Preventative maintenance

Just felt like talking about my upcoming plans. My wife and I have a place in the NC Mountains, very near the GSMNP. And we do a good amount of "trail riding" that consists of mostly forest service roads in and around the park. At times we could be 20 miles from the nearest paved road with no cell service. So couple that with the fact that my 4th gen just tripped 300K and the Summer is almost here; (We're both teachers so we spend the whole summer at our vacation home), and so I'm trying to reduce the risk of a breakdown at an inopportune time. So later this week or next, whenever the parts arrive, I'm gonna be replacing the following: Water pump, thermostat with housing, serpentine belt, all idler pulleys and tensioner and upper and lower radiator hoses. I'm also replacing the power steering pump due to a small leak, and I'll flush the fluid as well. Only the power steering pump has an actual problem, everything else is preventative. I'm also going to change the oil and filter,(it's due), and probably change the gear oil in the front and rear diffs and the transfer case. I've decided I'm going to do everything in my power to help ensure I don't have a breakdown while I'm miles from help. Of course anything can happen at anytime, (especially with 300K) but I want to mitigate the risk. I also ordered a portable battery booster, this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D42TYFC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8. I already carry a small 12 volt air compressor in case of a flat and I carry a fairly good set of tools with me everywhere I go. .
Of course some of this is for the sake of the longevity of the vehicle as well. Since it's an 05 I don't ever want to let it over heat, even a little bit, with the head gasket problems they have. I already have new upgraded brakes all around, new cv axles, radiator only about 1.5 years old. I tested the battery yesterday and it checks good. Can anyone think of anything else I can do to make this thing any more reliable? Sorry this was so long. I was mostly thinking out loud but also looking for any ideas as well.

 

It looks like you have a good handle on the situation and pre-planning!

 

Thanks Ironguy. I'm trying.

 

Scott Kilmer says always replace a PS pump with a new not a rebuilt one.

I've checked the fluid in my OEM PS pump and it is never dirty. I've siphon off some and replaced them for maintenance.

OP is way overkill in this maintenance. I have 15-year-old runner and all those things he's replacing work fine on mine.

"if it ain't broker, don't fix it".

Screw up the job somehow and you'll live to regret it.

I did my rear differential fluid at 105,000 miles. Three quarts of 90 weight. Now at 150,000 miles and I'll do it again at 190,000 miles. RD holds 12 quarts and we replaced 6 quarts at 106,000.

Rear differential is the simplest D/F you can do on a 4runner and takes under 1/2 hour.

Check the D/F plug for the month following and tighten just a wee bit if you get a drip.

6 washers cost 25 cents each from the dealer.

Taking a 4runner to the dealer for this maintenance is crazy as you won't have a car for two days, and nothing including changing the oil and filter every 5000 miles is simpler.

 

Thanks but I'm actually going with a used one. I have a connection at a salvage yard, (used to work there) and they sold me one with 127K on it for $30. I figure it's worth the risk, and it's genuine Toyota.

 

Scotty Kilmer says... LOL!

Absolutely nothing wrong with using a used but good working P/S pump or a rebuild for that matter, I have used rebuilt P/S pumps, alternators, brake calipers etc etc on many different cars for decades with zero issues.

Sounds like you have a good list of preventative maintenance items, just be sure to use the correct Dex3 fluid for the P/S.

 

Totally agree. I'd much rather have a used genuine toyota part with 127K on it than almost any aftermarket part. I figure the pump on my 4r has 300K on it and it still works fine, just a minor leak, so one with 127K should be good for a long time. I've used plenty of used parts and good quality remans. A properly rebuilt toyota part is better than a new one made with inferior materials and workmanship. And I've got the Dex 3 waiting.

 

Works fine... just leaks.

 

Yes. It's been leaking, or more accurately seeping, about 2-3 months and I've only added about 2 oz of fluid one time. That's a lot better than one that doesn't provide the proper assist or moans and groans every time you turn the wheel. I honestly could keep driving it indefinitely if it doesn't get worse. Not sure I understand your post.

 

Works fine and leaks are not words that are meant to be used together.

 

I have to at least partially disagree with you on that. A leak is a problem, no question about that. But something not working renders it useless. If you were 50 miles into the wilderness would you rather have an engine with a leak or one that doesn't work? It can work fine and still leak. Anyway, my point was my power steering pump was still functional, it just has a minor leak. And it is a very minor leak. Not enough for it to ever reach the ground. Just making it a little grimy around the pump.

 

A few extra ratchet straps, a small tent(just incase), extra tarp, snacks, couple gallons of water(incase of radiator issues), maybe a jack that isnt a little bottle jack. A couple local off road recovery phone numbers wouldnt hurt, incase you have no service, sometimes you can send a text, and if you get a small signal it will send.

 

Thanks. All good ideas. I've got the straps covered and sometimes I have carried water, better get in the habit. I always have snacks and drinking water. And I've got a couple of hammocks I can take in case I'm stuck overnight. Thanks for the ideas.

 

Update: I finally finished with this maintenance and thought I'd give the details. I did everything I listed in my OP and more. While I had it apart I realized it would be a good idea to replace the front crank seal since it was right there in the open. Didn't even think it was leaking but after removing the pulley I found it did have a small leak. I did go ahead and replace the oil in both diffs and the transfer using synthetic oil. Also, it had been idling kinda low, and was even worse after I had the battery disconnected, due to the loss of self-learning, so I cleaned the throttle body and plate. I also cleaned the battery posts and terminals and installed the little doughnuts and applied protectant to them. While doing the work on the front of the engine I had removed both front tires so I could lower the front of the vehicle for easier access to everything, so I decided to go ahead and rotate the tires. I also greased both drive shafts.
Final thoughts: Overall this was a lot of work but not difficult or overly technical at all. The worst part is probably the tensioner. A lot of tedious work to get to all the bolts removing the alternator and a/c compressor and the tensioner bolts themselves. But the thing that gave me the most trouble was totally unexpected. When I went to put the radiator hoses back on, (both hoses were Gates), apparently the lower hose had a larger outside diameter than the factory one and the clamps were hard to even get onto the hose before trying to install it. But getting the clamp to slide over the bulge on the radiator fitting once the hose was on was nearly impossible. I had to clamp it open using needle nose vice grips and go underneath and use two pry bars to force the clamp into place. And that didn't even work until I sprayed a good deal of silicone spray on it to help it slide. I spent probably 45 minutes getting that one clamp into place and I'm extremely lucky I didn't puncture the radiator, since one of the pry bars slipped and hit the radiator several times. Without looking it up I'm guessing I spent about $450-$500 on everything, but my guess is this job would have been around $2000- $2500 at the dealer. At least now I have some peace of mind when I head out into the mountains. Yeah, it can still break down, but now I know I done all I can to reduce that possibility, and I've also helped to prolong the life of my vehicle.
Oh, one last thing. I also bought a compact battery booster, just in case. I found a great deal on one on Amazon. It had really good reviews and normally sells for $69. It had $14 off and then another 10% after that. I ended up paying just $48 for it. And I've tried it out twice. Once on a 4 cylinder Mazda with a dead battery which it had no problem with. And then Saturday, I needed to use my Tundra which has just been sitting for awhile and had a totally dead battery. It started up like it had a new battery in it. Amazing for such a small unit. This is the one I got: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D42TYFC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s03?ie=UTF8