I worked on it. It's fixed. I have no idea.

The other day I flipped on my left turn signal and it failed to flash the arrow on the dashboard. I had been using the secret code signal lever flip for many years. I flip the lever down and then nudge it upward a tad with my pinkie. Always worked. I did buy a new turn signal switch assembly recently figuring I would eventually require one.

So, I get home and find the bulb and its socket dangling by the wire. Was it like this since last fall when I reassembled everything? Who knows? Anyway bulb is burned out. I swapped in an old used bulb. Light resumed flashing... Until it burned out the next time I drove.

Back in the garage I find an old Stanley motorcycle quality bulb. I installed it. Bam! Not only does the light flash, but the lever operation is now like new. No more secret code flip.

Again, no idea how the lever operation changed.

In other news, I drove the truck to the home supply store to buy a list of materials to put lights in a remote out building. I'd run wire out there years ago. Job just needed finishing. I need five) ten foot lengths of 1/2" EMT. Just the kind of haul a truck is good for. I shop for all the boxes, connectors, switches, etc. then go to grab the pipe. WTF! Six dollars for a stick of 1/2" EMT! I was figuring on maybe $2. Decided to just staple up Romex.

And a two space 20A breaker panel? $45. I was thinking maybe $12.

Rant over.

 

Finally took my truck in to a shop I was comfortable with. I wanted to use a long time reputable shop, Art's Wheel Alignment, but Harold had just retired this summer. So I found his grandson had opened a shop under the same name. I was fortunate enough to find Jeff not too busy. We took the truck out for a good, long road test. Jeff said it felt okay to him but we could put it on the rack anyway. No sooner than we got it on the rack his grandfather and uncle showed up. I now had about a hundred years of experience looking at the truck. The consensus was that they could fool with it all day and wouldn't get it any closer than it was. I was happy with that.

Jeff checking caster. Grandpa watching, uncle Don behind the wheel. Camber right and left, +1° and +1-1/4° respectively. Caster was 1/4° different from side to side. Toe was ***** on.

 

I did a job today that I have been dreading. The trim shop guy called Friday and told me my seat was ready... Again. Dreading because I was afraid of what I would see.

Anyway, it wasn't as bad as I had worried about. So I bent over and paid. Not wanting to get gaslighted again, I didn't even ask what happened to all the piping we talked about. The only other obvious flaw was one I didn't pick on when I saw it the first go around. By not calling it out then I feel I had waived the right to call it out now.

 

That seat looks nice.

 

One more shot.

I had made a note of the part# for the vinyl that matches the gray of the door panels and lower dash from the trim guy's swatch catalog. I'm thinking of buying a few yards directly and using it to cover the behind the seat area. Also, it would make a good covering for a custom built console.

 

Worth mentioning something else. This is a cheap fix for your sagging seats and back rests. The seat foam is supported by a bunch of thin wires along with the end of the seat's frame. The frame rail and all those wires cut into the foam over time.

Adhere a sheet of sturdy material between the rail/wire and the foam.

 

That seat looks just fine to me. Though, few things sting as much as not getting what you paid for, been there, done that, and got the Tee shirt.

Thats why I try to outsource as little as possible, but I wouldn’t ever try upholstery either.

looks good.

 

I got a question about simplified TV cable adjustment. I did mine this way (see post #713, pg.48) with great results.

George Reid, in his book, FORD AOD Transmissions, gives a very simple procedure to adjust it. No pressure gauge, no special tool.


Pry up the plastic arch cap off the serrated adjustment housing. Here I am just lifting the arch enough for illustration. Lift higher and it disengages the cable adjustment housing. I popped the adjuster out of the bracket to make it easier to get the screwdriver on both sides and top. You can see some of my pry marks. It's a little tight.


Pop it back into the bracket to make the adjustment. See the serrations on the cable housing? The arch has the same serrations to lock into.


