Finally reunited with the Dakota

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jmc - 30 Jun 2006 12:00 GMT

Well, for those of you who knew I was in England, I'm not anymore. My
truck and I are now in Australia.

Damn truck. Got it back today, went through Australian inspection and
it FAILED! He said the right tie rod was "worn" bad enough to be "not
roadworthy". They also noticed a differential leak (have yet to look at
this and see if it's just the mess left behind by the last change).

Damn. Do either of these sound like high $$ fixes? Are there any
other, related items (like the left tie rod, which passed) that I should
have the Chrysler mechanic have a look at?

Not surprisingly, the 4th isn't a holiday here, so it'll be fixed that
day. Guy at the dealership didn't think parts would be an issue. Hope
he's right or I'll be asking Mike for help again :)

Didn't someone tell me that the click I started to sometimes feel in the
steering wheel could be a tie rod?

Anyway, we're quite enjoying the abundant sunshine and pleasantly cool
temperatures here (it's winter here). We only escaped the east coast
just in time, we were in DC and in Upstate NY; the flood pictures are
amazing, I've never seen flooding in that area like that before!
Anybody from around there?

Hello to all the regulars!

jmc

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.boB - 30 Jun 2006 19:46 GMT

> Well, for those of you who knew I was in England, I'm not anymore. My
> truck and I are now in Australia.
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
>
> jmc

If it's an outer tie rod end, it's a pretty simple and inexpensive fix. Inner
ends are much more difficult, and sometimes it's cheaper to just replace the whole rack.
The diff leak is a matter of R&R the cover with new silicone sealant. Again,
simple and "inexpensive".

Signature

.boB
Arrived: 2006 FXDI, Red.
1997 HD FXDWG - Turbocharged Stolen 11/26/05 in Denver
1HD1GEL10VY3200010 CO License J5822Z
2001 Dodge Dakota QC 5.9/4x4/3.92
1966 Mustang Coupe - Daily Driver
1965 FFR Cobra - 427W EFI, Damn Fast.

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jmc - 30 Jun 2006 23:53 GMT

Suddenly, without warning, .boB exclaimed (01-Jul-06 4:16 AM):

>> Well, for those of you who knew I was in England, I'm not anymore. My
>> truck and I are now in Australia.
[quoted text clipped - 30 lines]
> The diff leak is a matter of R&R the cover with new silicone
> sealant. Again, simple and "inexpensive".

Cool, thanks. I'm not a mechanic, but when I go to a new shop - as I
will be - I like to go in better informed so I don't get taken for a
ride. I've met too many mechanics that think us female types
genetically unable to understand vehicles (Jiffy Lube was the worst).

I'll poke my head under the truck today and have a look around; I need
to find that defective backup light switch and replace it, anyway.

jmc

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Denny - 01 Jul 2006 17:03 GMT

> Suddenly, without warning, .boB exclaimed (01-Jul-06 4:16 AM):
>>> Well, for those of you who knew I was in England, I'm not anymore. My
[quoted text clipped - 41 lines]
>
> jmc

I gotta ask since I've never been to Australia......Are there any pink bunny
rabbits hopping around anywhere???? <G>

Denny

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jmc - 02 Jul 2006 00:45 GMT

Suddenly, without warning, Denny exclaimed (02-Jul-06 1:33 AM):

>> Suddenly, without warning, .boB exclaimed (01-Jul-06 4:16 AM):
>>>> Well, for those of you who knew I was in England, I'm not anymore. My
[quoted text clipped - 47 lines]
>
::snort!::

Well, while I know there's actually lots of bunnies around [1], haven't
seen any yet, so haven't seen any pink ones either :) (I'll look
though). There's a very common, very noisy, and very pink bird called
a galah[2] 'fraid that's the best I can do at the moment...

But I'll keep looking. More likely I'll see a pink Kangaroo :)

[1] Imported, now a serious problem, actually
[2] first two pics here:
http://www.jodi.ws/australia/australianbirds/australian_birds.html

jmc

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Dave Lee - 01 Jul 2006 18:15 GMT

> Well, for those of you who knew I was in England, I'm not anymore. My
> truck and I are now in Australia.
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
>
> jmc

I read the topic and thought of Peaches & Herb......" Reunited and it feels
so good........"

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jmc - 02 Jul 2006 00:50 GMT

Suddenly, without warning, Dave Lee exclaimed (02-Jul-06 2:45 AM):

>> Well, for those of you who knew I was in England, I'm not anymore. My
>> truck and I are now in Australia.
[quoted text clipped - 26 lines]
> I read the topic and thought of Peaches & Herb......" Reunited and it feels
> so good........"

Well, it may not be "roadworthy", but at least it's clean and shiny and
beautiful as it sits unused in my carport.

I did poke my head underneath - the diff is clearly leaking, dripping a
bit even, but only along the bottom. I suspect that when I had the
fluid changed last, they did something wrong.

Can't tell about the tie rod though.

Damn English salty roads did horrible things to the undercarriage. It
looks more rusted than my hubby's 15 year old Toyota was!

jmc

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