Maintenance

When you are looking for Tacoma maintenance guides online, the results can be hit or miss. On TrailTacoma.com, it is our goal to provide the most accurate information on maintenance available. Whether you are working on your 2nd Gen or 3rd Gen Tacoma, we are here to provide the guidance you can depend on. From idler pulley replacements and replacing air pumps to replacing those worn out radiator support bushings, we have you covered. Don’t see a step by step maintenance guide on the website? Contact us and get one started!

Do It Yourself

DIY Oil Change 3rd Gen Tacoma

2nd Gen

DIY Oil Change 2nd Gen Tacoma

3rd Gen

Top 6 Maintenance Mods For 3rd Gen Tacoma

3rd Gen

J&L OSC Oil Catch Can 5,000 Mile Review

3rd Gen

DIY Alternator Replacement 3rd Gen Tacoma

Lifted 3rd Gen Tacoma

By Brett Cabeca On December 05, 2024 in Lift Kits, Maintenance, Off-Road, Overland, Review, Suspension, Tires

Should You Get A Lift & Bigger Tires For Your Tacoma?

Why The Time, Materials & Costs May Or May Not Be Worth It Most car people love a lifted truck with bigger wheels and tires. I certainly do, as both…

MORRFlate FiveSix PSI Pro

By Brittany Werkmeister On January 15, 2024 in Accessories, Gear, Maintenance, Off-Road, Overland, Review, Tires, Trail Tested

MORRFlate FiveSix PSI Pro Review

Affordable Easy Way To Air Up Your Tires With Leading Tech The best way to a smoother ride and more traction on the trails is by airing down your tires….

first photo for backup camera, Nicola Rice

By Nicola Rice On November 24, 2023 in 2nd Gen, Accessories, Maintenance, Review

LeeKooLuu Backup Camera Long-Term Review

Universal Budget Backup Camera From Amazon: Long-Term Testing Backing up with a truck can be hard, especially if you have a canopy or it’s dark outside. Cameras definitely help, but…

By Thomas Palermo On September 22, 2023 in 2nd Gen, 3rd Gen, Accessories, Install, Maintenance, Off-Road, Overland, Review

ARB Differential Breather Kit Install & Review

Essential Off-Road Modification For Water Crossings If you plan on doing some wheeling (even casual wheeling), you will eventually experience a water crossing. It’s a very fun part of this…

Rubber and Polyurethane Bushings Side by Side

By Jordan Weaver On August 20, 2023 in Maintenance, Review, Suspension

Rubber Vs. Polyurethane Bushings

Comparing The Differences: Which Is Best For Your Tacoma Bushings are an integral part of your suspension. Choosing the right option to suit your needs is important as each option…

By Konrad Chojnowski On July 31, 2023 in 3rd Gen, Do It Yourself, Install, Maintenance

DIY Alternator Replacement 3rd Gen Tacoma

Alternator Swap How-To Guide: Symptoms, Testing, Diagnosis Did you need to replace your Tacoma’s alternator? Well, you’re in the right place! At roughly ~110,000 miles, my 3rd Gen’s decided it…

By Kenny Christensen On June 09, 2023 in 3rd Gen, Accessories, Maintenance, Performance, Review

J&L OSC Oil Catch Can 5,000 Mile Review

Keeping your Intake Valves Clean is Easier Than You Think In this post, I’ll be covering the J&L Oil Separator Co.’s “Catch Can” oil separator mod for the 3rd gen…

By Konrad Chojnowski On February 25, 2023 in 2nd Gen, 3rd Gen, Accessories, Maintenance, Review

Mox Motors Topo Windshield Wipers Review

Topographic Print Windshield Wiper With Replaceable Inserts It’s all in the details. That’s usually what makes a product or a cool truck build shine. Attention to detail is key. The…

By Jon Rivera On February 09, 2023 in 3rd Gen, Accessories, Armor, Install, Maintenance, Off-Road, Overland, Review, Skid Plates

Cali Raised Catalytic Converter Shield Review

Protect Your 3rd Gen Tacoma From Catalytic Converters Theft When the pandemic hit, catalytic converter theft numbers skyrocketed. In my little area of California, it seemed like every other 4Runner,…

By Victor Solano On August 12, 2022 in 3rd Gen, Do It Yourself, Maintenance, Performance

Top 6 Maintenance Mods For 3rd Gen Tacoma

Products That Make It Easier To Do Maintenance On Your Truck Our Toyotas have been known to be some of the most reliable vehicles in the market, and that’s not…