Slide the serrated housing forward or backward to achieve the desired tension. Not too tight, not loose either. To check, I disconnect the cable from the throttle body linkage. Hold finger tension on the cable and side the black sleeve up to the adjuster where the arrow is pointing. Now open the TB slightly and reconnect the cable being careful not to disturb the position of the black sleeve. Ease the TB linkage back to its rest position. If there is a gap between sleeve and adjuster, you're too tight. If the sleeve gets nudged by the adjuster, you're too loose.

@skbishop90

 

For better or worse, yesterday I bought this 1999 4x4 F-150 from my niece. 207k miles. Underside looks like new. 4R70W transmission is crapped out. Starts easy, runs great. Has reverse so I was able to back it up onto the trailer. It did lock into 4L. Not wrecked anywhere, a little rust. Rockers and cab corners.

My sister asked me check over this truck when they were looking to buy it last summer. I told her then I wanted no part of it. Priced at $2000 I told her that was a red flag. My niece drove it less than 1000 miles. The tranny dip stick shows about a pint over the hot full mark on a cold stick. Did the overfill burn out the forward clutch pack? Or did someone throw some extra fluid at a failing tranny? I vote the latter.

 

Will it engage any gears cold or hot besides reverse? OD light flashing at all?

I see used 4r70's on craigslist around here quite often for decent price

 

No forward gears. I didn't fool with it. I just put it on the trailer. Only light that stood out was ABS. May or may not have a fault there. My Triumph motorcycle's ABS light stays on until the PCM sees the speed sensor counting a turning reluctor.

I know I'll have $500 in the tranny if i rebuild it myself. Used 4R70W's I have seen here are priced from $250 to $850 in the thirty or so ads I looked at. The best match I found is also the cheapest but it is $80 worth of gas away. I spent some time today verifying exactly what I had so I know exactly what I want.

At some point I'll start a thread on this truck in 1997-2003 forum and invite you all to visit there.

 

On the 99's transmission, my new theory is somebody probably put a quick fix additive in it. Made the tranny grab long enough to sell.

In a related matter, I drove 1986 truck to Owensboro yesterday. Related because I went there to buy a transmission for the '99. A 120 mile round trip. The furthest afield I had been in the truck until today. Today I drove to Marion, IL, 170mile round trip. I sold that really nice seat I had to a guy from Arkansas. We met part way. Loves the seat and insisted on paying for my gas to boot. I figured no more than ten gallons but he gave me $50. When I top off the tank I used I'll get an idea of highway mileage. Hoping for at least 19mpg.

So, with all these miles on end I notice things about the truck. A shimmy like an out of balance tire possibly. I get a little at about 38-40mph, then again 56-59mph, and again at over 70mph (from memory) It does it as I go up in speed and again on the way down as the truck slows. Gonna have to address it. I think I'll start with a tire rotate. Next would be balance. I don't think it's an engine thing. It will shimmy even coasting in neutral. Other than the shimmy it runs great. Inspires confidence. I may find the new, cheap RockAuto Gabriel shocks have a role in this. They are not very good shocks. I base this on their behavior when I hit small bumps. They don't keep the tires on the road. Really, their most critical job.

PS: I passed on the advertised as "perfect" transmission. The fluid was dark brown. There was layer of black sediment in the pan, visible through the dipstick tube hole.

 

Tire shimmy, I'll ask how old are the tires ?

 

2013 I think.

I kept running them because A) I'm cheap, B) They have only maybe 7000 (I'll check this) miles on them, C) Zero dry cracking

They were not an expensive tire. I chose the 235/70R-15 because they have the same diameter as the stock size 215/75R-15s but look much beefier.

 

Yeah, I think you know where I'm going with that question.

I know I'll be coming up with the same problem in a few years. I paid $70 each at BJ's for Goodyear Wranglers four or five years back. These tires will age much faster then I put miles on the truck, 800 miles a year on a busy year...