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Hello, AI! I have a 2004 (3rd gen) Dodge Ram 1500, single cab, 4.7L, 136,000 miles, with A/C problems: A/C airflow has been weak due to the recirc blend door (? it's the one against the firewall, leading to the fresh air intake) self destructing, redirecting airflow into the dash cavity. Both heat and cold air work fine. I removed the broken blend door from the dash. Airflow problem solved. My question is this: until I buy a new blend door, will it hurt anything if I block off the opening it covers? There is a big hole in the firewall now when the truck is parked. Can I just block the opening and let it run recirculated air 100% of the time for now? Humidity is becoming a problem. There is a rechargeable silica dehumidifier in the cab, the condenser has been cleaned, the a/c fan and ducting has been scrubbed clean, and the refrigerant recharged. Air from the vents is "clean" smelling, but humid. There are no obvious leaks, with previous (fixed) leaks from the back window slider and grab-handle mounting points (WTF, Dodge). Thank you!
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Jul 3, 2018 21:32
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Hi, y'all! I have a 2004 Ram 1500 with a 4.7l V8 at a little over 150,000 miles. I have two added electrical accessories: a brake controller and a powered sub. Two month old AGM battery, rated for stock specifications. I have had an intermittent squeaking from front of the engine during and after start-up , which sounds like it's coming from the alternator. Yesterday morning it wouldn't crank, just got a click from the starter; lights, stereo and keyless entry worked fine. This has continued after leaving the charger on trickle over-night. If I use a plug-in charger rated at 75amps for engine start, it starts fine. Any subsequent hot-start is very slow and the engine won't turn over on cold-start without the charger. Battery sits at between 13.9-14.3v running and 13.4-13.8 at rest. The alternator check function on the charger said "alternator good", but I don't know that I trust it. Checked all grounds, they looked good. Disconnected all accessories and cleaned positive battery connection, no change. The truck has only one pending code: low system voltage. I think it's the starter? Is there anything I can check?
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May 31, 2019 16:23
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KakerMix posted:Sounds to me like your alternator belt is slipping (squeaking) and as a result your alternator isn't charging the battery like it should meaning you eventually kill your battery as you squeakily drive around. This would explain your error code and symptoms, though not starting after overnight trickle charging is odd. Maybe your new battery is messed up because of it? New single serpentine belt, properly tensioned. Remembered the old battery was sitting in the shed, swapped it in and it cranks like normal. You maybe right about the battery getting hosed up by the charging system. I hadn't had a problem these last few weeks towing in Florida heat, only after sitting unused for a day. I'll take it into a mechanic Monday for a more thorough loving-with. Good looking out, folks! I'll report back if I find out what exactly happened there. e: For reference: the old battery is an Energizer, the new battery a Delphi MaxStart. madeintaipei fucked around with this message at 17:41 on May 31, 2019 |
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May 31, 2019 17:38
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Our new to the company work vehicle is a 2007 Dodge Caravan SE wheelchair van with a 3.3l V6 and 4-speed auto, 41,000 miles on the odometer. It was converted from new by BraunAbility to their Vision specs: lowered floor, kneeling rear suspension, power assisted ramp, and rear door poppers, for reference (suspension, ramp assist, and poppers disabled). Two questions: 1. Does anyone have experience with a van converted thusly? Is there anything I should know about possible electrical gremlins? All the disabled (ugh) features have been isolated from the rest of the van, but I don't know what else was done to it. 2. Is there anything I should keep any eye on with the engine and transmission? New fluids, not sure on filters (we'll get to that) So far (<200 miles) we have had the EGR valve replaced for a P0406 code: EGR circuit fault, sensor A, high voltage (I guess that sensor is integrated into the valve itself). The EGR valve was heavily coked, while the EGR tube (?) was relatively clean. Besides that the throttle body has been cleaned as it was coked up enough to stick at idle and I replaced the air filter which was heavily soiled. When I cleaned the throttle body I noticed the IAT sensor was brand new :/. There is a huge amount of rust on every bit of the engine, too. Two bolts broke just replacing the EGR valve. There is also a ticking noise at idle that sounds like piston slap which didn't go away after changing the valve. I suspect it was not driven often and spent a lot of time idling. Thoughts, comments?
