dorkweed

New calipers, rotors, pads and fluid for the brakes about 10k ago. I drained the PS fluid and replaced with fresh at 100k.

Welcome to the site!!! So how are things in and around the "Permian Basin"??? I used to live in Amarillo by the way!!!

I replaced the OEM bushings today and replaced them with urethane ones from Lukes Links. I got them from Geno's Garage. Had to start the day by going out and buying a 18mm socket. Yep, the track bar bolts are 18mm, and guess who's tool set doesn't have one???!!! It actually comes out really easy. Break the bolts loose, the nuts have an appendage on them so you don't have to have a wrench on the nut, and it basically falls out. No kidding. Mine was that loose in the bracket.Rather than press the old bushing out, I went to my drill press and drilled holes into the rubber at about 5/16-3/8 inch intervals all the way around the bushing and then took a drift and drove what was left of the bushings out. The rubber actually drilled out real easy. It seemed quite dry to me. There is a thin metal sleeve between the bushing and the track bar that needs to come off the bar also. For this I took my hacksaw and took it apart and them put it back together so I could cut thru the metal. After cutting thru it, I took the hacksaw out of the eye of the track bar and bent the metal in and then drove it out. After that, a little file work and some sand paper work to smooth everything up.Now I installed the new bushings into the track bar. I greased the eyes of the bar and the urethane bushings and the inner sleeve of the new bushings. I could get them mostly in with my hands, but I still put a bit of pressure on them with the vise. Now for the most difficult part of the job.......reinstalling the track bar. You actually have to force the bar back into where it goes with the new bushings. I cleaned the area up and greased them for install, but you don't have a lot of wiggle room under there on the 3rd gens. I could get the thing started into where it goes, but it was such a tight fit and with no wiggle room, I had to use a pry bar on the other end to force it into the slot. Then trying to line up the holes to get the bolts back in. Needless to say, there were some choice words flying around. But I did get it back on the truck without any skinned or bruised knuckles!!!These bad boys make a world of difference in drivability. Tracks much, much straighter now and I don't have to recorrect coming out of a turn now. Well worth the $36 bucks!!!! I'd recommend these for the 3rd gens. Especially if you've got any amount of miles on your truck.I did not have to jack the truck up to do this either.

I hear you there man!!! I changed out the serpentine belt at 100,000 miles, and the OEM one looked and felt the same as the new one I replaced it with!!!!! So I kept the old one.........because I'm a cheap ___, if'n you know what I mean!!!! Thanks!! --- Update to the previous post... JFYI, I've already done number 1, 2, 3, and 7!!! --- Update to the previous post... Just got done with 4, 6, 9 and 11 today. Would've done 5, but the lower hose looked like a PITA to change and they (both hoses) still felt fine to me. I'll keep the new ones for emergency.

Actually I'm 149+ right now, but I've got a lot of "booked" weekends coming up, and the early goose season starts Sept. 1; so I figured I'd get a head start on things. We're also leaving for North Dakota in October and I wanted all this done prior so I ain't rushing thru this maintenance. What I've scheduled is this: 1. Drain and refill both diffs. 2. Drain and refill the tranny. 3. Drain and refill the transfer case. 4. Drain the cooling system and refill with fresh coolant. 5. Change out upper and lower radiator hoses while draining coolant. First time!! 6. Change out the thermostat while doing 4 and 5. First time!!! 7. Change out OEM 7micron FF and my GDP 2micron FF. 8. Drain and refill the crankcase with fresh oil, change the OEM filter and bypass TP..................yeah, I know..................but the truck is 7 years old now................and I'm gonna do yearly changes but still change out the TP at 2500-3000 miles intervals and add make up oil. 9. Replace track bar bushings. Seems like I'm always correcting back and forth. All other parts are tight. It's worth a try!!! I got some urethane ones. I'll report on them once I get them installed. 10. Grease all my grease-ables...Axle U-joints, ball joints, tie-rod ends, rear drive shaft u-joints and steering box stabilizer. I do these about every 5,000 anyhow!! 11. Replace wiper blades. 12. Clean the air filter. 13. Blinker fluid and muffler bearings!! If y'all can think of anything else, please post up. I'd sure appreciate it. My tires are good for about another 10,000. But, if we have a lot of snow this winter, I may have to spring for them a bit early. I've got almost 68,000 on the Cooper Discoverer ATR's!!! Not too bad IMHO!! Later!! --- Update to the previous post... After I posted the this, I went back into the garage to see what size wrench/socket I would need to change out the track bar bushings. Well wouldn't you know it..............guess what size the bolts are??????? You guessed it..........18mm!!!!!!! This is the first time I've ever seen 18mm bolts!!!! And you guessed it, I don't have a 18mm socket!!!! What were they thinking????? All that said, I've got a good bud with a good tool set..............hopefully he'll have an 8mm socket!!!!!

