Betty's "I want to be a mule" progress log thread

The new turd mobile. 2000 Mountaineer v8 awd.



The bad:

Was living it's prior life on a dusty road. Must tear out interior and deep clean.
Driver window off track "or something" and will not roll down. It tries but the rear part wants to stay up.

3 out of 4 door handles have issues. I have 4 new outer handles on order.
Cracked passenger side tail light housing. ( Ebay for some cool tail lights)

Compass-Thermometer thingy lit up and went out--idunno bout that yet

Door locks seem sticky, probably has to do with the handles.
It has a funky purple color trim with red metallic ( you'll have that every now and then)

The good
Gas tank was full
109k miles
I am the 2nd owner!!
Is from the local area, which means no salt!
The undercarriage is fairly clean
No dents to underside panels
Good rubber
Camber shims already installed
Looks like good service records, all recalls were completed.
Clean carfax believe it or not.

The "maybe" bad

The original owner, told the dealership it had a bad "heater core" however I have run it for several cycles, over an hour each idling in the driveay and see no leaks.
However, there was evidence of a windshield leak or the like,I saw condensation on the inside of the windows this AM. The moisture smell is that of water only-no anti freeze smell. I am thinking it could also be a cowl drain which is clogged???? but she did say the passenger carpet got wet.

I tried to get heat, however it is an auto climate control. Being 90 degrees outside, I doubt it would have given me heat.The heater core hoses were hot, and the coolant bypass valve does operate. AC blows Ice cold.

Maybe she meant to say "heater door"???

Anyway--here are the pics.



My intent is to drive this and use it as a tow rig for a light weight off road toy. Mods will be minimal. Edit: This plan did not work out so on to plan "b"

Current visual status

Progress pictures

Now, let's clean it up a little


Herculine'rd rocker panels. Rock sliders installed

BW 4406 True 4x4 Manual transfer case ( AKA Mouse entry point) installed 8-27-2012
Installed newer Tcase from a 2003 11-14-15

Saw a rainbow in Colorado so yeah, time for a picture

And here she is, on top of the highest pass road in North America. Careful tire placement a must!!!

2-2-2013

Changed "color scheme" of the Dick Cepek DC1 wheels. New Falken Wildpeak AT 31x1050x15

Then I decided Maroon washer on the wheels would look better

Update 6-6-2013

New bumpers, winch and Pro LED light . Front Bumper from RLC, Skid plate from RCI, rear bumper from Kert307

Rear anti sway disconnects

Update 9-2-2014
A cracked radiator at 70mph led to engine failure. Replaced with a freshened up a bit 80k mile engine starting on page 23

Found another rainbow in Kansas.

 

[gmanpaint]

Looking good!

That tool is a back breaker. Me no like it.

Thanks for the reminder tho. I told myself when it cools off towards Fall, I was going to buff out all the scratches from the last 2 years of trails. Still not sure if I'm gonna get around to it or not. lol

 

[CDW6212R]

Very nice, well done. I need to do mine also, and I finally found the cordless C3 buffer/polisher on eBay. I hate the cord when buffing, but you need that real type to really clean paint.

 

[Turdle]

Thanks guys.
When I was using the fan with misters it caused a large buildup of calcium. That combined with the Colorado minerals left quite some staining in the finish. I even had to wax my tow hooks!!! Vinegar alone would not cut it, CLR is not supposed to be used on painted surfaces but I put a little in to boost the vinegar, and citric acid "lemi shine" stuff in my wash bucket. Still some buildup!

I was low on wax so I mixed leftover McGuiar's cleaner wax and Turtle wax. Both are just a cleaner type wax. I applied it "wax on" style rubbing it in good, then after an area was dry enough buffed it off with the dewalt. Not really a buff job. But it did hurt. I tried to take it easy and go slow. taking breaks and stretching out.
The plan was to do the Avalon today, but yeah, plans change. Do I buy more wax, or beer? I'd suggest tequila but it's kinda early for that. I kinda feel like if the missus wants her car shiny then, hey--grab the yellow thing. Time to learn huh?



I think the plan today should be to get real drunk, and hide that dang buffer again. Hopefully where I can't find it.

Oh, I also got the electric trans cooler fan switch installed in the rear parking sensor switch slot. I found a switch that "sorta" fit into the stock escutcheon , with a little help from gorrilla tape it fits good.

 

[traveler]

Truck is looking good! I need to get busy on the Eddie Bauer myself but we have fancy car washes here that make it look pretty good.
Besides we have to get the EB running right before anything else. If it ends up being serious enough I'm gonna call ya all to AZ for a "fix the Eddie Bauer" weekend. Hehe

Sorry didnt mean to hijack.

 

[Turdle]

Well, hmmm.
How will this end? Maintenance on Betty, or will it be hair conditioner? ( I bet I will end up with red fluid all over the place)

LG-204 reusable trans pan gasket

Motocraft Trans Filter

6 Qt.s Mobil 1 ATF

stay tuned.

