Oh yeah the mileage is better for sure. I haven't really had a chance to test it much empty though. Only a few short trips which is hard to calculate accurately. The truck is always pulling something.

 

Good morning Dave!

 

Good morning guys.

 

The joke is the amount they charged insurance to do the job. Right around $900 for the "subframe" which is no more than 3 cross members between the spring hangers. To me, a sub frame is something additional to the main frame, not just cross members.
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy it is fixed and I didn't have to do anything but drop it off and pick it up, but they basically hosed the insurance company because they could.

 

Good morning Cory, Troy, Dave, Mike.

Exactly Mike. From whet you described they were going to actually reinforce the frame, redo gussets, etc. Doesn't sound like they did any of what they said.

 

Good morning Mike!

Ok now that makes more sense to me after you say how much they charged to do it. For that amount there should have been much more done to reinforce it.

 

And people wonder why rates are high. there is part of the problem

 

Just talked to Air Lift and it sounds like they are going to take care of my wireless air bag controller. The connection from the air line to the manifold block broke off last year. I just have to get a picture of the wiring harness and they will send new parts.

 

That $900 was just the subframe and not the straightening? For $30 in steel and 3 hours in time (which is probably generous for the amount of time), even at $100/hr they still pocketed $600

 

Good thing you are getting that fixed. Pulling your camper would have sucked otherwise!

 

Transmission question for Dave, Mike and anyone else with knowledge of them. my 01 excursion since we have owned it has acted strange in cold weather when first started. unless warmed up for like 3 minutes or more you put it in gear and it would be real sluggish moving but the rpms would be up and less then quarter mile would seem to act normal. I used to think that maybe it was some sort of cycle in the computer to let the transmission slip a little to help avoid damage to other components when cold. Late this spring we drove it around a 100 miles and I picked my son up from a boy scout event, when I backed up if felt like it spun in mud, there was mud in the parking lot. when I got up to the paved road it still was slipping so I knew that wasn't it. I couldn't really tell if it was low on fluid so I added some to be safe. It still wasn't right. it has gotten progressively worse fast for hardly driving it. I don't even think I have put 300 miles on it since the problem. My parking area has a slight decline and to the point now that I put it in reverse it barely gives enough to role back and when I put it in any forward gear it acts like neutral. It will eventually, I guess, build up enough pressure to move but not well. and then when you have it in gear and foot on the brake it act like in neutral and then act like it is loading the engine more then normally would.

I did ask in the 7.3 forum and Mark, who is the retired ford transmission engineer, said there are 3 feed bolts under the valve bodies and if those loosen then that could give those symptoms. I am in the process of removing the valve bodies to check but I doubt that is it. Do you think the pump would go out that fast and act this erratic? I'm going to put it back together with new fluid and hopefully check line pressure soon. thanks.

 

Yeah, good thing Chris. Now maybe your truck won't squat so much with the camper hooked up.

 

Yes, just for the cross members. It's actually closer to $150 in materials (which they charged $450 for)and 6 hours labor.
All told it was over $3000 for everything, somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 hours total labor.

 

At least you didn't have to mess with it....

 

Afternoon guys! Another busy day here today for me.