JAG1

The early 70's chevy trucks were the best ones built. A little later in life I bought two 64 chevy trucks and built one good one out of the two. It had a custom flatbed with a 283, rv cam, special lifters, dual exhaust and 4 barrel carb. I used to run that thing down the freeway at 80 and the truck loved it so much would say, 'gimme me more, gimme me more' It ended up I had to sell it since I bid too low on a house I built. :banghead:

Can't help it, that's the one brand, I remember Dolly Parton goes for her 280 Z and being the most lightweight truck that's all I could think of

I meant go the the restoration guys for a vintage rig instead of a newer truck at a dealer. My first was a 60 chevy with granny low 4 speed and limited slip. I hope its just filters

Hope you make it home. I'm beginning to think no more dealers.. just go to the nearest car/truck restoration outfit and make a deal on a 64 Chevy pick up...... 283 and three on the tree.

I hope it's all minor stuff and the truck's worth keeping. ....... it's almost like putting your future at at stake when you buy a new one..

I'm all with what you guys say even if I weren't You know.... the single biggest, most surprising mod was putting on the air bags Couldn't believe the difference..... It was like driven' an empty Datsun pick-up after that.

I think you are rite-on about maybe sellin' that puppy. IMHO, you are getting the early warnings about it. There's nothin like having my 1st gen for so long (over 400k) it starts running like a tired ol' dog. Then do a couple simple minor things to it and she comes alive like a brand new truck. There's nothing like it can't believe it It's like it grew old with me, part of the family and saved me from buying at least two other trucks. Am I bragging about that truck again?...sorry about that

My 16'' rims are rated at 3750 each and the Michelins are the LTS M/S rated at 3450 ea. I weighed out at the scales, fully loaded with water at 10,500 but that was with all the carpenter tools since I was doing to a job out of town. Could probably take off 400 lbs or so for tools. I do have front/ rear sway bars and the KYB Monomax shocks. I'm very impressed with them as they have been on there for 6-7 years (40k miles) and show no sign of wear. I brought home a dually the first night of looking at trucks and could not get used to the wider sides in the mirrors. Following a dually one time... he tried avoiding an oncoming vehicle on a skinny road but hit a rock on the right side. It was too bad on such a nice new rig.

I imagine most you guys feel that it is better to haul a Truck Camper on a dually. I am a SRW sort of guy and weigh around 10,000 lbs when hauling my camper. I have to admit that it would be better if I had a dually. However, dealers all across the nation are saying that a SRW is okay for the lighter class of TC's like mine weighing 2475 dry. You see a lot of them and like me seem to have no problem getting insurance. Besides the number of wheels (obvious difference) is there really anything weaker about the axles and bearings on a 3/4 ton SRW truck? Mine is a camper package btw. Whatever that means

:popcorn:

Update: I put in the manual switch, new glow plugs, and wired everything in and the tractor fires up like it has new life I hold the button, count to ten and she fires right up. I tell ya that little 3 cylinder Yanmar has a lot of spunk for something that looks like it would fit in your back pocket. It's a good investment for you younger guys....... always go ahead and get the diesel. In the long run it will pay you back when your older... never having to buy another with a big expense.

rancherman, I know you are right about that. I went out for breakfast with a buddy this morning and we discussed this. He said his KOBOTA is set up manually and there are no problems. Even my little tractor has the glow plugs going for much longer on the module timer. I thank you guys much for this topic staying alive till I got it worked out. I Have all the parts now for this mod.

Okay... it seems this trouble with the glow plugs keeps getting deeper. I found that the glow plug control module is also burned up. This happens quit frequent on the JD 455 and one of the reasons is when a glow plug goes bad it often burns up the circuit board in the module. A new module is over $200. So I thought about putting on a momentary switch for a manual control..... count 10- 20 seconds, let off the switch and then start it up. Sounds good since I can get a heavy amp waterproof switch / and/or add a relay. The problem with this, I'm finding out, isthat a guy can crack the heating tip causing pieces of the tip to fall into a cylinder if they overheat. At this point I'm so thankful and you guys should too, that our Cummins engines have no GP's. Easiest solution..... get a block heater. What do you guys think? Will it work? Thanks for the input around here too. It helps a lot

I agree with everything you say except when I last saw the statistics about the American people, they did show that 64% do believe in God. I guess what I'm trying to say is a situation in which you have an assailant chasing you that your gps shows where the nearest law officer is located. You push the correct code buttons and it tells the officer you are heading his direction telling him to be aware of what level of emergency it is. I don't know I guess it's redundant with 911 already in place but, when you have a shooter on your tail it's hard to concentrate on your driving skills (avoid being a sitting duck) and talk to the 911 operator at the same time. Or in a situation where you have a burgler and your so concerned about your family's safety you could loose important precautionary time while in a conversation with a 911 operator. I guess I'm reading too many road rage/ crime shootings lately. I think just moving to Riggins Idaho might be the answer.

