T for 2
- Okay guys,
Sorry for not updating last week. Larry's 2001 Dakota needed the link from the steering wheel to the rack replaced and you knew that wasn't "just coming right out". We wound up breaking a bolt and using vise grips, PB Blaster and heat to extract the broken bolt so it took up a considerable part of the day. Add to it the fact that my 2007 Dodge Caliber R/T needed a lower ball joint replacement and we really got very little done. This week the Caliber returned with and unbelievable clunk/rattle in the front end. Of course this kind of stuff ALWAYS happens when I am out of town for my job. My wife tells me about the noise and you start to think "did I tighten the lug nuts enough? Is there an issue with the Chinese ball joint (you can't find anything American anymore)? We traced the problem to a loose sway bar bolt. We tightened it well but I guess that the threads had enough debris in them that it appeared to be tight enough but clearly wasn't. We chased the link stud with a dye and tapped the nut, problem solved.
Now for the truck in question. We took everything back apart so we could install all of the gaskets. But before we do that we need to detail areas that are harder to get to with the turbos and exhaust installed. We removed everything and Larry painted them (pictures of the painted exhaust are coming (I had to go out with my wife and some neighbors from my old neighborhood arrrgh). I did get a couple of pics with the unpainted and unwrapped exhaust on the floor. Hopefully next week will be more exciting.