Why does it seem like when problems hit, they hit big?

Over the past 2 weeks, my truck has developed the following pings/problems:

1. Squeeky drive shaft/rear end? Haven't been able to pinpoint where the actual squeek was coming from yet. At first it was only there when I was backing up, now it's constant. I think I have a U-joint going bad. Replacement on the to-do list.

2. Stuck wheel cylinder/master cylinder? I push the brake pedal in about half way and it sticks, then if I put more pressure on it, it loosens up and goes to the normal position. It seems to track straight when I brake; no pulling. I bled the brakes/prop valve, but nothing changed. Troubleshooting on my to-do list.

3. And today, the motor started missing. Sounds like a plug or plug wire is fouling out intermittently. That, or a bad fuel filter (which is only 4 months old).

So now I'm forced to drive the mini-van to work until I can find some time to troubleshoot/fix all this sh*t.

I bought a Toyota master cylinder rebuild kit and took it apart, cleaned it and rebuilt it myself. As long as the bore isn't scored by the piston you can rebuild it. Easy fix there and worked better than ever.