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I've been reading around here for a few months since buying a 94 1500 5.2L 4x4 reg cab long box truck with 140k miles on it.
A guy on my street was selling the truck which had been in his family the entire time. I have service manuals and stickers that track every single oil change since 1994 so the truck was cared for very well until the last few years. It was oiled very well and the undercarriage shows but there is some body rot. Here it is as it sits now:
Since buying the truck here's what I've done:
Front rotors, pads, calipers, bearings, upper and lower ball joints (I should do the U-joints at some point..)
Replaced front shimmy shock
New wiper motor and wipers
Had fish plates welded onto the front frame where the steering attaches to
Had clip on rockers and replacement cab corners welded on
Replaced the front right fender that was rotted as hell (this one is still not perfect)
Covered a small hole near the parking brake
Replaced a bunch of lights
New battery
Cleaned the carpet and repainted the bench legs
Tightened the steering (still finding the sweet spot for this I think it's a tad too tight still)
Had a 700km drive and got almost 19mpg :O
About a week ago I removed the TB and looked down the valve to see some oil on the plenum plate. I checked it with a magnet and it's the stock plate so it's unlikely the gasket has been changed - however the truck runs decently except uphill where it chugs a little bit.
What I have planned:
Plenum gasket repair and related gaskets/bolts **is it worth doing any kegger mods while I've got it off?**
New thermostat and coolant tube
New coil, distributor and rotor, plugs, wires
Oil change after the above work
Front/rear differential service
Transmission fluid swap and possibly cleaning the pressure sensor
Still need to inspect the 4x4 engagement switch, the 4x4 works fine but the light is intermittent
Few questions: Is there any other maintenance I should consider when doing the plenum repair and above work? Should I order an o2 sensor too?
Also when checking the service manuals and other threads for differential fluid recommendations I see that 75w140 is sometimes recommended. Is this for heavy duty usage? Would it be okay to use 80w90 all around in the Dana44 and Chrysler 9.25? The truck will be used mainly for regular driving and transporting tools/supplies in the bed.
Anyways thanks for reading and I'll be posting all of my work here with pics from now on. After the maintenance work the body needs some more love. Since it's so old the paint is fading and peeling on the roof, hood, and a bit on the fenders. There's minimal rust/rot on the front now but I'd eventually like to replace the box.
Edit: One more thing, I noticed when I engage 4x4 that there's a bit of a squeal or spinning noise. I saw a thread showing a c-clip that can come undone in the transfer case. I was thinking it could either be that or just an old u-joint. Thoughts?
You might consider swapping in a double roller timing set when you do the plenum, along with a fresh water pump and at least the bypass hose which loves to fail at the most inopportune times.
Were it mine, I'd swap the oxygen sensor with a dealer part (or Denso or NTK brands) just to lengthen the wait for the next sensor failure. If the plenum is taking in oil, then I'd definitely swap the sensor as soon as the intake manifold is repaired, and at least think very seriously about swapping in a high-flow catalytic converter, too.
For the transfer case, get a look at that output shaft snap ring about ten minutes ago. If it's gone, your case is going to come untogether very dramatically very soon. The fix, before case splatter, is cheap enough (around $50) and easy -- transfer case saver. You'll want one in there anyway because that nasty damned snap ring isn't a part you wait for failure to justify replacement.
Last edited by UnregisteredUser; 03-18-2016 at 05:41 PM.
Reason: Added scary photo of CapnHoff's grenaded t-case
Thanks for the reply - I have the bypass hose ordered and I was considering buying a timing set as well. Is it highly recommended to swap the water pump if you do the timing chain?
I'm looking at the Denso o2 sensors, do you know off hand if it calls for the 12" or 18" wire?
I'm going to check the snap ring right now.
Originally Posted by UnregisteredUser
You might consider swapping in a double roller timing set when you do the plenum, along with a fresh water pump and at least the bypass hose which loves to fail at the most inopportune times.
Were it mine, I'd swap the oxygen sensor with a dealer part (or Denso or NTK brands) just to lengthen the wait for the next sensor failure. If the plenum is taking in oil, then I'd definitely swap the sensor as soon as the intake manifold is repaired, and at least think very seriously about swapping in a high-flow catalytic converter, too.
For the transfer case, get a look at that output shaft snap ring about ten minutes ago. If it's gone, your case is going to come untogether very dramatically very soon. The fix, before case splatter, is cheap enough (around $50) and easy -- transfer case saver. You'll want one in there anyway because that nasty damned snap ring isn't a part you wait for failure to justify replacement.
Is it highly recommended to swap the water pump if you do the timing chain?
I, personally, highly recommend it unless the existing part is known to be less than five years or 50,000 miles old. It's mainly PITA prevention -- replacing water pumps on these things often enough results in a failed timing cover gasket, so I look at it as a cheap enough part today versus a lot of labor later.
Originally Posted by scottw99
I'm looking at the Denso o2 sensors, do you know off hand if it calls for the 12" or 18" wire?
About that, dunno. You might look at what's there now while you're in the neighborhood to inspect that snap ring.
Before checking the snap ring I wanted to pick up some black RTV so I could put it back together afterwards. Crappy Tire had oil on sale for half off that I'll use after the plenum repair.
The u-joint bracket bolts were 3/8" for my 94. They were rusted on fairly well and I wasn't able to get it to pull out. I sprayed it with penetrating oil and I'll leave it until the morning before I beat on it some more.
Looks like a bit of gear oil seeping out too. I'll probably need to do some seals when I service the differentials.
03-18-2016, 04:44 PM
My 94 1500 4x4 Build Thread