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Dec 11, 2019 22:55
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JacquelineDempsey posted:This an extremely stupid question, no doubt. How many doors? Does the van have windows? Is there a divider between the passenger compartment and the back? Puck locks (as below) and a divider/metal window shields are the standard. These only serve to slow a crook down, so parking in a well-lit area or behind a fence will still be a good idea. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkQlKVYEH_I
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Dec 15, 2019 22:26
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JacquelineDempsey posted:Thanks for the replies! Puck lock is a great idea, we used those for our storage unit where I used to work, wouldn't have thought about incorporating them onto a van. Front doors you can't do much about. Without a divider welded in you might stack heavy, bulky stuff towards the front. Make 'em work for it. If you can live without the sliding door, it would be relatively easy to disable. Jam a piece of wood in there. Maybe paint the side window body-color (I'm guessing white)? There are weld-in panels to delete the window if you're handy. There may be a place to park without gwtting a storage unit. What I've seen people do that need a monitored place to park on the cheap is ingratiate themselves with mangement at the local 7-11 or whatever. Park up front-ish, someone is there 24/7. Lol. I, too, have had albatross TV's.
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Dec 16, 2019 00:49
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Cowslips Warren posted:99 Honda Accord, automatic Is there a spot next to the shifter, maybe behind a plastic cover, to stick the key into? In the slightly older Honda/Acuras it's labled "shift lock release". Pop the key (or a slim screwdriver) in there, with foot on brake, and you should be able to shift out of park normally.
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Dec 22, 2019 00:47
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Cowslips Warren posted:I'll have to find a way to pull up the plastic cover. Also, the brake lights don't work when I hit the breaks at trying to get out of park. 2000 Accord, but should be similar on your car. That should get you down the road to a mechanic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpH-FN0rrv0 Brake lights, I dunno. Luckily, everything connected to that system is cheap and simple. Brake light switch, brake light fuse (that one is a few cents), shift interlock solenoid, none of it much more than $50.
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Dec 22, 2019 21:04
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wolrah posted:Thirding the store trucks, in my experience they're usually in better condition than U-Hauls and if you only need it for an hour or two the pricing ends up similar. Yuuup. After driving around a work truck for a while the gears started turning. I'm on pick-up no. 3 now, don't need it for work anymore, and am loathe to give it up. Trucks are un-godly expensive where I'm at, it took way too long to find this one, and it's in shockingly good shape. Plus the thing paid for itself within a year. And it's easy to fix, and parts are cheap, and I'm just making excuses now. Comedy option: Dodge Caravans are dirt-cheap. Yank the rear seats out and give zero fucks about the interior. Break the windows? Weld sheet metal over the opening. Become the handyman.
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Jan 7, 2020 00:11
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wolrah posted:I grew up with Rangers and Explorers, so they are very high on my list for sure. I looked at Rangers when buying my first truck. Settled on a V6 jellybean F-150 as it got better mileage, had more capacity, and was cheaper and easier to fix than the V6 Ranger. Simple and reliable with plenty of room to get to everything compared to the Ranger. The front suspension wore out at 120,000 miles (upper A-arms, lower ball joints, tie-rod ends, shocks), and most of them I see now are squeaky as poo poo. $120 for a rebuild kit minus shocks. EGR clogged up, which I think was fixed with a new valve and a new hose or two. Other than that, nothing I didn't do to the truck myself. Towed 6-7,000 lbs. (slowly), never felt out of control. Drove like a huge Taurus (stop laughing). I feel you on 250's. The first pick-up I drove for work was a 2005 LWB crew-cab with the V-10. Great truck. Put 10,000lbs. behind it and it was like, "That's it? Ok, let's go to work." Got 15mpg loaded, without the trailer and 11-12mpg with. Heavy is good, heavy is reliable.
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Jan 7, 2020 02:59
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STR posted:It really depends on the car. Some car makers are pretty friendly toward letting you pair fobs; they pretty much all universally erase existing ones when you do this. I think Shaoca left a part out. They stole the keys and then came back for the van. Cops found the van while it was being driven around.
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Jan 21, 2020 19:14
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Steve French posted:Recommendations for a jack and jack stands? Primarily for occasional use swapping winter/summer wheels, potentially other relatively simple things like brake work, etc. I have an RS4 and an F150. Is this one of the things that harbor freight is good for? If so, which line? What capacity should I be looking at? I have a Daytona 4-ton from HF, it's good so far. $200. Available in low-profile, long-reach, and regular varieties. Heavy goddamn thing. I paired it with an 8-ton bottle jack that I keep in the truck to lift it or whatever trailer I was using, haven't had a problem with either. Jack stands, eh. I use the cheapies from Advance Auto. Think it was $29.95 for the pair. I use a jack handle to let them down so's to keep fingers out from underneath the vehicle, but you should be doing that anyway.
