MARYLAND TACOMAS

I'm at the dealership right now. Fuel pump recall, and to see what caused the CEL flashing last weekend, which was probably the fuel pump, and they are doing the 15k mile service and the latest TSB flash.

Yesterday I was able to wash the dog and fix the garage door spring(s).

18 degrees on that walk this morning. I finally found another being that likes the cold as much as me.

 

Haha thanks, yeah I probably am the youngest! Bought the 4runner with money earned from working at the Home Depot in high school haha

And we had joked about that, but as it turns out she doesn't need much calling. The instant she hears someone new coming into the room, she runs to see them very fast, like a furry bullet as we joke. She has not mastered the brakes at this point in life lol

 

I saw @RobP62 today!!

 

What was wrong with the springs?

 

Do they actually have a fix for the fuel pump? Brought it in last December and they said a fix was not available yet..

 

Let no man condemn you for working, anywhere!


I think it's great you have your priorities in order.

Dogs are so cool. Their different personalities just amaze me. Ours can become quite the missile if I wind her up good. I'm glad we have carpet otherwise she'd cross check herself into the boards bad!

I Love all dogs.

 

So I'm standing there with the service advisor and up walks a sketchy guy looking like Paul Bunyan up top and Jeff Spicoli down below. Naturally I immediately made sure I had my knife and looked for the nearest exit.

As it turns out, it was my great friend Russ, The One Arm Bandit. So we all immediately went back to DEFCON 5.

Then he hollered at me when I was trying to help him remove his babies car seat out of his truck. Then get this, I asked if he needed any of the other important things out like Blu's blankets, his BT speaker, hats? He said no. Then said oh wait, and went back and got a 50 cent can koozie that looked like it was the first one ever made.



Actually, it was great catching up with my boy!

 

They had it in stock and I saw the truck on the lift with the left rear tire off so......

But yes, the paperwork said so.

Edit - the fix is a new fuel pump.

 

You notice a difference after you got it back?

 

Wow Rob! I feel like I just read a movie script lol. Thanks for helping me wrestle that car seat.

 

Anyone have recommendations for an alignment shop in the Baltimore/Bel Air/Aberdeen area? I just got an alignment from a firestone in East Baltimore after a front suspension rebuild and they did a pretty bad job.

 

Hola Mi Hermano!

One night I went out to walk the dog and got about a hundred yards away and heard a really strange noise that sounded like the garage door slamming shut. Or maybe another tree falling on something near the house, or maybe ice melting and sliding down a downspout. Deb was in the house so I called her to ask her if she heard it too. When she said yeah, I walked back and investigated around the house with my flashlight. Not finding anything I decided to just finish walking the dog. Got into it and a little while later Deb called and said something happened to the garage door, that cables were hanging. I assumed the bolt in one of the pulleys had come out.

My doors utilize extension springs. Those run parallel to the ground and parallel to the top tracks the door rides in. Torsional springs are wound on rods and are mounted parallel to the top of the door at the header.

The springs were likely installed when the house was built. That was 30 years ago. That's about 22k times the door was opened and closed.

I learned that the correct weight rated/installed springs should hold the door about midway open. When I was finished that was my result.

I compared the new and old springs by holding them both in my hand parallel to the ground. The new springs remained horizontal and rigid. Or basically like uncooked spaghetti. The old springs were very limp like cooked spaghetti.

At the ends of the springs the last couple of coils are bent out to form a point to attach the spring to the vertical track support, and to the pulley. The new springs are coiled two complete times. The old springs were not even coiled one complete time. That half a coil type that basically formed a hook just failed and snapped. The system utilizes a separate safety cable that runs through the spring in the event something like this happens. It keeps the spring from causing damage to anything near it including people.

Since the one side was still intact, I replaced that spring first, then used that side as a guide to restring the cable correctly while installing the spring on the other side.

The kit includes 2 springs and new safety cables but my cables were fine. You replace both springs no matter what so the tension is equal or the door will not travel correctly.

My springs are rated 120 lbs. I learned that all springs are rated depending on the weight of the door and are color coded. Mine were green so it made getting an OEM replacement easier. Lowes had the kit in stock. It was $25 with tax. The entire fix took me about an hour including repairing the vertical wooden 2x4 support that split when the spring broke off.

I learned how to fix this myself and it was my first time.

 

Definitely different Ronnie. Shifts smoother and holds 5th where it use to drop Into 4th on hills.

I'll have to assume the CEL flashing was the fuel pump.

 

Hey Brother, anytime!

 

Hi Mark, welcome to the forum and the Maryland thread

There's a place in Forest Hill called Grimm's Automotive. I've talked with the owner and his son and they're pretty stand up people. They came highly recommended to me by a coworker.

 

Very nice, you are a smart person my hermano.
If you ever want to switch to torsion springs or new door, let me know. Im a former residential/commercial service and installation garage door technician

 

Go see Karen Williams at Jones Toyota. They’ll do aftermarket alignments. ONLY talk to her though, she’s the best and will take care of you. They’ve aligned my mid travel truck quite a few times and have been spot on each time.

 

Good Morning every one.

 

Good Morning all

 

Morning Maryland