Yuck. We did knock sensors on my son's Silverado earlier this year and missed one of the plugs...had to tear the whole intake back off. They weren't as bad to get to as that Toyota looks, though, and there's tons of room under the hood of a Silverado.

I will say, never buy a minivan. We had a Chevy Venture for a while, and it was like doing laproscopic surgery every time I had to do any work on that thing. The hood only exposed about 25% of the engine, the rest was back under the cowl, and anything you had to do back there involved groping around in the dark. You had to undo motor mounts or even drop the cradle for even simple stuff, and stuff broke a lot. Minivans are for people who hate themselves and have given up on life.

^^^ Then you don't want a Toyota Previa.

The first thing you'll have to do to swap the spark plugs is to remove the driver's seat and floor...

quote:

Originally posted by .38supersig:
^^^ Then you don't want a Toyota Previa.

The first thing you'll have to do to swap the spark plugs is to remove the driver's seat and floor...

Yeah...I'd be tempted to set that on fire and roll it down a hill, lol.

On the other hand, at least you can do that and don't have to remove the motor instead. My first car was a full-size Chevy conversion van, and you could pull the doghouse between the driver and passenger seats and work on the back of the engine from inside the van. It was really easy...2 bolts and two clamps, iirc. Not really a bad arrangement at all.

I found a pic (not mine).



Can't see the plugs? Nope! There are many things that still need to be removed.

The only time you will see them is once they are out of the engine.

I have no kind words for whomever designed this.

^^^ Previa? 1990s vintage Toyota Previa The ones I remember from the 1990s, however, had visible spark plug wires. You could see them from underneath if it was on a hoist, but the ~8-inch long wire boots couldn't be removed without breaking them in two, which is obviously not an option when putting it back together, so you took out the passenger seat, peeled back the carpet and a floor access panel. Another thing: when you opened the hood, belts and pulleys were visible, but they were attached to the engine by a drive shaft about a foot and a half long. And if you wanted to replace the front struts, the top nuts for the right side were under the glove box, which could be accessed through a little removable panel, or the whole thing taken out. (Memory is a little fuzzy on that one, as is how you got to the left side.) Weird, to be sure. This situation was dictated mostly by the stylists - there was no other place to put things.

I got a serious road test in on the Tacoma today.
Around 75 miles round trip, with three start/stop cycles.
I have been so busy lately I have slightly neglected mowing grass at the cabin.
On the days I actually had time, it rained.
When I was busy, it was impossible to trailer the Kubota BX2370 up to the cabin, simply not enough hours in the day.
With hooking up the trailer, loading the Kubota, driving to the cabin, unloading the tractor, mowing for ~ five hours, and then doing everything in reverse heading for home, it kills most of a day.
I typically fuel the diesel Kubota heading towards the cabin, and a second diesel fuel fill-up on the way back home.

The grass was really bad today, I needed to mow the field completely, twice. Six hours in the tractor seat today.
The first time for mowing, the second time for blowing the cut/dried grass off the lawn.
A hay baler actually would have been useful today.
I checked my calendar, it had been 29 days since the last mowing at the cabin, and we have had boatloads of rain.
If the weather forecast stays nice for the upcoming Saturday, it's time to Bush Hog the food plot field down in the middle of the woods.

That Tacoma is a much nicer tow vehicle that my Jeep Rubicon, the Tacoma has around 100 horsepower advantage compared to the Rubicon.
The Tacoma worked perfectly today, and that is a good thing.

I watched a video last week of someone changing the timing chain tensioners on a Tundra, which are located at the front of the engine, at the top/front of the heads. I'm watching, and the next thing you know the guy is taking the windshield wipers off!!!

Yep the wipers have to come off because the cowl and all that stuff has to come off, to to get the intake off, to get the...

quote:

Originally posted by cas:
Yep the wipers have to come off because the cowl and all that stuff has to come off, to to get the intake off, to get the...

I did that on my Camry with the V6 when I changed plugs and coil packs. Front 3 were easy. Here's a pic right after taking the plenum off...



Thankfully when I did our Highlander there was enough room and didn't have to go that far. That job went a lot faster

^^^ Same on a Nissan Maxima with the 3.5 V6 "VQ" engine ... another one with an internal, timing-chain-driven water pump.

