My guess on that one, pending the fob and receiver are working, is that the key fob needs to be reprogrammed to the vehicle. Usually you can find a good tutorial on how to do that through the Google. Read more

Whenever I see one of these out on the road (especially from the rear) I’m always tricked into thinking it’s a previous-gen Mazda3. Now that I know it actually is a Mazda, I don’t feel so bad. Read more

I fully expected to find tapered roller bearings on this thing, but apparently they went to this sealed design on the later Rams. Read more

That little gem is my fiancee’s “learner” bike. It was the subject of something I wrote a while back: http://oppositelock.kinja.com/the-best-bike-to-learn-on-might-not-be-a-motorcycle-at-1723274648 Read more

If I ever purchased a new car (hah!) this would be on a short list of stuff I could afford, like, and not feel guilty driving hard. Great review. Read more

I will consider it! Mmmm turbo noises... Read more

This is correct. The spindle does not rotate, and loosening the nut with the wheel on vs. the wheel off is inconsequential. On this particular vehicle (2WD Ram) anyway. Read more

I can only imagine drums cost more today. Perhaps they are still cheaper than re-engineering the axle to accept discs? It’s a great question, one that still boggles my mind as well. Read more

The more you know indeed! Your way works too, I was just afraid of missing and cutting the frame open. Oops! Read more

Thanks! The truck has around 118,000 miles right now. Read more

It could be a number of things, but I would start with the universal joints in the driveshaft. When they get loose, they can make that sound. The telescopic portion of the driveshaft (it if has it) can also give the symptom if it isn’t properly lubricated. Hope that helps! Read more

Not really. They make tools specific for drum brake repair (for stretching the springs) but I used long needle nose pliers and they worked OK. Just be cautious when working with springs under that much tension. Read more

Thank you! I did happen to lube up the slip yoke, and it seems to be articulating correctly. However the idea of dis-assembling it is intriguing. Hmm... Read more

Almost! The Tacoma comes with some “high tech” features like independent front suspension and rack-and-pinion steering. Read more

Thanks for the info! Read more

This Tacoma came equipped with an electronic locking differential from the factory. As for general maintenance on the truck, read about that in this article I wrote: https://thegarage.jalopnik.com/heres-what-it-cost-to-make-a-cheap-toyota-tacoma-as-rel-1796712352 Read more

True! Although in that design, they are not locating the axle. Read more

Thank you! Read more

That’s a great tip! I had suspected the driveshaft joints at first, but I had lubricated them well and still was experiencing the issue. Read more

You’re right - when the drums are adjusted correctly, they’re about as good as discs in normal operation. But servicing them is certainly more of a pain. Read more