By Jarod Johnson On July 27, 2022 in 2nd Gen, Do It Yourself, Maintenance

DIY Oil Change 2nd Gen Tacoma

How To Replace Your Oil & Filter on a 4.0L V6 2nd Gen (2005-2015) So, you are the proud new (or existing) owner of a 2nd Gen Tacoma. To ensure…

Spiker Hood Strut

By Nate Huang On March 25, 2022 in 3rd Gen, Accessories, Maintenance, Review

Spiker Engineering Single Hood Strut Review

Replace Your Hood Prop Rod with a Single Hood Strut – It Works The 3rd Gen Tacoma is an amazing platform. However, one area that is seriously lacking as a…

Outer Joints on CV Axles Toyota Tacoma

By Brenan Greene On February 21, 2022 in 2nd Gen, 3rd Gen, Maintenance, Off-Road, Overland

Rebuilding Outer Joints on CV Axle for Toyota Tacoma Long Travel

Rebuilding CV Axle Outer Joints (Birfield Joints) on a 2nd Gen / 3rd Gen Toyota Tacoma When you take the plunge into long travel, your axle shafts are going to…

Choosing Tire Size for Toyota Tacoma

By Young Kim On January 28, 2022 in 2nd Gen, 3rd Gen, Get Started, Maintenance, Tires

Choosing The Best Tire For Your Tacoma

A Guide to Understanding Tire Markings and Tire Size Indicators This is arguably one of the most important mods you can do to your Tacoma. Before you look at rooftop…

Total Chaos Bed Stiffeners

By Brenan Greene On January 18, 2022 in 2nd Gen, 3rd Gen, Accessories, Maintenance, Off-Road, Overland, Trail Tested

Bed Stiffeners: Do You Need Them?

Add Structural Support To Your Bed, Tailgate, and Bedsides If you find yourself off-roading, overlanding, or even hauling heavy loads, bed stiffeners are a must-have mod on any Tacoma. The…

By James Panah On September 21, 2021 in 2nd Gen, 3rd Gen, Accessories, Install, Maintenance, Review

Agency 6 Billet Battery Hold Down Bar Review

Aluminum Battery Clamp Upgrade for 2nd & 3rd Gen Tacoma An overlooked upgrade that most people tend to miss is their vehicle’s battery. We all know a few guys that…

By Nate Roten On September 04, 2021 in 3rd Gen, Accessories, Install, Maintenance, Review, Trail Tested

Pop & Lock Power Tailgate Lock Review

Add Security & Peace of Mind With The Power Tailgate Lock With the technology available on the 3rd Gen Tacoma, it seems so primitive having to manually lock the tailgate….

By Thomas Achord On September 02, 2021 in 3rd Gen, Accessories, Maintenance, Review

Sokietech Gas Hood Struts Review

Replace Your Hood Prop with a Gas-Powered Hood Lift System A piston hood strut lifts and supports your hood to full open height. The hood on the Tacoma is heavy,…

By Brenan Greene On August 25, 2021 in 2nd Gen, 3rd Gen, Accessories, Camping, Maintenance, Off-Road, Overland, Review, Trail Tested

SnailArmor Aluminum Tailgate Panel Review

Customize Your Tailgate Panel With Any Artwork There are quite a few tailgate panels on the market by now, but one thing sets the SnailArmor flat tailgate panel apart from…

By Sean Wright On August 12, 2021 in 3rd Gen, Headlights, LED Bulbs, Lighting, Maintenance, Review

VLEDS Micro Extreme Low Beam LED Bulbs Review

5K (Pure White) H11/H9/H8 LED Low Beam Bulb Upgrade If you are tired of having weak output from your stock headlights, then you have come to the right place. Today…

By Konrad Chojnowski On July 08, 2021 in 3rd Gen, Maintenance

Replacing Cabin Air Filter on 3rd Gen Tacoma

Simple DIY Step-By-Step Guide for Replacing Your Cabin Air Filter Some maintenance, like changing your differential fluids, or doing your own oil changes, while not necessarily hard, can be messy…

By Mike Pagaduan On July 03, 2021 in 3rd Gen, Accessories, Maintenance, Off-Road, Overland, Performance, Review, Trail Tested

Sy-Klone 9001 Snorkel Pre-Cleaner Review

Universal Aftermarket Snorkel Pre-Cleaner Filter Snorkels… so what are they really for? The main misconception surrounding snorkels when people first see them is that they are some type of exhaust…

