keydl

I think that the synthetic is a lot more resistant to burning and that the mix ratios should be less than 1/2 of the dino rates. My truck is old and has run dino 2cycle since I got it so I don't have one to experiment on.Cleaning out the tank by dilution - use of 4-5 hundred gallons ans starting with 1/4 oz per gallon for 1k miles to check the theory is just not on my list.The 07's are close to the fuel spec that the manufactures asked for so the damage from the occasional tank of fuel that the tankwagon driver did not add the additive to is not a great risk.If my guess as to the source of the increase in fuel mileage is correct ( upper ring lube ) synthetic MAY be effective at even less amounts.keydl

The magnet in the transmission pan collects sludge that needs to be wiped out with a rag. The stuff sticks by what appears to be magnatism. If you want to use a magnet on the oil pan I would leave it until the pan is removed. The magnetic stuff will stay sequestered if it is not in the 'sling zone' of the oil from the crankshaft. If the magnet is glued on - the sludge will still wipe out with the pan off.Only difference that I see in putting it on the filter is the convenience in cutting the filter open to see the amount. Small amount no problem, large increase - good probability of a cam destructing. After starting a new engine the first load of oil is simular to laundering the inside of the engine with hot oil, so everything that is solvent soluble is washed loose, after that things should be stable - the wear quantity will reduce for the breakin period and the stay the same during the reliable life until the wear clearances or some other factor is changed and the amount increases.An old engine can meet UOA numbers by changing the oil more often, The opposite of what most people doAn example is a Detroit 60 tested ( Blackstone Labs ) gave good #s to 19K miles between changes, so the change interval was 19k for about 600k when the UOA showed wear ( bull gear ), It now has 1,100k and the same UOA numbers come up at 17k. So the change is now 17k. Dino Rotella.I see the magnet as a cheap UOA, same as the magnet in the trans pan. If the pan on the trans has a dimple there was a washer magnet set on at the factory. Best deal for a trans filter is an external, full flow or bypass, they both work well. Full flow on the outlet cooling line, bypass at a 1/16 orifice on the line or govener plug.keydl

When Mike says 'don't force it' listen.I do it with thumb and forefinger and back off 1/6th turn for the first run. Check the slack at straight on the steering wheel - if it takes more then 1 inch to start the wheels turning it is not tight enough ( measure at the steering wheel rim, just rolling in the parking lot). If it is over tightened it can break the box or make it a real ditch finder. Drifty boxes that have to be steered full time are often 2 turns on the sector screw.Easy adjustment to make but if the box is not centered ( exactly ) it is easy to jamb the sector bearings and with a little pressure make the box spring so that it leaks forever more.keydl

Changing the bypass filter is a partial change. 'The solution to pollution is dilution'. The Frantz is a short change for less than $5 with most price charts.If you use a NAPA or Wix they keep working until the can does not get warm, an engine well cared for and not abused ( lugging esp ) will last over 3 years. I lose confidence at about that time because I have seen disintigrated filters at a guess of 6-10 years. The NAPA will stop working on a dirty engine in as little as 4 months but the pickup that I liked well enough to put a filter on a dirty engine cleaned up in 5 filters with Castrol oil.The last that I got were Wix in the old box, so there is some left. They look good when I cut them, so if it is close to 3 years when an oil change is due it gets changed as well.keydl

Find a strong magnet the right size and drill a hole or epoxy it on the plug. Remember that you want to clean it at oil change time :)keydl

Buy a magnet? Theyare part of a lot of junk equipment. Want to see if they work? Take a rare earth magnet out and stick it on the side of the oil filter when you change oil, then cut the filter open the next time the oil is changed. The stuff under the magnet may or may not have been caught in the filter but when it is caught with the magnet it does not cause harm.Any bypass filter is better than none, the Frantz looks good to me. Just think of it as changing the oil at 1 qt an increment.keydl

