POs......Why????????????
03-22-2010, 11:11 PM
#16
these are the best yet posts that ive seen. Im gonna keep an eye and watch for more bloopers. Also ive never bought a new truck and ive also had alot of things that ive questioned and had to fix. some people just shouldnt breed.
03-24-2010, 09:22 AM
#17
Registered User
I bought my truck from a guy that knew nothing mechanical. I have a stack of receipts from various Dodge dealers he left in the truck that did just enough to keep the truck on the road. Then he went and did stupid stuff that made a bad situation worse. Here are some examples:
1. He decided to put a fuel plate in it. Instead of getting a socked head cap screw to replace the break-off bolt, he decided to run 3 bolts. He couldn't figure out where the massive oil leak was coming from. I repaired many other leaks but this was by far the worst. The rest were from neglect and poor maintenance.
2. The CC, HVAC controls and 4x4 didn't work. I fixed the vacuum leak to the CC actuator and like magic they all worked.
3. He decided to replace the very nice information center with a CB radio. In order to make this happen he butchered the console. When it didn't work he put in the dash in place of the ash tray just like everyone else.
4. He put this really cool headache rack on the truck with lights that came from a truck supply store. He wired the brake and turn signal lights to the harness going back to the tail lights of the truck with the cheapest non-weatherproof connectors he could find. Because these trucks don't have separate turn and brake lights they all came on when you were at a stop. I rewired the rack lights straight from the cab so everything works properly.
5. The front end was so sloppy you had to anticipate turns about 20 yards n advance and start turning so the steering would catch up. I found three bad ball joints including the track bar. I got two replaced easily but I couldn't get the track bar ball joint off. I took it to a parts store I deal with to get some help. The machinist there put the best ball joint puller he had on one side and used an air pickle fork on the other. We pounded and beat on that joint and it wouldn’t come loose. We put some heat on it with no luck. I got it hot and beat on it with a big hammer and it finally cracked loose. I guess he didn't know how tight to get the nut so he figured 1000 ft-lbs would work.
6. The front end sounded like there were bbs in the hubcaps. The u-joints had no needle bearings left both sides. The joints on the front drive shaft were the same.
7. The truck shook pretty well when I got it. I changed the fuel filter and couldn't believe how dirty it was. It ran better but still had a lot of vibration. I removed the prefilter to find what looked like paraffin wax in the bowl.
8. The passenger seat rails were rusted and locked. Also the seat back mechanism was broken. WD-40 and spray lube fixed the rails and I got a new mechanism. While I was at it I fixed the third light seal to prevent this from happening again. I thought this approach would be a nice change for the truck.
9. He wanted a gooseneck hitch so he decided to butcher the bed skirts to get the rod that unlocks the ball to fit. Why drill a hole when you can make a perfectly nice piece of sheet metal look redneck. While he was at it he threw away both wheel well liners so all the world could see his sheet metal cutting skills. Thanks to Pick-N-Pull I have it looking much better.
10. Why install the correct shocks? The fronts are too narrow for the mounting bracket and they rattle in the mounts. I shimmed them and the rattling went away. The top of the right one hit the underside of the AFE BHAF and made a rattle that drove me crazy. 1/2" pf rubber tubing solved that problem.
I could go on but this is making me feel bad about my truck. I have it running well now and I wouldn’t hesitate to take off in the morning cross-country in this truck. It gets 23+ MPG on the highway and is capable off-road. It is the best truck I have ever had despite what the DPO did to it before I got it.
Bob
1. He decided to put a fuel plate in it. Instead of getting a socked head cap screw to replace the break-off bolt, he decided to run 3 bolts. He couldn't figure out where the massive oil leak was coming from. I repaired many other leaks but this was by far the worst. The rest were from neglect and poor maintenance.
2. The CC, HVAC controls and 4x4 didn't work. I fixed the vacuum leak to the CC actuator and like magic they all worked.
3. He decided to replace the very nice information center with a CB radio. In order to make this happen he butchered the console. When it didn't work he put in the dash in place of the ash tray just like everyone else.
4. He put this really cool headache rack on the truck with lights that came from a truck supply store. He wired the brake and turn signal lights to the harness going back to the tail lights of the truck with the cheapest non-weatherproof connectors he could find. Because these trucks don't have separate turn and brake lights they all came on when you were at a stop. I rewired the rack lights straight from the cab so everything works properly.
