2008 V6 Tacoma common issues

Other than frame rot, what can be expected for an automatic 4.0L v6 2008 Toyota Tacoma w/ 150k miles on it in terms of common issues. Also is there anything preventative that can be done to prevent these issues

 

Timing chain cover leak but really it covers all years of that 4 liter engine. Right now the boys on gen 3 forum are finding leaks same place on their new improved trucks with the new Improved engine.

 

Bump

 

I have an 07.
I have replaced these due to Preventative Measures

Serpentine Belt
Engine Coolant
Transmission Fluid
Spark Plugs
Air Filters

I replaced these due to failure

Tail Light Bulb
Rear Axle Seal w/ Diff Fluid
Front Wheel Bearings

I’ve replaced 1 set of Tires
1 pair of Front Brakes. (Still running OEM Original Rear)

I had TSB and Recall on the following

Clock Spring
Seat Belt Screws
Rear Leaf Springs.
I think there were 2 others I had done, I can’t remember what they were.

Common things to look for are

Blower Motor Fan chirp. (It’s common on early years)
Timing Cover Leak
Valve Cover Leak
U-Joints if the were not Serviced Regularly.
Cabin Air filter (as it’s often forgotten)
Leaf Spring Sag.
Torque Converter Shudder.

All the Actuators for the the 4WD System (the rear E-Locker is less common)
Basically just see if 4x4 works. If so, good.

Other than that, I forget.

All that said, these are actually pretty good trucks.
So don’t let the list scare you.
Look it over really good, Test drive it, and go with your gut.

Or pay an independent shop to do a PrePurchase Inspection.
It is probably well worth the money spent. (I went with my gut)

 

Thank you! I have 151k on mine and going to be doing a lot of service this weekend. I was looking for a list of someone else experience that I could look into stuff on my truck. It hasn't had any issues since I bought it 2 years ago but I also have put on almost 30k in 2 years. Also not sure how much the previous own had done since I replaced the cabin filter and not sure if it was ever done before!

 

What @TnShooter said.

Invest in a scan gauge or ultra gauge if you haven't already.

 

Front wheel bearings failing at around 100K miles seemed to be a fairly common issue. Mine failed one at a time at 110K and 125K miles.

 

once your away from the 05-06 potential head gasket issues / engine mount collapsing into frame. realistically you are good if the truck doesnt have rust and has had regular maintenance. Biggest thing as far as fluids IMO outside of proper oil change intervals is the rear diff. If that hasnt seen at least a few changes in 151k miles, be prepared for pinions bearings to go, killing ring and pinion gears.

But beyond that if the price is right and rust is MINIMAL to non existent go for it. 08 was the last year before traction control / vehicle stability control was standard. Also think 08 side air bags were an option, not standard as well.

 

Not sure about the "new" part given that it's been in production for 15 years.....and 5 years in the Taco

 

This is a good list. I also have an '07 that is crossing the 150k mark this weekend.

Mirroring this for the preventive stuff on mine:

Engine Oil - I let Toyota do the oil changes for the first 30k miles, then I got tired of paying their prices for conventional oil. Switched to synthetic at that point, and have never looked back. Over the course of many years trying many different brands of oils and filters, I settled on using Wal-Mart SuperTech 5w30 (fully synthetic) with a Motorcraft FL400S oil filter. Engine still purrs like a walrus.
Serpentine Belt - replaced at 120k (was squealing when wet)
Engine Coolant - replaced when my frame was swapped @ 110k miles
Transmission Fluid - did a DIY flush with 14 quarts @ 80k miles (no issues noted, but the old fluid was unsurprisingly a bit dirty)
Spark Plugs - changed every 30k
Air Filters - both the engine and cabin air filters replaced every 30k
Differential (Front/Rear) - replaced both at 80k. Rear differential ended up failing at 120k miles, likely unrelated to anything I did or did not do maintenance-wise. Details on that below.
Transfer Case - replaced at 80k (looked brand new when it came out - I rarely use 4WD)

