2005 and early 2nd-gen issues -- and how to fix them!

“Don’t get an 05!”

If you are shopping for a used 2nd gen, folks will probably tell you not to get an ’05. There are some reasons for that, but I bought a used ’05 and haven’t regretted that purchase for a moment. They are great trucks!

And there are some benefits to early 2nd gens too, such as lower prices on the used market, not having any of that air pump nonsense (introduced in 2012), and not having to worry quite as much when you drag your depreciated heap of bolts over rocks, or plunge it into mudholes, or whatever else floats your boat. (Note: these trucks aren’t boats, and they definitely don’t float!) And finally, let’s not forget that subtle feeling of smug disdain that all vehicle owners share towards the newer models – you can’t buy that at a dealership!

These issues have been extensively discussed elsewhere on TW, but I wanted to consolidate information regarding commonly cited deficiencies in the early 2nd gen Tacomas in a somewhat concise thread, to guide newcomers or perspective buyers of these trucks.

If you have an early 2nd-gen Tacoma, whether you love it or hate it, please comment below! I will consolidate information from this thread and elsewhere up top, from time to time. In particular, if you have an '05 or early '06 that's running strong without any of these issues, please let us know, because the nature of this forum tends towards problem reports rather than success stories!

The following posts, I hope, will summarize the information you’ll need to help you make an informed decision on the maintenance or purchase of your early 2nd gen Tacoma!



Summary of people's reports

This is collected from people's responses to this thread, as well as what I found on a few other threads linked below. I can't figure out how to post a table here, so I had to do an image instead, which is too bad because I can't link to each report. Oh well:



Keep in mind that the reporting bias here is highly skewed towards people who've experienced problems. A vast majority of these early models are probably doing just fine at very high mileage!

 

Problem 1: Weak head gaskets on V6 engines



This should be your #1 concern--early 1GR-FEs were manufactured with weaker head gaskets through late 2005. (This affects 4Rs and FJs too, and may affect early ’06 Tacomas--check manufacture date) They typically fail around 150k miles, and it varies from truck to truck, but it seems that many have failed by 200k miles. I replaced mine around 180k miles.

Thanks to @Taco'09 and @Hashc93 for clarifying the dates of affected head gaskets:

The new style head gaskets do not have this weakness, and if you replace the head gaskets, you will get the new style. You can read about my experience replacing the head gaskets here. Another good resource is @Wishbone Runner 's thread, starting around here. There are probably other good threads, and as I find them I’ll add them to the list:

• My experience
• Wishbone Runner's thread
• Head Gasket Replacement 4.0 by Kerrigan911

Diagnosis: If your truck has the old head gasket design, then you are at higher risk of eventual failure. But there are a number of ways to identify the onset and progression of the problem discussed in the above referenced threads, including:

• Check the build date on the door plate, or look up the VIN. If it falls within the range of doom (through 10/2005), then it has the inferior head gasket design. I believe that all ‘05s are affected.
• Swooshing noise from dash on cold startup
• Smoke/steam from tailpipe on cold startup
• Bubbling in the coolant reservoir, even after prolonged running
  • Here is a more detailed thread on this topic, with a diagnostic approach suggested in post #7 that might help localize the problem. I wouldn't bother with this amount of effort for an '05 with bubbling coolant, though... if it bubbles, it's time to change the HG!
• Combustion gasses in the coolant (your mechanic can test for this). Be aware that I've heard of negative CG tests for trucks with early-stage head gaskets failure. It starts as a very small leak.
• Coolant pooling in cylinders 4 or 6 after cooling overnight (pull plugs to look; also, inspect all plugs for varying appearance)
• Misfires on startup, eventually progressing to codes, typically for cyl 4 or 6 (P0304 or P0306), but possibly others.

Pro tip: If your aging early 1GR-FE has ONLY misfire codes, then you might simply have an ignition problem such as coils or plugs. Here's an example of someone solving the dreaded P0304 code by replacing a failed coil pack. But, if you have symptoms such as swooshing sounds at startup, or bubbles in the coolant tank, then you don't need to bother with elaborate diagnostic tests or replacing ignition components in hopes of avoiding the inevitable: The fact is that you need to replace your head gaskets. This is a well-known and solvable problem for these engines.

