460,000 Mile 7.3 Powerstroke - M0S2 + Mobil 1 5W40

coalnewbie wrote:http://academytransmissions.com

Forget Jasper and other "heavy duty" stuff that 4R100 is the weak spot if you are serious. I don't care how far you have to drive go to this place but you need to book and don't ask for a quote.Ignore the 'owned by coalnewbie sign' in the waiting room

HAHAHAHAHAHA
.........................................................

One final word, always carry a spare cam positioning sensor and a 10MM wrench and know how to change it.

Been carrying that spare cam sensor ever since the first one died at about 35,000 miles. My brother bought the same basic truck as mine after I got mine and we made a snowmobiling trip to Potter County and he got to test drive mine while pulling a 4 sled Worthington with the high roof. Anything that goes wrong with mine or vice versa, we have each other covered. Plus since he owns the local NAPA, he gets a lot of feedback from guys coming in for parts.

Rick

Been carrying that spare cam sensor ever since the first one died at about 35,000 miles.

The original OEM was c rap. After the recall they were better but not bullet proof. Don't ask me how I know. If you can strip your weapon in the dark do the same with that little b u gger.

Well Berlin,

Thought about it overnight and I have decided to change the routine to your suggestions, how can I argue with a man that has been to the moon and back in his truck. I am sending the oil out for testing. Now part 2 of this thread may be how to minimize chassis rot. I cheat, my truck goes to Florida every winter, I wish I could go with it. It started life as a Texas cattle truck so it came to me rust free but scratched to c rap - loved and worked hard.

Chassis rot....................... Now you are in my domain !!!

One of the biggest issues with the bed sides is that Ford in its infinite wisdom installed a foam filler between the outer and inner wheel house where the 2 are spot welded together. And yes this foam does absorb and retain moisture. Only remedy is to remove it. And this usually happens when the panel rusts through requiring replacement of one or both parts or patch panels cut and welded in place. Pretreat the panels with a good weld thru primer, weld them, and then treat again with a light bodied solution that can creep into the gap.

I have a friend (yeah I know hard to believe) from Maine who swears by the Sherwin Williams treatment system. It is available at your local NAPA.
http://www.napaprolink.com/detail.aspx?R=MSRCPSK_0000999999

He sprays this stuff on brand new vehicles. Claims he has sprayed it on outer brake calipers on his tow truck and has not seen any corrosion in 3 years.

Over the years, there has been all kinds of wonder products on the market. I think the biggest issue is to get whatever can flow and penetrate between the welded panels.

Rick

Blackstone will send you free sample kits, their basic testing is $25 + you pay the postage. I normally use Wearcheck because my oil supplier provides their kits as part of the service; they also offer a little more information in their reports.

If you buy engine oil from a local distributor (Shell, Mobil, etc) ask them if they have sample kits...they usually do, and should be reasonably priced.

coalnewbie wrote:Well Berlin,

Thought about it overnight and I have decided to change the routine to your suggestions, how can I argue with a man that has been to the moon and back in his truck. I am sending the oil out for testing. Now part 2 of this thread may be how to minimize chassis rot. I cheat, my truck goes to Florida every winter, I wish I could go with it. It started life as a Texas cattle truck so it came to me rust free but scratched to c rap - loved and worked hard.

Good luck with your switch, what oil do you use now? 3,000 miles is a short change for a 7.3
Yes, the transmission is the soft spot, but, if you get one built by BTS or any of the other reputable builders out there, you won't have a problem again for the life of the truck although about $1500 more than generic rebuilds/ford HD etc. (The ford HD is decent too, but quality control will get you, lots of reports of broken pieces/metal in low milage transmissions from poor assembly quality - I Know some of this firsthand)

HERE is your solution to rot & rust: http://www.kellsportproducts.com/fluidfilmkits.html

Rob, that truck is used for just about everything, DD, work truck and long-distance hauler.

Grease and oil, painted on, squirted in every nook and cranny, it works great, collects dirt and builds a thick layer which stays wet and soft. I did an old 1984 car like this and to this day no rust. The down side your car will drip oil and grease for months after the treatment..

I sprayed the insides of the doors, fenders, cab corners, etc, in my F350 with LPS-3...the same stuff many people use to "pickle" their coal stoves over the summer. I don't know how well it will work on the truck, but it has to be a lot better than nothing.

Is Fluid Film thin enough to put through a garden hand-pump sprayer?

Rob R. wrote:I sprayed the insides of the doors, fenders, cab corners, etc, in my F350 with LPS-3...the same stuff many people use to "pickle" their coal stoves over the summer. I don't know how well it will work on the truck, but it has to be a lot better than nothing.

Is Fluid Film thin enough to put through a garden hand-pump sprayer?

The more you shake it the thinner it gets. Don't think it would work in a pump sprayer though. I just got there under coat gun and use that.

I will add Fluid Film Rocks

Eric