So after owning this thing for less than a month I've done more work to it than I have most anything else I've ever owned. Much of that is due to the fact that it needs to be in top mechanical shape to tow a heavy trailer in a few short weeks, but this thing has me really impressed. I've never had a vehicle that's been this easy to service.

The spark plugs were easier than anything I've ever done with more than four plugs. It was easier for me to do all ten cylinders than it has been for any V6 FWD car I've ever done, and also easier than the V6 Blazer that I used to have. That one I ended up removing the wheels to get to the plugs, this required absolutely no disassembly to complete.

The transmission was flushed in less than 30 minutes with minimal drama courtesy of a great writeup by Mark Kovalsky. Simply unhooked the line, attached some clear tubing, had my wife start the engine, and watch as the old fluid gets pumped out. Wait until it sucks air, refill, and repeat. Four times and it was DONE without spilling a drop!

This has been the first vehicle I've been able to find a coolant drain plug in the block. Open the radiator petcock, slide on back and remove the drain plug on the block and get showered with coolant. All in all I got over five gallons out of a seven gallon system, which is pretty good in my book. Start the engine, dump five gallons of coolant into the degas bottle, and it circulates through the first time with no burping required. Couldn't believe it was that easy, so I took it on a spirited ride and didn't run into any problems. Came back and the level was right back where I left it, meaning that all the air was burped out of the system as it was warmed up for the first time.

On most other vehicles I've ever pulled the doors apart, I have to deal with a multitude of fasteners to remove the inside panel. Snap off two covers and remove two screws and the entire panel slides right off...no drama required. Of course it would have been great to have a door lock actuator that would withstand the test of time, but at least they were easy to fix.

And finally...changed out the right inner tie rod end, which forms the largest section of the drag link, and unsurprisingly had a cockeyed steering wheel. Two bolts and 3/4ths of a turn on the rotating sleeve with some vice grips and my wheel is back to where it belongs. The act of loosening the bolts, rotating the sleeve, and torquing them back again took less time than it has to type this post...and I can type pretty quickly.

So far so GOOD!

 

Sounds like you got a diamond in the rough. Thats cool. Glad its all working out for you! It really IS an awesome color scheme. Youll enjoy driving it for years to come, i am sure.

Keep up the good work and best of luck with your move!

Karl

 

They really are nice rigs!

Stewart

 

One thing I like and it is even better with a 4 inch lift, is that all routine maintenance can be done without jacking the thing up. You can just get on a creeper and roll on under. If it is something in the middle of the Ex, just crawl under and sit up.

 

Im getting ready to flush my ATF today, how much trans fluid did you go through? I bought 21 quarts... do you think thats enough?

 

Yup, I used 20 quarts for mine and I'm still down a quart. But as long as you do over 19 quarts you will get a good flush, and as long as you pour in as much as you pump out you will be at the correct level. I made the mistake of not properly measuring how much went into the drip pan beneath the transmission instead of through the hose and into my bucket. Never did get a good seal, so there was a continuous dribble into the drain pan. I was guessing less than a quart, but it was almost two!

To make myself feel better about all the money I've been spending on this thing, I created a spreadsheet this morning tracking my cost on all of this and comparing with the MSRP I'd pay on parts and the $100/hour I'd pay on labor at my local dealer. So far I've saved an estimated $2,186 by doing it myself! The settings won't allow me to attach an Excel file, so I've attached a .pdf copy!

 

Ok thanks

Ive read the writeup a few times, but basically its just - take out drain plug and let fluid drain from there, replace plug. fill with same amount that came out. take off return line, clear tubing over it to bucket, turn on engine and leave on until air bubbles come out. fill with same amount that came out, repeat, and somewhere in there shift P-R-N-D-2-1 ?

 

Yeah, but you don't need to drain the pan unless you are changing the internal filter. And I forgot to have my wife shift between the gears, but a bit of old fluid isn't going to hurt anything in my opinion. While I need everything to be mechanically impeccable, it's still a 12 year old truck.

 

oh really? that makes it much easier then!

 

do you recall what size ID the tubing you used was?

 

Mine was 1/2" ID clear tubing, but Mark says that they used different sizes over the years. I would recommend disconnecting it and measuring with a caliper before buying the tubing, otherwise you do what I did and purchase ten feet of the wrong size and then have to drive out to the store for the second time to fix your stupid mistake.

On the bright side I should be around to lend a hand next time you do this.

 

Haha, true! I'm actually headed to a fellow FTE member/friends house right now to flush it

 

Hey Tom, Did you install the 6.0 trans cooler when you did your flush? If so, how much extra ATF did you need?

 

That was the plan until the auto parts store didn't have 1/2" transmission line. They tried to sell me 1/2" gas tank vent hose but I was not to be fooled. I'll be getting some this week and probably installing the cooler next week. I'm having a tough time getting a good transmission fluid level because this thing never warms up even with the stock cooler. Driving to work on rural highways at 60 MPH I never seem to get above 138°, and the manual states that the dipstick is accurate between 150-170°.

 

Those power locks were your biggest savings, I cringe when I think of what it would have cost to have all 5 done. I think I am just going to drain the pan and converter so it should take 16 quarts. When I used to work in auto trans shops (many years ago) that was all they ever did. There was a sale on flushing trannies years ago and I was busy so I had it done but when I walked in to take a peek at what they were doing they were just changing the pan so I talked him into changing the converter too but then the boss wanted to charge a lot more for that so after a big argument (with all the mechanics gathering in a circle) they finally let me slide.