Recent content by vachss

I have the panel off and the broken controller removed. It attaches to a 5 pin plug. Does anyone have the pinouts to the plug so I can at least get the truck out of 4WD and drive it around to look for parts? Thanks again.

The plastic 4WD control knob on my 2004 SR5 broke - and like an idiot I broke it worse by trying to shove the knob back on. Now the controller shaft behind the knob spins freely and the truck is stuck in 4WD HI. If anyone has a DIY for replacing the controller I'd appreciate it. If not can...

Dumb question here. Is the procedure the same for the older 4spd tranny? If not is there a write up somewhere similar to the one for 5spds in the Tacoma World link? Thanks

I looked on CL, Autotrader and cars.com. My take is that there's a lot more sketchy vehicles on CL, but if you take your time and know how to inspect then you can find vehicles significantly cheaper there as well. Autotrader seemed a lot better for those really clean looking $15-20K-ish...

To hijack this thread a bit - I'm also looking for my next set of AT tires, but living in SoCal don't care so much about snow and ice performance (other than the occasional ski trip). I do, however, occasionally get out on some trails covered with nasty sharp rocks. I've slashed a sidewall on...

Finally got around to installing a 2m mobile unit. I pulled the stock double DIN radio and found that the side brackets mounting the radio to the dash are also a direct fit for a single DIN radio and a 2m rig below. Since the 2m rig is about 3/4" narrower, all I needed was a 3/4" spacer plate...

Thank you very much. The Crutchfield page linked above indicates those three wires are for steering wheel controls (which I don't have). So leave them hanging it is.

I'm sure this has been answered somewhere buried in one of the radio installation threads, but I was hoping somebody could help me out anyway. I'm replacing the generic non-JBL radio in my 2004 SR5: I've pulled the radio and found that I have some extra plugs I don't know what to do with...

I can see how increasing the load on the spring will compress it and decrease the range, but how does lifting affect compression? I would think that with the same weight compressing the spring the compressed length would be the same whether you sit the spring on the bottom or top perch of a...

Maybe I'm just a bit slow, but if the bottom of a progressive rate spring is raised up onto a higher spring perch, how does it no longer behave as a progressive spring? Isn't the entire coil then simply raised by a certain amount while it's compression vs. load characteristics remain the same?

I have an 04 V6 4WD and am planning to put in FJ coils and Bilstein 5100s. From what I've read in this thread I will be nearly level with a front setting on the 5100s of either 0.85 or 1.75" - with a slight forward rake at the former and possibly a bit nose-high with the latter. I also get the...

So a press alone isn't enough? Those Harbor Freight 20 ton presses (often on sale for $150) can put down a a fair bit of force. Is a bigger capacity shop press usually needed for the LCA bushings?

I bought my 04 4WD a couple of months ago specifically to cart hang gliders around. So after some basic maintenance (brake job, fluid change) my first project was to build a rack capable of holding some hang gliders. First off, hang gliders prefer large flat padded support surfaces (like...

Good News: I took my '04 in, they took a look and say they'll have the new dash to put in later this month. Bad News: They did the Safe Stop software "upgrade" at the same time they did the inspection. No real harm since I guess since I never power brake, but just another thing I didn't need.

A related question: Is the "All aftermarket headlights are junk" meme I keep hearing true for all types of headlights or really just for the '06+ projectors? With the much simpler reflector design on the '03-'05 are any of the NSF or CAPA certified aftermarket headlight assemblies likely to be...