1999 Mounty 5.0 aka My Great Bad Idea

[97Sandbox]

Got the new front shocks on -- the old ones were so blown out I can't believe the Mounty wasn't bouncing more. The oil must've leaked out years ago. I also put in new front swaybar frame bushings (just Moog, not ES poly bushings). A shakedown will be needed to see if I eliminated all the front end clunking. I should re-torque my links too, they felt a bit loose.

I also removed the 2" ball from my bumper and put on a real trailer hitch. Luckily, the original owner had the plastic plug/cap in the glovebox all these years. It stands out without the sun fading like the bumper, but it's better than a rusty hole!

I installed the trailer harness from my '97, but still need to ground it to the frame. Then we're ready for some real brush haulin' stump pullin' farm work!

 

[allmyEXes]

I've never seen a plug for the trailer ball mount.

 

[CDW6212R]

That's good work, and I like that trailer hitch. I have that one from my Mountaineer, and a big square steel version on my Explorers. I like that hidden hitch better, you barely see it from behind. I spent an hour grinding all of the edges, and the rust from mine, before having it powder coated. Note I'm not saying you need to refinish yours, for a work truck anything is fine. Mine was intended for my project Explorer, a nice paint job etc.

 

[97Sandbox]

Yeah I had a square tube Reese hitch receiver on my '97 and it was way bulkier than this. I like this one a lot better, I think it's a Draw-Tite.

I had to resist the urge to take it into work to strip and powder coat. With how weathered the Mounty is, fresh gloss black would just stick out though (see rear suspension refresh pics haha).

I started testing the wiring tonight and I'm not getting any voltage at the flat four plug (brown, yellow, or green wire). Since I know the harness worked when it was on my '97, I suspect the broken connection is actually at the plug under the left tail light. The grey cap wasn't on it, so it was very dirty and corroded from years of road debris. I tried knocking out the dust and spraying WD-40 in it before I plugged in the extra harness, but it looks like that wasn't enough. I may just have to disassemble the connector and really clean each terminal.

 

[410Fortune]

Or just hard wire it cut the connector off

 

[97Sandbox]

Not a bad idea. Access is pretty bad from below though. If I remove the left tail light, can I pull that connector up and out of the opening?

Actually I found a pic from when I did my 2000 to 1997 tailgate conversion on the Sport, and I think the answer is yes (grey connector).

 

[97Sandbox]

Mounty did great hauling loads of brush around on my makeshift utility trailer aka formerly abandoned boat trailer I dragged out of the field.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Yeah, I got into it with my shop in Milwaukee about this once:
Me: You charged for a four wheel alignment?
Front desk guy: Yeah, that's what we did.
Me: How did you align the rear of a vehicle with leaf springs and a solid axle?
Front desk guy: .....hmm, I'll go ask the tech.
Tech: We didn't do anything to the rear, you can't.
Me: Exactly. So why did you charge me for it?
Tech: Because we still measured it.
Me: Doesn't the machine do that?
Tech: Yeah, but that's the way we charge all alignment jobs.

Frustrating.


And therein lies the dilemma. It sure is peaceful out there, but some things about living in the country are annoying.

is this firestone? the printout looks like it

 

[97Sandbox]

No, it was a local shop. But with that kind of service I may as well go to a tire shop. I'd rather pay tire tech labor than mechanic labor if the end result is me setting the camber myself.

I can set camber pretty well if I have a level pad to park the vehicle on (had that in my old garage, but don't have it now). It's toe that I haven't tried to adjust at home. At this point, it's getting tempting to learn though.

 

[97Sandbox]

I pulled the tail light and checked out the trailer connector this afternoon. I have voltage for signals, brakes, and lights but all four terminals are unbelievably corroded (one crumbled as I removed it from the connector). I'll clip one to swap in next time I'm at the salvage yard.

 

[410Fortune]

You can adjust camber and toe at home with simple tools

I can get it writhin 1/16” using jack stands and string squared off the tire truck and rear tires

FYI to center your steering wheel perfectly the inner and outer tie rod assemblies should be exactly 13-5/8” long from the stud on the outer tie rod to the back of the nut on the inner tie rod

 

[97Sandbox]

Buffed my headlights yesterday afternoon. They're not perfect but definitely better for now.

The Mounty is starting to look right at home on the farm.

Remember the kitten from post#344? She's a real cat now and fond of the Mounty still.

 

[97Sandbox]

Dropped off the Mounty tonight for alignment part II tomorrow. I gave it a full tank this time in case that has any bearing on how the rig sits.

I did have one new observation tonight. The Mounty's tach has worked intermittently as long as I've had it (usually it sits at zero, occasionally it starts working). The speedometer works fine. My new discovery is that pressing the trip odometer reset makes the tach start working again, at least for a little while. Does that sound like a loose connection inside the instrument cluster? I've figured it's something I can dig into during the manual swap, but maybe there's an easy answer.

 

[410Fortune]

Yes loosey goosey. Try smacking the top of the dash see if the tach comes to life

Loose wire or connection
The tachometer module is pressed into the cluster housing. It has 3-4 pins on it that make contact when pressed In. Sometimes they just come loose or corrode. By pressing harder on the face of the tach module you may fix it, another way is to remove it and press it in about 10
Times this cleans the pins and connections

Easiest with cluster on the bench but could be done in the truck too

 

[Fix4Dirt]

does it being hot influence it? when this one sits in the sun the speedo and odo stop working if i slam the dash it works for a little while then eventuslly i have to crankt he ac with the driver vent closed to cool it down

 

[410Fortune]

Well there is that
Listen these are moving parts and moving parts wear out
350k miles 25+ years and California interior temps will take their toll on moving needles lol lol

If you guys need gen ii cluster parts just hit me up I have totes full of clusters

 

[97Sandbox]

Thanks guys!

The issue doesn't seem to be impacted by heat. I bet it is a loose/corroded connection -- I'll poke around in there when I pull the cluster for manual swap mods.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Well there is that
Listen these are moving parts and moving parts wear out
350k miles 25+ years and California interior temps will take their toll on moving needles lol lol

If you guys need gen ii cluster parts just hit me up I have totes full of clusters

definitely it ain a big deal doesnt bother me haha im pretty sure its that paper like backing since if i touch it it seems to fix it and what not

 

[97Sandbox]

Just got the call my Mounty is ready for pickup post re-alignment. Sounds like they got the steering wheel straightened out for real this time and made some gains on the right side camber. I'm glad I gave this local shop a chance to make it right and it seems they stood by their word.

The tech also commented how much better it drove this time with the shocks replaced haha. He mentioned the rear felt stiffer than normal now though (I'm sure that's due to the sway bar and it's not something I'll be complaining about!).

Strangely and unfortunately for the shop, the inertia switch tripped when the Mounty was on the alignment rack and it sounds like they wasted a fir bit of time diagnosing the no-start before checking the switch. Hopefully that's not a sign of a new gremlin, I'm wondering if the mechanic slipped a wrench while going after the rear camber bolt and hit the firewall just right to trip the switch? Sound like all is well for now at least.

 

[410Fortune]

Very interesting if you have ever held a inertia switch and tried to “trip it” you would see how that is fishy
I mean I’m sure something happened but they don’t just trip with a tap the ball has to leave it’s pocket

Glad it’s sorted! Keep eye on fuel pump relay