Three different issues, opinions welcome

[WarWagon]

I needed a truck, as my dodge is down, and I don’t want to drive my Jetta on gravel roads.
It has over 570k kilometres on it.
It has pretty bad blow by, but starts good when plugged in.
...
The rear diff is, well, I’m not sure, last time I drained it there was pieces of roller bearing from the spider gears rolling around in the bottom.

Been there Done that. My 1993 was pushed past retirement because of some Dodge problems. Nice to be able to toss a NV5600 in the back of a pickup...

Oh, That's why they call em a cumapart...

PO left me the above mess. I have to have it put back together and then I will find a trailer to pull "The Rim" and make sure they get seated. Of course with Total Seal Gapless rings...

www.thetruckstop.us

Vanity ain't my thing. Paint don't make it go faster after all. However having a solid vehicle under you is important. The metal "reading part numbers in the oil" from the rear end is reason alone to PARK IT! RAM had some recalls over rear ends locking up and the trucks going into the concrete barrier at freeway speed. Engine Failure I don't consider as critical as tire falls off/ rear end locks up. (Unless the engine failure say knocks the brake master cylinder off... or it's on fire while stopping.)

Even back road speed: any new chunks coming off or bounced out of the bottom of the differential can instantly lock up the rear end. Things like to roll over in a turn on rear end lockup where the damaged spider gears are turning the fastest. After all a proper correction will have you going sideways...

You have looked at the clues, frankly Warnings, GM vehicles are known to give operators before failure. In the interest of Safety First esp. innocent bystanders: park it until the serious problem are corrected.

After the above IMO it's earned the $500 putting four road rats down. It don't owe you anything and again for Safety IMO and it's long list of wore out plus rust (at ~350K miles) I would park it and scrap it.

Your time and money is better spent getting your Dodge back on the road ASAP!

 

[jeremyinwa]

I believe that’s what someone’s has already done here. The threads in the holes look fine, so I guess I could just put the old bolts (or new ones the same size) back in and hope for the best, and order up some Nordlocks for peace of mind. It might be an okay setup once I put the rear bracket on the starter, it having been MIA was probably mostly the reason this setup came loose in the first place. That and the STACKS of washers they put on, sheesh.

I don't know if this information helps at all or not but I've seen these brackets that they make they hold on to the transmission in between where the motor and transmission come together you have to get a little larger bolts to connect the motor to the transmission but it's a plate that has a built on area for starter bolts to bolt It changes the way the starter lines on the motor but it still hits the flywheel all the same and does the job I can't remember what they're called but I know they're a little pricey but from the hassle of drilling and welding and all that I've heard maybe it's something to look into

 

[Big T]

Opinion: you are a rolling safety hazard.

 

[J_dude]

@jeremyinwa, I put the starter back on with the bolts that were in it but cleaned things up a bit and used a new bracket to the block and it has been working fine for now, but thank you for the info, that is good to know!

Opinion: you are a rolling safety hazard.

Ah so we are even then! Lol.
Except I do not drive my hazard in populated areas and only on infrequently traveled back roads at low speeds...
Oh and it was parked several months ago as it is no longer needed for commuting. Will definitely be used around the farm though, nice to have an old wreck to use in the pasture that you don’t have to care about.

 

[Big T]

@jeremyinwa, I put the starter back on with the bolts that were in it but cleaned things up a bit and used a new bracket to the block and it has been working fine for now, but thank you for the info, that is good to know!


Ah so we are even then! Lol.
Except I do not drive my hazard in populated areas and only on infrequently traveled back roads at low speeds...
Oh and it was parked several months ago as it is no longer needed for commuting. Will definitely be used around the farm though, nice to have an old wreck to use in the pasture that you don’t have to care about.

Your moving mechanical hazard is far worse than your ill informed claims on my headlights on a vehicle that is not used for commuting and will eventually reside in sparsely populated Montana. Simply put, I would never drive a vehicle in a condition like yours as it’s a danger to myself and others. By comparison your claims about my headlights are based on internet experts spewing BS.

 

[Will L.]

 

[J_dude]

He missed the part where I said it’s parked I guess

 

[Big T]

He missed the part where I said it’s parked I guess

Nope. I get it, you own a junk heap that you are unable to fix.

