Hello Everybody,

I am in the process of planning a Taco buildup and have a few questions for you experienced Taco owners out there. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

My plan thus far is to get a 96-97 Taco ext. cab with a V6 and manual tranny. With this in mind here are a few questions about the driveline. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Are there any known or common problems with the 3.4 ltr motor?

Is there anyting to keep my eye on(motor related) when I start looking for my truck?

Any common problems with the R150F trans or V6 Tcase?

Any common problems with the front diff?

What is the minimum lift needed to fit 33*12.50 tires without rubbing?
Will a 3.5inch coilover lift do the job?

IF so what kits should I look at and which kits should I avoid?

Has anyone switched the tranns gears out as offered by Marlin Crawler? Was it worth it?

Has anyone done the cable conversion for the TRD locker as offered by Downey? Was it worth it?

Thanks for endulging me!!! Your help is always appreciated!

[color:"red"]I?m no redneck,I?m just gloriously unsophisticated! [/color]
<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/butwiggle.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/butwiggle.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/butwiggle.gif" alt="" />

I'll try with these at least...
Are there any known or common problems with the 3.4 ltr motor? The early motors had occasional headgasket problems resulting in EXTERNAL ONLY coolant leaks. Most should have been fixed by Toyota. Mine was, about 6 months into its life. I got the motor 96K miles later.

Is there anyting to keep my eye on (motor related) when I start looking for my truck? The usual, oil condition, coolant condition. Timing belt/idler-tensioner pulley/water pump replacement if needed. It really helps to do a coolant system pressure check and mechanic's inspection as a matter of course with any used vehicle. Some will do metallurgic/chemical analysis of the oil too.

Any common problems with the R150F trans or V6 Tcase? Nope. Lubrication maybe, std. maintenance.

Any common problems with the front diff? Nope. Same as above.

The rack can wear and develop excessive vertical play, so can the inner tie rod ends. Ball joints. That sort of thing. Should be covered by the mech inspection.

Since Chili Man took the mechanical aspect I'll follow up with the suspension portion of your question...In order to fit 33x12.50's without rubbing you're gonna need about 4" of lift at minimum...My friend has 33's on his truck with 3" of lift and he rubs a little bit, but we did alot of trimming and hammering so you can make it work with less lift its just a little more work...You could go with 33x10.50's or 11.50's and then I dont think you would rub...Since you're buying a 96-97 I'm assuming it will be 4 wheel drive which means with whatever lift you choose you cant go over 2.5" without doing the diff drop...As for lifts, tons of people make them for our trucks which is nice because it gives you a nice selection...The only one that I would say stay away from is Fabtech...They make a 3.5" coilover and 6" drop down bracket system and I know people that have both and are really unsatisfied with them...Fabtech seems to try and find ways not to honor their warrenties too...If you plan on playing in the dirt at all I would recommend staying away from them...This site has a lot of good info on Taco suspension and the truck they use is 96 too...My truck is setup like theirs with the 2.5'x8" sway aways and upper arms with 32x11.50's and it runs amazingly...I've taken it to Pismo, Glamis, Octillo and places around my house and it takes the abuse, but I never jump or it anything so I dont beat on it that hard...Here are some sites that do lifts, check them out and hopefully all of this will help you in your decision <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

www.swayaway.com
www.kingshocks.com
www.donahoeracing.com
www.allprooffroad.com
www.chaosfab.com
www.camburg.com
www.revtek.com
www.cornfedsuspension.com

Ya a buddy of mine had a huge problem with his Fabtech lift. He tried talking to them about replacing the part under warranty (I wish I could remember exactly what it was, but I think it had something to do with an upper control arm). They asked if he had ever had it offroad. He said "yes," and they said, "sorry, that means you voided your warranty." HA! If my buddy's telling the truth, that's not a very good warranty. Someone else once told me that somewhere along the paper work, it says "not for offhighway use."

Then again, I've never done any real hard, serious research, so don't take this too seriously; I just wanted to put in my two cents.

Where did you have to do the trimming? I really don?t want to lower the diff like on the pre 95 trucks. I have one and don?t really want to go that route again. If no doesany one do a 1¿ body lift to help finish out the job.

Thanks

Also are 4.88 or 4.56 the best gears(Obviously this question is up to opinion however humor me)
<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shiner.gif" alt="" />Redneck is as redneck does <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shiner.gif" alt="" />