Solutions:

• You can replace the head gaskets yourself for relatively modest cost, e.g., $800 as reported on WR’s thread. I spent nearly $2k, but also bought lots of tools, and made lots of elective replacements including most of the belt-driven accessories, cooling system, and some sensors.
• You could have a shop replace your head gaskets, which I’d guess would cost $2-3k+, and probably even more at a dealership these days. If anybody has prices for this job, let me know and I’ll post them here!
  • Here's a post suggesting a quoted shop rate of $1800 in WA in 2017, the lowest I could find in my brief search.
  • Here is a post suggesting a dealership price of $3k+ in 2017
  • @Hashc93 reported $3300 for OEM parts and machined heads, in Southern CO, below. (Mileage around 200k)
  • Keep in mind that the cheapest shops might use lower-quality parts, skip machining the heads, or re-use components that ought to be replaced--so make sure the quality of repair is in line with your future expectations for the vehicle.
• You could have the entire engine replaced with a junkyard engine from an ‘07+ Tacoma (or later '06's), or possibly other models with the single-VVT 1GR-FE. I ballparked this at $4k+ myself, but I live in an expensive area, and lack the means to do this myself (or friends who could help). Note that the 2012+ engines have a smog pump system, so additional effort is required to adapt these to pre-'12 applications.

Recommendations:

• If you own an affected engine that hasn’t yet been repaired, you should probably budget for the eventuality of this repair, especially beyond 150k miles -- but this isn't something that needs to be done proactively, and perhaps your old-style gaskets will outlast your truck. @surfjones made it to nearly 400k miles on his '05 factory head gaskets, the highest mileage I've been able to find so far!
• If you are considering buying a high mileage (>100k), not-yet-repaired ’05 (or an affected ’06, check manufacture date), use this information to negotiate a fair price, taking into account your cost of the potential future repair. It is especially prudent to check for signs of failure at purchase, but remember that impending failures can’t be detected, yet will still occur, possibly quite soon. Sadly, this might mean losing out on the purchase, as other customers might not be as well-informed, but you will avoid being caught off guard for a costly repair. On the other hand, this might land you a great deal if you find a truck that’s already throwing codes in a smog state and are comfortable doing the work yourself!
• Consider the health of the rest of the engine and vehicle before deciding to make this repair. The frames on these trucks are beyond the replacement period. Perform a compression/leakdown test, and/or oil analysis to make sure the bottom end is in good shape, and be wary of oil consumption, which is not a direct symptom of this problem.
• Don’t ignore the problem indefinitely. This is a gradual problem, and your truck will continue to run for quite some time, but eventually you will cause permanent engine damage via localized overheating or oil contamination.
• Be wary: HG gasket failures due to actual overheating or other abuse of the engine may have caused substantial damage, such as warped heads. This is not the problem we’re talking about. The early 1GR-FE gaskets fail on their own, not through overheating or abuse, but without degrading the rest of the engine if caught in time, and offer plenty of advanced warning to effect a permanent repair.
• Be happy: A properly repaired engine is no less reliable than what you’ll find in the ‘07+ models! The new head gasket design completely fixes this deficiency. The failure is easy to detect and repair before any other engine damage occurs.

 

Problem 2: Weak engine mounts

Early 2nd gen Tacoma frames used engine mounts that tend to fail with heavy off-road use. Toyota changed the frames by 2007 (not sure about ’06 affected dates), adding additional support to this area.

Here is a photo of a cracked motor mount, taken from @ColtsTRD in this post:



Here are some photos I am reposting from @SnoBoarder (from this post), showing the difference between the ’05 and ’07 factory motor mounts on the driver’s side:


’05 engine mount, viewed from below, steering shaft is at top of photo


’07 frame with factory reinforcement

Solution: DMZ FAB makes a gusset kit consisting of steel plates and gussets you can weld to the frame to strengthen the engine mounts.


These photos are taken from the DMZ FAB website, I hope they don’t mind my using them to promote their products!

It’s not a simple repair, at least for 4x4s, because the front axles must be removed to allow access to the mounts for welding. I was quoted around $1k in labor for this job.

There may be other solutions as well, but any of them are going to require welding material to your frame and engine mounts to fix the deficiency of Toyota's design.

