Gary Lewis Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 Well done, Matthew! I think it is more than a tiny victory as the broken locks look awful. And as Jim said, you interior is getting better with each removal of a layer. Heh, thanks. The surest sign that things are looking up is that my wife was approving of the truck when she rode in it today; she hadn't been in it since the seat was redone. She pointed out that her feet weren't hot and the A/C didn't pee on her, both complaints of hers in the past. I'm really just about out of interior work to do at this point. I need to clean and polish the sun visor brackets, and the visors themselves could do with replacement (but not at the prices I'm seeing online). And if I got really motivated I could repaint the face of the glovebox and dashboard. But aside from that I'm done...and once I get the truck painted next year, it will be something to be proud of. It already is something to be proud of. And your wife is already acknowledging that. If you are going to replace the visors I'd go to the Bricknose or later ones. They bolt into the same holes as ours, but their rod goes past the shade and they have a clip that the rod fastens into. That way they don't droop like the Bullnose visors nor swing around at inopportune times. But, the inside clip doesn't sit exactly square to the rest of the truck, so clip it onto the rod to figure out where the holes should go. Don't ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorsai Posted July 9, 2019 Author Share Posted July 9, 2019 Meanwhile, today the truck almost didn't start coming out of Lowe's - I had to turn the A/C off in order to get it to turn over. Not sure what's up with that, there's always something... After a bit of troubleshooting I determined the problem to be that the negative battery cable had somehow lost its grip on the battery terminal and was no longer making a good connection. So I junked that cable, picked up a new one at NAPA, and installed it today. It was also an opportunity to make sure the ground connection was nice and solid - it was, but I wire brushed everything clean and shiny just to be certain. Of course I started it up after I was done, and everything was good. Since it was running, I decided to try troubleshooting a rattling noise that has been bothering me - whenever the A/C compressor is engaged, I get a faint rattling noise that is just loud enough to be annoying. I had assumed that I had a loose belt or pulley, or maybe something was up with the A/C clutch, but standing in front of the truck with the hood open I couldn't hear the noise. When I walked around to the driver's door, I could hear it again without opening the door. Just for fun I walked around the rest of the truck...I could hear it all the way around the back, and lost the noise again when I got to the passenger door. Best I could tell with the limited time I had (dinner was almost ready), the sound is coming from under the truck, behind the cab. I know mechanical sounds can behave oddly, but what on earth could the A/C be doing (and it is definitely the A/C - I can turn the noise off and on with the A/C knob) to make a noise like that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Meanwhile, today the truck almost didn't start coming out of Lowe's - I had to turn the A/C off in order to get it to turn over. Not sure what's up with that, there's always something... After a bit of troubleshooting I determined the problem to be that the negative battery cable had somehow lost its grip on the battery terminal and was no longer making a good connection. So I junked that cable, picked up a new one at NAPA, and installed it today. It was also an opportunity to make sure the ground connection was nice and solid - it was, but I wire brushed everything clean and shiny just to be certain. Of course I started it up after I was done, and everything was good. Since it was running, I decided to try troubleshooting a rattling noise that has been bothering me - whenever the A/C compressor is engaged, I get a faint rattling noise that is just loud enough to be annoying. I had assumed that I had a loose belt or pulley, or maybe something was up with the A/C clutch, but standing in front of the truck with the hood open I couldn't hear the noise. When I walked around to the driver's door, I could hear it again without opening the door. Just for fun I walked around the rest of the truck...I could hear it all the way around the back, and lost the noise again when I got to the passenger door. Best I could tell with the limited time I had (dinner was almost ready), the sound is coming from under the truck, behind the cab. I know mechanical sounds can behave oddly, but what on earth could the A/C be doing (and it is definitely the A/C - I can turn the noise off and on with the A/C knob) to make a noise like that? Matthew, my seasoned experience (or a WAG) tells me your dashpot that steps up the idle with the AC on is creating