Routine maintenance:

Brakes - front pads needed replaced at 80k miles; went ahead and replaced the rotors while I was at it since they were so crusty. Rear drums were inspected at 120k - they were fine, but I went ahead and replaced them as well since I was already in there.
Tires - I've gone through a few sets. OEMs lasted around 30k miles before they got too hard. Ran some Michelins for a while - they rode nice, but looked kinda silly on a truck with an "Off-Road" sticker on it. Replaced those with BFG All-Terrain T/A KO - these were the slightly larger diameter E load rated tires, and were like boat anchors. I just replaced them with Goodyear UltraTerrains along with some 17" TRD Pro wheels. My original wheels were really starting to corrode - the paint was flaking off pretty badly on all 4.
TPMS - all 5 original TPMS sensors were still good after 13 years of daily driving. I went ahead and replaced the 4 main sensors with some aftermarket units I cloned myself just because I knew I was on borrowed time (they generally only last 8-10 years). The spare tire TPMS sensor is still the original, and is still functioning just fine at the moment. Spare tire is still the original, and needs replaced due to age. Still holds air just fine though. I've used it once in my 13 years of owning this truck.

Major issues:

A/C condenser developed a leak at around 60k miles. It was likely a rock chip that caused a small refrigerant leak - chalked it up to bad luck. It's been fine ever since I paid Toyota to fix it ($$$$).
Passenger side front wheel bearing went at 60k miles.
Passenger side front wheel bearing went again at 150k miles. I went ahead and replaced the driver's side front wheel bearing too this time around, although it was still good.
Rear differential failure @ 120k miles. My best guess was that the pinion bearings lost their preload due to an improperly torqued crush washer, which ended up destroying the bearings. I replaced the 3rd member myself with a unit from East Coast Gear Supply. The one they sent me was stone silent, which leads me to believe that the original was never right to begin with since it always had a whine to it.
In the process of trying to figure out what was causing all the racket that ended up being the rear differential, I ended up replacing the driveshaft center support bearing (original one was pretty beat, but still okay), U-joints (never greased, but were all still good), and rear brakes (already listed above).
Power steering rack went @ 145k - passenger side rack seal was leaking.
Frame recall @ 110k miles. My frame looked like garbage after 9 years of Ohio winters. Lots of things replaced during that time, including the gas tank straps, rear leaf springs, spare tire holder, front lower control arms, etc.

Minor issues:

Temp display/compass started malfunctioning after a few years of ownership. Ended up being the typical bad solder joint on one of the surface mount resistors. I tried reflowing the solder joints first which bought me another year or so before it failed again. Ended up switching to a pair of standard resistors instead (as in, non-surface mount), and haven't had the problem since.
Gas pedal recall - Toyota's fix? They cut my damn gas pedal short and reflashed the PCM. Thanks Toyota.
Clock spring failure - this was my own fault. I ended up replacing my original when I added steering wheel controls, but bought one that was at a price that was too good to be true. It lasted about 4 years before it failed, which threw an ABS light on my dash. Bought an OEM clock spring/spiral cable assembly, which fixed the problem immediately.
Squeaking blower fan motor - replaced that one many years ago with the updated Toyota part number, which fixed the problem, although the new fan doesn't blow quite as hard as the old one used to.
The radiator overflow hose on mine has leaked a little from time to time. Needed a couple of hose clamps to stop that one.

Yeah, I've had some issues, but overall, the truck has never left me stranded. Thankfully, the aftermarket support for this truck is phenomenal, as is the OEM parts supply. When they replaced my frame a few years ago, I made the decision to drive it into the ground. I'm hoping to get at least 20 years out of it - more would be a nice bonus. I like having no car payment, and anything I've needed to fix has generally cost me about the same as 1-2 car payments, usually less.

 

You might be the unluckiest Tacoma driver of all time

 

Not gonna disagree with you on that one.