Need help deciding, Why a Tacoma over a full size truck?

[Toyaddict]

Ever replace the “pesky” coolant hose on the J80? Yeah even the legendary J80 has stupid stuff. ?

Can't say I have, Toyota isn't infallible and they've certainly made bad decisions at times. We could go tit for tat all day on Japanese vs domestic engineering. Fortunately there's enough room for both in my garage.

 

[Boatbuilder79]

My F-150 See the wiring harness wrapped with tape. It came that way.



The toyota just looks neater to me.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Ever replace the “pesky” coolant hose on the J80? Yeah even the legendary J80 has stupid stuff. ?

To be fair I hope my 2uzfe never needs a starter, gonna knock on some wood now.

The 1FZ PHH and 2UZ starter are both poor design choices. Also the driver's side upper control arm bolt on a Tacoma (and I assume 4Runner and FJ Cruiser) that requires bending the inner fender to get out. It could have been solved by simply adding a notch to the stamping.

Anyway, at the same time the other 99.9% of the trucks are pretty well laid out with respect to maintenance. That's I think the point @Boatbuilder79 might be making and by-and-large I agree that it seems that Toyota considers the process that a mechanic later uses rather than doing something that seems to just be about shaving 10 seconds off assembly time but then later requires lifting the body off the frame to do head gaskets.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Fords engine area has always been a pita to work in. But much easier now, if you have one of those laydown creeper ladder things that lets you reach everything from the top while laying down.

The 6.2 and 7.3 are cake though, you can reach all the way around the engine.

My 2.7 has an insane amount of room around it.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

...a mechanic later uses rather than doing something that seems to just be about shaving 10 seconds off assembly time but then requires lifting the body off the frame to do head gaskets.

Lifting the cab/front clip off the frame is ridiculously easy and takes much less time than doing it the old fashioned way.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Lifting the cab/front clip off the frame is ridiculously easy and takes much less time than doing it the old fashioned way.

How is the old fashioned way of not needing to lift the body off the frame easier?

Four Wheeler makes it sound like a PITA anyway.

Studdin’: The Cab-On Head Gasket Fix For 6.0L Power Strokes - FOUR WHEELER NETWORK

Head gasket repair is big business in the 6.0L Power Stroke segment. Whether the Super Duty its powering is straddled with GCWR-crushing loads everyday or has b

www.fourwheeler.com

"Head gasket repair is big business in the 6.0L Power Stroke segment. Whether the Super Duty its powering is straddled with GCWR-crushing loads everyday or has been modified via a programmer, winding up with a blown head gasket is pretty much a foregone conclusion. The dilemma for 6.0L owners is that the tight packaging of the engine within the ’03-’07 Fords isn’t exactly ideal for technicians to work on. This makes the job of replacing the head gaskets a laborious endeavor to say the least. For ultimate working space, the process of pulling the cab quickly became the preferred method of performing a head gasket job on a 6.0L, and to this day 9 out of 10 techs do things this way. But we’ve got news for you: You don’t have to pull the cab to work on this engine. And no, it doesn’t take any longer to perform the job with the cab in place.

The folks at Flynn’s Shop believe a lot of time is wasted while carrying out all the odds and ends associated with separating the cab from the frame on the ’03-’07 trucks. Between evacuating the A/C system (and recharging it later), deciding what goes up with the cab versus what stays on the ground, and fighting corroded cab mounts and rusted cab mount bolts, they’d rather just dig in under the hood. And no, they don’t pull the engine."

 

[Deleted member 9101]

How is the old fashioned way of not needing to lift the body off the frame easier?

Lol... ? I said lifting the cab is the easy way. Bending over a fender and having crap in your way is archaic. Just lift the cab and front clip and be done.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Lol... ? I said lifting the cab is the easy way. Bending over a fender and having crap in your way is archaic. Just lift the cab and front clip and be done.

Ah, that's a true statement. It seems like trucks are ridiculously tall now for sure.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Ah, that's a true statement. It seems like trucks are ridiculously tall now for sure.

I have to stand on a small platform to work on my F150 (I'm 5'9"). I don't mind...but it is inconvenient at times.

 

[calicamper]

View attachment 567075

My F-150 See the wiring harness wrapped with tape. It came that way.

View attachment 567077

The toyota just looks neater to me.

Lol two Toyotas one was a single owner Land Cruiser had many factory taped wires. Only vehicle I have ever been impressed by wiring harness attention to detail is Mercedes. When you have 4+ sensors on every moving part wiring becomes important lol

 

[DaveInDenver]

Lol two Toyotas one was a single owner Land Cruiser had many factory taped wires. Only vehicle I have ever been impressed by wiring harness attention to detail is Mercedes. When you have 4+ sensors on every moving part wiring becomes important lol

Agreed, the example of the Ford wiring harness could easily pass for a current anything.

 

[tacollie]

I'm pretty sure the rear shocks on a 3rd gen 4Runner were designed to be replaced with the body off the frame ?.

I do feel the Toyotas are easier to work on. That is great for the 7 of us that work on our own vehicles.

 

[calicamper]

I'm pretty sure the rear shocks on a 3rd gen 4Runner were designed to be replaced with the body off the frame ?.

I do feel the Toyotas are easier to work on. That is great for the 7 of us that work on our own vehicles.

Only modern vehicle I work/worked on was my Subaru. Which was basically like working on a VW Bug only better built. LOL
Brakes etc on Domestics, Hondas, VWs, Toyotas and Mercedes all pretty much the same. But I hated the VW zero wheel studs thing. If anyone meets the German who thought that was a brilliant idea please punch him in the face for me.

 

[thezentree]

Standard Expo answer:
dA tAcOmA iS mOor Re-LiA-bLe

Or:
ThE F150 WoN'T FiTs dOwnS tHe TrAiLs I mIghT dRivE onCe a yEAr

The F150 doesn't need nearly as much work to be "expo worthy" as a Tacoma.
Also, there is no shortage of off road builds on the countless F150 forums. This website seems to have lots of Toyota owners.

I'm gonna respond to this because I said earlier that my fullsize pickup would have trouble fitting thru the trails around here.

It would.

And if you're buying a truck to go four wheeling in, one of the things you probably ought to take into consideration is whether it will fit where you want to take it. If you just want something to bolt crap to so you look cool at the mall, or you live out west where you don't have to squeeze through trees every ten feet, then a midsize toyota might not make sense.

 

[calicamper]

I'm gonna respond to this because I said earlier that my fullsize pickup would have trouble fitting thru the trails around here.

It would.

And if you're buying a truck to go four wheeling in, one of the things you probably ought to take into consideration is whether it will fit where you want to take it. If you just want something to bolt crap to so you look cool at the mall, or you live out west where you don't have to squeeze through trees every ten feet, then a midsize toyota might not make sense.

Out west we have really big trees. ?