Another thing to consider also. My 3rd gen '04.5 weighs almost 1,000lbs. more than my 2nd gen '99 did. Roughly same crap in and on the truck!!!!

That would probably work if the pieces were small. It sure sounds like the threaded base of the plug and the porcelain is in there. In order for the plug base to get in there, the threads in the head are FUBARed!!!! --- Update to the previous post... Some info on this......... www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/120

The link I'm posting here was started my a good friend of mine. Check it out guys. Have y'all heard of this before??? I haven't. If you have any ideas, post them so I can relay them back. Thanks. http://www.refugeforums.com/refuge/showthread.php?t=862102

Even before I moved away from the P's, I've been essentially the sole user of this saw for about 15-18 years now. The only thing I've replaced is the chain!!!! It probably needs an overhaul, but it runs to darn good to tear it down!!!! Maybe in the Spring I'll put a new plug in her and see if I can "find" a new air filter for a saw this old!!!! What are the odds of that????:shrug:McCullock 610 w 28" bar. Mike, is that a common saw??? All I know, is that when I show up with it, people move aside!!!:lmao:

Mike, my old McCullock chainsaw is over 30 years old and just keeps on running and cutting. Dad bought it back in the late 70's/early 80's I believe. With a sharp chain, it's scary how it goes thru wood.Some of my friends have gotten mad at me for not loaning it out at times. There's good reason for that though................the times I have lent it out, it doesn't come back the same. You know, running the chain into the ground, dulling the teeth and then not sharpening it!!!! And then gripe that their little saw did better. And I ask them.......how many times did you run it into the ground?????? The answer usuallly is, "not that many"!!!! And not knowing how to mix the proper ratio of fuel and oil!!!!!! If a little oil is good, a lot must be better........right???:cookoo:One other time I let my cousin try out the saw........I was there. It about pulled him (300lbs.) over the top of the log, because of the power and sharp chain. Most folks aren't used to saw like that!!! I am, and that's why I can do what I do with it, and others can't!!! Just saying!!!

Thanks!!! You're very welcome!!

And the moral of the story is................. Mike has wood!!! Hope your back is gets better soon Mike. After those straight line wind storms we had here, after cutting wood for 2 days, my arms were toast. I've got a big assed, heavy old McCullock saw with a 28" bar. Great for felled stuff, not so great for limbing and climbing!!!!

Half of the rotor is gone man!!!!! Brake pads don't do that..............metal on metal contact does!!! I guess I just don't see how the caliper could be froze that tight to one side of the rotor to do that!!!! There had to be some abnormal noise coming from that!!! Is this the first brake job on this truck???? If not, then I'd say that someone did a ____ poor job prior!!!

I get the same around here this time of year. Most of the barns I work at have long gravel drives..........couple that with the sand that blows out of the arenas and the dried stall shavings flying around; it gets pretty dusty here at times.Not to mention my hunting trips to North Dakota every year...............it's usually dry up there in October.................and we put on essentially 650-1000 miles on gravel roads whilst up there. Same thing on my hunting trip to SE Missouri every year. A lot of dry gravel road down there also!!Mike, I've got the pre-filter/filter cover/filter condom over my Fram Boost 2 filter. I didn't see a pre-filter over yours in the video. Are you no longer running one, or didn't I see it???