If you’re comfortable working on the truck yourself, but not welding, you can save some of the labor costs by removing the front CV axles yourself before driving to the shop. This isn’t trivial however, as the front hubs are held together by the axle nuts. So, you will have to source outer axle shaft stubs, swap them in, make sure the drained front diff isn’t churning, and tape up the axle shaft holes to keep dust and dirt out during the drive. This is a plan I considered, but ultimately didn’t execute. So you’ll want to discuss it in detail with your shop if you go this route – there may be details I’m missing.


No, the good looking welds here aren't mine. They come that way. Mine are the sloppier ones around the perimeter.

I elected to weld the reinforcements in myself, during a project where I already had the front driveline removed. I’m an absolute novice, hobbyist welder, in fact I think this was my third ever welding project. But my mounts weren't cracked at all, so I was confident in my ability to effect a preemptive reinforcement.

I set up some practice materials under my truck so I could get the hang of welding on my back, and I practiced a lot before starting the job. The key bit of advice I can offer to other novices is to cover yourself in welding blankets until you are 100% sure you won’t have bits of slag finding their way to burn your neck or back (I was on a creeper that perfectly funneled slag to my shoulder blades!) It wasn't the actual burns that led to poor welds, it was the persistent fear of burning myself that made me unable to fully concentrate on the weld. Perhaps I'm just of weak mental fortitude? But once I figured to cover myself in a blanket, my focus returned, and I was able to weld as well as ever -- which isn't great, but was entirely adequate for the repair.

Recommendation: This doesn’t seem to be as common a problem as the head gaskets, and it probably won’t affect your vehicle if you stick to pavement, or live in a region where rust outpaces metal fatigue. If that’s the case, perhaps all you’ll want to do is climb under your truck to check on the engine mounts from time to time. But if you are a spirited driver, or frequently careen down washboard roads, then you’ll want to consider making this repair proactively, because the reinforced mounts will be strongest if the original sheet metal hasn’t already cracked. But even if your mounts are starting to crack, you can still repair and reinforce the mounts—although you might want to enlist a professional welder if that’s the case.

Good news? Your '05 might have the new engine mount design if its frame was replaced under warranty, as pointed out by @fixnfly below:

 

Problem 3: Weak transmission cross-member (up to ‘09)

This problem is perhaps the easiest to solve: The transmission cross-member develops cracks with prolonged use, especially off-road. Here’s a pretty concise thread to which I contributed my results as well.


2011 photo of transmission member support cracking by @MonkeyProof on the above referenced thread…

As I understand it from that thread, the transmission cross member design was changed in 2009. The new design is less prone to failure.



Cracks developing in my own transmission cross-member support. Props to @ glorifiedwelder for bringing this to my attention while my truck was in his shop.

Diagnosis/recommendation: Look at your transmission cross-member from time to time to see if it is cracked!

Solution: While of course you can weld your OEM cross member to repair the cracks, it is generally difficult to arrest the progression of fatigue failure, so a long term-solution should involve the services of a professional welder. Alternately, you can easily replace your cracked cross-member with the new design, using Toyota part Part #51203-04050. Here’s a comparison between the parts:



Make sure to install it correctly, i.e., not upside down like I first tried. Other than that, this is an easy fix!

 

That’s it!

I’m not aware of any more deficiencies unique to early 2nd gens. (Edit: Outside of recalls, make sure you’re up to date there!)

There have been plenty of other improvements over the years, such as technology and safety improvements--and even a facelift in 2012. But with proper maintenance and repair, early 2nd gens can be just as reliable as the rest of these trucks out there, so don’t write them off for no reason. Remember, they are every bit as plagued by the rest of the problems we love to rant about here on TW. But some of us seem to really enjoy owning them.

If I’m missing anything, please post below, and I’ll try to consolidate things up here!


One more bit of advice:

If you're shopping for an early 2nd gen, consider safety features as well. The most important non-standard safety feature in early 2nd gens was vehicle stability control (VSC). It was an option, so check to see if the vehicle in question has it. Another optional safety system was side airbags, but this isn't as important as VSC.

