Went out to the truck this morning, puddle of coolant under the truck. Being Monday morning, I have to go to work and don't have time for these things, took it to my trustworthy shop. Three, count 'em, three leaks. I had been smelling coolant lately but never saw any until this morning. Every single hose on this truck is new, the cap is new, the water pump is new, the thermostat and gasket is new, even the coolant recovery tank is new. And I still have three leaks! Anyway, the radiator was leaking (it did this last winter too, I think the plastic tanks expand and contract in the cold or something like that, I put stop leak in last time but it's back now), a freeze plug was going, and a bolt on the timing chain cover was leaking. The bolt is covered under the warranty from when they did the timing chain. The rest is mine, and since I have always had trouble keeping coolant in this truck (every time I would fix one leak, another one popped up) I told them to do the heater core too. That would certainly have been next. I know that these are relatively easy repairs, but it is hard to find time to do them, especially when I need the truck to go to work the rest of the week. This has been a very expensive month for the Bronco, I'm pushing $2,000 now. I keep thinking that when I fix something, the truck will be done breaking for a while, but then something else happens.

 

You'll be okay,
I'd say you're getting pretty close to "just cruising"

*Note:
It's better than spending $48,000 for a new one and have it in the shop for little things the factory didn't take care of.




Dennis

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Let me know when I will be at "just cruising..." I'm just hoping that the motor and drivetrain (105K, maintained) last long enough to make all of these other repairs worth while, if I knock on wood any more my deck will collapse!

 

I'd seriously consider getting a daily driver. If you know what to look for you should be able to get one well under $1k, even $500. I don't know how I'd live without mine, the truck's always down for mods during the week, on the trails on the weekends!!

 

This IS the daily driver! I don't off road it as far as heavy duty trails are concerned, I just have the 4X4 for occasionally getting through snow, mud, or sand. Otherwise it is used for transportation.

 

I think that it is safe to say that the pevious owner either didnt maintain your Bronco very well, or that it is just a lemon and that is why the previous owner got rid of it. I have 120,000 miles on my 90 bronco with a fraction of the problems that you have had. I would consider selling it like you said before, it really is turning into a money pit.

 

Tell me about it. I have all the records since it was new, and it was definitely maintained. But it does seem like it has been in the shop a lot. It might be time to cut my losses, but overall it runs well. It's a hard call to make, I could sell it and get another used truck and have to start all over with the starters, alternators, hoses, radiators, brakes, etc. that have already been replaced on this truck. At least I know where I stand here. Pretty soon I will have replaced everything but the drivetrain! That, knocking on wood again, seems to be strong. I'm taking it on a road trip later this month, probably around 2,500 miles. We'll see how it holds up on the trip.

 

BTW - knocking on wood again -- the truck has been on several long road trips and never gave me any trouble. It pulled a trailer across country during the summer with a bad u-joint and I didn't have any problems. I think it likes the highway better than town.

 

PS - I should make one of those polls and call it "Should I Keep This Bronco?" It looks like so far I have one vote for yes, one vote for no, and one neutral (keep it but get a daily driver for your daily driver...)

 

Throw me in as a neutral, also. I'm wondering how much an exorcism would set you back..... ! Seriously, it's hard, at this point, to justify selling the truck to give up all of your invested repairs (assuming the same problems don't come back) when you know you won't be seeing a good return on them. It's also hard to drive something daily that continues to hassle you with repairs that you can't afford to handle on your own, in terms of time and trouble. I would try for the economical daily driver, if you can swing keeping the truck and the bike. You may find that you appreciate your truck much more. My truck started as a daily driver project, but starting with an older model invited lots of opportunity for the "once in ten year" items to break. And, they did. This summer, as gas stayed pricey and my engine started to give up, I put it in the garage for a rebuild and some upgrades and picked up a smaller $4000 4-door car for a daily driver. I love the gas mileage and convenience, but I still have my "project". I justify the Bronco, now, as a back-up vehicle. My wife and I have our daily driver cars, but when one of those is in the shop for service, I have the truck to drive. When I need a truck or it snows, it's there waiting. And, with a freshly rebuilt engine, tranny, rear end, and endless little projects which I'm performing at my own time and convenience, I've basically arrived at a new truck which is fully paid for, but is affordable to leave parked as a secondary as the insurance only gets cheaper. It's great hopping into something that I know I won't be selling, so every little stainless steel screw, reupholstered seat, etc. that I've put into it stays mine, yet I can afford the downtime and thus perform my own labor, making the effort much more justifiable. It makes owning the truck more enjoyable, and you're able to outfit it like you want it, not just to the level of what it takes to get it back on the road. Best of luck with your decision!

