it looked like the needle bearings for the planetary gears is the culprit. I believe the cage ended up going bad. Because of this, needle bearings became loose and lodging themselves into the planetary gear. Hence, the reason people think the issue originates from the planetary gears. If you need pics of what I'm talking about, I can provide those.

Also, this issue usually happened around the 75K mile mark. In your case, I would suggest pulling the pan and check out the 4 magnets on the bottom of the pan or at least draining the tranny fluid and checking the drain plug for fine metal dust or chunks of metal.

When the tundra first came out, there wasn't a lot of aftermarket products. Now there is but, we had to wait several years.

Overall, the truck is great! In my case, I chose not to mess with any of the engine stuff and keep it stock. The only aftermarket part I have or had, is a JBA EVOL(aka K&N, has the k&n stamp on it. Until K&N sold this division to JBA) muffler. Had a TRD drop, in and modified the stock air box, then upgraded to a AEM brute force intaked, then went back to stock air box (not modified).

If you end up getting the truck, let me know and I have a bunch of resources you can use to help out in any way...

 

[Cackalak Han]

Thanks for clearing that up, dyogim. If you could post some pics, that would be great! (errr... maybe in another thread as to no hijack this one... )

 

[dyogim]

Thanks for clearing that up, dyogim. If you could post some pics, that would be great! (errr... maybe in another thread as to no hijack this one... )

I'll post another thread on the A340F tranny issue for the 1st gen tundras.

Also, here's a pic of the exhaust manifold issue. The flange is thin and tends to crack. The infamous "ticking" is a good sign, your manifold is cracked. As yourengine warms up, the flange expands and end up hearing less of the "ticking".

 

[RoundOut]

I love my Tundra. It is an late model year '03. Never had any tranny problems.

.

 

[01tundra]

hmmm....I've noticed mine making a ticking noise and the drivers side manifold seems to move a little.....another project.....thanks Mike !

 

[RoundOut]

hmmm....I've noticed mine making a ticking noise and the drivers side manifold seems to move a little.....another project.....thanks Mike !

Get some JBA headers & a Y-pipe! They were the best fuel economy mod I did, for sure.

.

 

[devinsixtyseven]

Get the truck, you'll enjoy it. Comfortable and capable, offroad and on.

-Sean

 

[michaelross]

Get some JBA headers & a Y-pipe! They were the best fuel economy mod I did, for sure.

.

Yeah i definitely agree! I have just installed jba headers and got a performance gain with it..