Cut down some Locust trees today, surprised to find they are still solid.

 

You should pay me to come haul firewood for you, wouldn't want that little 2x4 getting stuck would we

 

^^ lol

Actually the locust was cut down at the very bottom of the property, normally I wouldn't think about taking the truck down there, but it gets all the way back up with a load in the bed

Plus the in-laws are up and the f-i-l has an '06 Ram 1500 4x4.

 

Ptssh they don't make them like they use too. New 1500s might as we'll be tonka toys lol. I guess he could at least you pull out lol

 

1500's are girl trucks...

saw a couple good lookin girls yesterday driving a 1500 hemi

 

I had to take my Mazda to the local transmission shop as over a week ago it threw the engine light and also the AT (for automatic transmission) light. The shift display was blank and it was stuck in one particular gear.

The shop called and asked how long it had sat, which I stated had only been a couple of days. They had to jump start it to get it into a bay and pull the code, which was a U0101. That code means the transmission computer lost communication with the transmission and PCM. I knew the battery was going south and had intended on replacing it for a while, so I figure the low voltage did it.

It turns out that the TCM (Transmission Control Module) failing is common on Mazda 3s for 2006 and later. It costs about $1,100 to replace the module *and also* have it reprogrammed as the vehicle's security system will not play nice with a foreign object.

Check this out: https://www.google.com/#q=2006+Mazda+3+u0101&safe=off

And this link: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showt...s-2006-Mazda-3

The first post in the second link sums it up. I picked up the car on Friday morning and was humming along at 70mph when it acted like the car slammed into a brick wall, all accompanied by a horridly loud sound. It dropped from 5th to 3rd and the cluster lit up like a Christmas tree. I limped the car to work (about 5 miles) and called the transmission shop and let them know what happened. The tech was apologetic, but I told him it wasn't his fault as I'd been reading up on this issue, which seems to happen to Mazda 3s with over 89,000 kms or 100,000 miles. Thankfully, the TCM is not buried in the dash, as he thought, but is located under the battery. I'm going to call the programmer he recommended to see what that will cost and I will also scout around for a new TCM.

The drive home Friday afternoon was just as momentous. It slammed several more times, but the one at 50mph was the worst. I stuck to side roads and limited my speed to 40mph.

I checked the resale value of the car, which turns out to be around $5K. So, repairing it will be worthwhile although I spent the last couple of days contemplating parting it out.

 

If the 2500 came in a short bed/regular cab and had the 1500 front I'd think about it. But I still prefer Ford's Super Duty.

 

You can still get a cummins with a manual. It actually has less power then the aison automatic but YOU GET A THIRD PEDAL

FORD LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

 

That's 50% more pedal!!!!