VSC is not an obnoxious nanny system like traction control (although it might only be available in conjunction with said obnoxious nanny systems--I'm not sure). VSC is a highly effective safety system system that applies differential braking to prevent rollovers during evasive maneuvering or loss of control. SUVs and 4x4 trucks used to be among the most dangerous types of vehicles as they grew in popularity in the 90s and early 2000s, owing to their increased center of gravity and thus likelihood of rollover. But, thanks to VSC, such vehicles are now among the safest vehicles on the road, owing to their increased mass and strength of body-on-frame construction. VSC is now mandated on all vehicles, and I really wish that my '05 had it!

A final option to look for when shopping used 2nd gens, which I believe comes in conjunction with VSC (but again I'm not sure): Electronic vs. vacuum brake booster. My truck has the vacuum booster. It works, but it gives weaker, spongier pedal response that is anything but confidence inspiring My truck can barely lock its wheels on hot dry pavement... to do so I have to stand up on the pedal, ass up off the seat, both arms tugging against the wheel with all my might. This is not a result of poor brake maintenance. I run "performance" pads, properly bedded, and with stainless braided lines on both axles; also, I manually adjust the shoes and I flush the fluid every year or two. This is simply a result of having a barely-adequate stock braking configuration, in combination with a heavily loaded truck and slightly oversize (33") tires. If you plan to run even larger tires, then you'll want either the electronic brake booster, or to plan a major brake upgrade that requires 17" wheels. (Mine has 16" wheels with stock calipers.)



Edit: If you have the vacuum booster, you can consider upgrading to the Tundra vacuum booster and master cylinder, which provides far greater braking response in normal driving conditions. I finally tackled this in late 2023, and wish I had done it sooner! For the first time since I've owned it, my truck can now engage its ABS on dry pavement. And for the first time since I've owned it, I can trust my brakes to actually stop the truck when I need it.

Be advised, this is not a trivial "swap-in" upgrade:

1. You must adapt the Tundra booster to the Tacoma brake pedal by increasing the length of the pushrod assembly, using threaded spacers.
2. You must swap both the booster and the master cylinder. The Tundra booster provides the far-greater pedal force multiplication, but it is not mechanically compatible with the Tacoma master cylinder, so you must also swap in a Tundra master cylinder, which has brake line outputs on the opposite side as the Tacoma MC (driver's side for Tundra, passenger side for Tacoma). So...
3. You must fit new brake lines, to adapt from the Tundra MC outputs on the driver's side, to the OEM Tacoma brake lines which terminated on the passenger's side of the Tacoma MC. You can buy braided flex lines for this purpose, or purchase adapters and generic hard lines which you bend to fit yourself. Either way, you will want tube-bending tools to re-route your OEM lines to the new point of connection, and means to secure those connections against mechanical vibrations. Also, the Tundra MC has larger ports than the Tacoma lines, so you will need to either install reducing adapters on the new MC, or custom brake hoses with appropriately sized and gendered fittings on both ends.
4. You must extend your brake fluid level switch wires by a few inches. The Tundra booster is much longer, and the factory wiring won't reach the new reservoir switch location. The actual connector is the same--you just need to extend the wires. It might be possible to avoid this by tearing into the main wiring bundle to extend the free length of the affected wires, but I found it to be easier or at least less risky to simply extend the wire length with soldered splices.
5. If you have an aftermarket electrical panel installed near the brake cylinder, it may no longer fit after the Tundra booster/MC upgrade, because the new booster and MC extend much further from the firewall than the OEM Tacoma setup. So you many need to rework your aftermarket electrical panel, or its means of mounting in the engine bay. .
6. You must properly bleed the brake system during and after the install, the latter of which requires specialty equipment to bleed the ABS system.
7. The Tundra MC is of slightly smaller piston diameter, so in the absence of vacuum boost, you will actually have less mechanical advantage at the pedal, making it even harder to stop whenever vacuum boost is unavailable. The primary concern here would be for manual transmissions on extreme grades, where it is easy to stall the engine and deplete the manifold vacuum. But on steep enough grades, you can definitely even stall automatic transmissions with unintended backslips, and especially if your drums are wet, then it will be an absolute panic trying to arrest your rearward freefall as the vacuum boost fades to nothing. In this case you will need superhuman strength, not only because it will take 1000 lbf of pedal pressure to stop the truck, but also because it will take 10,000 lbf of sphincter pressure to keep your pants clean.