Gets back to the universal aiming height that will pass in all states and territories where the DOT lights are law - 34 in at 75 feet. Most LEO's are not in tax collecting mode all the time, but with a lifted truck that have head lights at 5 foot the temptation is extraordinary. Relocating or mounting headlights that look like driving lights are 2 of the working solutions that will let the lights work right for the low beams.Some parts of the country need 250W driving lights when there is no oncoming traffic, or turn off the head lights and turn on the fog lights and the driving lights. Not a lot of places that need that with the speed limits now.keydl

I always figured that a cold start was at least 100 miles worth of wear - even if it is just 30 feet into the garage, a hot restart is probably worth 20 miles on the cam. That is why people buy prelubers.keydl

If you have a blue tipped wrench just heat the bolt heads red when the turbo is hot.There are a lot of chemicals to help at cool down or by themselves. Candle wax melted on, ATF mixed 1:1 with #1 or kerosene ( some use gas but I am not a fan of gas in the shop ) Solvent can be used though. Then you get to Liquid Wrench, PB Blaster on down to WD40 Some start to turn clockwise first to get a little rocking back and forth many times to wear out the large rust flacks and break them to small ones that will let the bolt come out.If you roll in and soak both ends of the bolts all week, they come off better on the week end.keydl

The wire going to the sensor on the pumpkin is a common failure part, and will turn on the lights.You can partially change the brake fluid by sucking the MC out and refilling. The partial change will mix with the rest of the system and then you do it over. The dry fluid will reabsorb the water in the cylinders. The only way to clean ALL the fluid is to open the cylinders, blow out the lines and replace the rubber. If the fluid is real bad it may take 6-8 partial changes before it will stay clear for a month. If you use the bleeder screws there will be some turbulence in the cylinder but no full replacement even if you use a gallon for flushing.Back when parts were expensive shellak thinner ( alcohol ) was used to wash out the lines and they were blown out with air on a hyd rebuild, no longer recommended though.keydl

If it has set a while, pressurising the oil galleys with a quart of oil and a preluber.The volitils will evaporate - lowering the cetane #. Lower cetane is good - until there is trouble starting. Most times over a yearkeydl

The BHAF will last about 4 times as long as a stock 1st gen air filter. That is one less maint worry. With a filter minder there is no doubt when to change.If you don't run hard it, the mileage will be longer because a smaller volume is used on the high rpm.Unless you are racing and in the points - the first consideration is filtering.A boost gauge will work as a filter minder.keydl

Even junk sealed beams can be set as described.On a flat parking lot with a wall that will show the beam pattern, lean a couple of sticks up for markers that are the prescribed measure for headlight beams in your state. Non are above level but some are as low as 30 inches at 75 feet - not excellent aiming but they do not shine into windshields of short cars, to include LEO's.Make an effort to line up the markers with the tracking of the truck by picking a target in the mirror and sighting the body to set the position of the markers. The drivers side should find the marker at the edge of the beam and cutoff at the top of the marker, the passenger beam should center on the marker and be an in or so above the marker. When hi beam is on it leaves a little space where the deer like to stand on the other ditch. If you take the signal for a relay from the hi beam and ground it to turn on driving lights they will turn off when the low beams are on.Driving lights point nearly straight down the road, I prefer the beams to meet in the center at about 100 yards - same aiming arrangement, just further out. Neither low beams or the driving lights should light up street signs or interstate control signs but the hi beams normally will.If your lights blind the oncomming driver the risk is nearly as high as running without your lights, the other driver may select the center stripe as the fog stripe because of loss of vision. There are a lot of people around with night blindness or slow recovery.keydl

Another way is to use adapters or weld the end of a piece of 5 in pipe, it looks like a muffler. To make it a little quieter add a spot baffle 4 in from the inlet, the same diameter as the inlet. Two pipe diameters from that cut a rim baffle with the center the same dia as the pipe.A little more than a straight pipe, but for those that have muffler laws it looks right and with the 2 baffles it is a muffler.keydl

The small angle grinders have cutoff wheels that will take a 1/32 nd slot out. They don't work well for grinding to smooth up the weld. If the plate will cover the hole under the flattened ribs, I would cut the dents out where it was smacked down, clean the weld and slit the rib to lay down smooth so nothing catches on the edge. A little radius on the edge so that it is not sharp and some acrylic caulk to keep grain from leaking out and water from leaking in. It will let go at about 400 F or you can cut it.Is that really have 1/2 in plate brackets? Real overkill. :)keydl

