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Old 12-24-2020, 10:29 AM   #41
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Originally Posted by Mike Lewis View Post
Looks like I'm in pretty good shape:


- The transmission fluid has been changed out twice and is not due for a third change for a while.

- The differential and transfer case fluid (it's a 4WD) have been changed out once, refilled with synthetic oil. It's due for another change, which will be done at the next service.

- A year ago I had the timing chain checked out. It's okay. I have the 1GR-FE 4L V6 engine; apparently it doesn't require the timing chain to be serviced, just inspected.

- The battery was replaced a few years ago and I will probably do it again before May.

- The belts and hoses were replaced a year ago, and the cooling system flushed. I also had a new water pump installed. I was preparing for an Alaska trip then, but that trip was curtailed due to the Virus.

- I'll have the other drivetrain stuff checked again before I leave. Thanks for the recommendations.
The only other things on a Taco I can think of are make sure the differential and transfer case vents spin freely...if not you can get leakage around the seals when they get hot. Also check sway bar bushings and shocks inc bushings...these break down over time and can rattle and clank on rough roads.
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Old 12-24-2020, 10:50 AM   #42
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The post about 12v vs propane for driving with the fridge is relevant. I don’t personally like driving on propane. I don’t, where I can avoid it, like driving with the fridge off. Therefore, I have put 3 alternators on my truck over its 22 years. All of them have come while towing. I know solar won’t run the stock fridge, but I am getting 1 factory roof panel primarily to take some of the load off my alternator.
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Old 12-24-2020, 10:56 AM   #43
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The post about 12v vs propane for driving with the fridge is relevant. I don’t personally like driving on propane. I don’t, where I can avoid it, like driving with the fridge off. Therefore, I have put 3 alternators on my truck over its 22 years. All of them have come while towing. I know solar won’t run the stock fridge, but I am getting 1 factory roof panel primarily to take some of the load off my alternator.
It's not as much that running the fridge puts a huge load on the 12v system as it is that the 12v heater element is a lower wattage than the 120v so the fridge doesn't cool as much. 125 watt for the DC vs 325 watt for the AC elements.

Every time I have tried to travel with the fridge on DC, my ice cream was always melted by the time I got to the next stop.
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Old 12-24-2020, 11:07 AM   #44
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I’ve never had a 12v fridge cooling problem, but my experience must be different than yours.
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Old 12-24-2020, 11:22 AM   #45
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I’ve never had a 12v fridge cooling problem, but my experience must be different than yours.
It might be that Kansas doesn't get as hot as Texas!
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Old 12-24-2020, 11:36 AM   #46
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It very much is a potential problem. The alternator is rated to produce only so many amps and the wiring only so much current carrying capacity. Certainly enough for lights, etc, but if running AC, head lights, or TV otherwise maxed out you can overwork and cause the alternator to fail. And Northern Canada or Alaska would be a bad place for that to happen.
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Old 12-24-2020, 12:35 PM   #47
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I grew up in Texas, spent most of my life in Alaska, and have traveled all over the US and Canada. I’ve had alternators go out in Alaska, Kansas, Vermont. Once in Sitka AK and once in Talkeetna Ak. As far as heat, I’ve traveled all over on 12v while driving - including the SW US in the summer. Always Dometic or Norcold 3 way fridges depending on the rig at the time.
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Old 12-24-2020, 01:07 PM   #48
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Why the aversion to running on propane while driving?
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Old 12-24-2020, 01:57 PM   #49
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It’s a minimal possibility of danger, but I don’t want to fuel with it lit. I’ve had it blow out and arrived with a warm fridge. It’s a. potential problem in an accident, and while not may places require it to be off, some places we travel do. So don’t want the hassle of turning it on and off simple as it may be. Some people don’t care about those things. I do. I have driven with the fridge on gas when I’ve needed, but I don’t prefer it.
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Old 12-24-2020, 04:21 PM   #50
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Forgot to mention the permafrost damage from Burwash Landing to about 20 miles short of Tok can be tough on your truck and trailer if your don't slow down. We rarely go above 50 mph over that section of road and go far slower than that often. You will want extra time there to avoid beating up your rig. Those spots can sneak up on you especially on the AK side since they are not marked as well as the Canadian side in my opinion.
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Old 12-24-2020, 06:02 PM   #51
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It may also be a problem, or even illegal, to pull into gas station with propane firing frig
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Old 12-24-2020, 06:15 PM   #52
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I am tentatively planning a trip to Alaska in 2021, leaving home on May 1. By then my 2013 Toyota Tacoma will have about 225,000 miles on it. Do you think it will make the trip

thanks.
I have lived in Alaska for 25 years, last time driving up was 12 yrs ago. We found that even when we drove up 25 yrs ago in our 94 Ford Ranger (w/ Sunlite pop-up camper) that the perils of the road up were vastly overstated. We drove the Cassiar Highway (gravel) by choice. The worst part of the trip driving-wise was the logging-truck traffic– operating a little too fast and definitely spewing rocks. We did not crack a windshield, but took some good hits. Not much to prevent that though.

We currently drive a 2020 Taco (6 spd manual) towing a 2020 Escape 17A. I have not had the Taco long enough to say much about it, other than I love it. I also have an ’06 Tundra that I have never bonded with (not so w/ the Taco). There are Toyota dealerships in Anchorage and Fairbanks. I’m guessing that there are more Tacomas in AK than any other mid-size pickup brand. And there are a lot of ’13 Tacomas on Craig’s List and most junkyards. And NAPAs and AutoZones are everywhere. And aftermarket places. So… the new and used parts situation is good, though sometimes they must be shipped up, and you pay for it.

