flagmanruss

Mike, are they battery powered or AC?

As far as my reading goes, the 53 blocks crack at a higher rate than others... less than 1% of 8 million reportedly crack but it's more than others & always the same place. Some 53s have made very high HP & held up, while other stock trucks have cracked. One theory is uneven heating, thus the idea of warming up before applying load & gradual cool down. Apparently the blocks were used in random order over a number of years too.Eventually I got in the correct place underneath to read mine is a 56. Best wishes,Russ

We lost our cats some years ago... Momma & 2 young ones... Momma was a "Maine Coon CAt" ferocious. Once took a steak of a lit gas grill! The neighbors get cats, clean them up, get them their shots... they don't last outdoors. Coyottes. Coy/dogs. Gut piles disappear overnight. I used to have chickens & Ginny hens... The chickens that slept in the coop lasted (until a hawk got them) several years in. The ones that made a nest outside (so I couldn't collect eggs) disappeared. I'd find the feathers. Every once in a while, I'll hear an owl...

To keep mice out of the cab of the Dodge, I found the cowel drains behind the hood hinges. I stuffed SS pot scrubber pieces (SS steel wool) which has blocked the mice from the cab. On some vehicles, I've screened the cabin air in the cowel area with either hardware cloth 1/4 x 1/4 wire screening or my favorite, aluminum gutter guard expanded metal which is more maleable. I've used the gutter guard on a variety of air cleaner intakes... I've had to be creative... the JD tractor I formed over an round tube & put a hose clamp on it. Sheila's Subaru I went under the intake, reinstalled the screws, folded it over the top & ran some self tapping screws into it. I have not gotten access to the cowel on the Cirrus... The hinges go into the area so can not plug the drains. There was something I could not get appart to get in. I've had to clean the blower & heater out periodically. I've tried to remember to switch back to recirculate when I get home but it isn't long before I forget just once. I'm afraid the new-to-me camper likely has plumbing holes through the floors... I can't see the areas, inside or out?? I'd rather block them out but have used dryer sheets for now. There were mouse droppings on the kitchen counter... Sheila was unhappy. She found the electrical access door open, which she locked & packed arpound the hole with pot scrubber... added the dryer sheets.I had an ultrasonic repeller in the attic which did not work... maybe it was broke. Maybe it could not penitrate the insulation or too large an area? I feel like I need to do much more... but what & how??Russ

Pursuant to a conversation above:http://forum.mopar1973man.com/threads/3799-Stock-Filter-Box-full-of-mouse-nest... What have you done? What tools & devices have you used? What has worked for you? to keep Rodents, mice, rats, chipmunks, squirrels out of your vehicles. I"m posting this under Campers & RVs because this is an annual rutual with them... though advise need not apply to only RVs. Please be as specific as possible... brand names, sources, how you used it. Russ

One of my buddies traded up from a Chevy 1500 gasser to a Tundra. Seems like a nice truck.

I have tried those type of units before... the mice just laughed at them. But not these specific units. I had one in my attic... I ended up with screens, stuffing steel wool around the chimney, and rat traps (with fine chain to a screw eye in a beam). I finally caught a red squirrel. I wired a unshelled 8 shaped peanut "around the waist" to the trigger. Gave him a headache!Thanks for the link. I wish there was a real testing for these untrasonic units so we could buy with confidence. The outdoor model is interesting. I could see installing one in from of my parking space. I wonder how snow removal affects them?

I hate mice, seriously. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy wildlife that stays outta my stuff. It makes me crazy that I can't keep them out but I live in the woods... suppounded by 50,000 acres of state forest in RI & Ct. It's like trying to strain the ocean. That said, I'm all ears. Poison does not work, since they have abundant food supplies. (A friend used poison in a workshop in an outbuilding... kept adding poison. Moved a machine & found a stash of the stuff but never killed the mice.) Coyottes, kill the neighbors cats. We gave up on cats after we lost out first several. Traps don't catch near enough.From my posts you know I've tried to screen the intakes, vehicles, houses, trailers... but if it's in the yard... there are mice, chipmunks, red & grey squirrels. I've removed the under hood insulating blanket on our vehicles which was mouse habitat. I was thinking about runing a water bucket trap mousetrap in front of my truck... bait with peanut butter. I have had luck indoors with mouse, rat traps. With squirrels, we had to wire the traps so they'd not disappear. In confinded spaces, mothballs (in dixie cups so you can retrieve the remaining gravel after they dissolve) and smelly dryer sheets work. The mice won't generally stay. Does not work under the hood... too much air flow.I had a friend whose motorhome caught fire... mice ate the dash wiring. Another friend had the heater blower burned up in a new car. (We screened it after).So give me ideas...

