My fiance's putting the steering box in tonight while I'm at work, I got fussed at for telling him "one of the guys on dodge forum says..." a few too many times. Soooo we'll let him go with his theory first, it was only 46.20 at pick and pull with a 10 dollar core. and needed to be replaced anyways, would it be visibly bent?

I'm very thankful the truck slowly started acting up. Not just all of the sudden. I was out in Newport News, for anyone who isn't from VA Hampton Roads area, Newport News isn't the best place to break down, when I couldn't turn either direction. I'm veryyyy thankful my fiance could get off work to come wait for a tow truck and trade trucks with me.

Anywho, off to go look at my steering stabilizer and spray some wd-40 on the bolts so he might have some good luck with getting the old steering gear box out. The one at the junkyard was easy because the engine was already out.

 

Checked out steering stabilizer, not bent.

Fiance attempted to remove old steering gear box, bolts came out, but pitman arm is being a PITA. Also found out that a 1997 dodge ram v6 2wd's pitman arm isn't the same at a 1999 dodge ram 360 4x4's pitman arm, so renting a pitman arm puller tomorrow and hoping this truck is back on the road soon.

Stupid michigan roads that the truck was on for 10 years is killing this job.

 

when camping over the week end

 

I don't believe I've ever heard of anyone on here having an easy time pulling the pitman arm off. Penetrating fluid will be your best friend on that one.

 

Haha, at the junkyard, it was REALLY easy. Like we were in and out in less than an hour.

But there was no engine in the way.

Oh well, no reason to get all upset about the truck. If it's broke, it's broke. (says the fiance with the truck that runs )

Off to pick up the fiancee and "rent" the pitman arm puller and tie rod end tool. And hopefully my truck'll be back up and running. his rocking seat in his truck is driving me nutso.

 

Hmm didnt have a problem with my pitman arm when I took my box out came off pretty easy.

Well I washed my truck today and hopefully it will stay clean untill this weekend, while cleaning my tires I noticed my passenger rear had a f^ckin nail in it and it was bubbling like crazy so I had to of gotten it on the way home from class, so took the tire off and got a pic, and put one of my stock tires on.

ended up having a buddy patch it while I went to my next class(drove my dads truck that thing feels so small after getting out of my truck sad part its 4x4 and mines not) and came home to my tire patched and already on my truck just in time for my night class

a pic of the nail and one with stocker on

 

Installed fog lights today. I got the Mopar factory kit from dodgeparts.com. Installed in a breeze, though I did wire it with the parking lights instead of the low beams so that I can use the fogs without the low beams and with the high beams if I want. I did similar on my Escape. I'll be adjusting the height on them tonight!

 

Ugh... shifting into overdrive now comes with excessive slip during engagement. Looks like that Mega Viper is going in sooner than I'd expected and I'll have to pay some putz to put it in because I can't work on the truck here in the compartment complex. Damn. Maybe giving up the old trans to the shop will get me a labor discount?

Damdamdamdamdam.

 

So your fog lights are powered by the parking light wires?
Or did you install a relay and have the parking light wire powering the relay with the power for the fog lights coming directly from the battery?

I predict melted wires in the future if you did it the first way.

 

No, no, no - there's a relay setup, a fuse, and a switch. The wiring harness comes complete with everything. I didn't even have to use the factory relay that Dodge kindly placed in the fuse block.

The system is wired so that the relay will only pick up if the parking lights are on, and the fog light switch is turned on.

Got to go out and aim them tonight.

BTW, I apologize for being in the second generation forum. I don't know how it happened but it did!