I find that my ’06 Tundra is now old enough that dealers have to frequently ship up parts , and other sources of used parts are drying up. You will find that Anchorage (~275,000 people) is just like any city of comparable size in the lower 48, parts and service wise. We live about an hour N of Anchorage.

We keep our Tacoma/Escape camping package stored in the SW states somewhere, fly in to that location and do “dispersed” camping for a month or two at a time in the Rocky Mtns. We put in about 2000 mi a month, almost all on “improved” gravel roads. We seek to camp where we cannot see others. And sometimes camp in commercial campgrounds to get our city fix.

Point being, I am well versed on dispersed camping in the Rocky Mtns.

If you come to Alaska to get away from it all and camp in a dispersed manner (you did not indicate this, I know), you will be sorely disappointed.
For its size, AK has a sparse road system. In fact, we call the roads by their given names, rather than by number, e.g. Glenn Hwy, Dalton Hwy, etc. When you get out of the urban corridor and into the bush you are pretty isolated. You start seeing side roads, but many have No Trespassing signs and most of the others just have have an usigned domicile at the end. Most of the rest are gravel pits (which are free camping) from building the highway. Which is not gravel surfaced, but almost always black top. Not a lot of gravel roads, but some.

What does set AK apart is the distance btwn towns where you can get parts. However, depending on your car insurance, you can get towed to a town that can fix your car. My son recently had his Subaru towed 178 mi to fix a seized alternator. So, having roadside assistance is a good thing. And having extra serpentine belt and other vehicle-specific things is wise. Parts you can get at NAPA, not so much. No need to bring extra tires either probably.

As for cracked windshields, you are coming to the right place. Four out of five of my vehicles (excepting Taco) have cracked windshields. Its hard to go 6 months w/o a cracked windshield. The culprit is usually smaller highways that are traction-graveled in the urban corridor. Much of the gravel used is just glacial debris originating from river bottoms and screened for size. Some bigger rocks make it through screens.

The reason for no side roads is the ubiquity of “4-wheelers” known in the lower 48 as ATVs. There are 4-wheeler roads everywhere, just too narrow for TTs.
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Old 12-25-2020, 07:31 AM   #53
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I don’t think you would have any problems other tan a few areas of fresh chip sealing here and there. They keep most of the roads in good shape. There are some roads further north that can be in rough shape. Get a current Milepost magazine and enjoy the ride. I hope to be able to drive south from Skagway this spring, hopefully if people are vaccinated they can go trough Canada.
Can one drive to Skagway now? When I was there (1959), we had to take the narrow gauge railway from Whitehorse to get to Skagway? The vehicles were driven up on flatcars. Stopped about halfway at a small village for a boardinghouse breakfast. Long arms were handy at that table! Great ride along the old Klondike trail in places!

The Alcan was much different then too. My only disappointment was not seeing the Mounties in their impressive Redcoats. I didn't know it wasn't their daily uniform.
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Old 12-25-2020, 08:25 AM   #54
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We currently drive a 2020 Taco (6 spd manual) towing a 2020 Escape 17A.

Lots of useful info here, thanks. I'm surprised you can get a manual transmission in a Tacoma now. I tried to find one when I bought my 2013 and couldn't. I've had problems with clutch failures in the past though, so just as well.
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Old 12-25-2020, 08:26 AM   #55
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My only disappointment was not seeing the Mounties in their impressive Redcoats. I didn't know it wasn't their daily uniform.

It's not?! Aw, man! I didn't know it, either. (Laugh, Canadians)
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Old 12-25-2020, 09:19 AM   #56
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It's not?! Aw, man! I didn't know it, either. (Laugh, Canadians)
I found one in Carcross:
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Old 12-25-2020, 09:31 AM   #57
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I found one in Carcross:
Now that's what I'm talking about! That is a uniform!

Wish I had one to impress the South Texas ladies.
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Old 12-25-2020, 09:36 AM   #58
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I found one in Carcross:
Jon always gets his photo, the Mountie always gets his man. A few years ago Jon used his talent to photograph my daughter and her husband with their boler for their Christmas card picture. With two kids now, next time he will need a wider angle lens
Merry Christmas Jon and thanks for the travelogues and photos all year long.
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Old 12-25-2020, 04:01 PM   #59
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The ten amps or so that is required to run a refrigerator is not much compared to the output capacity of modern alternator. The current Tacoma has a 130 amp alternator, and any vintage can be upgraded if desired - there's a 270 amp unit available for the Tacoma.
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Old 12-25-2020, 05:15 PM   #60
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The ten amps or so that is required to run a refrigerator is not much compared to the output capacity of modern alternator.
It’s not just the fridge draw. My ‘98 Chevy 2500 has a 145 amp alternator, but it also has stock wiring gauge to the 7 pin and lots of electrical hungry add ons to the truck. The trailer adds loads with the brakes too. Cameras and modern LED lighting don’t add much, but it does add up. The typical wiring on vehicle 7 pin charging circuits will not carry near what the alternator can produce. Also most fridges running directly on 12v exceed the 10 amps you mention. Many fall between 20 and 60 amps on 12v depending on a number of factors. While you may have 13.8v at the alternator, many trailers will have less than 12v at the battery. I have towed 1000’s of miles with fridges on 12v and have still seen battery discharging even at 2000 engine RPM.
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