What did you do with your Tundra or Sequoia this weekend?
- Thread starter Bryanseye
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Spent a couple days up north - had a good time on Schnebly and Broken Arrow.
My son and I changed oil on my ‘25 Tundra today. (Non-hybrid). He helps me by doing the under the truck work because I get vertigo from that type of activity. I read that an oil change that includes a filter requires 7.7 quarts. I measured in 7.5 and it seems to be perfect.
Check off that task.
Check off that task.
I went with the OEM Toyota tow mirrors with power fold.
879100C281
879400C281
They’re about twice as expensive as the non power fold Toyota mirrors. I have an SR5 and added the wiring and OEM switch to make it work
I took it out of 4wd for the first time since probably November of 2025. I typically put it in 4hi sometime in the fall and just leave it there for the winter. I'm in Anchorage AK and the roads never really melt off during winter so I just run it in 4hi until spring. I'd guess about 2-3k miles or so per winter. Seems to work well. But I do worry sometimes if I should be taking out of 4hi periodically to make sure the solenoids don't get sticky. Anyone ever had it stuck in 4wd? I'm not really a huge fan of full time awd, but after a few winters like this - I would love to have a multimode transfer case from a Seqoia in the Tundra.
Did a run up to Denali NP a week ago to go snowmobiling and skiing over the kids spring break. A time we'd usually be looking at going to somewhere like Moab. I'm just going to say - Moab is more fun. It was -30*F at night and warmed up to as high as 5* during the days. Just too damn cold to really go explore too far with a family on snowmobiles. -30* plus any sort of wind speed gets real cold real fast. Everyone else at the lodge we stayed at had their cars parked inside every night. I backed in the Tundra with the snowmobile trailer so it would be a little more secure because you can't just drag the sleds off the trailer that way. Although - probably not likely anyone would steal them anyway. My Tundra has no problem starting at -30. I've never really thought I'd want to add a block heater to it. I do park inside my garage at night. But it starts easy in cold weather either way.
Both of my snowmobiles are also elec start 4 strokes and they also don't seem to be phased at all by the cold. Although that's kinda the whole f'n point of the engine to run well in cold weather, so they really should be impervious to the normal range of cold weather.
Did a run up to Denali NP a week ago to go snowmobiling and skiing over the kids spring break. A time we'd usually be looking at going to somewhere like Moab. I'm just going to say - Moab is more fun. It was -30*F at night and warmed up to as high as 5* during the days. Just too damn cold to really go explore too far with a family on snowmobiles. -30* plus any sort of wind speed gets real cold real fast. Everyone else at the lodge we stayed at had their cars parked inside every night. I backed in the Tundra with the snowmobile trailer so it would be a little more secure because you can't just drag the sleds off the trailer that way. Although - probably not likely anyone would steal them anyway. My Tundra has no problem starting at -30. I've never really thought I'd want to add a block heater to it. I do park inside my garage at night. But it starts easy in cold weather either way.
Both of my snowmobiles are also elec start 4 strokes and they also don't seem to be phased at all by the cold. Although that's kinda the whole f'n point of the engine to run well in cold weather, so they really should be impervious to the normal range of cold weather.
Yes. Brand new 2019, in winter, many times. Rolling back and forth for 20 minutes on the last stretch of unpaved road, like an idiot. Replaced Toyota oil in transfer case with Ravenol, and it's gone.
BorgWarner transfer case is less susceptible to solenoid rust from what I read. It was mostly Aisin-made transfer case that gave problems.
That's intersting. I've never had the dash lightup, but otherwise I'm not really sure if I'd ever know if either the ADD disconnected but the transfer case didn't or the reverse of that. I'm assuming I'd get a dash light error, but I'm not sure if that's the case or not.
I changed the transfer case oil around 70k miles right after I bought it, so I'm actually getting due for a change again soon at 115k now. Probably do it every 60k or so. Intersting that the oil change helped it for you. Might have helped mine, but I'd never know because I put fresh fluid in before the first winter. I probably only cycled it once to test it during buying before I bought it and did a fluid change to get a good baseline on it. Probably helped break down some sludge internally with fresh detergents or ?? I don't know much about the BW case as far as whether the disengagement is a spring that pushes back or if the actuator moves it in both directions.
My truck seems to cycle in and out really quickly - the BW does a pretty good job at quick engagment. I haven't had another Toyota with electronic 4wd engagement since my 1996 4Runner that had the push button 4wd and it was pretty slow to engage at times. But never a problem disengaging. And that was a long time ago. I might need to start cycling the truck out of 4wd periodically just to make sure the parts are moving freely. I mostly just set it and forget it for the winter.
2012 Tundra: temp gauge was getting just past halfway on a couple short trips towing my trailer. So I replaced the thermostat. Drove it again and it did the same thing. Ordered a replacement water pump (aisin). Wife’s LX470 alternator died yesterday, so I had her drive the truck to pickup kids today. She pulled into the driveway and I could see some fluid dripping. Popped the hood and found the upper radiator seal leaking. So I got that going for me.
Ordered a new denso radiator and OEM cap.
Ordered a new denso radiator and OEM cap.
More likely a better set of friction additives in Ravenol, so metal on metal slips better. Hopefully it does not eat up bronze sleeves like, for example, GL-5 does where GL-4 is commanded for
Could be a better base oil that remains more stable in cold temps where OE solidifies, too.
500 mile fluid change on the new nitro gears. Barely any metal on the magnets which makes me very happy. I had more when I did my first fluid change on the stock gears. I’m excited to let her rip now!
I would be very suspicious if I didn't see anything on the magnet after breaking-in new gears.