 

[Stoney]

I don't know if this information helps at all or not but I've seen these brackets that they make they hold on to the transmission in between where the motor and transmission come together you have to get a little larger bolts to connect the motor to the transmission but it's a plate that has a built on area for starter bolts to bolt It changes the way the starter lines on the motor but it still hits the flywheel all the same and does the job I can't remember what they're called but I know they're a little pricey but from the hassle of drilling and welding and all that I've heard maybe it's something to look into

Personally if like to find this plate he's talking about.. seems it would eliminate the worry of cracking the block from a starter bracket mishap...
I can't say anything about the rolling safety hazard comments.. half the time my truck is held together by duct tape and a prayer..
Guess some guys don't realize not all of us have a big bank account and stocks we can cash in to buy parts and vehicles.. we gotta get to work one way or the other .and if that involves driving our trucks even though they have problems then so be it.
To any one that criticizes others for doing so ., When y'all are gonna offer to buy that person a safer vehicle then you can have a opinion.. till then, it's not your business.. don't criticize others for doing what they have to do to get by if you're not personaly willing to help them .

 

[J_dude]

Nope. I get it, you own a junk heap that you are unable to fix.

Lol you’re funny. It’s a junk heap not worth being fixed. Miled out, rusted out, and beat up. I don’t think you’d attempt to restore it either...

So sorry for insulting your headlights, didn’t realize that meant war

 

[Big T]

Dude, your opinion was not welcomed. Had you done your research, I ended up with these housings based on the advice of experienced posters here. The issue with the OEM housing is the ribbing on the lens scattering the light. This is eliminated with the clear lenses. Also, the GMT 400 trucks are old enough that there aren’t many headlight housing options to choose from. So you get what is available.

I tested them against the garage and driver’s side needs to be adjusted downward.

 

[J_dude]

Cool

 

[MrMarty51]

Personally if like to find this plate he's talking about.. seems it would eliminate the worry of cracking the block from a starter bracket mishap...
I can't say anything about the rolling safety hazard comments.. half the time my truck is held together by duct tape and a prayer..
Guess some guys don't realize not all of us have a big bank account and stocks we can cash in to buy parts and vehicles.. we gotta get to work one way or the other .and if that involves driving our trucks even though they have problems then so be it.
To any one that criticizes others for doing so ., When y'all are gonna offer to buy that person a safer vehicle then you can have a opinion.. till then, it's not your business.. don't criticize others for doing what they have to do to get by if you're not personaly willing to help them .

Well said Stoney.
Glad I didnt mention any of the possible defects that my old junker experiences and other parts that I know would make it safer, but, too many components needed just to keep it on the road and not enough money for both at once.

 

[Stoney]

Well said Stoney.
Glad I didnt mention any of the possible defects that my old junker experiences and other parts that I know would make it safer, but, too many components needed just to keep it on the road and not enough money for both at once.

Exactly. I'll be the first to admit, I'm poor,
I'm back to working construction where I belong ( Lowe's and I didn't see eye to eye to I left there). And yes, I'm making decent money for this area . But my expenses are sky high, utilities are thru the roof, wife's scripts cost a fortune, fuel is killing me and I don't even want to talk about food costs. There's really no money left to dump into the truck, I just bought 2 generic tires ( called lion claw) never heard of them but better than the two that have had belts showing for the past 3 months..hell I'm the guy that drove with only 1 brake working on the truck for six months.. smart? No. Safe? Definitely not. But didn't have a choice at the time.. you can't spend money that you do not have.. I think people need to realize none of us are in the positions we were a few years ago.. the economy is shot to hell prices are through the roof and barely anybody has any savings or extra money to do anything with so we all just got to do the best we can and hope we get through until things get better.
And the people who do have extra money for whatever reason I'm not hating on you, happy for you, but try to understand not everybody is in your position.

 

[jrsavoie]

Exactly. I'll be the first to admit, I'm poor,
I'm back to working construction where I belong ( Lowe's and I didn't see eye to eye to I left there). And yes, I'm making decent money for this area . But my expenses are sky high, utilities are thru the roof, wife's scripts cost a fortune, fuel is killing me and I don't even want to talk about food costs. There's really no money left to dump into the truck, I just bought 2 generic tires ( called lion claw) never heard of them but better than the two that have had belts showing for the past 3 months..hell I'm the guy that drove with only 1 brake working on the truck for six months.. smart? No. Safe? Definitely not. But didn't have a choice at the time.. you can't spend money that you do not have.. I think people need to realize none of us are in the positions we were a few years ago.. the economy is shot to hell prices are through the roof and barely anybody has any savings or extra money to do anything with so we all just got to do the best we can and hope we get through until things get better.
And the people who do have extra money for whatever reason I'm not hating on you, happy for you, but try to understand not everybody is in your position.

