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biggman100

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  1. Moses, i know, but, sometimes, i tend to overlook the obvious. I think it is a flaw that develops over time if you do something enough times.
  2. An update on this, and a bit of an anecdote. To me, its kind of funny in a couple ways, but, the car got wrecked. Noone was hurt, and noone was even in the car, as she was at work, and someone on their phone wasn't paying attention to what they were doing, and hit it so hard they pushed it 300 feet. Granted, they were in a fullsize Ford F-250, but, i still wonder how fast they were going in the parking lot. The reason it is funny to me in a way is due to the comment Moses made about how distracting the radio was. I left the radio in for about two weeks, then, since it was still winter, when we rarely go far from home, and she was only driving it locally, put the original radio in, then, last summer, put the Nav radio back in for a couple trips, and, my mother in law basically made the same comment Moses did, except she actually said, i think my phone would less of a pain to use. The best part, we were in their driveway, engine off, key on, just setting it up for a trip to the Adirondacks, then, a couple other people had messed with it, and, my brother, who hates technology anyway, said that it was more complicated than his old smart phone, which, it did take some getting used to, ill admit. Basically EVERYONE who tried it for some odd reason didn't like it. Anyway, it struck me funny that the car got wrecked by someone using a phone that everyone said was easier than her radio to use (no, im not condoning EVER using a phone for any reason while driving). Maybe i just have an odd sense of humor, who knows. The other reason this whole thing has struck me funny is, now my wife is back in her old Subaru while looking at newer vehicles, and when she tried the newer (2014-2016) Subaru's, she said the only thing she really liked about the newer ones was the stereo/navigation system. I have also, as a member of several Subaru forums, as well as being the goto guy around here for older Subaru's (i worked for a Subaru dealer for almost 15 years, so i know quite a bit about the older, pre 2005 cars), heard a lot of stories on how the newer ones are nowhere near as reliable as the older ones (horrible oil useage problems, such as going through a qt every 1,00 miles, and nightmarish CVT transmission issues), so, now she is looking at either Jeep, Chrysler, or GM SUV's (the same vehicles she swore for more than 15 years she would NEVER, EVER drive).
  3. I know this is an older post, but, i would like to add this for anyone who comes across it. I had several different BII's, most notably a 1987 with a 2.8 and manual trans, and a 1989 with a 2,9 and manual trans (that a tree crashed onto in a storm, but that is another rant for another day. I still miss that one though), and, with over 150k on the 89, all stock, i could go many places in 2wd, that guys in bigger pickups had to get to in 4WD. They are very capable little vehicles, and, if found in good shape, and decently maintained, will take a fair amount of abuse, as long as it is only occasionally, and not every day. The one downside they all seem to have though, is they rust along the rear part of the floor, no matter what area of the country they are found in (as, years ago, i bought one from Florida, one from Tennessee, and one from Texas, and they all had at least surface rust in that area), just in front of the lift gate, so look there for signs of it.
  4. Moses, this was another one of those, waiting on money situations, but, i finally got back to it, and found a laundry list of problems, mainly because he had someone try to "help" him fix what he thought was wrong before bringing it back to me (to try and save himself money, which rarely ever works out). The rear trans mount was somehow melted, and one bolt was broke off in the housing, the TC AND front diff were completely destroyed ( i did however, find out that the truck is AWD and not 4WD, an error on my part), a motor mount was loose (his "helper" couldnt get it out, so he just left the bolts loose), it was 3 qts low on oil, because his "helper" cracked the drain plug gasket, they also removed the ground i had installed for the TC ( a tip for anyone who uses silicone instead of the OEM gasket between the TC and transmission, always add a secondary ground to one of the bolts that hold the TC to the transmission, and connect it somewhere on the frame. Some vehicles, especially Ford's, have a metal based rubber coated gasket due to how the TC and transmission are grounded, and, without the OEM gasket, can cause issues, especially with the TC. No, silicone wont hurt it, as long as you remember to add the secondary ground wire, and clean the bolt the wire is connected to (I always run that bolt in, tighten it, then take it out, and do that a couple times, to remove any silicone from the threads the bolt screws into. Always wait to do that after the silicone has set for at least an hour though)), as well as a bad VSS, and, remarkably, somehow they managed to also loosen the starter, so that it made a bit of a grinding noise. (Ok, so, yes, i was a bit bitter, and still kind of am about this one, since all he would have originally had to do was bring it back to me to fix a simple issue with the front diff, and, instead, he caused all these other issues, that i got stuck fixing).