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Apr 9, 2020 04:09
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Bodywork question: I have a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 with no front bumper. The impact bent the bumper up slightly and in towards the driver's side tire. Got a new bumper and driver's side bumper bracket. The problem I have is that the existing bracket is bent to the point you can't really get a tool in there to get the bolts off. Frame is fine, other bracket is fine. It only really needs to be bent back out a few inches. See pic below:  I have 10,000lb. chains, an oak tree, the old bumper, and a 4000lb. minivan (which van I would rather not use for this). Should I attempt to yank the bracket back? Should I attach the old bumper before doing so? Should I just take it to a shop on Tuesday and let them figure it out?
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Apr 11, 2020 19:33
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Yeah. I really need all ten fingers and it can wait. The van is a take-home for work (actually, really, essential), haven't even touched the truck in weeks. The bumper is taking up my whole couch though, lol. Next question, same vehicle. Steering rack is leaking. Is a re-man even worth it? It's a $200 difference in price between a new assembly and a re-man. This truck has an external steering fluid cooler, which is fine, but all the lines could do with replacing anyways.
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Apr 11, 2020 20:24
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Captain Log posted:Howdy AI, There you are! Here you go!
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Apr 20, 2020 21:58
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I have a question for the Aussies, Kiwis, and South Africans here. I've been reading the Importing Japanese cars (into the US) thread and have noticed many of the vehicles there were either officially sold in your countries or are common private imports, especially Hi-lux/Surfs and the smaller vans. Much valuable advice about these cars and specifically their diesel engines in that thread comes from Australians and New Zealanders. Are there any local online resources that y'all would recommend for troubleshooting these vehicles and their engines?
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Aug 1, 2020 16:31
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Charles posted:Is it dangerous to carry a bunch (5 or so) of the used little green gas propane cylinders? More so than full ones I mean? Hypothetically they'd be all used up but I don't know if some gets stuck in there a little. I know sometimes vapors are worse than liquid. What do you have planned for them? I take empties back to Walmart and leave them with the person that collects the big cylinders outside of garden center.
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Aug 16, 2020 12:19
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Bad Munki posted:Oh poo poo well in that case I'll get him off your back if you can tell me what the little chromed things coming out of the dash are. Neat car. I've never seen one of those or the later 2000 in person. e: That was a fun game sitting out here on the porch. We think we have the answer. madeintaipei fucked around with this message at 01:04 on Aug 26, 2020 |
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Aug 26, 2020 01:01
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Bad Munki posted:Tonneau cover clips. There are some around the back of the cab as well. The ones on the dash are for a racing style cover, which covers the cab but has a hole cut out for the driver. Beautiful! Thank you!
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Aug 26, 2020 01:24
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Bad Munki posted:So were you right? I wasn't. One of the other people here knew what it was for, but not what the whole assembly was called (a tonneau). Now we're all talking about mid 60's-early 70's Japanese sports cars and how easily they eclipsed the equivalent British cars. Great-Granma had MGs.
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Aug 26, 2020 01:38
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e:^^^ That. If you think modern diesels shake and rattle, try an old Detroit Diesel. taqueso posted:Why do diesel engines sound so clattery? Even new diesel trucks sound like pieces of the engine are loose and rattling. You know what a gasoline engine feels like under detonation? A diesel engine does that as a matter of course. Super-high compression ratio compared to almost any gas motor, lots of stress put on the whole system. madeintaipei fucked around with this message at 19:23 on Sep 3, 2020 |
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Sep 3, 2020 19:20
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KakerMix posted:And because of all that diesel engines will always have to be built stronger to take that abuse which lends itself well to reliability and longevity in a general sense. To put that into perspective, there is a reason American diesel trucks tend to be in the 3/4 ton and above weight-class. Ford 6.8 NA gas V-10: 625lbs., 7.3 turbo-diesel V-8: 920 lbs., 6.0 turbo-diesel V-8: 966lbs. All available in the same truck in the same two years, all for very little more hp and very much more torque.
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Sep 3, 2020 19:33
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Colostomy Bag posted:The 3800 is a tank. The 3800 outlived the 3.6 in the Lacrosse/Allure by one year due to consolidation of trim levels. I think they were only made in China with the 3.6 for the last year.
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Sep 18, 2020 00:18
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Micromancer posted:Im 6 foot 290 lbs. The ridge on the side of the seat is awkward getting in, but it's still easier than my Scion was. Once inside, I do not feel cramped other than the seat digs into my hips a tad. Hey, look at that. The hood is a good shape and size for a hirsute model to recline seductively upon.
