Prepping for my road trip:
- 2nd seafoam in two months and still massive smoke (so much carbon!?)
- Changed oil to Mobil synthetic which was the best deal
- changed xfer case oil (very fine glitter like a high-end paint but I think it's fine. It's been 5 years)
- greased
- changed plugs (over .05!!)
- new seat covers
Noticed passenger rotor is rusting on inside which tells me the caliper isn't working right. There's no pull though. Also noticed the pistons are very black. Wish there was something stronger to clean them. I use seafoam, lucas, and techron intermittently. Also weird- this was probably my tenth plug change in 17 years and it always cranks a little the first time before firing fresh plugs. This time it popped right up as if I never changed them. Never had that happen before. I used champs RC12YC as usual. I guess she's raring to go!

 

There are more person solutions but you have to dump it into the cylinder and let it soak

 

Changed out power steering hoses and installed the Borgeson steering shaft. Those hoses are a bigger pain than I could have imagined, not to mention a big frickin mess. I think my worse transmission filter change was only half as dirty. After taking my old shaft out, I noticed it had slight playin the joints and a little in the slip shaft , but not as bad as I thought. When I put the new shaft in, it exaggerated where the rest of the problem was coming from. I had already done the Ram rock solid steering fix about a year ago. but now noticed there is play on the actual column coming through the firewall. Tomorrow, gonna try and rig some bailing wire around the column and do the turnbuckle action with it to see it will anchor down solid.
So far I'm happy with the improvement the new shaft made with taking the wondering steering away.

 

Does the shaft work with the factory box?

 

Everything matches up with the stock setup except you have to file a new flat spot on the steering box shaft. The original flat that the stock bolt catches doesn't line up for the set screw on the new shaft. Just slide the shaft on, tighten down to make a mark, pull shaft off and file.

Really I don't even know how necessary the filing the flat in it is. The directions are a little vague but it sounded like they wanted you to have a flat for the set screw to sit on. I may be alright without doing because the shaft ends are splined, so I imagine just the pressure from the set screw would hold it. (but don't take my word for it)

 

That's what is scaring me lol

 

Yeah, I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it for a while.

 

 

2018 Winter Road Trip is in the books. Seattle to Mankato, MN - 3600 miles. Here's what happened:

- Had to leave right after services Christmas Day at 1:30am due to the coming storm in South Dakota. Goal was to get to Sioux Falls before 6pm on 26th. Drove straight through with just a couple 20 min naps until Rapid City. Had blowing snow from Butte to Rapid. Lots of snow and drifting across 212 until Rapid. After another nap, fought blinding fog until Chamberlain when the snow started again. I was ahead of the big blizzard but the roads were still bad. Used 4wd most of the time. Finally got to Sioux Falls and it was warming up so the roads were melting. Rolled in to my parents' house about 2:30pm on the 26th. Basically drove straight through two nights without sleep but I beat the bad storm in SD.

- Next day I went to start the truck to go to town and it just cranked and cranked. Never done that in 18 years. We checked fuel pump, heard it whine. Checked coil, had spark. Tried ether to no avail. I crawled up to check the coil wire to the distributor and it came off in my hand!! The coil wire had eaten completely through the cap and still had the terminal stuck in the wire. HOW IN THE...??!?!?! It was an absolute miracle that the wire stayed attached during my trip. Any drift or bump could have dislodged it stranding me in the middle of nowhere on Christmas Day. I have never had any issues with the caps before and I just replaced it two years ago. I keep the wires, cap/rotor, and plugs on a replacement rotation and they have never left me stranded. How the terminal came completely apart is anybody's guess. We figured there was a small crack that ate around it and it finally came apart. There's just a clean hole right in the top of the cap.

- So after a couple trips to the local Napa, I got a new cap, rotor, and wires and threw them on. Of course, I mixed two up again but once I got that sorted out, it runs great.

- Mileage was bad as usual in winter. I never let the tank get below 1/4 for safety and didn't check MPG but experience told me it was around 14 for the trip average. I had to go between to 70-75 whenever I could. But with 4wd and snow, I was in the 20-45 range a lot.

- The trip back was completed last night and I had some snow around Butte, Missoula, and Snoqualmie pass. In fact, the worst snow was 40 miles from home. Ugh. But the scenery across was spectacular and the truck ran great.

- I am getting very tired with the steering though. I have fought this since 2007 or so and as you know, replaced everything in the past couple years. The Redhead just is too dang tight. It has no wander or play which is nice, but it has no return and feels dead, especially when cold or in town. Once on the interstate, it seems to steer easier. I may try another pump and new hoses but I have no confidence it will cure it. My hand cramps up driving and even ached up my arm after a while. Steering should be effortless with smooth centering resistance. And I know it's not working correctly because sometimes it will suddenly be light, crisp, and want to center after turning. Then it sucks again on another day. The valves inside the box or the pump have to be acting up. I do love the strong tie rods and solid feel driving though. No bridge seams or bumps bother it.

- So other than my first breakdown ever (after I arrive, thank the Lord) and the tiresome steering, it was a great trip. The BFG KO2s are the BEST TIRE I'VE EVER USED! They just ate up the snow and tracked perfectly. If you aren't running the BFGs, then you need to. The overall mileage is now up to 249,3xx and I hope to hit a quarter mil by February.

- Final thought is that I absolutely love this truck and it has been my constant vehicle since 2001 but I know it's getting tired. I'm looking at full brake job this spring, seat repair, lights repair, paint repairs, and of course, crappy steering. But being on a fixed income I cannot afford anything else so stay here I must. One last thing: GAS IS FREAKING CHEAP EVERYWHERE!!! I paid $1.94 in Minnesota while it's 3.45 here in Seattle! I'm sick of getting screwed by the libtards!!!! Thanks for reading and Happy New Year.

 

Glad to hear that the truck didn't let you down! Whats the biggest the you can get in KO2? The only way I can think of to make your steering smooth is add a RAM assist.