Toyota Trucks: American 4wd trucks??

"TANKIE" <com> sez:

<snip> 
Toyota 
pickup 

I've had my first and last GM truck, a '97 Suburban. It had a creampuff
existence and regularly serviced by a friend of the family gentleman and
seemed like a predictable buy. I got it 4 yrs. old with 47,000 mi. on the
clock. From there to the 97,000 mi. it had on it when I finally got rid of
it, I had to replace:

AC compressor and purge system - $1000
Transmission rebuild - $2000
Intake manifold leak - $600
2 alternators @ $150 ea. - $300
2 oil lines @ $65 ea. - $130
front ball joints - $700
brake vacuum booster - $400

The transmission failure & the intake manifold leak are notorious on this
and related models. Other things waiting to grenade are the fuel pump
module and the Eaton limited slip differential. I couldn't take it anymore
and dumped it & now drive a nice new Tundra Double-Cab.

Good wrenchin' to ya,
VLJ
--

"vlj" <v@l.j> sez:

<snip> 

Forgot to mention that the hunk of junk was a "Made in Mexico" import ... my
Tundra is made in Illinois, USA.

Good wrenchin' to ya,
VLJ
--
If it has tits or tires, its gonna be trouble.

On Thu, 15 Jan 2004 02:37:53 GMT, "vlj" <v@l.j> wrote:
 

It sounds like it didn't have a creampuff existence. It sounds more
like it may have been abused. I know several poeple who own GM truck
vehicles of around that vintage, most have more than 100k miles on
them, however you seem to have had substantially more problems.. I
don't doubt your problems, but I have to wonder if your vehicle led a
harsh life or was just a lemon.

Either way, I think you'll be very happy with your new Toyota Tundra.

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On Thu, 15 Jan 2004 02:39:45 GMT, "vlj" <v@l.j> wrote:
 


Tundras are made in Princeton, Indiana, USA

My '86 Ford Ranger...nothing but trouble, from day 1. My '86 Toyota
pickup...now with 276,000 miles...nothing but joy and still running!!!


"TANKIE" <com> wrote in message
news:aol.com... 
2 
BUT 
and 
exhaust. 
these. 
Toyota 
pickup 

"Skip" <com> sez:

<snip> 

Doh! At least I got the first letter right ...

Good wrenchin' to ya,
VLJ
--

"Barry S." <org> sez:
<snip> 

Lemon and a GM. I'm an anal-retentive (yes, it *is* spelled with a hyphen)
Mechanical Engineer that does all my own maintenance since back in the
mid-sixties and currently support a fleet of 3 cars, 3 street bikes, 5
dirtbikes and a lawnmower. Something always needs to be wrenched. :-)

The transmission failure was caused the well-known valve-body defect where
the TCC (Torque Converter Clutch) solenoid wears away at the soft body
aluminum and then gets caught in the ridge and not longer will allow the
converter to go into lockup. When driven at speed in that condition, the
hysterisys heating of the transmission fluid cooks the tranny. The fix is a
Sonnax stainless steel sleeve inserted into the valve body after being bored
out. Tranny guys are still doing this "fix" on '02 models with the 4L60E.

When the transmission was opened up, the sun reaction shell (part of the
final planetary gear drive) was about to grenade with a crack at the base of
the spline around 65% of the circumference. Yet another "well-known"
problem in these transmissions that has spawned a cottage industry making
replacement 'hardened' parts.

I'm just underwhelmed at how the thing was engineered and put together.
Maybe I'm just partial to the Asian marques for having worked on them for so
long and being more accustomed to their way of doing things. That damn
Suburban gave me more gried than all my Hondas, Subarus, Toyotas and
Mitsubishis combined.
 

Indeed.

Good wrenchin' to ya,
VLJ
--
If it has tits or tires, its gonna be trouble.