I’ve seen the same amount on people that had their new gears REM polished so I think mine were too. I bought mine off mule outfitters that ordered these years ago so they might have been. Who knows?
. Either way I told myself I’m going to change the fluid again at 1k miles for peace of mind. Oil is cheap, gears are not.
Been a busy couple months. I need to keep an eye on my camber. Seems like big hits in the desert jacked up my camber and my front tires got all chewed up.
Got new tires, stuck with Toyo MT, and got my Kings rebuilt. Riding great now. Almost bought a local GFC that was barely used for like $3K cheaper than new.. still kicking myself for missing that one.
I needed to pull the engine in my 80 but didn't have much room + a steep driveway, so I stuck an old tire between the Tundra and 80 bumpers, strapped the frames together and was able to push/pull the 80 with the Tundra. Worked great actually.
Other than that, been using it as a "work" truck.
(On an AEV job. I don't know if I'm cleared to share pics yet)
Got new tires, stuck with Toyo MT, and got my Kings rebuilt. Riding great now. Almost bought a local GFC that was barely used for like $3K cheaper than new.. still kicking myself for missing that one.
I needed to pull the engine in my 80 but didn't have much room + a steep driveway, so I stuck an old tire between the Tundra and 80 bumpers, strapped the frames together and was able to push/pull the 80 with the Tundra. Worked great actually.
Other than that, been using it as a "work" truck.
(On an AEV job. I don't know if I'm cleared to share pics yet)
I’m considering going with either the Toyo MT or Mickey Thompson MT for my next set. I really like the toyo sidewall.
I’ve lost count of how many Toyo MTs I’ve had at this point. Favorite tire ever but I was also looking at those Mickey Thompsons, they look awesome. It was between that and the Toyo RT pro
My buddy only runs the mickeys and swears by them. But I just love the classic look of the Toyo MTs. Plus their sidewall is insane.
The Toyo RT pro and trail are also on the top of my list. Ugh deciding on new tires is difficult
Took a family vacation and did some camping with the new trailer. Unsure if we are going to be an RV family or not at this point, spent a good 8 hours troubleshooting electric trailer brake problems in various parking lots on the south and then contended with high winds and thunderstorms on the way back. It's pretty stressful to say the least and I love driving and usually enjoy the ride. Trying to weigh the value of buying a bigger truck, but I am just not sure if it will help or what to do. The Tundra got blown around pretty good, fuel mileage was 7-9mpg at 60-65mpg which made for many stops, and getting constantly passed by semi's is just no fun. We have a trip back home to Colorado coming up and I have little confidence in pulling this thing across the hills of Iowa, winds of Nebraska, and mountain passes of Colorado/Wyoming. The trip was great while we were at our destination though!
Its going to suck with a diesel in the wind as well. I hate towing when its windy. I remember driving through eastern Washington in my Frontier with a four wheel camper and it was miserable. The wind almost took us off a cliff. Just take your time and enjoy your trips.
There’s a lot to do to make towing a trailer stress free.
IMO manufacturers over state the towing capabilities of their trucks.
IMO that’s a big trailer for a 1/2 ton truck.
Having towed trailer my whole life ( I’m 66 ) I have learned a few things about towing.
IMO weight distributing hitches mask other issues. Even with it I see your still riding low in the back ( not good ) your truck needs to ride level ideally before engaging WDH.
You will be surprised how much better it drives without the nose pointing up.
A minimum 10 to 15% of total trailer weight when fully loaded needs to be on the hitch this is super important !!
This means everything you carry
The tire pressure in the trailer need to be checked and adjusted before and during each an every trip.
90 percent of the people driving a truck like yours and going to the mall or dropping kids at school.
This means if you want it to be a stress free tow rig you need to improve the rear springs.
I like and use active suspension aftermarket springs
There a helper spring the increase the load capacity help with sway and don’t affect the ride when unloaded.
I also run 10 ply tire on my 1/2 ton trucks !!
Next time you have the trailer hooked up just push sideways on the bed of the truck and you will see the side wall of the tire flexing back and forth.
And run the 10ply tires at 75 to 80% of maximum air pressure stated on the side of the tire not what’s in the door of the truck.
If you do these few things, you will be amazed at how much better and stress fee the drive is.
But I’m gonna play the devils advocate here. There is four weight ratings on every truck
Gross vehicle weight rating, rear axle weight rating, front axle weight rating and and combined gross vehicle weight rating
The last one is the combining weight of your trailer and truck together with everything in them, including the family and the dog full tank of gas everything.
Most people look at the brochure or go online and say my truck’s rated to 12,000 pounds and as long as the trailer is less than 12,000 pounds I think they’re fine.
But in my experience, nearly every RV on the road, exceeds their weight rating.
Example, if your trailer weighs 10,000 pounds
(it probably doesn’t) you need 1000 to 1200 pounds on the hitch for it to ride correctly then you half to add everything else the camper shell the weight distributing hitch you your family, the dog anything in the back of the truck it all counts.
I would wager that you’re over the rear axle weight rating.
The best way to figure this out is to go to the weight station and get a front axle weight and a rear axle Weight and total weight to see where you’re at with the trailer fully loaded ready to travel.
I take this stuff seriously as I have precious cargo in the rig, the family and my dog.
Safety is Paramont And a stress-free drive make a vacation so much more pleasurable.
Ultimately, a three-quarter or one ton diesel pick up would make a huge difference even in the wind.
Like night & day difference. no more big rigs passing you no more struggling getting to speed to merge onto the highway.
And hopefully keep you in your weight rating.
May the force be with you !