Checkin' in / Sayin' "Hi"

[BobCat]

Responding to notification about being "inactive" member... I read more than I post, since y'all know more than I do.

 

But, just to say something for the sake of saying it: my "new" truck turned 20 years old on Tuesday, 05/12/15.  It has 569,750 (about) miles on it.

 

Just put another water pump on - O'Reilly autoparts keeps replacing them when they wear out.  I bought the first one from them in 2003 to replace the OEM one.  The new pump lasted until 2010, went out near enough home to let it cool and limp back.  This one went out on the way home from work and needed a tow.  So OEM 8 years, then 7 and 5.  I think I will buy and install a new one in 2019 (G-d willing) just to preempt another tow.

 

AC compressor clutch went out a few weeks earlier; new compressor (I know, wasteful, but it was close to 20 years old and replacing just the clutch seemed pointless), accumulator/drier, flushed, and A/C works fine now.  I wonder if taking off the serpentine belt to do the AC had anything to do with killing the water pump bearing?

 

A few weeks before all this, the right front outer wheel bearing disintegrated and kinda' welded the inner race to the spindle.  Cut it off, replaced the bearings, cleaned and re-packed the other side, good to go.  There is a year of meat left on the brake pads.  Only hitch was, the stamped sheetmetal locking nut thing - goes over the spindle nut and has holes for the cotter pin - was fried and no longer available new.  Got one from the wrecking yard (and again, thanks to my Wife for lending me her car to go chase parts) - paid $20, which seemed steep, but in retrospect it was cheap, not steep, since it was not available new, even from the Dodge dealer.  Moral of the story: clean and re-pack front wheel bearings annually.

 

I they keep me on at work until I'm 70, the truck has to go another ~90 - 100k miles - about 30k miles a year for 3-1/2 years.  But they could run me off any time, they are getting to where they don't like gray hair (but the young Engineers are sorta clueless and they need us old fogies to clue them in).

 

Anyway, I'm amazed, I've never put this many miles on a vehicle in my life.  Not looking forward to ever buying a new one, can't get used to the idea of my truck talking to me and telling me where to turn, or how many mpg I'm getting.  This 12-valve gets abut 21-22 mpg (I don't drive fast anymore); my buddy got a new 1/2-ton Dodge with the Italian V-6 diesel and he likes it real well, but it does not get better mpg than mine, and to me it is pretty space-shippy.

 

So - long-winded but that's what's up in my corner of the 12-valve world.

 

Thanks for all the info and help over the years.

[banzaitoyota]

Glad to see, keep on trucking!

[Me78569]

wonderful to hear what is going on!!

 

We are trying to work out some of those kinks in the forum system with the new updates.   We are very happy you popped your head in though.

 

 

I myself have been chasing a terrible front end noise.  I have replaced everything except the steering box but I still have a bad noise whenever I hit a bump.  

 

Oh well I guess at the very least I know the front end won't fall off.

[BobCat]

Front end noise... {face turning red...} have you looked at the rubber bushings on shock absorber rods where they attach?  I had terrible rattling, thought my A-arm bushings were shot, and it turned out that the rubber bushings on the tops of the shocks had just turned to dust and left.  This was a couple of years ago.  I put front shocks on the truck and it was fine.

 

To be honest, I have to admit that I had the steering box replaced (didn't do it myself) last year or so.  Thought I needed ball joints, took it to a place that came highly recommended by a friend, they said the ball joints were ok but the steering box and one tire rod end were really shot.  Swallowed my pride, had them go ahead and fix it, and the steering is lots tighter / more precise.

 

I wish I knew more about it and could help diagnose your noise!

[Mopar1973Man]

I'll apologize for the notice. The plugin I'm attempting to use is to prune off old accounts so when mass emailing are to go out we have less chance of bouncing emails. We just got getting hotmail, MSN, and other Microsoft servers to take us of the blacklist. Now I'm looking for way of keeping us off the blacklist. Which includes moving members that are over 365 day old and has more than 1 post since last activity to a special group "Lost Family Members". This now allow staff to mass email active members without the worry of bouncing emails as much.

 

@Me78569 I'm glad I didn't fire up the delete member function that could of been really messy. I was planning on the next step of deleting all members after 365 days of last activity with 0 posts to lighten the database of ZERO members that do nothing but hold space up.

[BobCat]

No apology necessary!  Glad to be stirred up a little, get me back in touch.

 

Sometimes I feel like a parasite.  I read and get help, but have little enough expertise that I really have not much useful to add to the discussions.

 

And.... I killed off my paypal account years ago, when there was a big stink that they would not deal with firearms-related businesses - so I wonder if there is a way to use paypal to contribute to the site, using just a credit card, without re-opening a paypal account.... I think I know how to check.

[Mopar1973Man]

Personal checks are accepted...   Just use the donation system and select "Check" and follow the instructions.

