New to me 2005 DC Questions and Upgrades

I just joined and just bought a 05 DC with 288K miles. I'm coming from a decked out 2015 TACO DCSB.



I'm really enjoying the size and v8 so far, it's nice to be able to set the cruise and not have the truck constantly shift back and forth into low gear just to do the speed limit.

Anyway, I have a few questions. The first is about about the timing belt, does anyone use any kind of inspection criteria for the belts or just mileage? I inspected it and the truck timing belt looks great with zero signs of wear. There was a sticker on the cover but it's been removed or fell off. The rest of the truck has been well maintained, in the last 20K miles it's had, the 70B ball joint recall done, airbag sensor and inflator, drivers window track repair, battery, cat & O2 sensor, lift, most was done in '22, in '24 it's had new DS CV axle, new pads & rotors turned, new plugs, 1 new coil, and new tires at 285K. Only 20K miles since 2022. It also has new headlights, marker lights and taillights. To me it seems like most needed maintenance had been done which makes me thing the timing belt had been done as well but the maintenance at Toyota was all done since 22 with no record of a belt.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ANAHQVBqvgY

My second question is about shocks. The truck has KYB shocks with spacers, it rides super rough though small bumps on the road, pot holes etc. 80% or more of the trucks life will be spent in the woods, I purchased it as a hunting/camping vehicle and will probably put about 10K miles a year on mostly dirt roads on the truck. I'm looking at 6112's but am curious what others opinions are as far as ride quality on washboarded or bumpy roads, I know they will be good for logging or skid roads with big ruts and bumps but don't want to get beat up on the small stuff and am looking for a smooth ride. The TACO I sold had a Icon Stage 4 lift which was awesome but it cost more than this whole truck and I don't plan to invest that much, I also wore out those shocks in about 20K miles. I did a search and read about the 5110 vs 6112 but am still unsure how they will perform on the small stuff as far as ride comfort, I will be aired down under 20psi most of the time.



Last question is about tires. The truck currently has 285/70 r17's, it drives well, alignment is good and there is no rubbing. I'm considering selling them since they only have about 3K miles and going to a 265/70, my thought is I will be able to run the new shocks with less spring pressure for clearance on the 265's which will help the ride, I'm also thinking fuel mileage should improve as well with a little smaller tire. Anyone have any thoughts on this?



The only issues are that there are a few small dings, tailgate hinge is broken, sun visors sag when unclipped, has engine light for Cat P0420 (has new cat), paint is faded, I will repaint the hood and maybe the top but I didn't buy it for looks.



Currently the list of to do items in the next couple months are:

Topper
Shocks
(maybe a timing belt)
Apple Play, possibly a tablet-sized display so I can run OnX on the dash.

I also plan to put front and rear high clearance coastal bumpers on the truck down the road with a synthetic winch. Possibly on-board air, I had it on the TACO and it was awesome for blowing dust from the cab and refilling before long road trips.

Any other must haves I'm overlooking?

I'm very happy with the truck so far, I was looking at them before buying the TACO and wish I would have just bought one back then instead of dealing with the 5' bed, gutless engine and small back seat.

 

Welcome. Do yourself and everyone on here a favor and read this before asking any other questions. >>https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-you-wanna-buy-just-bought-a-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/
Not trying to be a jerk, but 90% of what you ask is in there.

 

Welcome. READ THIS FIRST So ... you wanna buy / just bought a 1st Gen Tundra, eh? | Toyota Tundra Forum (tundras.com)

 

Welcome from LA (Lower Alabama)!

 

Welcome from CA (central Alabama).

In before our resident walking encyclopedia of 1st gen Tundra knowledge @shifty` tells you to update your vehicle description to include cab type (AC, DC, etc), 2wd v 4wd, engine size, etc so you can be better helped

 

Welcome

 

I read through that and couldn't get answers which is why I asked. There is no real mention on inspection criteria for the belt so I'm curious if any toyota techs or someone with more experience might chime in. I'll post a pic in a few once I get them uploaded. I've personally never had a belt just randomly blow that didn't already look horrible or have some rott beforehand unless it was from a seized water pump or pully.

The tire section says how to fit them and doesn't really mention pro/cons on mileage and suspension ride for the 265 vs 285.

All the shock threads I've read don't really say much about general performance on the 6112 vs 5110 or any other shocks other than the 2.5 body will out perform and outlast the 5110 in the rough stuff. I would really like to know from people who have ran them how they are on lighter bumps like washboard and pot holes on gravel roads, I also drive crappy rough stuff a lot but don't want to vibrate my truck apart because I buy too stiff of a shock for most of my other use.

Any help is appreciated for sure.

