Changing a flat and jack related problems....

[westwind77]

A few hundred yards from my street I picked up a broken/worn bolt on my rear drivers side tire, one end was worn down to an 'ice pick' point, and the other still had the nut on the end, about 3" in length. Parked in driveway, pulled it out, figured now would be a great time to learn the tricks of changing the tire on the new 4R.

Pulled the jack out with all the related hardware/tools. Here is were I ran into an issue that could be a PROBLEM for others who run into this on the road. The jack handle extensions have Phillips Head bolts on the ends that are used to connect/tighten them to each other. The PROBLEM is that these bolts were in fully inserted into the pieces, therefore there was NO WAY to connect the handles together without 1st unscrewing them. I was home so just picked one up and continued but if you are on the road and do NOT have one with you, I have a feeling you might be there a while waiting for AAA! These were inserted before they painted the pieces because I had to break the paint bond when I unscrewed them.

I figured I would post this so people can break these bolts free now so when they need to use the jack they actually can!

Ultimately I 'cheated' and used my floor jack because it is just so much easier but I wanted to make sure I knew all the steps and placement for when I am not near the floor jack.

I am curious to know if anyone else has run into this or to see if theirs are the same way?

 

[IceNomad]

Mine was the same way. I also hate how you have to access the spare by sticking the probe into the hole and get it just right. After you get it in once, the other times are easy. There was no satisfaction in it.

 

[jca21]

good thing i edc a multitool.

thanks

 

[hiker_jon]

Jack comparison

Hi,
I just bought a 2010 SR5 and one of the first things I did was check out the jack. I agree with Westwind77 that you need a screwdriver to break the paint bond on the screws and I agree with IceNomad on the difficulty of getting the "probe" into the hole. You need a flashlight for that and it will not be fun to do at night in a storm.

I still have my 1998 3rd gen and wanted to compare the jacks. I know that the jack for my 1998 was marginal both in terms of weight that it can lift and the amount of travel (especially on dirt roads). My 1998 has a curb weight of 1640kg with 16" tires. The jack is rated for 1500kg and has max extension 17 3/4". My new 2010 has a curb weight of 2078kg (1000 lbs more than my 1998) and 17" tires. Its jack is rated at 1800kg and has max extension 19 1/4".

So I don't think the specs for the jack have kept up with the weight of the vehicle. I would recommend buying an aftermarket jack.

 

[Aggie]

Guys, you don't need a screwdriver. They made the screw heads square for a reason, the same reason they made the jack handles square where they connect together. The jack handles can be used as a wrench over the square head of the bolts, and can be loosened that way.

I had the same frustration when I changed my first flat on the Runner, until I sat back calmed down and just looked at it. After you figure that out it's pretty easy.

 

[Deep_palancar]

The square slot in the center of the handle fits the square heads of the phillips cut friction bolts. No additional tool is really required.

Connecting the shaft to the spare's hanger crank almost requires that you have done before. Everyone should practice it at least once in the daylight on dry ground.

The truck needs a guide tube for the crank. It should be easy enough to make something....

 

[philsey]

Screw it - I'm callin' AAA.

 

[westwind77]

Guys, you don't need a screwdriver. They made the screw heads square for a reason, the same reason they made the jack handles square where they connect together. The jack handles can be used as a wrench over the square head of the bolts, and can be loosened that way.

I actually was thinking about that after I was done with everything, but I was too 'lazy' to go back down and pull everything back out to see if the ends fit the bolts. I still think they should leave them loose, one less thing to deal with at night, in the rain, on the side of a highway.

Brings me to another question, does anyone know if their dealer offered them any 'road hazard' on their tires with the 4R purchase? I called my dealer and they said no, that it might have been offered as an 'extra', but is not included standard.

The normal place I buy tires from includes road hazard with a new set.

 

[ladywolf]

I actually was thinking about that after I was done with everything, but I was too 'lazy' to go back down and pull everything back out to see if the ends fit the bolts. I still think they should leave them loose, one less thing to deal with at night, in the rain, on the side of a highway.

Brings me to another question, does anyone know if their dealer offered them any 'road hazard' on their tires with the 4R purchase? I called my dealer and they said no, that it might have been offered as an 'extra', but is not included standard.

The normal place I buy tires from includes road hazard with a new set.

nope. wasnt offered road hazard on mine.......had to replace a tire at less than 20k miles..........230 bucks later.

now i have 17'' wheels and better tires. the next set will come from our COOP with a 60k warrantee, free rotations and balances, and free flat repair.

 

[WRM1]

I still have my 1998 3rd gen and wanted to compare the jacks. I know that the jack for my 1998 was marginal both in terms of weight that it can lift and the amount of travel (especially on dirt roads). My 1998 has a curb weight of 1640kg with 16" tires. The jack is rated for 1500kg and has max extension 17 3/4". My new 2010 has a curb weight of 2078kg (1000 lbs more than my 1998) and 17" tires. Its jack is rated at 1800kg and has max extension 19 1/4".

So I don't think the specs for the jack have kept up with the weight of the vehicle. I would recommend buying an aftermarket jack.

Don't forget that, used as intended, the jack only lifts the amount of weight on one wheel, which should be about a quarter of the weight of the vehicle. For the 2010, that means your 1800kg jack is lifting 600kg when changing a tire.

 

[WFO_Racer]

The square slot in the center of the handle fits the square heads of the phillips cut friction bolts. No additional tool is really required.

Connecting the shaft to the spare's hanger crank almost requires that you have done before. Everyone should practice it at least once in the daylight on dry ground.

The truck needs a guide tube for the crank. It should be easy enough to make something....

No kidding the manual does not make it clear how to feed the crank to lower the spare. Took us quite a while to feed it in.