Is my truck doomed?

[Cascadia]

I don't only tow my camper and bikes a couple times a month. I tow a different enclosed trailer 2-3 times a week weighing over 4000 lbs. driving home today, not towing a trailer, if it downshifted then the pressure would go up. If I'm cruising at 75 pressure is at half. Before that trip pressure was always below half, towing or not. I have also towed my jeep and trailer weighing over 6k lbs with no problems with pressure or terrible gas mileage. I have never been below 10 mpg even on an entire tank of towing the camper or jeep.

 

[rollover]

IIRC trans sensors can cause issues like you describe. Talk to a Toyota trans tech and see what they say. They may have a scanner to read the trans code as well.
JM2C

 

[Cascadia]

Just went by Brent Brown Toyota where I bought it. They were slammed but I got scheduled for Monday. I described the problem to the guy and he says, oh that's totally normal. I don't think so. This is my 5th tundra and it's never happened. And other Tundra guys are saying it's not normal and theirs stays below half.

 

[sLcREX]

Wasn't towing but driving around yesterday around town and on the highway it would run just below half on oil pressure and when picking up speed it would run just over half. Small fluctuation.

 

[clfrnacwby]

I confirmed on mine yesterday as well...idle it sits just below half, cruising it's right at half, and accelerating puts it slightly over.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

One thing to look at as well is that there are some brands of oil filter that are more restrictive than others and will cause a higher pressure reading, some great info online with actual tests to support this, one of the many reasons I change my own oil is I know what is going on and into my engines.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Even problems aside I have never seen a gas engine get very good mpg towing. Hills, headwinds and other small factors also seem to make large impacts on MPG for a gasser towing. On the other hand I always make jokes about the guys driving lifted diesel trucks for commuter cars.


I say weight the options. If it was me and I was towing a trailer out racing once or twice a month I would likely have a diesel truck built to do the job and not a half ton that can do the job. Im also the guy that would almost never drive that diesel truck aside from using it as a truck.

Agreed, my 95 Chevy diesel may not be a powerhouse but it has a few upgrades and gets 12.5 mpg while towing the Jeep to Moab and back with the cruise set at 70-75, plus it rides smooth enough for my wife to sleep along the way. I also love the fact it's paid for and if it sits for weeks at a time not being used it doesn't cost us anything, so when we need a truck it's there and have 4 other vehicles to drive when we don't need a truck.

 

[Caleb]

I will say I towed my 10k lb camper many many times with my 07 Tundra and never had a problem. I towed to Colorado once in, what felt like, a head wind the entire way and other than getting super crappy mileage (don't remember the exact mileage but I filled up in Price and pretty much coasted in to Grand Junction on fumes), the truck had no problem.

IMO, I'd get the truck fixed and hold on to it until the diesel Tundra is released if you want a diesel.