Connecticut to Kansas and Back 3,200 Miles Road Trip, Sequoia PM advise? (1 Viewer)

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Jul 16, 2013
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So its that time of year we go see family in Kansas. In the past we flew but its way too expensive now for the 4 of us and in my opinion not a great experience: airport B.S., wu-tang flu, waiting, rude ppl, waiting some more, lugging 2 kid car seats, etc. Im beginning to seriously consider driving to Kansas with my wife, 3yr old and a new born. Lord have mercy on me, please!

I did the math, 5.7L V8 at 18mpg, 3200 mile round trip, 177 gallons of fuel +/- thats about $600 in fuel. Not so bad.

My options are the lifted 96 FZJ80 with 277k on the clock, or the 14 Sequoia with 155k on the clock. Im leaning toward the Sequoia. I had fresh road tires put on a few months ago and did a oil change. I think I need to find a proper full size spare tire as I got newer 20'' rims/tires and need to check what spare is under there but what else would you all recommend I do to the truck? PM? Spare parts? I have 4 weeks to prep. Could use some advise as its my first major road trip with the Sequoia. Here is a recent pic of the Tree with the newer tundra 20'' rims and fresh tires. I have no PM history other than a ball joint on one side from the PO and its new to me. Suggestions?
IMG_4255.JPG
 
hid-a-key box just in case we lose the keys
first aid kit
jumper cables
small tool set
 
I'd make sure the battery is in good shape i.e. not over 5 years old.
Maybe replace front diff, x-fer case and rear diff fluid and if you are real adventurous, drain and fill the tranny.
Check coolant and possibly do a drain and fill.
Spark plugs original???
Brake pads in good shape?
Serpentine belt original??
Lube the driveshaft.
New wipers.
Spare light bulbs, headlight, fog, turn signals and brake.
You ever do an interior LED bulb upgrade? Makes a world of difference, especially on a road trip!
That's all I can think of for now.
 
I'd make sure the battery is in good shape i.e. not over 5 years old.
Maybe replace front diff, x-fer case and rear diff fluid and if you are real adventurous, drain and fill the tranny.
Check coolant and possibly do a drain and fill.
Spark plugs original???
Brake pads in good shape?
Serpentine belt original??
Lube the driveshaft.
New wipers.
Spare light bulbs, headlight, fog, turn signals and brake.
You ever do an interior LED bulb upgrade? Makes a world of difference, especially on a road trip!
That's all I can think of for now.
Yah some good points here. When I get home ill look it over and make my list.
 
Yah some good points here. When I get home ill look it over and make my list.

Yep a lot of that is stuff what I did after I bought my used 14'.
Most could probably wait but I'd say make sure the battery and brakes are good to go.
 
Why'd you decide to go up to 20s? I'm actually looking to get rid of those exact rims and possibly go to 18s...

Otherwise, the battery and spare of a serpentine belt are probably your best bet. If the maintenance has been routine and on time up to now, I'd say you have nothing to worry about.
 
I am driving to KC in the spring from Avon CT.

I make it to Columbus in about 11 hours as long as there are no major accidents. I have done Columbus a million times. The trip to KC is longer so I will take two days, the last hop being really short.

I do it alone usually. With your two kids it may be longer because of more stops.

And yes, flying is beginning to zuck. My brother was in KC two weeks ago and their Southwest fights home got cancelled along with about 1799 others. So they drove home, lucky to get a rental car before they ran out. So driving isn’t as dumb as it sounds.

Edit: and take the Sequoia, much more comfortable on the road.
 
Why'd you decide to go up to 20s? I'm actually looking to get rid of those exact rims and possibly go to 18s...

Otherwise, the battery and spare of a serpentine belt are probably your best bet. If the maintenance has been routine and on time up to now, I'd say you have nothing to worry about.

The Sequoia came with this wheel setup which is going to be great for the winter but for the other 3 seasons I got some quieter more fuel efficient, mom wheels. Its my wife's rig by the way. I was just looking for another set of wheels and found a local listing for a good deal so I didnt give it much thought. 18'' vs 20'' ??? Softer ride maybe with 18'' ?

IMG_3324.JPG
 
I am driving to KC in the spring from Avon CT.

I make it to Columbus in about 11 hours as long as there are no major accidents. I have done Columbus a million times. The trip to KC is longer so I will take two days, the last hop being really short.

I do it alone usually. With your two kids it may be longer because of more stops.

And yes, flying is beginning to zuck. My brother was in KC two weeks ago and their Southwest fights home got cancelled along with about 1799 others. So they drove home, lucky to get a rental car before they ran out. So driving isn’t as dumb as it sounds.

Edit: and take the Sequoia, much more comfortable on the road.

I talked to my brother in law who did the same trip with 4 kids. He says its 30hrs of driving including the stops. We probably will over night somewhere and push on.
 
I decided to investigate the spare tire last night. Glad I did! Found the hiding spot where the tool kit was and wow there's some room in there for more crap! I found out the dry rotted tire and rusty rim is likely not the same size as the 275x55xR20 wheels I have on now. I could not make out a size on it, no markings. So ill junk it and find a new rim and tire. Likely the same size and type. I think I found one in NYC.

Also the Sequoia lug wrench will not fit on the tundra rim lugs. Must be a 21mm but Ill need a 22mm so ill be sure to add that to the tool kit.

Thats all I got done last night. Was raining...
 
The Sequoia came with this wheel setup which is going to be great for the winter but for the other 3 seasons I got some quieter more fuel efficient, mom wheels. Its my wife's rig by the way. I was just looking for another set of wheels and found a local listing for a good deal so I didnt give it much thought. 18'' vs 20'' ??? Softer ride maybe with 18'' ?

View attachment 2822575
Makes sense. The 20s probably handle the road better as far as turning and daily driving. Either way, the truck looks good and it's exciting to see all the sequoias in the wild. Best of luck on the trip and let us know what other maintenance items you decide to take care of.
 
Powered (ac or dc) small fridge for road drinks, snacks etc.
Saves a ton of time, money and complaining.
Have fun 😳
 
Was an interesting but successful trip. We made it there and back no issues. 38hrs there and 31hrs back. Lots of stops for gas food and potty breaks.
 
Day before leaving i looked everything over one more time and noticed a rear caliper pad grinding. I asked my wife if she noticed noises lately and shes says “oh yah the back makes a noise” wtf! Lol thanks for the heads up. So got a quick napa setup and went to work. The caliper pins were pretty rough and needed new boots. The pad wear was very odd on both sides. Calipers compressed fine with a c clamp. Thoughts?
 
One last observation was that the power steering felt lumpy. Like if you turned full left to full right every hf turn had a very noticeable hard soft hard soft spots. Power steering fluid was at correct level but did look cooked brownish. Ram issues? Or fluid issue? Anyone else experience this? I may make a new thread on this.
 

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