 

Funny how you mentioned the "once in ten year" repairs. I sort of think that since I got the Bronco at 89k, I'm at the "it breaks at 100k" phase (currently have 105k). The truck is actually only a daily driver in winter. The Harley is the daily driver the rest of the time. Last winter wasn't so bad. So far the Bronco is killing me this winter. If it comes down to the Bronco or the Harley, it's not even a question of which one stays. Bye, bye Bronco! I'll start driving $300 beaters, when one dies, you get another one...

 

It is one of those things that you have to really like the truck and want to fix it up. If you don't like it, give it away cheap and learn from it. I think the biggest problem you have is paying someone else to fix it. Labor is expensive. Also spending money to keep the truck on the road stinks. This weekend I would have rather been putting on shorty headers than replacing the original hoses and thermostat. My alternator is getting noisey and my AC compressor locked up months ago and rear fenders have bad rust. Still I know it will be a nice ride one day. I have no time either, long work hours, wife and two kids, 1 with special needs and frequent surgeries. Pay a babysitter to watch the kids or wife and get dirty fixing the truck if you like it other than the problems.

'89 302 AOD Bronco, Grant wheel, 31" tires, JVC remote CD,

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 09-Dec-02 AT 09:59 PM (EST)]Sorry man I feel your pain. I have an 89 and this past summer it decided that it needed work to be done to it. A ton of money later and there are still things to be done. To give you an idea to ease the pain and let you know there are others out there in your position. Starting at the beginning of the year: Upper and lower ball joints, Six shocks, alignment. Summer: Left and Right front axles, U-joint, 4 wheel drive motor and control modual, Brakes all around, Those wheel cover shield things on the front wheels, hubs looked at twice no need of replacement, tailgate replacement, extensive bondo bodywork, emergency break junction replacement, gas tank skid panel (oh yeah by the way there wern't any braces underneath the skid panels), and rotors. Lets see I think that was it for the summer. Ok fall needed 4 tires, I could only replace two, by-pass hose to water pump replacement. And just last week the ac compressor went and on my 302 I need it for my defrost and pully system to work. It was all siezed up I needed a new compresssor and a new pully clutch assembly, also I had to have my system retrofited for new refrigerant. So now i'm waiting for the next thing to go. Not that i'm complaining its all a learning experience. Oh yeah I also need tie rods in the front. Hopefully my bronco and yours will last awhile before needing the next thing fixed.

 

Dang...I got off easy compared to you! Sorry to hear about that. I hope you all don't think that I am complaining, I really do like my Bronco. That's probably why I keep fixing it. The previous poster is correct about my bills being higher because I have been paying a shop. I don't always do this, a lot of the stuff was changed by me. This is the fourth time this year that it has been to a shop, though, and had around a $500 bill. The problem, especially in winter, is that I have to do the work in the street, at night in the dark after work, or on my weekends, and I can't have the truck sit all week without even knowing what is wrong with it and then try to diagnose it and hunt down parts like radiators in the few hours before dark on Saturday so I can fix it on Sunday. I's rather pay the extra $150 in labor for something like this. If I take a day off of work to fix the truck myself, that costs me more than the shop's labor charge. However other things can be handled myself, like starters, alternators, hoses, things that are quick to diagnose, repair, and get parts for. These I even do on my lunch break. Last month, I did not have the skills to diagnose the ABS valve being bad, that ended up costing a bunch but what was I going to do? I did not know what was wrong with it. It just kept warping rotors, I figured it was the calipers sticking but it wasn't. So I had to take it in to the shop. BAM..another paycheck gone. But after reading some other posts, I think that I am lucky because my truck is rust free (except for the bottom of the tailgate like everyone else's, which is nicely covered by diamond plate). It has no Bondo or anything and is straight as an arrow. The interior is nice too. It drives straight and smooth, and does not squeak or rattle, or have wind noise. So it is worth keeping up with. But can I ask for JUST A FEW MONTHS of trouble free service at a time??? PLEASE???? Sorry for the long post, thanks for reading!

 

HAHA yeah I want a few months of not having to fix anything too. I had the shop do alot or actually nearly all of it some of its technical and some of it is that I dont have the reasources too take on those jobs maybe someday. So, I guess i'll just enjoy it till I get another problem. Not to make people think i'm complaining just kinda having a laugh at what at the time was compleate frustration. I love my bronco I guess thats why I keep fixing it. If I won the lottery i'd be the guy that wouldn't get a new truck right away but fix my bronco back to mint showroom condition.