Some one I think just had the same problem.
Do a search to see how he got his fixed.

Sorry to say I cant help as mine uses chains & hooks to keep it closed
Dave ----

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+...hrome&ie=UTF-8

 

I do have a oxy acetylene welder maybe i can just weld a chain into the tailgate then have some type of loop i can hook into over the back wheel location on the truck bed. I can hold the tail gate closed and pull a small chain with a hook then put the hook into some type of loop. Some hooks have a one way mechanism that i can feed it into a metal loop and the spring will hold a metal rod closed so in order to unhook ill have to push the spring back. Its called a "spring-loaded hook".

Basically i want to keep the repairs simple and remove complexity from the truck as much as possible. If i dont have a mechanism i have to pull (the handle) its a part that wont fail because i could just close the tail gate with a chain and hook. I like that idea thanks for providing.

 

Have this on both sides.

 

From what I seen posted is the rods to the handle pop off because the rod clip breaks.
I think they say remove the handle to get access to the rods and check if still in place both on the handle and the 2 latches on either side.
Most of the time they say the rods fall to the bottom of the gate.

If you are looking for something kind of custom and cheap look for tail gate seat belt latches.
I was looking to go that way with my truck till my brother sent my a set of chains with the latch for a factory flare side.
Dave ----

 

So I found inside my tailgate there are little plastic pieces that hold the wires to the side in place and one of them broke. I was able to get in with a pair of needle nose pliers and some CA glue and put it back in. I've had to redo it once in 2 years so far but it does hold for a while. I don't believe I can disassemble my tailgate, it looks spot welded and I don't care enough to find a replacement one.

 

A never touch it again fix is to find metal clips that hold the rods in place.
They do make them just have to find them.
Also note they come in left & right sides depending what way the rods come in to hook up.
Dave ----

 

Metal ones would be the way to go and if it lets go on me again I'll probably put the effort in. But for now it took me 5 minutes and it's working properly again.

 

I found another problem with the truck: the power steering hose has a leak.

I have not found the metal hose to be leaking but there is a part where the metal connects to a rubber hose and this bit of rubber is covered in dirt. If the hose was not leaking it would be clean and the fluid is puddling along the frame where the metal hose is clamped into. I am guessing since i looked it up with the ai the power steering return line that is rubber should be 5/16 of an inch or 3/8. My plan is i am going to disconnect the metal hose completely along with the rubber hose and replace the rubber hose. Ill then get a spray bottle of soapy water and spray the metal line then pass some low pressure compressed air and see if i get any bubbles.

Over all the truck is driving great. I still have a slight issue with the gas peddle sticking a bit i am at a loss as why its happening. I am guessing since the peddle connects to a wire braided rope that there is a rubbing point that must be fraying the metal and causing a sticking point but i have not found this during my inspection of it.

 

You can use regular fuel line and hose clamps for the return line. But the high pressure supply line is special, you need to go to the store and order that one as a assembly.

 

First determine where it's leaking. You might need to clean up the hoses and connections. If you have a minor seep not really a problem. Keep the reservoir full...but not over filled! If it's dripping you'll probably want to address that. See if you can snug up any connections. There are power steering stop leak products out there. Can't say I've ever used them but said to work and could buy you some time.

 

The gas peddle is sticking so bad again. I pulled over and just looked at how it was stuck and the metal braided wire that connects to the peddle was not moving so it must be a linkage + lube issue. I poped the hood and the line was stuck. I shot compressed air into the cable and put lube oil but it did not help.
I think this will fit: https://www.autozone.com/fuel-delive...8436/42018_0_0

But there is 2 cables

The cable i found connects to the firewall and has a spring that connects to the carburetor, there is a clip on attachment for the wire that connects to the gas peddle. There is a vacuum line that connects to a round black "thing" on the firewall where the cable that connects to the peddle goes into. I am not sure what this device is because it was not in the chilton manual.

The distributor is bolted down tight but the timing keeps losing accuracy. i set it to 10 as listed on my hood but i checked it last week and it was at 7-8 btdc. then i reset the park idle because it was too high but i dont have a tachometer yet so i am guessing. I lowered the fast idle and re tweaked the mixture richness screw and got the vacuum in the 16-18 range. If the motor is not fully warmed up it will be 16-17 when the motor has been drive for a while it will be in the 17-18 range. I checked for vacuum leaks and found none. When i am driving and the peddle sticks if i press the brake it unsticks so it must be vacuum related but on the other hand its 50/50 if it unsticks or not so im not sure if there is any correlation at all.

 

Timing: you need to have the idle speed set before you adjust the timing. If the idle RPM is too high the weights will start to kick out and advance the timing.
Now the RPM may change with timing change so it is back and forth till both are set.

If you have a factory carb then it should use a factory throttle cable.
You said you have a 2nd cable could that be for the transmission?
When transmission do you have as you may be able to disconnect the trans cable to see if the throttle now moves or is it the throttle calbel and if so just replace it.
Dave ----

 

The mystery round black thing on the firewall sounds like a cruise control servo. Do you have cruise control buttons on your steering wheel?

 

https://i.imgur.com/aBrlwPX.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/uYdFy6D.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/2lqi7dW.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/2Q2CyKs.jpeg

The cable sticks, also the spring on my throttle cable seems to be losing its stiffness. I sprayed everything down with cleaner and it did not help much. Also if you look to the left there is 3 soft cables connected upper left with wire crimps where does that go and do i actually need to connect it?


I found another problem that is super annoying. I start the engine and it runs fine, i put it into reverse and it stalls. It runs fine in drive but cold engine in reverse even after idling it for 5-10 min it will stall. If i can get it running 20 feet in reverse then im ok. I was throwing questions into the ai chat and it said the idle is too low so i increased it and it still stalled. I have driven it now about 200 miles and it runs totally fine if the engine is warmed up. If the engine is cold and not completely at running temp i have problems.

I played with the settings a bit more on the carb and it does not do well in cold and wet weather. We got condensate on the throttle plate and when i put it into reverse the engine starts to lug. The vacuum pressure went from 17 to 10 and i cant find the leak if one does exist.

I found the issue The carb leaked a ton of fuel into the intake manifold. I got a few pictures now im worried any hydrolock could have happened because the engine was running so badly. I think the needle on the carb got stuck but i got another carb ill put on. ill see if i can absorb the fuel out of the manifold or allow it to evaporate. Ill go plug the fuel line with a plastic bag and rubber band then disconnect the battery. This explains why i have been burning so much fuel.

I hope since these engines 4.9l are so durable that it can take the abuse of this. But you cant compress liquids and that can bend pistons.