 

As for feeling like a parasite. Don't!!!   We have people of all walks of life here and we all learn and help each other with our limitations and weakness. So if you don't know something jump in and ask some one will attempt to teach you. If you needing physical help jump on the Member Map put a pin down of where you at and ask local members to help you. I'm sure there is people close to you some where.

[Me78569]

Thanks for the tip on the shocks, but they are also brand new lol.

 

 

 

And like mike said, don't feel about about not posting or whatever.  We all have things to add and things not to add at one point or another.  

 

 

We just like to see guys stopping by and saying hi.

[Nekkedbob]

Just a FYI I have received three of these notices (about one every other day) and thought that I would chime in. Like said I read every day but don't post unless I see the need. Thanks for keeping this website and this forum alive.

[Mopar1973Man]

Ah... That might be the magic. The fact of just visiting might not be the catch but to actually post and be part of the group. It might count the activity of the post vs. logging on the site. So if so I should be able to run the plugin and it should exclude you from the list now.

 

(Gone to look)

 

Yes. It seem that is the magic to the program if you just come on and visit and not post you not counted but if you are posting it counts from the last post you made. So like yourself "BobCat" you are not in the list now.

[stodg73]

Congratulations on keeping the truck on truckin;.

[Russ Roth]

Just a FYI I have received three of these notices (about one every other day) and thought that I would chime in. Like said I read every day but don't post unless I see the need. Thanks for keeping this website and this forum alive.

 

 

Got a couple myself although I read nearly every day if not a couples times a day.  I only post on any of the sites if it's something I know about and am pretty sure what I post is worthwhile. 

[bigredcummins]

I agree ^^^ I never post mainly cause I sit and read wile drinking my morning coffee

[Mopar1973Man]

The whole idea was to filter off the people that haven't done anything for over 365 days. This is to find the email account that people let go of create bounced email. Of course since the email account is gone there is no way to get in contact with the person. So to prevent the site from being blacklisted I need a way of filter off the inactive users to a different group so email can flow to the proper people without creating a blacklist issues.

 

So just coming on the site and hanging out in the general conversation area is fine. As long as the account stays active.

[BobCat]

Ok, following up on something I wrote in the first post - good for a laugh (on me!)

 

In March the outer right front wheel bearing disintegrated and I had to cut the inner race off the spindle.  Put new bearings and a seal, cleaned and re-packed the left side.

 

So it was gnawing on me, only cost about $40 for the bearings and seal, and I had a $10-off certificate from the auto parts store for buying so much stuff there, and I felt like being such a cheapskate was unwise.  So yesterday on the way home from work I stopped and got the bearings and seal for the left front wheel, to change out over the weekend.

 

Just like the right-side new ones, the box said National Bearing and "Federal-Mogul" - a name I know from the old days.  But the new bearings I put in the right side in March said "Made in USA" - these ones, in the same blue box, say "Made in China".  I could burst into tears.

 

I know they can (and often do) make clean, bearing-quality steel in China.  I see it at work.  But it all comes down to whether the QC is any good, and whether or not you believe the MTRs, or maybe don't believe.

 

I have to assume (and you know what they say about assuming) that Federal-Mogul has some sharp-eyed QC guys who are not buying off on any garbage... but if there were some way to go into the auto parts store and make darn sure the bearings were like, Timken, marked "Made in USA" - I'd pay double for them.

 

Ok, good for a laugh and I've had my jingoistic rant for the morning, and I feel better having gotten it off my chest.

[duesman]

I had my front spindles and ball joints replaced last year I bought Moog ball joints and Napa spindles after 2weeks of driving my antilock break light came on Thursday I bought a new wire to abs sun we started to replace the wire we pulled the sensor out the long part was half chewed up we looked in the hole the sensor came out and noticed little chips in there we pulled the year old assembly off (thank god they used never seise) the outer race was cracked in 3spots its Sunday called around found one bought it$330 put it on with new wire that came with it abs light went out brakes work fine Mon took old spindle to Napa with receipt they gave me a new one now I have a 330 spare just my Esperance just cause its new don't mean its good

[Me78569]

glad to see you checking in!

 

 

Seems that part quality these days is going down hill FAST.  I no longer buy any moog stuff

[duesman]

I thought they were made in the USA I didn't check my spindles to see where made my friend retired was a engineer who bought spected out parts from china he would get his parts made in china he checked the parts and they weren't to his spect he called and talked to the company about the problem they told him the parts were GOOD ENOUGH he told them he needed the parts with tolerances on the spec they said 6 months to ship the make & ship the parts so he used the parts cause he was running out of the parts so maybe my spindle parts were GOOD ENOUGH

[Me78569]

Moog moved overseas also. Used to be just the moog problem solvers were overseas.

[98whitelightnin]

I'm not sure Timken being American made is any better than FM being made in China. My last Timken hub assembly was loose after 6 months and just a few thousand miles. The new set I replaced them with have the same amount of play so I'm going to live with it but I'm not happy about it.