I finally took the plunge, and ordered an antenna with copper on the inside. I hope that I don't regret this, the same way I spent the last 15 years regretting that cheap antenna that I bought.






I lost track of time. The oiled filter has been in the truck for maybe 10 or 12 years. I look at it every once in awhile, and it doesn't look too bad. It wasn't clean, but it was not full of dirt. This morning, I pulled it out and installed a dry filter which I had sitting around. Now that it has been cleaned, at least clean enough for me, it has to dry before I can re-oil it and make it red again.

I don't know which is better. They both have good advertising. Does the dry filter allow better airflow? Does the oiled filter allow better airflow? The motorcycle has an exposed cone filter like that. It just faces forward into the wind, and it's oiled. I am sure that it really doesn't matter. It's well known that there is almost no performance gain that can be realized by the day to day driver.

I use oiled filters because I remember them from when I was a kid. I remember when cars were serviced with more frequency. Back when oil was changed every 3,000 miles, and spark plugs, cap, and coil were done maybe annually. Along with changing coolant, transmission fluid, gear oil, etc. Cars back then didn't have 100,000 mile service intervals. I remember being the kid who was washing out the filters with a hose.

Oiled filters save money. If you change a disposable paper filter annually, with filters costing around $25, you're throwing away hundreds of dollars. And if you aren't doing it yourself, the cost goes up because nobody is installing anything for free. The dealership wanted around $200 to install the battery in my van.







Clean enough for me.

 

Let us know how that antenna works. I got this one for our 2015, and it seems to work as well as the OEM one, and doesn't bonk into low branches like the OEM one did. For all I know, it might have avocado and lemon in it instead of copper.

 

My truck needs an antenna also, but I am on the fence about buying one as I don't even know if the radio works. I was told it did, but I can't get any sound out of it. Although for all I know the speakers are not connected. I have already verified that it has four speakers, but I also see two wires disconnected by the right rear passenger door. In any case I will most likely go with the full-size antenna.

Jim

 

Howdy Guys,

Thanks for the info on the motor Jim, it sounds like it should work out fine.

Glue guy, Thanks for info on the antenna.

 

When I looked, KSaAuto did not have an antenna for older trucks. They have the antenna for 2009 on up. But nothing for the 04 - 08 models.







The air filter looked clean enough. So I oiled it. It actually feels heavier with the oil. I hope that I didn't over-oil. Dad taught me to stuff newspaper inside the filter, then wrap it in newspaper. Then you wait. After a few days, the newspaper would absorb any excess oil.

 

Amazon has a KSAuto antenna for my truck. I am sure it fits yours too.

Stopped by the repair shop yesterday. The engine is in. Just needs buttoning up. I bought a new thermostat and gasket for it since the top half of the engine was off, so it would be easy to install. Mechanic says it is 75% done. So, I am hopeful it will be done by this weekend. They found a partially burned wiring harness and replaced it already. Maybe that was a partial reason for it not passing smog? Wonder why the previous mechanics didn't see that?

Jim

 

When you get the truck back, expect stored codes. Maybe the shop will clear those codes before you get the truck back. Then you will still have a code. P1000. All that it means is that your truck has not completed a drive cycle. Anytime the codes are cleared, the memory is also cleared. Anytime the battery is disconnected, the memory is cleared. The only way to clear that is to drive the truck until the computer is satisfied that all monitors are working, and that there is not problem.




I just replaced the batteries in the truck and the van. So I had to go into the computer to clear the codes from the dead batteries. Yes, even on older trucks, something simple like a dead battery will give a diagnostic trouble code. There's a memory for things like that. Assuming that you're so modern and high tech, that you can't figure out that you have a dead battery. You can plug in a computer, to find out that your battery died.





You already have a laptop. Forscan is free software. Not that I want you to spend more money. But it's well worth the investment into an OBDII adapter plug. Here are a couple of screenshots to give you an idea of some of the software's features.

 

I ran the "Key On Engine Running" test. It shows that my Evaporative System Monitoring is Incomplete. I would not pass smog. I fully expect that condition to be corrected within the next year or two.

 

This has to be the news story of the week. Not King Charles' prostate.

 

There are some sick people out there.

Good morning Nor Cal.

 

FORScan might be free, but why would I need it when I have a brand new in the bag FORScan Pro scanner? Bought it when the truck went in the shop many moons ago. According to the real Scotty Kilmer (as opposed to the many fakes out there) cheap scanners can damage your engine. Not sure how that would work though. Maybe I'll send him a message asking how. As for resetting the codes, I was prepared to drive the truck for awhile to get rid of them all. There should be no codes now that I have replaced everything.

Jim

 

I checked the van, and of course, that won't pass smog either. None of the necessary drive cycle tests have completed.








So I reset the battery monitoring system. I don't know what, if anything, that does. They say that you are supposed to do that with newer cars. I wonder how many shops actually do that for the customer. Imagine all of those people with new batteries, that never did it.

 

He's not wrong. Pelosi and Haley almost, kind of, sort of, if I poke my eyes out, look enough alike that I would walk right up and grab either one of them by the goodies.

 

I see that O'Reilly's, where you get a discount, the lowest cost wipers are Valeo & ACDelco. I can personally vouch for those ACDelco wipers on the F-150. That's what I have on the truck right now. They're working great. The lowest price Valeo wiper at O'Reilly's is $6.99. RockAuto sells that wiper for $4.68. Amazon sells a Valeo for $6.01. Amazon also has an Anco for $5.72. Wal*Mart sells the same Anco for $17.95. The lowest priced wiper at Wal*Mart is a Motorcraft at $6.86. Amazon sells the same Motorcraft @$6.86. RockAuto sells the same Motorcraft 20" wiper blade for $3.09.

 

And this is why I do not buy from Rock Auto. The shipping charge.