Recent content by Louie

If you care about your vehicle you should do many of the maintenance jobs yourself. Figure out some way to lean and buy the few tools you'll need, suff like ramps and some sockets and combination wrenches. A friend that had his oil changed at a Toyota dealer found that they put 12 miles on his...

No one works on their own brakes?

You can take off your serpentine belt, start the engine and run it just long enough to see if you still have the noise. If it quits you know it one of the things the belt drives. That can at least rule out the engine itself. And you can get a very long screwdriver and put the pointy end to...

Not always true with modern tires. Some tires for offroad have such stiff sidewalls that you might get the opposite effect. Other off road tires are so stiff that they will establish odd wear patterns if driven mostly on the street. But you can't be fashion correct unless you have a set of big...

Has anyone bled their own brakes?

Maybe synthetic lubricants, street only tires (Michelin Cross T's) at higher pressures (38psi) and smooth steady driving does return better mileage. Oh, and staying off that brake pedal. I'll be interested in hearing how your test without the skid plate goes. Another thing, I listen to books...

Answers to questions. 43k miles, V8, same oil, 0w-30 synthetic, the dealer has never touched my vehicle, synthetic transmission fluid, synthetic in the dif, 4x2, tires, Michelin Cross T's at 38 psi all around. I drive very smooth, and keep off the brakes, traffic heavy at times but it usually...

Found somthing interesting, my commute is 75 miles one way and with the skid plate off I've been getting 1mpg better fuel mileage from 22 to 23 mpg when I drive 60-65mph. I've been looking at this for about 5 fullups each way, plate, no plate.

4Runner 2x4 V8 michelin cross t's, 43k miles, a toyota tech says they are down 1/2. I don't use the brake pedal much, it's too expensive, gas and brakes. I run the Cross T's at 38psi, checked every two weeks, rotation every 10k miles. Tires are down about half, too. So it looks like 80k miles...

Does it happen when the vehicle is stationary or moving?

Check to make sure it's not your water pump.

I have starated commuting 150 plus miles per day and have tried a new radical method to get better mileage, driving the speed limit, 65mph and using the curise control as much as possible. I have an 03, V8 2x4 4Runner, synthetic German Castrol Syntec 0w-30 (the real synthetic not like the other...

And another comment, I removed the skid plate to make sure the belt was on correctly. And one final comment. You put the belt on including the tensioner pulley but don't run it over the idler high on the driver's side. You then remove the tension and slip it over that little pulley on the upper...

Be careful when you look at accounting details. A good account gets all the numbers to add up. A great account makes them into anything you want. In everything automaker does, the ultimate goal is selling cars and gaining and controlling market share, and you should look there first. Everything...

Tell me if I have it right, keep res at max mark, right rear first, left rear, then right front and left front, do with engine off ignition key on, pump a few times hold pedal down, open bleeder with hose attached to small jar, end under level of extra fluid placed in jar. Only leave key on when...