Have you tried the social worker at the Drs to seek help with the med bills?

Sometimes you can also contact the manufacturer of the drugs for assistance

 

[MrMarty51]

Have you tried the social worker at the Drs to seek help with the med bills?

Sometimes you can also contact the manufacturer of the drugs for assistance

My wifey did that for one of Her meds and they give it to Her for free. I think it was through that Eli Lilly or some such. Did not take long for them to respond to Her too.

 

[MrMarty51]

Exactly. I'll be the first to admit, I'm poor,
I'm back to working construction where I belong ( Lowe's and I didn't see eye to eye to I left there). And yes, I'm making decent money for this area . But my expenses are sky high, utilities are thru the roof, wife's scripts cost a fortune, fuel is killing me and I don't even want to talk about food costs. There's really no money left to dump into the truck, I just bought 2 generic tires ( called lion claw) never heard of them but better than the two that have had belts showing for the past 3 months..hell I'm the guy that drove with only 1 brake working on the truck for six months.. smart? No. Safe? Definitely not. But didn't have a choice at the time.. you can't spend money that you do not have.. I think people need to realize none of us are in the positions we were a few years ago.. the economy is shot to hell prices are through the roof and barely anybody has any savings or extra money to do anything with so we all just got to do the best we can and hope we get through until things get better.
And the people who do have extra money for whatever reason I'm not hating on you, happy for you, but try to understand not everybody is in your position.

A dear friend moved away from here. He had been living in His car over in Coeur D Alene Idaho.
He was listed with one of those spot job outfits to work where and when work was available.
Most times He would show on the job, always before start time, then no supervisors or bosses would show. He would use fuel to drive 20 or 30 miles for a fifteen an hour job just to find out they were not as serious about getting work done as He was about earning money.
He finally totally quit working. Now He flies sign as a bum on a corner someplace away from where the usual fliers hang out. He makes pretty good money doing that and it does not cost Him to drive twenty or thirty miles too.
He figured it a while back, working for $15.00 an hour. He could not afford to pay rent, buy some food and fuel to keep on the job so He quit that job too.

 

[Will L.]

100% that’s the most beautiful part of Idaho!
Wife and I thought hard of moving there, still might if my youngest boy gets squared away.

Bigger reason we almost moved a few places and never did: Family here for when we needed help and to help them. Helping them when we have no money- doesn’t happen. Moving to places that don’t have enough work is simply an error.

I’m a self capable guy- owned businesses, make money how ever needed. But reality is - when the economy is down enough that many people can’t do ok, neither will a new small struggling business.

Want water- move out of the desert.
Want economic strength enough to help yourselves and others around you- move to where the economy is ok. Just don’t be Lot’s wife and love it to where you wouldn’t up and leave in a heartbeat.

 

[Stoney]

Have you tried the social worker at the Drs to seek help with the med bills?

Sometimes you can also contact the manufacturer of the drugs for assistance

We tried a couple places. Social worker told us they could get her risperidone for free, (that's the stuff that put 100 pounds on her causing her to become suicidal) and it didn't even work, it just made her docile.. they won't cover the scripts she's on because there not "technically" approved for her condition. But tons of research showing that they work and I ca tell you there a GOD SEND.. work awesome. Haven't tried the eli Lily route but not a bad idea.. what really worries me is schizophrenia is hereditary.. wife,her mom, her grandma and great grandma all had/have it. Which means there's a high probability that our daughter will have it.. so I hope we can find a service that will pay or help with it before that happens.. or I'll be bankrupt.

 

[jrsavoie]

We tried a couple places. Social worker told us they could get her risperidone for free, (that's the stuff that put 100 pounds on her causing her to become suicidal) and it didn't even work, it just made her docile.. they won't cover the scripts she's on because there not "technically" approved for her condition. But tons of research showing that they work and I ca tell you there a GOD SEND.. work awesome. Haven't tried the eli Lily route but not a bad idea.. what really worries me is schizophrenia is hereditary.. wife,her mom, her grandma and great grandma all had/have it. Which means there's a high probability that our daughter will have it.. so I hope we can find a service that will pay or help with it before that happens.. or I'll be bankrupt.

There's also sometimes studies that you can enter into.

I wouldn't enter a study that includes a placebo.

One thing about being in a study. They will want to keep you there. Watch out for your loved ones.

I was in a study and was having side effects.
They wouldn't change things so I quit going to Indianapolis altogether.
That and I wasn't holding up to the trip every month. We didn't want to spend the extra money to stay a night every month