Recent content by N55_6MT

So my wife drove our 05 V8 runner on Monday, and when I got in on Tuesday morning to drive to work I noticed the stability, VSC trac and VCS OFF lights were on. I figured there was a problem with the dreaded smog pumps so I grabbed my el-cheapo reader and the only code I got was a C1340. Looked...

Keep in mind that the center differential in 4th gens is when unlocked, a limited slip and it’s action may not be immediately obvious to the driver as compared to the more reactive clutch based systems found in many modern CUVs. It’s very possible to have your front axle loose traction first...

Timing belt wear is more related to the age of the belt and engine hours, less related to mileage. It's possible to do a lot of high speed highway driving and rack up tons of miles while acquiring a less-than average number of engine hours.

The cable you posted wouldn't do anything unless your HAM has an amplified speaker output on it, and even then I wouldn't tie anything directly into a factory speaker that also has the radio connected to it. The "correct" way to do this is by adding or replacing the factory amplifier (if you...

I bought a '05 recently, and it came with Wrangler Duratracs that were in pretty good shape but holy hell did they hum. Because the truck was new to me, I just couldn't shake the thought that there was something wrong with the wheel bearings or differentials even though I was almost certain that...

Wow. That's insane. An oil change at the dealer is $110 for my 335i, and that's 7.5 qts of full synthetic, $150 for a 'yota is just stupid.

I'm hoping so, all my previous MT tires have been mounted on a truck that has huge holes in the exhaust, so I never paid much attention to the drone they produced. I found a set of '15 factory take off 17s with basically new Bridgestones mounted for $400 locally, I may pick them up to have a...

The runner is a second vehicle for me. Wife has a 2012 328i in addition to my vehicles.

Spun by hand I couldn't feel any one wheel that seemed to have more drag than the others, nor could I feel any 'notchyness' or grinding.

Hmmm... So I checked all the wheels, they rotate freely and I couldn't detect and play or noise. I put the entire truck on a lift and put it in drive and again, couldn't hear any drivetrain noise over the engine. The front passenger side wheel did have a tendency to drag and stop turning and the...

Paid 10.5k for a 2005 Salsa Red V8 Sport 4WD with 140,000 on the clock. One owner, purchased new in SLC, had it serviced at the local Toyota dealer it's entire life. Some frame rust from life in Utah, mostly just on the welds, only serious spot is on the cross member near the spare tire.

Truck is new to me, bought it from the original owners who had it serviced by the dealer it's whole life. Carfax reported that the rear diff had the fluid exchanged at 70k, but no note about doing the front. I'm going to jack it up tonight and grease everything, drain and fill the diffs, check...

When I was fixing a broken "twisty cap" and bent pin on my '05, I found a post online somewhere where it was advised to assemble the pin, retainer, spring and twisty cap before sliding the shoe in, and use very small zip ties to compress the retainer spring, slide it on to the shoe, then cut the...

Is there a good way to try and isolate wheel bearings vs. CV joints or the front diff? I'm struggling with a pretty good humming that starts at 30MPH that increases in pitch & level as you increase in speed. I've had a hard time so far isolating it, but it seems to come from the front end. The...

Thanks for the write up, I just bought a 2005 T4R and several of the interior lights were burnt out. LEDs are in my future.