If you shop the discounters the original ATF still shows up on the shelf - as bait for the ignorant. There is no equipment that it is currently recommended for and the equipment that it is approved for use in is mostly 'special interest.The down side - it has red dye - that can be very expensive from a legal standpoint.The only malfunction, that I know of, cureable with 'cleaner' is the abuse of running the engine in from a hard pull and shutting down. The heat cokes the diesel in the tip and alters the pattern, most of the time it abrades out from the friction of the fuel injected through the tip. Leaky injectors will do the same at idle if the temp stays up.Hazing at idle is most often from deposits on the outside of the tip from oil use or leaking. Pull an injector and pop test it, pick the injector with a cylinder balance test. Another test might be a compression test to see if the haze is from low compression - worn rings. Crankcase vapor from the oil fill is almost as good for finding worn rings but selling a ring job usually takes a compression test.keydl

I do about the same thing, I use 16 oz 2cycle bottles ( got them at a yardsale ) and use the odometer and a calculator to figure the amount. Twenty mpg bobtail and 17 loaded, I try to fill at 16 oz. Unless I know the fuel sales locations I run the top 1/2 or less.I can see the attitudes that would question any deviation from the norm, so printing and laminating some labels to fit the containers that you like to use sounds like a plan to me. Don't forget to fair trade price th labels - maybe $49 a pint - people respect high prices.keydl

The corrosion is a combination of water and metyltrexate that was supposed to be removed from the biodiesel. If you don't remove the metheltrexate the methanol gets burned in the engine. Poor results with any alcohol, we USED to treat for water in the brakes and the fuel with anhydrous methanol but after looking inside parts run with a good air dryer - it is not best practice.keydl

The battery case and the starter can both do a little better than just smoke, If you add a leaky engine it can take out a truck.Father-in-laws neighbor burned his Thanksgiving weekend, based on the description - the first suspect is the remote start. But the tailgate survived :)keydl

Mike is dead on on the info, the erratic behavior suggests that it is the ground - lift pump, PCM or connecting wiring corrosion. A fuel pressure gauge is next or a full check on the wiring.If you were in most shops the diag would be IP and lift pump and they may not even fix the ground problem so it would be back next year.That it still runs well sometimes is the indicator that the codes are pointing at the result of corrosion instead of wear or part failure. The lift pump cools the IP as well as luberication and removing wear particals.good luck with this onekeydl

Buying a rustout for $1-200 is one way - you get $60-100 back for the scrap.Parts will run $60-200 depending where you buy, if you can get the parts across the same counter that the shops buy from. Most Fords are picky about lint, so get a half sheet of paintgrip sheet metal and use compressed air in place of rags. A plastic drop sheet is helpful to help control dust.They are not difficult, just do one part to a time, starting with the outside of the case before you break it down. If you feel any grit from the outside of the case - it was not clean. I can't find lye any more but paint stripper, brake fluid and oven cleaner will do for most of the heavy cleaning after rinsing in solvent or diesel. Trisodium phosphate works well as warm as you can work with rubber gloves.With a little effort an engine stand can be adapted to a transmission fixture, I think it is worth it with a modest hunt for steel and a cheap engine stand.Another way is to find a 5sp, but it gets a little more involved fooling the PCM.Might drop the pan and see if it is a band end broken off, with a book and compressed air you can find the broken part in most cases. At the mileage a set of frictions and seals. Be very careful of the coils and windings - they are not cheap and the trans fluid pulls the plasticiser out so they get brittle.If you do it, then auto transmissions will not be a mystery.keydl

Dumpster dive for a proper size additive container, who ever you would want to 'advertise' for.Or cut the label from a soda bottle and make up a label - since it is not 'for sale' you can make some really good claims like - increases fuel mileage by 20 mpg, adds 80 hp at minimum mix, use this product and only have to change the differential lube every 250,000 miles.... Slick 1 L bottles are probably the best - might preprice for $175 a L. :)unfortunatly I think that you are right. I may need to find some 1 L bottles.keydl

