Gen 1 Toyota Tundra

[SDHNTR]

Have an opportunity to buy a 2005 Tundra with 154k miles on it (from an estate) for way below value. Body is straight and interior is clean but paint is shot. It’s been sitting in a driveway for about 10 months since the gentleman passed away. It will surely need a new battery, some fresh gas, and likely tires/brakes, but once up and running, what else should I have repaired or at least inspected? What issues are these trucks prone to having? This will be a truck for my 16 yr old son (Lord help me!).

 

[CorbLand]

Timing belt if it hasn’t been done. Do the water pump and pulleys while your in there.

Hit the valve cover bolts with a torque wrench.

Outside of that, check your wear items and replace as necessary. Keep up on general maintenance and report back when it has 300K on it.

 

[Stache Attack]

Buy it now! Do as corb has said above. Probably one of my favorite yotas

 

[Maverick1]

Great vehicle. Same V8 engine as shared with a couple of other Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

Make sure to check when (if) the timing belt was done. It is recommended every 90k miles. (If it has been done a good mechanic would have put a sticker on top of the radiator housing to indicate when it was done: mileage and date.) If the timing belt wasn't done previously, plan to have that done and the water pump at the same time.

A big thing to look for on this vintage is frame rust. If the frame is rotten or rusted through - walk away. If not, grab it! (Huge issues with frame rust on these vehicles over the years, plenty of information on the net. With the body and frame style of the Tundra, should be pretty easy to see if you have issues.)

 

[highcj5]

Great truck. I have a 2005. As stated above. Check and see if the timing belt has been done. Check undercarriage for rust.
They aren’t the best on gas mileage. And although it is a V8, it isn’t super powerful if towing something. But you can’t beat the reliability of them!
Curious on how much they are asking?

 

[Jbehredt]

Tundras forum has a very comprehensive 1st gen buyers/new owners guide.

 

[mb6355]

I have a 2006 I bought new and a Gen 2 sequoia, prefer the Tundra for most anything but towing. As stated above, the frame is known to rust and the timing belt change. The other thing I would for sure do, especially if wheeling it at all, is replace the lower ball joints. They had a recall on them when they first came out but it is still a known failure point and recommended every 100K or so. It is a pretty easy job and only use the OEM replacements.

Other than that, if it has not been abused, should be good to go.

 

[Poser]

If you don't have access to service records and just the fact that it has been sitting for 10 months, I'd go ahead and do the coolant, transmission fluid, differential fluid and power steering fluid. No doubt those fluids have degraded while sitting and people aren't good about doing the transmission fluid in sealed transmissions, much less differential fluids.
If you are going to do timing belt, replace the PCV valve ($20) while you're in there.

I have this same engine and have had to replace the purge valve a couple of times. The OEM part is $130. You can find knock offs for as cheap as $30, but I would order at least 2 of them as there is a 50% chance they will even work. The Purge valve sits on top of the engine and can be replaced in 5 minutes.

Clean the mass air flow sensor (super easy).
Check the cabin air filter in the glove box (people seldom replace these).

Rock solid vehicle - a lot of these still on the road.

 

[handwerk]

I have the same truck DC 4x4 with 176,000. Follow the previous advice and your son will enjoy one of the best trucks ever made. If by chance the frame has rust rot then sadly walk away.

 

[ODB]

Yup. Corbland is spot on.

Check the rear axle seals as well. They can leak and pack up the rear brakes with grease. Some here may remember a brake issue I had on mine where the brakes chattered then grabbed at very low speed/creep. That’s what it was. Strange issue but fixing the seal and new brakes solved it.

I sold mine last year with 250k or so. Saw it rolling down the road last week.

 

[Braaap]

I’m getting ready to sell my 2005 and I’ve been struggling with it because it’s been so dang reliable. Everyone has already mentioned the few things to look for but I will tell you the oem brakes kinda suck. I’ve been using Hawk (green box?) pads for several years, 2-3 sets, and the truck stops way way quicker. They wear out a lot faster but for me it’s been worth it. I found the oem brake pads kinda scary if you have to stop quick. Otherwise oem parts for everything.

 

[StuckInTheEast]

Check transfer case operation. Actuator issues can get expensive to fix on those. Other wise most the rest has been covered.
With proper maintenance, 4.7l one of the most reliable engines out there....light on torque for truck work, but just keep going if not neglected.

 

[Poser]

Check transfer case operation.

Good point. Make sure you can shift in and out of 4 Low. If the vehicle has never been driven in 4 low or its been awhile, it may be locked up. I've heard of people successfully getting these working again my tapping the transfer case with a rubber mallet and doing some driving in reverse.

If you don't use 4 lo, be sure to engage it every so often.

 

[06 SB]

I had a 2001 that I ran for 380,000 miles before my son decided to hit a jersey wall with it. Next up was a 2005 that died at 275,000 because another driver decided her phone conversation was more important than the red traffic light in front of her. The weak links in these trucks are not too bad although there are some.
1. CV axles. The boots rip and sling grease. This is an easy thing to check.
2. Timing Belt (water pump). I'd replace both while you are in there. Do it when you buy it!
3. If it is not a TRD, throw some Bilsteins on there to improve the ride.

The next two are less common but it does happen.
4. Secondary Air Injection System. It is poorly designed and poorly located. If it is bad, it will throw a code and "Check Engine" light. The best thing is to buy the bypass kit.
5. Engine noise. If it sounds like your exhaust manifold has a leak, check the seal where the steering shaft passes through the firewall. It does not age well.

 

[Poser]

I had a 2001 that I ran for 380,000 miles before my son decided to hit a jersey wall with it. Next up was a 2005 that died at 275,000 because another driver decided her phone conversation was more important than the red traffic light in front of her. The weak links in these trucks are not too bad although there are some.
1. CV axles. The boots rip and sling grease. This is an easy thing to check.
2. Timing Belt ( water pump). I'd replace both while you are in there. Do it when you buy it!
3. If it is not a TRD, throw some Bilsteins on there to improve the ride.

The next two are less common but it does happen.
4. Secondary Air Injection System. It is poorly designed and poorly located. If it is bad, it will throw a code and "Check Engine" light. The best thing is to buy the bypass kit.
5. Engine noise. If it sounds like your exhaust manifold has a leak, check the seal where the steering shaft passes through the firewall. It does not age well.

Do you recommend the bypass kits proactively or just wait until the vehicle throw the relative code? I've looked into this a bit before, but kinda forgot about it

 

[06 SB]

I waited until it threw the code. My 2001 never threw that code so no reason to fix it until it happens IMO.

 

[Mojave Kid]

I sold my 2000 Tundra to my brother in law in 2010, and its still going good with no major repairs.

 

[elkliver]

As mentioned, if you cant verify it being done, the Timing Belt is a Ticking time bomb .

Perhaps you should sell it immediately... to me of course

 

[30338]

Those year trucks were the perfect size for so many things. He's a lucky kid.

 

[180ls1]

That may be THE most reliable truck ever made. Those above me covered it well. If the SD in your name is for San Diego, I know a mechanic very familiar with that platform if you want work done or a look over.