  5. Moses, after $3800, and some common sense, the 4WD issue has been fixed. Due to tires being of different makes, as well as having a nearly bald tire, it was ultimately responsible for destroying the TC, front axle, encoder motor, as well as a few other minor issues. One thing i learned in all this is, if you have a newer, say around 2002 and up, full time or part time, 4WD system, always, always, always make sure the tires are as matching in size, tread depth, and wear ratings.
  6. Benji, another thing to consider is where you live. I know that in the states, especially in some states, a gas to diesel conversion wont allow it to pass emissions, mainly since, with a PCM/ECM swap, the vin in the donor PCM wont match the window sticker or registration sticker, and in many states, especially those that do emissions testing, like here in N.Y., that is an automatic inspection fail (that way, you cant just swap any ECM/PCM from the scrap yard into your vehicle, without paying for reprogramming).
  7. Moses, something to add, as i recently learned. Not all spacers are made equally, being that, some of the less expensive ones aren't always truly round, as we found out in an experiment on my brothers truck. He had an odd shimmy, but it only seemed to be in one wheel, but, when he changed to new all billet spacers, it got even worse, then he went to another, higher priced brand, still billet, and, in 1300 miles, not once has the shimmy came back. We took his original spacer and put in dead center on a lathe, and the inside diameter was out of round more than 20MM, then we tried 2 of the second pair he bought, and one, the outside was out almost 45MM, another one, the center hole was almost egg shaped. Of course, both companies he bought the spacers from say it was his fault, that he installed them wrong and caused them to be damaged, so, we bought a second pair from the first company, and they were even worse (another thing to note, on the original pair, not even the center hole was exactly the same size, 3 were off by roughly 4MM from each other, but, one was 15MM under sized from the rest). We also seen where one adapter was actually 12MM thinner than the rest, as well. Another thing i have recently learned is, some wheels are "concentric" to fit certain hubs, and if the spacer isnt concentric and the wheel is, that will also cause a vibration, or vice versa. Yes, i know, a pricey experiment, but, my brother builds dirt modified's for customers, so he can afford a bit of experimenting (just don't get me started on his 2 year long, holley 2 vs 4 barrel on a 2wd Chevy 1500 experiment, i might be here all day).
  8. I finally got back to this, and even after replacing the rear drums, still didn't fix the issue. However, thanks to my youngest, the issue has now been resolved. One day, while we were outside, i went to get something out of the truck, and, she says, daddy, that tire looks funny. I happen to look to see what she was looking at, and, sure enough, the front tire had not only a bulge in it, but very obvious signs of a broken belt, since the tread pattern didn't go straight anymore (I have taught my children from a young age little things to look for on vehicles, hoping that, as they become drivers, those are things they will remember, tires being one of the things i taught them about, lights are another. Since my brothers shop does tires, i use the bad ones he replaces as training tools). All this time, since i never once felt a vibration in the steering wheel, i concentrated on the rear end of the truck. However, the wheel she was looking at was the left front, so, the lesson i learned is, don't ever assume anything, since you could just be wrong. After the way this summer has been, i have had many D'UH moments, but, this one by far is my biggest one. One bit of clarification here though, when i said i swapped tires around, what i actually did is replaced one rear tire with the spare, then, when the vibration didn't go away, swapped the other rear tire with the spare. I was so convinced it was something in the rear, i never thought to even look at the front.
  9. Moses, it is an open diff, and, as much as it pains me to say it, this is one time i wasn't thinking, and overlooked something important. Both rear wheels were off the ground, and, as i turned one one way, the other would turn the opposite direction, as they are supposed to. Today, after rethinking it, i jacked up one side, left the other side on the ground, and the wheel wouldn't turn unless it is in neutral, with the same result when i checked the other side, just as it is supposed to. However, i may have solved this one. I wont know for a few days though. As i was messing with some other stuff on it, i happened to notice that the right rear brake drum is missing a chunk about 2 inches long, maybe a quarter inch wide, at the edge of the brake drum where it rides over the backing plate (what i call the inside edge). I think the reason i didn't catch it before is that the missing piece of the drum was pointing towards the ground, and, since i wasn't thinking it could be related to a brake drum, never once looked at them as i was rotating and messing with the wheels and tires. I took both brake drums off, and found that the one is so rotted along the back edge (the edge closest to the inside of the axle), that i could actually break small pieces off with very light pressure, so, before i go any further with it, i am going to replace the drums, and see if that fixes the issue. It may not be for a few weeks though, as i have another vehicle that has been sitting that needs some road time to determine all its bugs and issues before winter, and, as that has been sitting without moving for almost 5 months now, and needs to be figured out by late august at the latest, i'm going to be driving that daily for at least the next month.