The book says 30k. The book says that wide tolerances are OK. As for the wide tolerances - you have the stuff out, might as well do it +- .001As for the mileage - I have always run way past. I keep fuel records, with a 5% drop in MPG I will be looking for the cause. If the adjustment opens up there will be a tic sound, If I hear that the valves will be adjusted. There is a harmonic on most engines that starts when the one cylinder is not on the same power level as the rest, on a lot of trucks it will shake the mirrors. Not like a square tire but fuzz like mirage.If there are no indicators I will still get a look every 2-300k, and if it is not +- .001, then it will be. My experience with Cummins and Cat is that the first time is around 100k and the second time is 6-800k.If the mechanic makes an error, it will usually go to clacking in a couple thousand miles, don't run it that way. They start making noise about .028-.033 and sound off good at .038 but my opinion is that settings like that sell new cams.Same with fuel filters, I know that they do not disintregrate in 5 years so the worst of them will stay togather soaking in fuel for 3 years. I know the symptoms of a plugged filter. So it is on the extended maint list. The air filter has a tattle on it - 10 in of restriction on it and we get a new one. The Isuzu does not have a tattle or a turbo but it smokes, when it increases the opacity it gets a new air filter. Book on it says 30k but it seldom gets 1/2 that.If you are going to do a valve adjust, the first thing is - don't put any dirt in the engine. Wash the top and keep all the stuff clean. Use a newspaper to set the rocker covers on if the bench is not clean and then wipe the gasket with a rag with clean oil on it to collect the dust.There are two ways to count valves to set. Read the book and set to TDC and do the patternOr if one valve on a cylinder is half down the other can be set. I put magnets on all rockers and pick them off as the rocker is checked/set. Takes about 1 1/2 turns to get a full set on the valves and encourages barring slow because it only turns about 1/3rd turn at a time.keydl

Use a motorcycle cable lube adapter to force synthetic oil through the brake cable - it will not freeze to the housing. If the ice gets built up it may interfere with the equalizer bar where the cables joinA different way is to clean the cable from the equalizer and oil well, then pull the drum and pull the cable through to lube the other end.Oil and water do not mix easy and the water will not wick up the cable houseing and stick to the houseing and cable. Of course swatting the cable with a tire checker will usually break the ice.A little seal of grease will usually keep the oil 4-5 years if the rubber seals are not working.With your problems any shop where you can not talk to the actual wrench is probably a poor choice, when you find a small shop that has a wrench that returns to school every month and has pride in doing the job right the first time - find out some thing that he/she likes - 6 pac, donuts, bucket of chicken..........You want to be seen as a few min diversion that is welcome even when you have problems. Good shops have a book for 6 hrs a day that is 3-6 weeks long which leaves 2-3 hrs for stuff that lands on the door step every day. I quit a couple of times because of the scheduling and was fired once.At the dealership they have only one cure for e-brake cables - new ones. Probably approching $200 the eachkeydl

A couple of ways to keep the water on the tank truck from freezing.Water heater electric element installed in to a 1 in nipple welded to the tank, keep the water above 40 F and it will make it to the fire in liquid form.Insulate the piping so that they don't get the hard water problem.Park in a building that is heated above 50 FMost alternators will make 90-100 V to feed heater elements and heat tape so that it will not freeze while it is running.Don't charge the hoses until they are used and drain them right after - it does not take long to freeze a 2 in at -20 and then it will not go back in the truck.It burns the elements out if they heat for more than a few min without water over them.A fully insulated tank will probably cost 2-3 times what a water heater costs to run.It may be possible to dump the water back in the well until it is needed, that would add load time to the responce time though. Pumping ground water to an overhead storage tank so it recirculates to keep from freezing is a possibility.It really sucs when you park a truck and then have to probe the drifts to find it so you can dig it out when the wind quits blowing.I think that I would store 1/2 a tank of fuel until summer and replace it with #1 to have winterized fuel, It will still be good next summer. Might make a deal with your distributor to exchange the fuel for winterized. The major problem is that the plumbing is not arranged to work that way.keydl