That's a BIG X2 there!!!! Was it like that on one side or both??? If only one side, how in the heck could he not notice the truck pulling to one side and..............to do that, you had to hear it also............and see it in the temperature gauge!!!! Am I wrong here???!!!! I'm still amazed at the lack of situational awareness of much of the general population!!!

Hey Mindless, just to keep you from soiling your britches, have you ever tried to "drive for mileage" at all????? If you don't know what that means, contact the guy that runs the "site"!!!!!! He's more able to guide you than I am!!!:smart:

Sunday/yesterday, I drove down to Effingham, IL to meet the owner of the _____/female dog I bred my Lab to. I left my house Sat. afternoon and drove to the P's to visit and spend the night. Their house is along the route I was taking. I left Sunday AM about 4:30AM to meet Doug at about 8:00AM in Effingham. I left the P's with just over 200 miles on the tank of fuel. It was just over 200 miles to Effingham one way, so it was about 400+ or so round trip back to the P's. And then after a quick 2 hour layover there, another 65 miles or so to the fuel station where I fueled up near my house.This tank got me 684.5 miles. I filled up/stuffed it with 32.24 gallons of fuel. That works out to 21.2+mpg. Not too bad running 65mph and on the way back, running the AC the whole way, as it way so effing humid out!!! That tank also included about 40-50 miles of towing my work trailer prior to driving to the P's!!Happy camper here!!!

Rogain............always, always remember this..............you cannot fix Stupid. No matter how hard you try, you can't do it. There have been, and always will be these types of folks that are essentially "parasites" on family and society. In a round about way, I feel even worse for the folks/family members that they "SCAM" to help them out!!!!!!:rolleyes:Your niece and her no good hubby are stupid and lazy..............as well as the folks that help them. They probably have the latest I-Phone and ____ like that. I got the POS cell phone and I work my dupa off. This, and not AIDS, bird flu, or whatever isn't gonna wipe out much of western humanity.................it's the entitlement/welfare attitude that will. Look at much of Europe now. We're really not that far behind in all actuality!!!!:pray:At least the illegal Mexicans that come actually "work".........or at least the ones I've been around!!!

Glad you "took" that the right way, because I chose the wrong emoticons!!!!

You/her didn't know that possibility???? Hmmnn!!!

Don't get "too much" better than that............unless you add cold beer!!!!:2cents:Well said.................what brought this on if I might ask???!!!!:smart:Great post!!!

I know Russ.........just keeping you "on your toes"!!!!!:lmao: All the best to them!!!:cool:

Refering to the title of this post...........that sounds a little bit incestuous to me!!!!

Mike, I believe about the only way you can get 3rd gen injectors is via a "swap". IOW, I'll send you my new ones, and then you send the old ones back in the same box. It sure does sound like a bad batch of remans to me...............sorry for the OP!!!!!:spend:All of the above is predicated on actually finding someone that has an "in" to the availability of 3rd gen injectors!!! They seem to be a real hot commodity right now!!!!:spend:

JMHO here, but it sure sounds to me like something isn't quite right here. I've got an '04.5 which is essentially the same as the '05's. Even pre-Smarty and running the Edge (then) on stock, I always ran cooler and with way, way less boost than the OP is seeing!! The OP should be seeing 30+psi boost stock also!!!To the OP............what kind of mileage are you seeing???? Do you "tow heavy"??? Is it possible you have a "brake dragging" a bit???? Your truck doesn't "smell" right to me.For example............my truck with Smarty on SW5 default settings......different, but essentially the same.........running 65mph on level ground in 80* weather not bucking the wind, I'll usually see about 4psi of boost and 550-600*EGT's.As I said prior, even when I was running the Edge on "stock" programming I would'nt see those numbers.