In 2015 I did a steering rack gear in a circa 2011 Tundra. Book (labor guide) time on that was ~16 hours. With the necessary alignment it took more like 23-24. Why? Because the engine had to be removed first.

I saw your Toyota post and dam if I don't get off the forum and go next door to back my Tundra out of the barn and out runs a mouse from under the truck as I am backing out......

I Put some poison bait out and am headed to get some mouse repellent, of course not sure that works but what the heck else can be done except lock a cat in there with no food???

Once the vehicle manufacturers started making wiring with "soy" based insulation, it suddenly became a problem.
I read online that both Honda and Toyota sell an electrical tape with capsicum in the tape.
I read a post that someone (human) tried a taste of the tape, and it had a really good "burn" to it.

Sadly, but all of that is for after the repairs.
Drive the vehicle every day?
Keep the domesticated cats really hungry?
Use a horse and buggy instead of cars & trucks?

Not a whole hell of a lot of options that really keep the mice away.

https://www.box-kat.com/blogs/...d-wiring-2025-update

The link above has a link to the Honda rodent tape.

I have had pretty good success in my shop building making inexpensive mouse death buckets. They even work in the winter with non-toxic RV antifreeze in the bucket.
Do not use regular antifreeze as it is highly toxic, you wouldn't want kids or pets getting into it.

https://www.trap-anything.com/...made-mouse-trap.html

Thanks

I think I will try the bucket

Putting the poison out may not be working as well as it should

We don’t let the dog in to the barn but a stray cat or other critter can get in so the non toxic antifreeze is a good idea

Couple summers ago a squirrel decided the wheel well on my 2010 Tundra would be a great place to make a nest and enjoy the wiring as midnight snacks. I ended up paying over 300 dollars to get the damaged wires repaired and transplanted over a dozen squirrels since it was impossible to ID the squirrel that made the nest.

A while back I was searching for a used car for a new driver. I took a test drive, then pulled back into the lot to have a look under the hood. That's when I learned that you look under the hood before wasting time on a test drive. The insulation on the underside of the hood was full of holes and there was mouse crap all over everything. I told the sales guy that they were gonna have a ton of problems with that vehicle as I walked off.

Sadly, I got another chance to see that knock sensor wiring harness again on the Tacoma.
When I replaced that mice chewed wiring harness, I had never personally done that job before on that particular 3.5L V-6 engine. I've been out of the dealership game for multiple decades.
The Toyota dealership parts counter guy assured me that I had everything needed to do the job.
Once torn apart, I realized that the parts counter had not supplied the special Viton rubber O-rings & Teflon seals for the port and direct fuel injectors. (3.5L has port AND direct fuel injectors)
I chose to reuse the existing O-rings & seals on the fuel injectors rather than wait another week while they ordered more parts. My fault, I took a chance reusing the old O-rings and lost the bet.
It didn't leak any gasoline for a month of driving, and then it did leak very badly.

Coming home from the Funeral at the end of September, my Brother informed me that the Tacoma really smelled like it had a SERIOUS gasoline leak.
We checked for a leak, about a half gallon of gasoline leaked under the truck in 20 seconds with the engine idling.
The port fuel injectors get gasoline from the electric fuel pump inside the gasoline tank.
The high pressure fuel pump for the direct injectors is mounted on the rear of the right valve cover, and is powered by a camshaft lobe on one of the four overhead camshafts.

This DOHC VVT four valves per cylinder V-6 engine is one of the most highly complex engines Toyota has ever made.
I had some free time earlier this week and tore the Tacoma engine apart again.
Yup, hosed by the dealership again, one of the old Viton O-rings had split, and the direct injectors run as high as 2900 PSI fuel pressure in the fuel rail, so it POURED gasoline on the ground.