a harmonic in the exhaust. This could be internal to the cat or muffler, or it could be a hanger, or some part against the frame. If you have an accurate tach check with AC off and on. If it is the idle kicker you can slow it down or adjust it a bit higher where the frequency is not effecting it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorsai Posted July 10, 2019 Author Share Posted July 10, 2019 Matthew, my seasoned experience (or a WAG) tells me your dashpot that steps up the idle with the AC on is creating a harmonic in the exhaust. This could be internal to the cat or muffler, or it could be a hanger, or some part against the frame. If you have an accurate tach check with AC off and on. If it is the idle kicker you can slow it down or adjust it a bit higher where the frequency is not effecting it. Well, I think you're right about it being related to the exhaust - I didn't mention it, but I did eyeball the underside of the truck, and my best guess is that the noise is centered on the muffler. However...besides not having an idle kicker installed (dealer air, installed by morons), the noise is present regardless of whether the truck is parked in my driveway or doing 70 down the highway. I'm having a hard time imagining what kind of resonance could be occurring over that range of operating conditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Matthew, my seasoned experience (or a WAG) tells me your dashpot that steps up the idle with the AC on is creating a harmonic in the exhaust. This could be internal to the cat or muffler, or it could be a hanger, or some part against the frame. If you have an accurate tach check with AC off and on. If it is the idle kicker you can slow it down or adjust it a bit higher where the frequency is not effecting it. Well, I think you're right about it being related to the exhaust - I didn't mention it, but I did eyeball the underside of the truck, and my best guess is that the noise is centered on the muffler. However...besides not having an idle kicker installed (dealer air, installed by morons), the noise is present regardless of whether the truck is parked in my driveway or doing 70 down the highway. I'm having a hard time imagining what kind of resonance could be occurring over that range of operating conditions. Hmmm I was thinking about where you said you left the truck idling in the driveway..... Ok, I'm going to have to put on my thinking cap. Where is your AC compressor in relation to your exhaust manifold? Maybe the belt torque with the clutch engaged is enough to shift it a teeny bit? Maybe unplug the clutch and engage the AC for a second. Maybe energize the clutch with the AC in the off position. This will narrow it down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorsai Posted July 10, 2019 Author Share Posted July 10, 2019 Where is your AC compressor in relation to your exhaust manifold? Ding! Ding! Ding! It wasn't until you asked that question that I thought about the fact that the compressor is braced to the exhaust manifold: You can see the flat metal brace extending away to the right of the compressor - you can't see it in the shadow (I took the photo by flashlight, it's dark out), but it is actually held down by one of the exhaust manifold bolts. And yes, that brace is loose. I'll know for sure when it's light out tomorrow and I can take a look at that manifold bolt (it's pretty rusty, I may want to replace it), but I do believe you've solved my problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Where is your AC compressor in relation to your exhaust manifold? Ding! Ding! Ding! It wasn't until you asked that question that I thought about the fact that the compressor is braced to the exhaust manifold: You can see the flat metal brace extending away to the right of the compressor - you can't see it in the shadow (I took the photo by flashlight, it's dark out), but it is actually held down by one of the exhaust manifold bolts. And yes, that brace is loose. I'll know for sure when it's light out tomorrow and I can take a look at that manifold bolt (it's pretty rusty, I may want to replace it), but I do believe you've solved my problem. Well, I'd already asked fuzzface to chime in here, but... HA! My autistic brain loves puzzles, analytics and spatial relations. I hope we have this solved Matthew. One more layer of the onion...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Well, I'd already asked fuzzface to chime in here, but... HA! My autistic brain loves puzzles, analytics and spatial relations. I hope we have this solved Matthew. One more layer of the onion...... Well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorsai Posted July 10, 2019 Author Share Posted July 10, 2019 Well done! Teamwork makes the dream work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Well done! Teamwork makes the dream work! Well said! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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