Recent content by ryandc

Wasted spark, as others have mentioned. Because the plug is making the jump one way in one bank and the other way in the other, you will see the cathode wear more in one bank and the anode wear more in the other. This is typical, and you'll typically see this as the tip wearing a lot more in...

My truck is right around 295,000 miles. It's getting to be the time I need to do some of the deeper maintenance on it, including timing belt and some other odds and ends. I've done a couple thousand miles of fairly serious 4x4 between east Zion and Moab this year, and during the course of that...

I put a Gobi ladder on my rear hatch (a 1999, if that matters). Now, with the window down, the struts do not keep the rear hatch open. Can anyone recommend some heavy duty struts that will keep the hatch open?

Gonna only be one of a handful of things, in order of probability: 1) Bad alternator. Meter across the top of your battery or the alternator when the car is running; you should get 14.2-14.6 volts. If lower than this, your alternator (or one of its subsystems, see below) is bad. 2) Bad...

The rig: 1999 SR5. 3.4L engine, 5-speed transmission, J-style transfer case. No e-locker, no transmission mods. The issue: When shifting into 4HI on the J-stick, nothing happens. The 4WD light on the dash does not illuminate. Car does not exhibit issues binding on tight turns that would...

The high-level requirement: Tote an 18' tandem touring kayak on the roof, including down some rough roads. Total weight of boat is about 90 pounds. The rig: 1999 SR5 4wd 5-speed with a very mild lift and factory roof rack with factory cross bars. The question: In some research, I've found that...

Update So, I spent some time yesterday and today replacing the master and slave cylinder. In both cases, 2 12mm bolts hold the cylinder in, and a 10mm wrench will get the hydraulic line off. The slave cylinder is pretty straightforward; any socket wrench will do. The master cylinder top bolt...

Yeah, I knew when I bought this truck the clutch was bad. If you shifted at too high of revs, you could hear the engine over-rev when the clutch was engaged. As long as you kept the RPM's under 2,000 it was fine, but rapid acceleration wasn't possible. When I replaced the clutch, I was...

Speeds and feeds up-front: Vehicle is a 1999 with the 3.4L engine, traditional J-style 4-wheel drive transfer case, and manual transmission Transmission had old (OEM, original) clutch replaced at 194,000 miles with a (sigh) Gripforce clutch. In my defense, I didn't have a lot of money at the...

Not sure why folks are waving the BS flag at the OP. My Runner routinely gets 22-23 MPG even on snows in the winter. Mine's a 5-speed. My daily commute is about 10 miles, most of it over 45-55MPH highway (not freeway). I've managed to get 24MPG a couple times on long stretches of highway. Sweet...

I've run T6 5W-40 in my BMW's for a decade. My 318i made it to 300,000 miles before I sold it (for reasons unrelated to the oil). Engine was pristine and compression within 10% of factory spec when sold. The only other full-synthetic 5W-40's available around me are Delo and occasionally Mobil...

I deal in surplus IT equipment. People selling stuff (especially those that don't understand the value of time or knowledge) want to sell it to you for what they think you can get out of it. Somebody that says "Well, it'll sell for $1500 as scrap plus $2000 for the supercharger used, so I'll...

I get 22-24 MPG in my 99 5-speed 4x4 in mixed highway/city driving. My commute to work is about 40-50MPH with a few lights. Driving faster than 65 or so kills my mileage. It'll get 23 at 60-65MPH, 20ish at 70MPH, and 17MPG at 80MPH (which is the limit on some freeways out here). Given your...

I have the 199's, and posted a review of them here (you can search my posting history). My truck's previous owner was an earnest but not overly-talented shade tree mechanic, who did things like put new brake pads on when the rotors were clearly warped and used cheap copper spark plugs (and also...

Capital costs: $4200 for the truck Maintenance and repair: $40/year oil change (5 quarts synthetic and a filter) $120 Tundra brake swap (eBay parts ftw) $20 starter contact repair $60 battery $150 parts (Senco) +$200 labor clutch, throwout bearing, etc. replacement $50 spark plug replacement...