 

2024 thread update: User @Jonny_09_taco chimed in with an issue affecting early 2nd gens with the 2.7 engine... thanks!

 

I have a 2006. Anyone know when this problem was fixed? The first problem I mean

 

Makes me happy that I bought a 2010

 

I'd say your welding looks fine, especially considering where and how you were doing it!
Good write up.

......glad I got a '14.

 

"This should be your #1 concern--early 1GR-FEs were manufactured with defective head gaskets, I believe, through late 2005."

For those seeking to narrow this down a bit further, the old style head gaskets were used from 09/2004 through 10/2005.
The new style head gaskets were used from 11/2005 onward.

 

I have an 06 as well I believe if you look up the vin or also in the door sticker you will see date of first use. the consensus is that anything after November 2005 has the new head gasket. I found this on an old thread when I was troubleshooting my head gasket.
I never overheated just kept losing coolant. I thought it was the water pump around 200k then moved onto the head gasket after a compression test from two shops showed it was bad.
Total cost was 3300 for OEM parts and machined heads. In Southern CO.

Edit: 11/2005 not September
Always finish coffee before posting

 

Haven't experienced this and won't deter me from buying one. These issues can occur on any yr and model. The money I have saved buying my older 05 makes fixing these issues if they do occur a non issue.

 

My 05 has been the best truck I've ever owned. Not scared.

 

I had an 05 from 140 to 181k miles. It had the timing cover leak but no sign of a head gasket problem. It was totaled when a guy ran a red light and t-boned me.

 

Many of the 05's with the weak engine mounts probably have had the frames replaced at this point.

 

Mine was my first Tacoma and definitely made me a believer in these trucks.

 

Very good detailed writeup. Happy to say our '05, which we bought new in August 2005, has had none of those problems. Currently 103,600-plus miles on it.

 

Good heads-up for present and future owners. Thanks for taking the time. As an '08 2.7 owner, (frame replacement 2-20) I've not
run into any of the issues noted. But it's good to know where to keep an eye out.

 

All V6 head gaskets installed between late 04 and late 05 are not defective, just a higher percentage than normal, which for Tacomas is slightly higher than zero. If all the head gaskets were defective and failed, there would be lawsuits and recalls.
Nobody knows what the percentage of defective/failed head gaskets is. I think it's more like 5% than 50%.
Plenty of owners here of 200K+ mile 05 and 06's, they don't seem to get as much attention.
Hoping my 05 is one of the 200K mile specials, otherwise I have to pay for new head gaskets. My truck is in great, rust free condition. I want to keep it.

 

Thanks to all for participating and adding information! I'm adding your insights up top.

This is a good point, perhaps a better term would be "inferior" or "weak" rather than "defective." Certainly a part that lasts 150-200k miles or more wouldn't be considered defective for automotive parts in general -- a lot of other engines are completely worn out by then. But, the failure rate was obviously high enough that Toyota changed the design just a few years into production of the 1GR-FE, and those changes fixed the relative weakness, leading to a pretty clear bifurcation in head gasket lifespan (at least as far as we can perceive on the forums!)

I too wish we had stats on what percentage of these fail, and at what mileage. Do we have any readers here driving an '05 with 200k+ miles on original head gaskets? 300k+? I'm sure we'd love to hear it -- especially those who haven't done their gaskets yet!

This isn't a death sentence for these trucks, just something to be aware of. It's a non-catastrophic gradual condition that is easily detected, and won't leave you stranded. A modestly complex yet straightforward repair is all that's needed to make these engines good for another 100k+ miles. And there are benefits to refreshing the top end on a 15+ year old engine -- they don't have hydraulic lifters, so a valve job and fresh set of plugs will keep them running more efficiently as they age. I enjoy the knowledge that my engine has healthy timing components and oil pump, is clean inside and out, has fresh coolant flowing through brand-new hoses, water pump, and radiator; has freshly adjusted and reseated valves, excellent compression, zero leaks or oil consumption, and healthy oil reports... all in all, quite comforting as I approach the 200k mark on the odometer.


Edit: I rewrote the HG summary trying to use "weak" or "old-style" instead of "defective." Thanks for the input!