Coffee 6-23-12

Ohhh, You had fun Smitty. Good! Yup, a few needles in the wrong place at the wrong time makes for a crunchy breakfast. Ouch! Sorry to hear your puller made the trip to the exploded parts bin.

SMITTY wrote:More mechanical fun today. Wrestled that tranny/transfer case out of the trooper, got the transfer case all disassembled, & found how this thing failed. There's a needle bearing setup riding underneath the 4-low gear/main tranny output shaft. Well, since it drove about 700 miles with a tablespoon of lube in the case, the nylon melted, and sent needle bearings into all the gears, taking chunks with them which then went into other gears before falling into a nice pile at the bottom, mixed with a tablespoon of scorched motor oil. Boy did that reek!

Hmmmm, maybe they need to design a "Low-oil-shutoff" or another idiot light, for the people who don't want to maintain their vehicles.

Gonna pull the old steering column apart on the 90 chev p/u & replace the turn signal unit today--glad I got a pix--anymore I tend to forget how *censored* goes back together.

Yeah been there last year Fred. Lots o fun!

009to090 wrote:Hmmmm, maybe they need to design a "Low-oil-shutoff" or another idiot light, for the people who don't want to maintain their vehicles. .. .. ..

A government mandate would be even better ... because we all know how common a problem it is when all 4 wheels seize up on the highway! They can incorporate this into the already ridiculous MA state inspection routine ...... so NOW they can raise the fee from $29 to $99 for all that extra work! Then we can add a "bureau of drivetrain oil checkers" to the MA state house to ensure it's done properly. After all, it's for THE ENVIIIIIIIIRONMENTTTTTTT!!

What da heck is it with pulling the steering wheel to replace a turn signal?? I replaced on on my wife's old Taurus... no wheel pulling, a 15 minute job because I spent 9 minutes doing research. Years later replaced one on my Ford Van, no wheel pulling. This time it only took 6 minutes because I knew how!

Speaking of the government saving ourselves from ourselves.... the new $65 tire pressure senors.... the idea of them is to prevent accidents from blow outs I guess? Well, my buddy Charlie was lucky to keep his Nissan truck on the road after an instant flat tire caused when the valve stem on the sensor blew apart!! Than you government, that stupid sensor almost cost him his life and it did cost him $65 for a sensor and $135 for a new tire because it trashed the tire coming down from highway speed. Grrrrrrr And... they MUST work to pass inspection AND the $4 batteries are NOT replaceable!!!!! ARGHHHHHHH!!!!

On GM trucks of that vintage the wheel has to come off.

3 things I like on Fords: replacing signal switch without column overhaul, easy access cap & rotor, easy access starter solenoid right on right fender next to battery. Everything else sucks!

I'm impressed!!! That faaaarrrrrr surpasses the 'zero' I have found! Good huntin', Smitty. Might as well drive the farm tractor to work.....fuel price is the same.

Were those three things:1. I like the color? 2.I like the seat? 3.I like the aluminum wheels?

Surely you didn't mean twisting a wrench under all those plastic shrouds!!!!!!!!!!!! Super Duty.......Horsepoop! I MUST be a 'National Achievement' to need to own a refinery to get enough fuel to keep it on the road.....

How's that for bashing the No 1 Truck in sales..... Was that one finger meant to be #1, or did I miss something......

SMITTY wrote:3 things I like on Fords: replacing signal switch without column overhaul, easy access cap & rotor, easy access starter solenoid right on right fender next to battery. Everything else sucks!

They also figured out how to put disk brakes on the rear axle of the truck that don't need to be unseized and overhauled every spring. (Not to mention all the 8.8" and 9" axles that have found their way under a GM).

I gotta tell you what Marty (wife) & I did last Friday after supper. While doing the shocks on my Van I pounded off huge amounts of rust & after measuring with my micrometer I had an urge to go compare my frame & front end with the new ones. I wanted to know just how much frame I have lost to rust. I took my creeper, micrometer & note pad & off to the Ford dealer we went. Well, it was a futile trip as the new ones have been redesigned and are actually MUCH heavier than my '97. I think in '97 the E-150 was lighter than the 250's, but now they use the same frame members for both. I did not look at the 350. So, I still don't know how much steel I have lost off my front strut thingy, but I think new it was .25" & now it's down to .19. (The new ones are .375) BUT.... the point of this story is that after we did that we went to the Chevy dealer to check out the Chevy Vans. I had never looked before... I was under the Chevy and yelled to Marty....she was in the car with the windows down... "Hon! Start the engine!" I pushed off the axle & came rolling out from under the Van.... "Put it in gear NOW, prepare to depart!" I jumped up, stuffed the creeper into the car & as I dropped into the seat and as I was closing the door I shouted "Accelerate! Accelerate!". She hit the gas, the door slammed shut & she asked "What???" I said "Oh, good gosh, when I was under there & saw what it was made of, I suddenly realized that if a strong wind came up, that vehicle might have folded down on me!". She laughed, but, wow, compared to the Ford... Wow. When they say "built Ford tough" they ain't kicking horse poop. The Chevy is about $3,000 cheaper than the Ford & I speculate that the extra $3,000 for the Ford is the actual cost of the extra steel.

While we are here.... my Ford '97 E-150 Van. First new vehicle we ever bought. It now has 103,000 on it and in one paragraph I can tell you every repair it's ever needed (not including brakes, tires, oil etc): in order, head gasket, 82,500 miles. Just under $100. Blinker switch, 87,000 miles. $65. Heater door control arm. 99,000 miles. They wanted $350 for a heater box, I skipped that & added a string & a cleat. I want heat, I pull the string & cleat it. I want AC, I un-cleat the string & the door flops shut. Front shocks, 103,000 miles. $72. I do my own repairs.

Freddy wrote:.................. Heater door control arm. 99,000 miles. They wanted $350 for a heater box, I skipped that & added a string & a cleat. I want heat, I pull the string & cleat it. I want AC, I un-cleat the string & the door flops shut. Front shocks, 103,000 miles. $72. I do my own repairs.

Freddy,

Several years ago I had an elderly couple who owned a Country Squire wagon. The vacuum actuator control took a crap on that air blend door. Same thing way too expensive to repair so every spring I would disconnect the vacuum line and they would have A/C. Each fall they would show up and i would reconnect to get them heat. Went on like that for over 5 years until sadly they stopped coming by.........I guess the grim reaper came to visit them.



Rick

At least they were WARM/COOL accordingly when the REAPER got there. Good story Rick

Rick 386 wrote:

Freddy wrote:.................. Heater door control arm. 99,000 miles. They wanted $350 for a heater box, I skipped that & added a string & a cleat. I want heat, I pull the string & cleat it. I want AC, I un-cleat the string & the door flops shut. Front shocks, 103,000 miles. $72. I do my own repairs.

Freddy,

Several years ago I had an elderly couple who owned a Country Squire wagon. The vacuum actuator control took a crap on that air blend door. Same thing way too expensive to repair so every spring I would disconnect the vacuum line and they would have A/C. Each fall they would show up and i would reconnect to get them heat. Went on like that for over 5 years until sadly they stopped coming by.........I guess the grim reaper came to visit them.



Rick

I had a similar problem in my '88 Grand Marquis. There was a small vacuum leak in the climate control unit that caused it to have no heat. I installed a plastic fuel-shutoff inline with one of the vacuum lines and mounted it next to the ash tray. Hot/cold with the turn of a plastic valve...almost factory.