木 2009 Toyota Sequoia Build Thread 木

[Gallowbraid]

This is my "new to me" 2009 Toyota Sequoia:



This vehicle is replacing my 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport 4x4.



I know, I know...it's a cardinal sin to trade down in the auto world. Well after owning 25 vehicles over the years I know my way around wheeling and dealing with dealerships and this was a good deal for me, bad deal for them.



The Tacoma was an awesome truck, quite capable off road and a head turner around town. At the end of the day though it wasn't a well researched purchase (an impulse purchase actually) that ended up being simply too small for my needs and the needs of my family. With a larger towing capacity, and infinitely more cargo and people capacity, this Sequoia should work much better for us. Oh, and it was less than 1/2 the price.

First impressions:

1. This thing is smooth! The Tacoma, with it's KO2's and cheap dealer installed lift was always a little harsh to drive for long distances. Cruising 400 or 500 miles in a day would leave you fatigued. This thing is like a Lazy Boy Recliner on wheels.

2. There's room for days in this thing! My daughter is taking after my genetics and, at age 12, has outgrown my 21 year old son and my wife. The Tacoma just wasn't practical anymore for family trips or even grocery store runs. With my daughter sitting in the back seat my wife was practically sitting on the dash. Not the case in the Sequoia...heck, even I could sit in the 2nd row comfortably with my 6' 4" self.

3. The V8 is a nice upgrade from the new V6 Toyota introduced in the Tacoma for 2016. There were times that Tacoma couldn't get out of it's own way. After owning V8 F150's (and an ecoboost) it's nice to be back in something with V8 power.

Only downsides are:

1. The color. Never been a fan of black vehicles and the scratches they constantly show, but I'll get over it.

2. The V8 is a little thirsty, but I knew that going in so I can't complain.

3. Independent suspension wasn't something I was looking for in the rear end, but I guess it'll be alright for our uses.

Thus far I've repaired broken door locks, swapped the factory radio for a Kenwood unit, installed a backup camera, replaced the rearview mirror with an autodimming/compass unit, tossed in a brake controller and replaced some interior trim. I'll post some write ups on those items shortly.

My overall plan is to put a 2.5 to 3 inch lift on it, swap to something more off road worthy than the street Michellin's it has now and then just drive it. Whatever deficiencies come up then I'll address as I go. The family and I do quite a bit of camping and fishing around the south east and have some trips planned to Colorado and Montana in the next few years. We'll see where this goes...

 

[Gallowbraid]

So overall this Sequoia was quite clean for being a 2009 with 143,000. But used is used and it's not without it's flaws. First order of business once it was home was a good detail job. With the pollen count in Georgia reaching into the billions I opted just for a good wash. By the time I got her dry I would have been coating my clay bar in pollen and then waxing it into the finish. Pollen season will need to fade away before her first wax.

She cleans up nice though.



Interior is in good shape too. No tears in the leather and the carpet stains are few and far between. There are a couple small holes in the headliner in the cargo area just around the lift gate, but nothing major.









The next order of business after a bath is to address some maintenance items. Prior to purchase I had a pre-purchase inspection done at a Toyota dealership and they found no mechanical concerns. While there I knew I was going to buy the vehicle so I had them do an oil change and an alignment. Yep, I paid for service on a vehicle I hadn't purchased yet. Once home I started with the basics:

Wipers:


Bosch Icon wipers are awesome, highly recommended. I replaced the rear wiper with a new OEM unit and also replaced the rubber stop that it rests on. The old ones had worn to the point that the wiper was resting on the paint and causing wear marks in the paint. I'll have to try to clean and buff that out later.

Changing out the rubber stop is as easy as prying it off, removing the rubber weather seal, cleaning the paint underneath and then pushing the factory replacement into place.





The new blade now sits well off the body as it should.

 

[Gallowbraid]

After the wiper blades it was time to address the next concern: power door locks. The vehicle's only working door lock was the rear drivers side. After a few internet searches and a couple rounds of YouTube videos I knew what I was after.

First I did some troubleshooting with the wiring. After pulling apart the door trim I used a multimeter to watch for voltage pulses when pressing the lock/unlock buttons. Everything here was working as expected so I knew I didn't have to chase down any electrical shorts.

Next up I ordered replacement "D Shaft FC-280PC-22125 Door Lock Motors" to replace the factory motors in the door lock mechanism. Using some YouTube instructions I pulled the door lock mechanisms out, swapped the motors and boom; working door locks.





While the door panels were off my wife went to town cleaning everything to "like new" standards.


I also swapped out some of the worn interior trim panels that had seen some heavy mileage. I cleaned all of the buttons with 303 Aerospace cleaner and wiped 8 years of grime from previous owners off the back of panels and in crevices no one else will ever see.

 

[Gallowbraid]

Next up were the door handles. The factory grease had long since vanished and the handles felt dry when you pulled on them. I pulled them off and tried to guess (based on residue) where they had once been greased.




After a good cleaning I applied copious amounts of white lithium grease and reassembled the handles. Initially there didn't seem to be much change, but after about a week of it "wearing in" the handles are much softer to operate now.



I also took the opportunity to tighten up the door handle mounts as a few were a little loose. To do this you tighten this T-30 torx screw from behind the interior door trim.

 

[Gallowbraid]

Next up was a Kenwood DDX773BH, a Gentex Auto-dimming rear mirror, weathertech mats and a back up camera.

 

[Jim Smola]

Awesome.

 

[chinalfr]

First 2nd gen Sequioa with 4.7 engine. Nice. Welcome to the forum.


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[silverback04]

keep those pics coming!