LED Retrofitted USR Auto Blacked Out Headlight Housings for 2nd Gen Tacoma (2012-2015) - SAE / DOT Approved

By Brenan Greene On June 28, 2021 in 2nd Gen, Accessories, Headlights, Lighting, Maintenance, Review, Trail Tested

USR Auto Blacked Out Headlights Review

Blackout Headlights for Late Model 2nd Gen Tacoma (2012-2015) The factory headlight housings are pretty basic. The lighting is basic, the actual plastics surrounding the reflector bowl are basic and…

By Chris Brothers On May 19, 2021 in 3rd Gen, Accessories, Install, Maintenance, Performance

JLT Performance Oil Separator Install

Capture & Remove Combustion Byproducts & Contaminants *** As of early 2022, JLT Performance is now call J&L Oil Separator Company. *** First off, I need to clarify something. I’m…

2nd Gen Tacoma 33s Rubbing

By Cody Rufenacht On March 24, 2021 in 2nd Gen, Maintenance, Off-Road, Overland, Tires, Trail Tested

Fixing Upper Control Arms Rubbing On Tires

Common Problem After Running Oversized Tires On Tacoma After upgrading to a 285/70R17 (33.1″) tire on our Tacoma, we were amazed to find that the tires didn’t rub anywhere on…

Rad Rubber Engine Splash Guards

By Brenan Greene On December 22, 2020 in Install, Maintenance, Off-Road, Review

Rad Rubber Splash Guard Review

Easily Replace Your Ripped Engine Guards Rad Rubber Design makes a wide variety of engine splash guards and other rubber parts for the Toyota and Lexus Community. Rad Rubber Design…

By Nate Roten On December 03, 2020 in Maintenance, Performance, Review

BestLine Racing Fuel Treatment Review

Improve Engine Performance & Keep Your Fuel System Clean Proper maintenance is the best way to ensure your vehicle continues to get you from point A to point B without…

By Nate Roten On November 21, 2020 in Maintenance, Performance, Review

BestLine Racing Engine Treatment Review

Keep Your Engine Happy & Running Well For Years To Come The engine is the heart of a vehicle, that is why it is so important to properly maintain your…

By Konrad Chojnowski On November 16, 2020 in 3rd Gen, Install, Maintenance, Off-Road, Overland, Review, Trail Tested

CSF High Performance Radiator Review

Improve Engine & Transmission Cooling With A Billet Radiator Let’s talk about cooling. Proper cooling is essential. It’s not only to prevent damage from overheating but, also, to protect your…

By Victor Solano On November 11, 2020 in 2nd Gen, 3rd Gen, Install, Maintenance

Outer Tie Rod End Replacement 2nd & 3rd Gen Tacoma

How To Diagnose & Replace A Bad Outer Tie Rod On Your Truck Tie rod ends are meant to last several years and tens of thousands of miles, but sadly,…

By Kevin Gomez On October 15, 2020 in 3rd Gen, Maintenance, Review, Roof Racks

Vinyl Wrapping Your Roof

Protecting Your Truck When Adding A Rack Or For Aesthetics Adding a roof rack will drastically change the look of your Tacoma and increase the ability to outfit for exploration….

By Konrad Chojnowski On August 08, 2020 in Do It Yourself, Maintenance

How To Clean Your Engine Bay

Step-By-Step Guide To Safely Washing Under The Hood If you’re anything like me, you like to keep your truck clean. Not only does it feel great to drive a clean…

By Konrad Chojnowski On August 01, 2020 in Do It Yourself, Maintenance

DIY Oil Change 3rd Gen Tacoma

Step-By-Step – How To Change Your Oil/Filter & Save Money So you bought yourself a 3rd Gen Tacoma. With every car and truck, proper, timely maintenance is paramount to ensuring…

By Nate Roten On July 13, 2020 in Maintenance, Review

SunJoe SPX3000 Pressure Washer & MATCC Foam Cannon Review

Testing Budget Friendly Power Washer & Foam Cannon Combo Doesn’t it seem like every time you wash your truck it’s dirty again the next day? No matter how hard you…

By Chase O'Loughlin On June 15, 2020 in 3rd Gen, Accessories, Maintenance

8 Best Floor Mats & Liners For 3rd Gen Tacoma

We Chose The Best Upgrades From Brands Like Husky Liners, Weathertech, Westin & More It is no secret that the OEM carpet floor mats that come in the 3rd Gen…

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