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Oct 21, 2020 18:55
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wesleywillis posted:Get some sort of "Oil spray" before the snow flies and salt gets dumped down on the road. Google around for car rust proofing places, look at reviews, google some more, look at more reviews etc. Eric at South Main Auto, upstate NY, has a few things to say about rustproofing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXvl9nt57Kg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSg0yvwcbXA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKmM5IByVCQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9YDe02cW5Q
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Oct 23, 2020 13:07
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wesleywillis posted:I've noticed that all flat engines with a loud exhaust sound like they're misfiring horribly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXsCbBxkr90
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Oct 24, 2020 21:45
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I have a kinda weird question for any Aus and NZ goons here: When you think of, "bread truck", what comes to mind? Alternatively, what about Frito-Lay/Smith's trucks? Text description or pics, old trucks or new.
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Apr 19, 2022 16:18
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Kia Soul Enthusias posted:Welcome to the cube. FTFY.
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Apr 26, 2022 17:51
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wolrah posted:Android Auto/CarPlay are the best thing to happen to automotive navigation since Google Maps. Yup. My little (and it's tiny) Pioneer mech-less headunit in conjuction with a large phone in a cupholder... holder, brings most of the functionality of built-in nav to an almost 20 year old vehicle. Reliable bluetooth, usb audio connection, hands-free calling, control/display integration for bunches of apps, it still gets updates for common apps four years on. There's even enough room behind the unit to mount a small 4-channel amp. All that for, IIRC, $250 from Crutchfield. Aftermarket headunits are better than ever, right as they're facing obsolescence in anything but the cheapest vehicle. gently caress all that, as I will probably never own a car new enough for it to matter.
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Apr 30, 2022 16:35
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2014 VW Routan (a VW branded Chrysler Town and Country): I need to jack the rear end up to change a tire and put the mini spare back under the van. Someone has helpfully bent the doubled-up rear sill jackpoints to poo poo, so the factory jack won't fit. I have a big floor jack with a flat rubber pad on it that is more than capable of lifting the vehicle. My questions are: where do I safely locate the jack pad without stressing the bent pinch weld or pushing up on the ten tons of poo poo under the van, and where can I safely put a jack stand to stabilize the vehicle while it's in a raised position? My plan is: jack the vehicle up by the rear lower control arm mounting point and put the jack stand under the pinch weld jack point, settling what's left of it in the "cradle" of the jack stand.
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Jul 6, 2023 03:20
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Dr. Lunchables posted:As far as I know, it’s still the pinch welds for jack points, regardless of how mangled they are. It’s more to do with position on the unibody than the state of the pinch weld. Thank you! I think I might just have the tire shop take care of it, since I need them to replace my plug with a patch-plug anyway. The vehicle is supposed to be a camping van for one of the kids, so I don't know what advice to give them going forward. Road-side has already let us down (through no fault of their own), due to being out of cell service. The stock jack just won't safely do it anymore, and we need to find a solution for that. PainterofCrap posted:You can always hoist it at the rear axle/suspension but yeah, jack stand has to go at the lift point. They do sell grooved rubber pucks that might help. Noted, thank you! If they had stuck with the original option of a Chevy G30, I had this all planned out. FWD fucks that up for us. I know very little about taking care of this van, compared to a body-on-frame vehicle. madeintaipei fucked around with this message at 05:09 on Jul 6, 2023 |
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Jul 6, 2023 05:05
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PainterofCrap posted:Trolley jack in it's own case, and the aforementioned lifting pucks. I have one in my Bonneville because, even though it's there & works perfectly, I am not ever again risking life & limb to a bumper jack. I'm pretty sure I can convince them to get the right equipment. That's on the list now. The idea is to self-recover from general roadside poo poo, just enough to get the thing back to a shop or assistance. Plug kit, tire inflator, jump box, proper jack, gas can, oil, coolant, p/s fluid, brake fluid, coolant cap, gas cap, at least one of each light bulb, one wheel's worth of lug nuts, 100pc. set of fuses, 60pc. ratchet set, breaker bar, and a few extra 10mm sockets. This is what I carry in my truck, and I think what they should have going far from home.
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Jul 6, 2023 05:31
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Hiya, again! 2014 VW Routan SEL, 3.6 V6. Sometimes while driving, every warning light turns on and everything electric stops working for a second except for the exterior lights. This does not effect ABS, traction control, or shifting, either. The problem happens regardless of temperature and weather. I checked all of the fuses and relays. The battery is new and so are the battery cables. The vehicle has had some pretty major work done to it in the last six months. The cylinder heads and transmission have been replaced by the original dealer. The dealer really didn't appreciate us actually taking advantage of the extended warranty and fought every step of the way towards getting the thing back on the road. I'd like to have some inkling of what to look for myself before taking it back to them, or the other local CDJ dealer. Any ideas of where I should start poking around with my cheap little multimeter?
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Mar 30, 2024 01:05
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