 

There are a couple of things that you should be primarily concerned with. Yes, the timing belt is one of them. You can pull the bolts on the driver side timing belt cover to get a bit of a look at it, but I'm not sure if that's a great indication of whether or not the TB is bad, unless you can actually see fraying or cracks, which is possible. Standard rule of thumb is 90,000 miles or 6-10 years (I think). If there is any question as to when the belt was changed, and there is no accurate record, CHANGE IT! You'll want to do the water pump and all of the pulleys and tensioners while you've got it apart. Don't settle for any old timing belt/water pump kit. Use ONLY the Aisin kit, sold by a reputable supplier like Rock Auto or Summit. Stay away from Amazon and the like. Too many counterfeit parts out there. The second concern is lower ball joints. Again, if you have no idea when they were changed, CHANGE THEM! Only use OEM on these! There are many documented failures out there, and they are really ugly.

Your truck probably came with 265/70R17. You will definitely see an improvement in MPG with the stock tire size. Less rotating mass vs. 285.

I can't speak to the performance of the 6112s, but I have 5100s on my '03 with stock springs. They are an all around decent ride. They absorb washboard roads well, I've never felt like the ride is harsh in any way, and I like the adjustability of the front struts. Eventually I'm going to upgrade the springs so this was appealing to me. For what you describe I think they would suit you.

 

Thanks,

I went back and posted a video of the timing belt, zero cracks or signs of wear. The ball joints were replaced at Toyota under 20K ago, the only reason I'm asking about any kind of belt inspection criteria is because all of the other maintenance on the truck was well kept up on. I know it's been replaced, I'm just not sure when, the sticker residue is on the cover but the stick is gone. All of the rest of the work I mentioned above has been done within the last 20K miles and since 2022 by Toyota.

 

The only thing a visual inspection is going to tell you is if failure is imminent. If they fail The engine might as well be a boat anchor.

unless it was reported to Carfax or the outside chance you contact their dealership to see if they replaced it, there just is no way to know when it was last changed. So the question is, are you willing to roll the dice?

another sign – does the radiator look fairly new? I got all of my parts for around $400-450 including a new radiator. If the radiator doesn't look good, that's another reason to just go ahead and replace all

 

Watched the video. You're probably OK on the timing belt.

 

the timing belt is one of those things, if you're capable, and have the time/funds. And you are not fully aware of how old the current one is. Just do it. I'd rather have peace of mind knowing I have 75k+ miles of "my engine isn't gonna grenade itself"

Just my $0.02

Other things would be, go over the cooling system and make sure it's all 100%. OEM radiators like to turn brown and into 2 pieces after 18years of use lol pink coolant. It just keeps our trucks cooler.

 

Nice find.
One thought, since you are running larger tires. What are they inflated to? They might be riding harsh because they are overinflated. Not saying that's your only problem, but that can certainly contribute to it.

 

I’m positive they are but I drove it home 3hrs away and am driving 4hrs tonight to get a topper for $400. I’ll defiantly air them down when leaving the asphalt. I’ll check when I get back and see how much air is in them.

 

You show that tire who's boss.

 

Well I found a topper and ordered some 6112's and 5160's to replace the lift spacers and KYB's. I measured my center hub to fender and came up with 21.5", according to one of the threads I found on here I should be good on clip 7/5 with the 6112's and center measurement should be the same. I'm hoping that if my center-to-fender measurement is the same the alignment will be good, it drives great now.

 

Those are a popular combo. I believe they require new springs as well though?

 

I ordered them with springs and new tophats.

 

I have changed out the timing belt on my Tundra twice each time the existing belt had 100-125k miles and was in good shape. The 4.7L is an interference engine meaning the valves go into the cylinder so if the timing belt breaks expect some internal damage. I don’t inspect mine but change due to mileage.

You could go to Toyota.com and enter your VIN number it’s service history will come up both dealers and reputable garages that would bother to enter information

 

Thanks, I already checked the VIN and talked to Toyota, the truck has been maintained well but no record of the timing belt except a missing sticker. I thought about doing carfax but have heard mixed results on their reports and feel like it's probably a waste of money. The belt is on the to-do list but I'm not super concerned about. The truck only has records going back to 2022, prior to that nothing is in Toyotas system so all the maintenance was obviously done elsewhere.

 

Run a CarFax...I recently bought a Camry, and although the Toyota owners site had no records of timing belt changes, Carfax had them both, even though performed by private shops

 

The carfax report didn't show anything for me. It was interesting though, I'm only the 5 owner, the first owner bought it new in NV and it stayed in NV until 273K miles and sold to a guy in ID in 2018, he sold it to another ID, between the two they dove it only drove it 10K miles in 5yrs. The lady I bought from crashed her car and bought it from the 3rd guy which was a friend because she needed a vehicle, she only drove it 100 miles and sold it to me. It shows zero accidents and no open recalls, not sure if it was worth the $40 but it would have been had they mentioned a belt being done, I'm now having buyer's remorse. LOL

 

Oops...I should have mentioned this:
https://en.carfaxforsale.com/
Yes, it's legit

 

I was correct about the timing belt looking fairly new. I got the pervious owners info from the lady i bought it from and he said that he had it replaced 1yr / 9K miles ago.

I’m glad I didn’t just swap it out again!! Also picked up a DC canopy today, it needs painted to match and the clear coat is pealing but other than that it’s in great condition.