Long story short 

I had to replace the engine in my otherwise reliable old truck at 298000.  That part with the exception of busted knuckles and not having done it before, went off mostly okay though I’m still not completely finished, due to the challenges described below.  

While wrestling the new engine into place at the bell housing and torque converter I inadvertently squashed a white vacuum line.  I managed to get it removed from between the two sections.  Now when trying to trace it back I find there is a second (unsquished) white line.  What are these and where are they supposed to be terminated?  

Also, when the exhaust came out I now have a black rubber hose with a small metal curved pipe and bracket.  (See pic). Where did THIS one appear from?

 

Any and all assistance is appreciated and I thank you in advance.  Please don’t cut my throat, I’ve never tackled anything like this before. 

 

Easy and cheap. 

Ebay.  Boost / Vacuum manifold for rice rockets. Only thing I would do differently is put the gauge on the input side of the check valve instead of in the manifold.  It’d be nice to see what the engine is producing in real time.  Maybe I’ll just add a second gauge.  $2 eBay.  Right to left..  on the edge obviously is input with a check valve.  Then cruise control with its own dedicated check valve.  Next will be for the 4x4 system.  Further will be for HVAC and finally that hose sneaks through to the vacuum reservoir. 

I never relayed the latest in this sh*t show.  I took the truck to the local (Merritt Island FL) Dodge dealership service department so I could -

1:  Get the engine correctly timed and the fuel synced. 

2:  Find the cause of sounding like maracas when you accelerate. 

3:  Find out why it wants to overheat. 

...and fix all of the above. 

 

I dropped it off at 10:00 for a 1pm appointment.  Reasonable I thought.  I showed back up at 3:30 and it had not been touched.   All of a sudden the truck is in the service bay. 

Less than 30 minutes later, the service manager tells me (while doing the ‘wipe your hands on a dirty shop rag’ thing) that everything is good to go.  They fixed the timing, synced fuel and couldn’t see anything that would cause an overheating problem.  Gold star and pat on the back, I’m out the door.  

26 miles down the interstate, the truck sounds like maracas again, doesn’t have any gut... and the radiator self destructs.  Oh. I was towing a darn near empty trailer. 

Mind you, this engine was built with towing in mind and I believe it’s a 258 cam.  

 

Over $400 in towing charges later, the truck and trailer are back in my yard and I had to rent a uHaul for this road trip. 

 

Sometimes you're the dog

sometimes you're the hydrant. 

Edited June 27, 20195 yr by SailingSanta
Brain dead. Forgot things I should have said.