This why we need to improve the emrgency system in the U.S. Have cell phones tied in with gps that tells where the closest law enforcement is located in case your being chased by a shooter for example. Set up cell phone so you can press say star 1 for non emergency where the closest officer can detect on his gps where you are and get there later when he has time.If you have a 'star 10 emergency' (mass shooting, robbery or major fire for examples) the closest officer can detect where you are. According to the news and ever poorer examples of our leaders, things are going to get worse. One of the main examples of an ever worsening society is legislating God's law and obedience out of the equation. The Gov't. has no business passing laws that condone sin and disobedience to God. They should stay seperate from religion and not endorse sin. It's a slap in the face to those that believe and further destroys faith and sets bad examples to our young people. Especially when a majority of Americans believe in God's law and precepts i.e. strong military against those who persecute and kill the innocent, building strong conscience in the early stages to care for others, to work hard and support your family, to always do what is right and good. These things alone are what makes a strong Government... it's the people having a Gov't. that helps these things stay alive and nurtures these principles in our young.

After I get the battery back in I'll be following back on the wiring. Seems to run better just from cleaning a few connectors but, when trying to start, it looks like someone should call the fire dept from all the smoke. Earlier I forgot to mention the name of the John Deere dealership. Pretty sure they are all around the country... called PAPE' MACHINERY. They sell heavy equipment and all sizes of John Deere tractors for homeowners, ranchers, farmers. Thanks for the heads up on the filter minder. I'll be checking that too. I've been out of work for a few weeks. So far, thanks to you guys for the advice, I've fixed my First gen from running very poorly, then the water heater, kitchen faucet, bathroom drain, replaced some deck boards, pressure washed everything, cleaned up the shop. Dang-it .... so motivated.... what else can I fix 'round here.

I talked with a service tech at JD. They were very polite and helpful about getting a tech on the phone with me. I want you guys to know that I especially think they have an unusual business policy about how well they treat the customers. They will for certain get my business. Anyhow he told me the only way to check for 12v to the glow plugs was to disconnect the main feed from the GP's. He told me how to test ea. GP on the bench and I found the middle cylinder GP not working and another was very slow to glow. He said many times when the GP's aren't working that you will get loads of smoke. I'm guessing more so when adding 2 stroke oil. Tomorrow I'll have new glow plugs and the battery back in to check for 12v to the main wire before connecting to the new gp's. Thank you guys....Mike

My volt meter is showing no 12 volts DC to the glow plugs. I want to make sure I am checking correct... if you guys know .... I put the + probe to the top of the glow plug and the other - probe to the neg. battery terminal ? Is that right? Turn key on of course. Getting a little older means loosing a bit of confidence in things.... so any help is good. Thanks everyone

Thanks bh, Thought it might be something major like that too. After doing some research (should research before posting), I found that it is a common problem when the glow plugs stop working. It causes hard starts on cold days. Common symptom is the white smoke, hard starts and then runs fine once started. It's either the glow plug relay or the electrical module. Relay is typically a lot cheaper if that is the problem. Now to locate correct relay and test. Thanks again.....

My tractor has been running great for 13 years. Has about 800 hrs. All of a sudden it has very hard starts but, once it runs, it's very smooth at idle and any throttle position. There is no water in fuel, no water in oil and has a new fuel filter. Air filter minder still shows good only moving about 1/4 of the way to the red warning line. It has white smoke while cranking and then clears up and runs real good. It will start again real good, no hard start, if run again within about an hour. I cleaned all electrical and checked fuel pump fuse connector and put in new fuse even though old one was good. Do any you guys know what else I should look for? It's a 3 cylinder Yanmar 22 hp. Thanks very much Mike

Be careful about fuse size.... I could be wrong but, I read somewhere too big of a fuse won't protect the ECM. My Raptor came with a big fuse so I reduced it down one size

Here's an idea;;;;;;in colder climates, has anyone ever considered using the regular plumbing heat tape, wrapping the tank and continue it down the fuel lines and wrapping the filter housings too?? Have it so when you plug in the block heater the heat tape is fired up. Would this help you guys?

Sweetie pie, I thought you took my truck to go get firewood. Beautiful blonde wife, " I did dear." Remember there's no tailgate ever since it was stolen". Oh s#i+ !

before trying the pump off the ecm I would run two wires directly off the battery to the pump instead, to see if the pump is good. I know Mopar Mike says that certain conditions in a bad pump can hurt the ECM......... is around 600 bucks to replace.

About my tank vent....... mine is mounted under fuel fill door to the front of the fuel cap. If you look inside you'll see the room there for a vent. Fuel door will help keep most dirt out. When you do this there is a risk of fuel leaking in a roll over accident. That is why the factory fuel tank vent has what is called an 'anti rollover valve' with a check ball or flapper. The problem is they stick shut sometimes. So you should install a diesel approved inline check ball going up to the new boat vent. It is a lot easier to go get a vented cap. They have their own diaphram for anti -roll over. Make sure they allow enough air to flow thru.