I have a good jack... I can try checking it. If it is the bearing, I'll probably have to get help. If we figure out the problem, maybe I can actually get it fixed. Maybe it had to get bad enough to hear the noise. Worthless manditory inspections... it passed!!

I have the complication of the furnace duct heat sheild I am wanting to use. Time to back up. The way I envisioned does not fit, so I need to replan.Tomorrow, I'll pop the OEM filter box, cut a cardboard as needed to get the shape. I'll make a base board/plate separately then lay the filter on it & mark it where the filter fits. The furnace duct is just a cover over the filter body... screw it down over the filter. Let's see how it goes.

I can only see a bit of blanket left on the firewall... just aft of the air box... It's 50% gone but way more material than that in the box! Soon they'll run out of bedding & have to sleep on the floor like other rodents. LOL!!

The vibration does not seem to be speed sensitive, no resonance. Doesn't seem to link to engine speed. Vibrates steering wheel, GPS. It's been going on for some time. Persistant... all the time. This has been making me crazy. Seemed like it ought to be simple enough... I've been working on this on & off for several months... meanwhile, I've put maybe 5000 on the car... just rolled 100,000.I had all tires rebalanced... twice. Nothing found. Problem remained. I wondered about CV joints... shop sold me new drive shafts... Vibration remains.The car needed brakes... I put all new disks, pads, drums & shoes... stops good. Still vibrates.I notice the steering wheel is now canted to the right when going straight. Shop could not find anything loose on front end, recommended an alignment (which I have not gotten to yet).I am noticing a noise with the vibration... Noise when going straight, Noise when taking gentle right off ramp. Less/no noise when taking gentle Left off ramp. I'm thinking about maybe a wheel bearing? My thought is the load changes pressure on the bearings as it corners. Should I be looking at anything else?Russ

I had the impression (obiviously erroneous) that mice didn't like diesel intakes. WRONG!! I've been holding off the BHAF install, waiting until the AC & heater repair gets done, so rather than the BHAF get bunged up by the shop (cracked the cover the last time... never told me... I did a super-glue repair). So the first shop didn't even start the job, so I brought the truck home & made an appointment elsewhere. For some reason I decided to pull the stock air box & at least start the BHAF install. Like it says in the title, the stock airbox was full of trashed sound-deadening insulation. I'd already removed & thrown away the under hood blanket as it was attracting mice. I don't know where they found enough but the box was more full than not. I bagged the stuff on top, the bottom layer was both stuck & wet with mouse piss (presumeably) to the bottom of the air box. The filter had picked up a lot of crap. I banged it off against the tire & then dragged out the air hose... I hope I didn't breath in too much dust. I think I magaged to get the filter back to useable condition. Just came in to scrub my hands a couple of times. I don't want to buy a new filter, only to disgard it in a couple of weeks... probably only drive to the next garage since it's not inspected. I guess I'll be screening the stock airbox before it goes back on. The BHAF install is looking challenging. I've got to pick up some chafe protection for the AC line... The elbow I bought seems to interfer with the battery & it's a bit smaller than the battery tray! I have to figure out the placement. I'm on-line to study the pictures...