Once that trans pan is off, and I am cleaning it I will have to fight the internal battle of just bolting it back on or blasting and coating it which would add at least 3 hours to the dealio. Hmmmmmmphfff

 

[gmanpaint]

Pink?

 

[Turdle]

Pink?

The fluid, no. It was original fluid and kinda reddish like blood. I found the factory dust cap in the pan.

Now, the pan, that's another story. I just threw it back on because, well, just because now I'm done.

I blasted the inside with brake cleaner, scrubbed it down with purple power and a hose, and that's enough.

 

[CDW6212R]

Can I tease you with a polished pan, I have one I need clear coated? I put the deep one on my Black Coal truck, it made it about 14 quarts to change it all(I drained the TC and had the VB off).

 

[CDW6212R]

You ought to drain the TC if you haven't started the truck yet, it holds a gallon.

 

[Turdle]

You ought to drain the TC if you haven't started the truck yet, it holds a gallon.

I drained a lot from the torque converter, but not all. I didn't want it empty at start up. I ended up using a total of 8 qts to refill.

 

[CDW6212R]

Very good, the more you get changed the better. I put eight in mine before starting it, it's usually about six from dry for a stock system(to not overfill at the start). Then with it running you can add all but the last couple of quarts quickly.

I had a new puddle under the engine yesterday, I think it's from the WP. I need to decide if it's bad enough to do it now, or wait and get my 99 running. I have everything to do the timing chain, so it'll be a big job if I have to go at the WP. I'd rather do it slowly and add external oil filters, and the big trans cooler with T-stat. You know how you tear into something, and you try to do as much nearby as you can?

 

[CDW6212R]

For the polished aluminum like that pan, is there a special clear needed to leave it looking polished?

 

[Turdle]

For the polished aluminum like that pan, is there a special clear needed to leave it looking polished?

Any clear will dull it to an extent but should keep the polished look for a few years before it starts to fail.

 

[CDW6212R]

I figured that, given the heat of a transmission, or valve covers etc.

 

[gmanpaint]

I only remove and add 6 qts (& filter) at a time for unknown transmissions. Wait 6 months and do it again.

Being that is the first known fluid change (cap in pan), I would be especially wary of adding to much new fluids. That's a lot of detergent going to work on the internal passages. There is sure to be clumps dislodged and hopefully make it to the filter.

 

[Turdle]

I only remove and add 6 qts (& filter) at a time for unknown transmissions. Wait 6 months and do it again.

Being that is the first known fluid change (cap in pan), I would be especially wary of adding to much new fluids. That's a lot of detergent going to work on the internal passages. There is sure to be clumps dislodged and hopefully make it to the filter.

Transmission fluid does not have detergents, but it does have dispersants , which do the same thing as detergents with the benefit of keeping things going to the filter. There is an intake tube in the 4r70w filter, all fluid has to go into it for the transmission to work.
Normally I agree if the fluid is cloudy, but in this case the fluid was very clear. I just wanted to get the cooked stuff all out since it saw 250 degrees a while back.
There was a small amount of metal paste on the magnet ring in the pan, but to be honest it was about the same amount I saw when I had the transmission open in the 98 mounty to do the shift kit stuff. The pan has a magnet ring in the bottom to collect any metal shavings. The "break in" stuff goes there and turns to paste because the particles are so fine. There was about a tablespoon of this "goo" on the magnet. no real shavings. Normal IMO



So far after 50 miles everything is good. Made 2 round trip runs to Chanute and back with the gas pedal and carpet touching a lot, trying to get the transmission to heat up. With the new cooler I have yet to see 160 degrees. Woo Hoo!

 

[gmanpaint]

Good news! Glad to hear that. Did you swap in the larger radiator too?

Detergent, dispersants, whatever you wanna call it, it will break down deposits, and they can block a passage, causing the trans to burn up. This has always been a concern when changing fluids my entire life, and will always be a concern for me on high mile transmissions. Older it is, the more crap it has in it, unless it has a proven fluid change record on recommended 30k changes. Only then would I feel safe doing more then a half capacity / filter change. To each their own here I guess.

Some people swear by cleaning sludge and deposits out of an engine by using a qt of trans fluid, for the high amount of "Cleaning agent" in it. I have never done this, but I can see it working, as I have used trans fluid to clean parts by soaking them with it.

So while on this subject.... You used a lot of AmSoil in your day. Have you ever tried or know anything about the engine / trans cleaner they have?

http://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-produ...nd-protectants/engine-and-transmission-flush/

 

[Turdle]

The 2 core radiator is also in, and now she runs a lot cooler. Of course it has been cooler outdoors, there's that to consider. I won't know for sure until we use the AC on a real hot day cruising 70mph.

I haven't used the amsoil cleaner but probably would if I had the need for it.

 

[traveler]

I'm going to use a 2 core radiator as well. I found an all aluminum one on eBay. Aluminum tanks and cores...

 

[Turdle]

I'm going to use a 2 core radiator as well. I found an all aluminum one on eBay. Aluminum tanks and cores...

Link?