5. The front end was so sloppy you had to anticipate turns about 20 yards n advance and start turning so the steering would catch up. I found three bad ball joints including the track bar. I got two replaced easily but I couldn't get the track bar ball joint off. I took it to a parts store I deal with to get some help. The machinist there put the best ball joint puller he had on one side and used an air pickle fork on the other. We pounded and beat on that joint and it wouldn’t come loose. We put some heat on it with no luck. I got it hot and beat on it with a big hammer and it finally cracked loose. I guess he didn't know how tight to get the nut so he figured 1000 ft-lbs would work.
6. The front end sounded like there were bbs in the hubcaps. The u-joints had no needle bearings left both sides. The joints on the front drive shaft were the same.
7. The truck shook pretty well when I got it. I changed the fuel filter and couldn't believe how dirty it was. It ran better but still had a lot of vibration. I removed the prefilter to find what looked like paraffin wax in the bowl.
8. The passenger seat rails were rusted and locked. Also the seat back mechanism was broken. WD-40 and spray lube fixed the rails and I got a new mechanism. While I was at it I fixed the third light seal to prevent this from happening again. I thought this approach would be a nice change for the truck.
9. He wanted a gooseneck hitch so he decided to butcher the bed skirts to get the rod that unlocks the ball to fit. Why drill a hole when you can make a perfectly nice piece of sheet metal look redneck. While he was at it he threw away both wheel well liners so all the world could see his sheet metal cutting skills. Thanks to Pick-N-Pull I have it looking much better.
10. Why install the correct shocks? The fronts are too narrow for the mounting bracket and they rattle in the mounts. I shimmed them and the rattling went away. The top of the right one hit the underside of the AFE BHAF and made a rattle that drove me crazy. 1/2" pf rubber tubing solved that problem.
I could go on but this is making me feel bad about my truck. I have it running well now and I wouldn’t hesitate to take off in the morning cross-country in this truck. It gets 23+ MPG on the highway and is capable off-road. It is the best truck I have ever had despite what the DPO did to it before I got it.
Bob
03-24-2010, 01:54 PM
#18
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Alice TX
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My truck had an amazing start in life my gradmother bought it to pull her 38ft travel trailer twice a year! since the day they brought the truck home all four of us grand children have drooled over it. they purchased it in 01 and got all the bells and whistles on it. i got it from them in 07 and it had just over 75k on it. slowly i have been adding power here and there until my grad paw got in it in february and suddenly got the diesel power itch. i have never had a problem with this truck. Twice i have tried to sell it but wind up taking her back home with me now i am just guna keep it till i die and have the wife bury me with my true love!
03-25-2010, 10:07 PM
#19
Registered User
Bob, I believe your truck takes the cake so far.
I bought a '53 Chevy convertible out of a salvage yard many years ago, before they were cool, and when I got it home I discovered a number of interesting things. The front coil springs had been lowered with a torch. OK, that wasn't completely out of the ordinary for '50's ratrods, but the rear leaf springs had also been lowered with the same torch! The trans had been pulled for service, and when reinstalled the bolts that held it to the crossmember were not put in, so it had flopped around, ruining the rear bearing support. Luckily I had a buddy who had an NOS one. The trans itself had run out of oil at some point and whoever rebuilt it neglected to replace the rear bearing, (which is really in the middle portion of the trans)--the mainshaft had been flopping around too. The PO had carved 7 notches into the steering wheel, and had carved his first name, BILL, into the horn button. The dash had been butchered for a different radio. But at least the wheels weren't welded on to the drums... I did have a buddy who bought a '57 Ford that had that problem! Sheesh!!!
I bought a '53 Chevy convertible out of a salvage yard many years ago, before they were cool, and when I got it home I discovered a number of interesting things. The front coil springs had been lowered with a torch. OK, that wasn't completely out of the ordinary for '50's ratrods, but the rear leaf springs had also been lowered with the same torch! The trans had been pulled for service, and when reinstalled the bolts that held it to the crossmember were not put in, so it had flopped around, ruining the rear bearing support. Luckily I had a buddy who had an NOS one. The trans itself had run out of oil at some point and whoever rebuilt it neglected to replace the rear bearing, (which is really in the middle portion of the trans)--the mainshaft had been flopping around too. The PO had carved 7 notches into the steering wheel, and had carved his first name, BILL, into the horn button. The dash had been butchered for a different radio. But at least the wheels weren't welded on to the drums... I did have a buddy who bought a '57 Ford that had that problem! Sheesh!!!
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