I have a call in to him. 9:30 am... his Dad answered... he's not expected in until 10 am?? WTF Is this a garage?? As of yesterday afternoon, it had not been touched. My parts are still in the back seat. The guy gave me a line "We've been busy" but frankly I expected an appology over the delay. I'd have never let an unhappy customer walk away. I've had good luck with them before... I need to find another place. Even if he does this work, I don't want to give him the next job. I need this truck back in service. Wife's Subaru has a dripping head gasket. My car needs service. (leaky heater core, elusive vibration not tires... ) I need to find another shop. I'll start asking around. --- Update to the previous post... A friend has suggested a mechanic with a small shop near him... It's not convenient to get to. Apparently he'll work with your parts. I'm going to go meet the guy tomorrow when my friend drops off one of his vehicles... I don't want to pull the truck until I have someplace to take it. --- Update to the previous post... I met my bud & went to meet his mechanic I left with an appointment on the 28th... swung by the non-work garage, got my keys & moved the truck to the "to be picked up" area. In the meantime, I'm going to get it state inspected elsewhere (just a safety inspection). Not great timing... I have a colonoscopy on the 29th. (I hate these but I am prone to polyps... family history of colon cancer.) My buddy can move the truck if necessary.

I took it in late on Friday, March 4th. I knew it would not be worked on over that weekend but that was when the wife & I were both available to move it. I've called & stopped in periodically but tried not to be a time waster. Because I had some flexibility, I didn't make a fuss at first. Now, I feel I'm being used for a door mat. I know the guy recently had a baby... which can cause sleep fatigue issues.I know he makes less money on me as I have some of my own parts.I've done good there before but I am reaching the point where I'm going to take the truck out of there. I need this truck back... the other 2 family vehicles need service too. Waiting on this. *&^%$#@!

I was brought up in the 70s era of "wide oval" tires... 70 series. I admit I like the look of them. 60 series were the hot item back then... ok in superwide tires. I think the current tread to everything having low profile tires is just NUTS! First off, the shorter sidewalls are more prone to sidwall damage from road hazzards. I really object to newer vehicles coming with lower profile tires... trapped into it by the wheel sizes & fender clearances. I know you guys are correct that narrower tires have less rolling resistance... but I'm just not ready to go in that direction either. I know the day is coming when I'll have to invest in new shoes. Thanks for the thought provoking conversation.

Yes, they said they had insurance... Hope they make out ok.

3 guys, 3 brand new ATVs... on their way to ride at a buddy's place. Stopped across from Package Store to get beer. A passerby asked them if they knew the trailer was on fire? They dropped the ramp & found they were not going to put it out themselves. They got their truck off it. My wife was taking pictures... then realized the owners were standing next to her. She got an ear-full! I don't know what started the fire. Or how much gas they had on board. It kept reigniting. Incident happened mid-afternoon. The heat melted the phone, cable, fiber-optics... we lost service about 5 pm. The utility companies were still on scene at 11pm. Our local Volunteer Dept is less than 1/2 mile. First in our area to get CAFS foam on their trucks... have it on front turrets too. photos by Sheila Reynolds-Boothroyd

Yes, this site is "home" to me. I am going to pass on our site (/index.php">http://forum.mopar1973man.com/index.php) to the others.

Some years ago, my friends had a slide-in camper (in a FORD) and a stock trailer. They were due to meet us for a weekend horse camping. They showed up late & minus her horses / trailer. The story goes that on the overpass over the railroad tracks, the stocktrailer / horses passed the truck. The trailer buckled when it crashed. They managed to get the horses out, shaken but uninjured. They walked the horses home from there. The rear bumper broke completely off the truck... the trailer was only attached to the bumper. The trailer was totalled. Truck was junked soon after.

It will be nice to compare trucks & maybe borrow an extra set of functioning fingers from time to time. We'll see how it goes.Russ

Let me get this straight... What is the switch you are changing? IAT switch? Is it possible that the IAT fooler is dragging down the instrument voltage? More questions than answers???

That is all: a light / buzzer. If I can do it for few bucks... Why not?

Thanks really nice work!

I can't address the exhaust brake because I don't run one but others do & apparently like them. I will say that aerodynamics are everything on a Travel Trailer. Fifth wheels / goosenecks (enclosed body) are inherently better aerodynamics than tag-a-long. My flat front TT gets horrible (9) mpg at highway speed. Weight does count but a well balanced trailer with good bearings should not be excessive drag. I have a thread here where we were discussing trailer tires & especially capacity & rolling resistance. I think the most critical thing is to run the trailer tires at maximum pressure.