  10. I am having an issue with the 4WD in a 2004 hummer H2. It was checked by a dealer, who finally determined that the transfer case motor was bad. After replacing it, it still seems to have pretty much the same issue, which is, it almost acts like it is stuck in 4HI, especially when cornering. We took it back to the dealer, and, now they are saying that because one tire, the right front, is less than 3/32ds tread, that is why it is still acting that way. Has anyone ever heard of that happening before? I know that having different size tires can cause major issues, but i have never heard of a tire of the same size having low tread and causing issues. Maybe im just missing something here.
  11. Hi guys. On my 1994 dakota 3.9 5 speed, it recently developed the oddest vibration, but, only in the rear, and, is worse at lower speeds, such as 20MPH or less. The vibration is so bad, that with my 4x8 utility trailer, it actually made the trailer slide side to side while moving. I have had the wheels checked, as well as swapped tires around, with no change, so, the other day, i decided to lift the back completely off the ground, and, noticed that with it in gear, engine off, i can rotate either wheel, and they seem to spin fairly freely. I always thought that at least one wheel, most likely the right rear, since that is the first one to lose traction and spin in mud, wouldnt turn unless the transmission was in neutral, but they both do. I pulled the cover from the rear axle, and dont see any metal shaving, the ring and pinion look good, gear oil didnt smell bad, so i am beyond at a loss on this one.
  12. Jintia, welcome. The swap is possible, but, you would need a complete donor truck, as you would need the transmission, clutch, flywheel, ECM/PCM, complete wiring harness, clutch pedal assembly, gauge cluster (there are minor differences with the auto and manual gauge cluster, such as the shift light), and may also need the transfer case and driveshafts. Another potential issue is that if you have an automatic truck cab, it may be designed a bit different, and the clutch pedal and components may not be able to work with your cab. There are differences in the 1991 to 1996 manual and automatic cabs firewall design, same with the 2001 to 2004, the biggest being, the holes needed for the clutch assembly arent there on the automatic cabs, and neither is the bracing needed for the clutch pedal. If you are having issues with it not going into overdrive when it is very cold, my first question would be, does it have the correct fluid in it? All Dakota automatics up to 2004 take ATF+4, and, from experience, i know that if you run any other fluid in it, it will act funny, especially as it gets colder. I use a 1995 Dakota in the northeast as a plow truck, and, every 3 years, i replace the fluid and filter, and always use a good quality ATF+4.
  13. Moses, as always, thank you for the advice. After actually discussing it with the owner, i think the only remedy would be to replace the TC, since i have since found that it was doing it from the time i replaced the trans, or shortly thereafter, and it has been at least two months now, with several trips on the highway of at least 40 miles each, and, due to other issues with it, just replacing the control switch may not help the other issues. Most likely, i am just going to replace it using the one from the vehicle i took the trans from, since i know that before that engine went, there were no issues with that vehicle, except for how bad it rusted away. I am doing this based on, since they have driven it that much with it acting like this, it wont be long before it ends up blowing up anyway, so might as well just replace it now, before it becomes a bigger headache. Another thing that came to mind about it, the guy who has it now, bought it from CL with a bad transmission to begin with, so i cant verify that issue wasnt there before he bought it, so, after looking at every angle of it, i think a replacement is the better option. One lesson learned, never try to diagnose a vehicle on second hand information. The initial info i got was from his brother, who had only driven it once.
  14. I am having an odd issue with a 2004 Explorer. In park, and while driving, it makes an odd grinding noise near the end of the trans where the TC connects. In park, the higher the RPM's, the louder the noise. After a roughly 40 mile, mostly highway trip, it was spewing gear oil from the front axle vent, which leads me to believe the TC is stuck in 4WD, but, it isnt a full time AWD TC, it is part time. I have never seen this happen with any other vehicle. Another odd issue is that, especially at lower speeds, the 4X4 light on the dash will constantly flash, which makes me think it is constantly trying to engage 4WD, which it shouldnt. Im at a loss on this one, but before i replace the TC, im curious as to what might cause this to happen. I did replace the trans about a month ago, with a known good used one, so i highly doubt the issue is with the trans, but i am also not completely convinced the issue isnt an electrical problem with the TC, and i dont want to replace that, just to have the issue return.
  15. If you search the forums, the E4OD is a pretty popular topic. The 94, if i remember, wont show any lights for the trans. When is the last time you changed the filter in it? I know you said the fluid looks good, but, if the filter got plugged, the fluid may not have been ale to get through it, and sometimes, even with good fluid, it can have a bad filter. Im not really a Ford guy myself, i work more with Dodge trucks, but, i have seen that happen on quite a few Ram's and Dakota's.
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