All Entries in the "Tacoma Repairs and Maintenance" Category

How to Improve Your Toyota Tacoma Gas Mileage

Everyone wants better gas mileage out of their truck, but it’s hard to tell exactly what works and what doesn’t when it comes to the driving techniques you can adopt and the modifications that you can make in order to squeeze out a few more miles per gallon. The Toyota Tacoma is no exception, so we’ve put together a quick list of things you can try to help improve your Tacoma’s fuel economy without breaking the bank.

1. Don’t share. Believe it or not, most vehicles built in the last decade or so have the ability to “learn” your driving patterns. Once they know your pattern – how you like to shift, how fast you like to accelerate, etc. – the engine computer will automatically adjust the powertrain to maximize efficiency. But if you share your car with someone who drives differently – say, by letting your wild-eyed son in law use your truck to pick up some furniture – it’s possible that your engine will change patterns to match the new driver. Constant learning and re-learning usually isn’t good for gas mileage.

2. Tire inflation. Yes, this became a political joke during the last election, but the reality is, properly-inflated tires do help you get more miles from a tank of gas. It’s also true that most people rarely check how many pounds of air are in each tire on anything resembling a regular basis. Get a gauge, check your door sticker and make sure you aren’t riding too low.

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Benjamin Hunting | Aug 02, 2011 | Comments 8

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My Muffler Has A Hole In It – Should I Fix It?

Car repairs can be expensive, and no one likes spending any more money than they have to. If you’ve noticed that your vehicle’s muffler has a hole in it, you have a couple of options. You can either:

Buy a new muffler. There are lots of inexpensive replacement mufflers out there, not to mention a bevy of after-market performance exhaust systems to choose from. Check out ExhaustVideos.com to listen to all the popular exhaust system sounds. They even have a Tacoma exhaust page!
You can try and fix the hole in your muffler using any number of patch kits.

For sake of argument, we’re going to say that you’re going to repair your existing muffler with a patch kit. We’re also going to assume that everyone understands the dangers of a leaking exhaust system (carbon monoxide in your truck’s passenger compartment is a killer).

How To Fix A Hole In Your Muffler

A good muffler repair kit is affordable, fairly easy to apply and easily found at most auto parts stores. You can also check out the larger chain stores like WalMart and Target; chances are they may muffler repair kits for purchase.

There are several muffler repair kits on the market and it can be difficult knowing which one to purchase. You may be inclined to go for the least expensive, but that’s not always the best idea. You don’t want to repair your muffler today only to have to repair it again in a month’s time. Here are some tips for finding a good kit:

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Jason | Jun 30, 2011 | Comments 0

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Toyota Tacoma Fuel Pumps – Location, Replacement and Causes of Failure

If you own a Toyota Tacoma – regardless of the year – and you learn that you have to replace your fuel pump, you might be in for a bit of a headache. Like many modern vehicles, the 1995 to 2011 Tacoma houses its fuel pump within the fuel tank, taking advantage of the gasoline in the tank to serve as a lubricant and a cooling method during its operation. With the pump assembly sitting at the top of the tank, it means that replacing the component means dropping the whole thing in order to get access to what you need to change, which is not a trivial task.

Why Did My Fuel Pump Fail?

Just how do fuel pumps fail, anyway? One of the most common culprits is heat. Remember in the previous paragraph where we noted that the pump uses gasoline to stay cool while driving? In practical terms, this means that once fuel drops below a certain point in the tank, there is not as much gasoline available to circulate around the pump and keep temperatures low. Frequent driving with an almost empty tank can often lead to premature fuel pump failure.

The Tacoma fuel pump sits on top of the gas tank.

Other culprits that can take out a fuel pump include

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Benjamin Hunting | Jun 21, 2011 | Comments 2

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SDTruckSprings.com Talks About the Toyota Tacoma Leaf Spring Issue

Earlier this week we covered the Toyota Tacoma leaf spring breakage issue, and today we’ll talk about our conversation with Bryan McKenna of SDTruckSprings.com about this same issue. Bryan is an expert on Toyota suspension systems – and off-road truck suspensions in general – and he was able to provide us with some insider details about the Tacoma leaf spring problem.

Q. Do All Tacoma Springs Have the Same Problem?

One of the first things we asked McKenna was whether all Tacoma owners should be concerned about the quality and ruggedness of their stock leaf springs. Bryan told us that for daily use, most Tacoma drivers will be fine, but that anyone who regularly tows or hauls must keep an eye on their springs to make sure that they aren’t developing any problems. In particular, Bryan said that SDTruckSprings.com sells more left and right leaf springs for the 1998-2000 Tacoma with four-wheel drive, indicating that that particular build range might be more prone to problems.

Why Do They Break?

In Bryan’s opinion, the reason that Tacoma springs are breaking more often than those found on other trucks that are used for similar purposes has to do with the quality of the steel that was used in their initial construction. Inferior metal and additives went into the Tacoma’s leaf springs, and as a result they are not nearly as durable as those built by the competition. McKenna also said that he has noticed that Tacoma owners “love their trucks,” and as a result may be more prone to overload them a bit in daily use.

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Benjamin Hunting | May 12, 2011 | Comments 0

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Why Do Toyota Tacoma Leaf Springs Break?

It’s definitely not a secret in the Toyota community that the rear leaf springs installed in the Tacoma pickup truck are prone to cracking, flattening and breaking. In fact, Toyota released a technical service bulletin in 2007 that was intended to address this problem by replacing the springs with new units from the factory. The repair was (and still is) available for free to second gen Tacoma owners still covered by warranty, but if you’re out of warranty then you’ll have to rely on goodwill from your local dealer or foot the bill yourself if you want a factory leaf spring replacement pack. Remember: Broken leaf springs are dangerous because they can lead to unpredictable driving characteristics, especially while towing. If you have a busted leaf spring pack, get it replaced right away.

A common sight: a cracked Tacoma leaf spring.

It should be noted that owners of first generation Tacomas have also had issues with the design of their rear suspension systems, with reports of leaf spring breakage stretching all the way from 1995 to the present day.