The T100 has always it’s share of squeaks and rattles, but lately it’s crossed the line for even a 25 year old truck. Two problems in particular were getting worse. The first was a noise from under the hood that sounded similar to the ticking noise from an exhaust leak. The problem was it was coming from the left side of the engine, opposite the exhaust. When I had the manifolds off for the head gasket repair I checked them for cracks, so I was fairly certain it wasn’t leaking from there. I could only hear it under load so I could never identify where it was coming from by sticking my head under the hood. Finally I gave up last week and went to a local Toyota shop to see if they could figure it out. A half hour of labor later they came back with the diagnoses of a cracked heat shield. No exhaust leak after all, just a rattle that was in time with the exhaust pulse. I took it back home and added a hose clamp to keep the heat shield in place.

Problem Solved.

The next noise was a constant squeaking from the rear of the truck whenever I went over a bump…or when I slowed down…or accelerated. This was easier to identify. The rear leaf spring bushings were shot. They were in bad shape last year when I installed the add-a-leaf, and half a year of carrying a camper only made them worse. Below is a 360 video of the bushing replacement.