Recent content by ddicosmo

Thanks Buckaroo for the info. Interesting video about the plugs for the 4runner. Sounds like my 2008 came with the 30k plugs. I was mistaken (like alot of people) thinking that they were iridium. I even asked the parts guy at the Toyota dealer if the plugs I was purchasing were iridium and...

Thanks for the responses. I called two Toyota dealers and both quoted $5.35 each for replacement OEM (Denso) plugs... $50 seems high for the Denso plugs... are they different from OEM? I thought the OEM ones from the dealer are also iridium...

I'm about to hit 150k on my 08 SR5 V6 and I'm still on the original spark plugs. The engine seems to be running fine (not rough and no codes) but I feel as if I'm due for a spark plug change (I think I'm 50k over recommended interval). Which spark plugs do you recommend for the change? Go...

Thanks 4R005. Should I also drop the pan and clean it out or just do the fluid change? The pan has never been dropped so this would be first time doing this. Also, which method did you use (or recommend) to check the temperature? The OBD jumper method or using an infra-red laser thermometer?

Thanks everyone for the responses. I think I'm going to attempt the drain and fill myself rather than bring it somewhere. I'm really curious to see what the color of the fluid is. Will post more as I get into the job.

I'm at 145,000 miles on my 08 SR5 and have not had the transmission fluid changed or flushed. It is still the original fluid. I did this because someone told me that I did not have to change the AT fluid on these as it is good for the lifetime of the vehicle. In the past 2 months, I've...

Also, just to note here, the black pieces should be stainless steel just like the muffler is, but he coated them with a high temperature coating after welding. So maybe when that coating wears off, they will look similar to the muffler... it's easier to see this from pictures (which I will...

Hi Mike. Thanks for the response. I'll try and take some pictures soon and post them. As far as the pipes from the back of the muffler (ie. the resonator pipe and the downpipe which was actually part of the muffler and broke off), he reused the pipe with the resonator as it was in great...

Yeah, I agree. I think he was probably trying to replace a potential future leak point by removing the flanges and welding in a pipe... It just looked weird to me in that he decided to use an inner pipe rather than go over it with a larger diameter pipe for a cleaner look.. Seems that by...

About 1 month ago, the rear portion of my exhaust resonator pipe assembly broke completely off at the weld that connects it directly to the back part of the muffler (see attached muffler diagram. The part that broke is in BLUE). I think that it was a welding failure since the rest of the...

Yes... NH is pretty bad when it comes to road salt... It was pretty nasty this year...

Seems like a poor design though since the rest of the exhaust system is solid and mostly rust free.... unfortunately, the break is at a very unconvenient spot which makes a fix difficult... I'm wondering if I could have it re-welded? If not, anyone have any recommendations for a decent...

I heard a rattling noise at idle which eventually went away but i could tell something wasn't right because my exhaust was a bit louder, especially when letting off the gas and coasting... So i got out to check my exhaust and noticed the tip pressed up against the body...i knew something must...

From what I read, pulling the hubs is easy. That's not what I'm worried about otherwise I would probably just do it. The issue is the bearings. Once the hub is pulled, supposedly the bearings get damaged in the process and need to be replaced. This opens up a whole can of worms as now you...

At this point, since the truck only has 120k on it, I'll wait to replace the dust shields when I have to do the bearings next... Even though the shields look like crap, they still function and I'd hate to have to pull the hubs just to put new shields on... Doesn't make sense at this point for...