While in there, I noticed more fresh mouse nest debris, and that new knock sensor wiring harness had fresh chewing on some of the electrical tape I added for some additional mouse protection.
The Toyota dealership really struggled getting the Viton O-rings and Teflon seals, I ended up getting incorrect parts this time and needed to drive 80 miles round trip for a parts resolution.
Allegedly, the Toyota dealership will deliver the needed parts to my home tomorrow at no cost, and IF they arrive tomorrow, the Tacoma should be operating again by dark.
(Kudos to the Toyota parts department, for admitting they made an error, and for offering to supply the O-rings at no charge, and for offering to deliver them to my home)

I sourced 3 big bales of Grade 3 (extremely coarse) steel wool from Home Depot on my way home after my last visit to the Toyota dealership.
That 3.5L V-6 is a sixty degree included angle engine, with a very narrow valley between the two cylinder heads.
I'm going to stuff that engine valley with steel wool when I reassemble it. There will not be any space for mice to get in there when I am done packing steel wool into the engine valley.

And all the monumental hassle, and pain/suffering is because of soy based wiring insulation. Green weenies, and fucking idiots! All of that to save a few barrels of oil.
The auto/industrial chemists COULD make that under hood wiring insulation taste and smell like ass, skunk, hot peppers, and very rancid possum meat.
But that would reduce Service Department profit numbers.

That mouse repellant spray I bought and sprayed around the Tacoma engine compartment and in the engine valley? Don't waste your time and money on it.

May I suggest strobe lights under the vehicle at night and inside the engine compartment.

Be careful with the steel wool. That stuff will burn, and can ignite by electric short...which a bunch of it stuffed into an engine bay could easily have few strands find their way into an electrical connector somewhere, and create a problem much bigger than the mice.

I'm dealing with my own headache right now. The 2014 Subaru Legacy that we bought for my daughter ended up having a bad diff, not a bad wheel bearing like I was hoping when we bought it. It was making a ton of noise, and finally stopped moving. It's a CVT with an integrated front diff and a rear driveshaft, so it's huge. Also, nobody will rebuild it, and apparently they're known for being shit so I'm really rolling the dice sourcing a junkyard replacement.

I spent the last three days lying on the floor under the car ripping the POS out. I will say, Subaru engineers really did do a pretty good job of leaving adequate clearance and room to access stuff, and the boxer engine design mates up with the transmission very far forward in the engine bay, so it's relatively accessible. It probably took me about 6 hours to get it out, and about half of that was dealing with two very specific stuck bolts (one of which ultimately broke and the other I had to cut off) and getting the transmission bellhousing unstuck from the motor after all the bolts were out.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:

I'm dealing with my own headache right now. The 2014 Subaru Legacy that we bought for my daughter ended up having a bad diff, not a bad wheel bearing like I was hoping when we bought it. It was making a ton of noise, and finally stopped moving. It's a CVT with an integrated front diff and a rear driveshaft, so it's huge. Also, nobody will rebuild it, and apparently they're known for being shit so I'm really rolling the dice sourcing a junkyard replacement.

I spent the last three days lying on the floor under the car ripping the POS out. I will say, Subaru engineers really did do a pretty good job of leaving adequate clearance and room to access stuff, and the boxer engine design mates up with the transmission very far forward in the engine bay, so it's relatively accessible. It probably took me about 6 hours to get it out, and about half of that was dealing with two very specific stuck bolts (one of which ultimately broke and the other I had to cut off) and getting the transmission bellhousing unstuck from the motor after all the bolts were out.

Might call JDM
https://www.jdmenginedepotinc....ion-jdm-fb25-w-diff/

They are engine specific and you will have to take it to a dealer for relearn.
Call them first with your VIN number.

quote:

Originally posted by rizzle:

Might call JDM
https://www.jdmenginedepotinc....ion-jdm-fb25-w-diff/

They are engine specific and you will have to take it to a dealer for relearn.
Call them first with your VIN number.

Well that's stupid. Idiotic computerized bullshit. Will it at least work in limp mode if I get it installed, or will it not move at all?

I haven't bought a new transmission yet...if this thing is going to need towed to a dealer after I put the replacement in, I'm just going to scrap the car. I'm not going to own something I can't work on myself, and I'm not getting further into this thing financially if it's going to be like that. Also, the closest Subaru dealership is 35 miles away...tow bill to get there will be half as much as the transmission.

I would imagine you could drive it, the relearn will include any software updates to make it last longer.