Yes, another blog post about my truck. The blog is free so deal with it. I've just hit 6 years and 70,000 miles on the Ram, and there's a litany of service items that need litanagizing. Here's some tips from my recent work...
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Tip #1 - Find your service manual online - Usually in PDF form, the service manual will be 2,000+ pages long and tells you everything you ever wanted to know about your car. From how to fill up the windshield wiper fluid to rebuilding the engine. The site http://carservicemanuals.blogspot.com/ is a great starting point, or google "Year Make Model Service Manual"
Tip #2 - Aftermarket pans/covers - If you're lucky, changing the fluids in your transmission and differential is as easy as unscrewing a plug and watching the oil drain. But, if you've got a domestic there's most likely no conventional way to change these fluids without busting the whole pan off and getting covered in oil and RTV. This is the real reason GM/Ford/ChryslerCerebusDiamler are in the hole - no drain plugs. If you're in this boat, you can get aftermarket pans with drain plugs from your local autoparts store for $20-$30. This way you can change the fluid regularly (every 30K) without your garage looking like the Valdez.
Tip #3 - Change your battery every 40K - even if it still has the green light, drop the $30 and get a new one. Odds are the battery will fail when you are most vulnerable - out late, far away from home, lacking Triple A service, and no one is around to give you a jump. $30 now will save you a long night and towing charges later on...
Tip #4 - Walmart is cheap - if you know what you need, hit up Walmart. They're in-house brand car products are cheaper than the autoparts stores. But if you are at all hesitant about what you need to purchase just hit up the autoparts store and be done with it.
Tip #5 - Always give yourself plenty of time. Even when you've done the job before, start early 'cause things will go sideways on you. Don't think "Hey, it's only 4pm, and dinner isn't until 6pm. I have time to put in a new camshaft." That's what she said, and it will not happen before dinner...
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3 comments:
That is indeed what she said
haha camshaft...
I like this post. I laughed, I cried....mostly I cried because I spent $222 last week on changing out my transmission fluid after over-torquing and stripping out a bolt that connects my pan to my truck. Wish I had a pan with a simple plug.
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