How To Video: Change a Tire on the Tacoma ( high def )

I recently got a flat tire, but I also enjoy making videos and how-to's on occasion. My last one was the Pac Swi-Jack in Audio / Video section.

So, I made a high def tire change video( 7 min ). Since I recorded the process when I was replacing it I put threw some time in to edit it.

I didn't find much good info on the Taco Flat, so I made my own vid.
Might be sticky-able, but don't know how often someone would really need to watch it. I'm more computer savvy than mechanical so it took me a little while to swap out the tire, but now I get it..

2 tricky parts were : 1 releasing spare, and knowing exactly where to jack. these are covered in the video.

Anyways, I hope someone finds it helpful, I was trying to make a sticky-ready one stop how to change a flat tire video for the forum.
( let me know if this is not the best spot for this post )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwdCYqPvjlQ

 

Awesome and informative video, thanks!

One thing... Everything I've seen says to tighten the lugs in a star pattern, would that make a difference?

 

nice work!! Enjoyed the video


rep sent

 

Nice Vid, FYI here are the jack points, thanks to chris for showing me

 

Got it, thanks Chris!

 

X2!
Also might be a good idea to double check them with a torque wrench.

 

thanks everyone..

ktmrider / all: uhhh, so did I jack my damn taco in the wrong spot and thus present wrong information in this video ? I swear the manual indicated where I showed the pic ... YIKES ? Maybe I got lucky, but I don't want to give people the wrong information.

edit:
Just got home & re-checked the manual, I believe I did it correctly lol. Still seemed strange..

Added annotation to tighten lugs in star pattern. ( thanks for the tip )

 

great!
I actually didnt even think about how to get the spare out.

 

and cant he just take the steel rivot out and repair the tube?

 

No tubes in the tires..?? you might be able to patch it.

 

Cool video man. I finally learned how to remove the spare on this truck. I always wondered.

 

Thank you very much for that feedback. That is exactly why I made the video! That, plus I enjoy making videos, and love my new high def camera

 

nice video

 

Informative and entertaining.

Cool how you were "average Joe" about and not condescending "Mr. Mechanic"

Thanks ac.

 

i don't think so. looks like it is fairly close to the outer tread and sidewall and a patch may not even fit over the entire hole where the piece of steel was.

 

Did you flick off the flat tire. lol

 

Nice honest approach.

You did fine in the video. Important thing is that the jack is on level solid ground and makes solid contact with what's being jacked... don't want it to slip. I jack from the axle regularly. Other good points are the frame as ktm showed. The front tires are much harder due to the IFS suspension; make sure you chose a nonmoving part that is solid. Since I have a lift it's a pain, I use the frame and jack like crazy.

Your tire might be alright. Damage to tread area can sometimes be repaired. Damage to sidewall is always - dead tire.


Other tips:

-Never use ramps. They are unsafe. If you want to argue, I have a gravesite you can visit.
-I would try avoiding jack points that lift more than one wheel at a time. Less stuff in the air = safer.
-always use wheel chocks. Sandbags, really big rocks, large firewood quarters, etc. can work, doesn't need to be terribly fancy. I use railroad ties that are cut in 1' lengths. Chock the wheel on both sides (front and back)
-Invest in a good jack. The emergency jack isn't that great and is slow, also more dangerous since it has a small area of contact. Also, you might forget to put it back!
-Jack stands are also good. A jack can "fade" (release pressure) and drop. Jack stands have pins or levers that prevent this from happening.
-if you jack is too small (can't raise wheel high enough) you can place a block of wood on the cup to act as a spacer. I only recommend this with jacks that have a large cup. I only do this when jacking against flat pieces of the truck, such as the frame. It isn't Ideal... but I'm not buying a lift
-never place yourself under a jacked up vehicle that isn't on jack stands. In general, don't be under the vehicle if possible.
-wheels can be heavy. Instead of dead-lifting it on, use a pry bar as a lever. Put the pry bar flat on the ground, put tire on top. With one hand on the tire, lift up on the pry bar. The tire will raise, and you can do this to position the tire up onto the lugs.
-as soon as possible, torque the lug nuts to factory spec. Only torque on wheels that aren't jacked up. When done, loosen the torque on your wrench before putting the tool away (such as 20 lbs). This relieves pressure on the wrench
-Get some anti-seize. I currently have a brush-in-can of Lawson Lubri-Temp Mark XXII. Brush the lug bolts with a bit of this and it will make your lugs easier to take off, and add a bit of protection. Some folks think that it might loosen the lugs over time, but there's nothing to worry about with a properly torqued wheel. I've got 500k miles to prove it, too.