truck troubles

Frank Fusco

Member
Messages
12,782
Location
Mountain Home, Arkansas
Bringing my wife back from the store just a little while ago, outside temps mid-90s, I lost all the electric inside the truck. :eek: Fan and a/c stopped as did the speedometer. I couldn't even open the windows. Got hot inside real quick. But, it kept running, I made a turn and headed to my favorite auto fix-it shop. Caught the owner about a minute before he was closing. Smart guy. Right quick he figured out it was my ignition switch gone bad. Oddly, with the tilt steering wheel in the up position all works OK. He has ordered part, I'll be back first thing in a.m. and he will repair. Honest guy and he knows what he is doing. Bugger having stuff go bad though. Costly. :(
 
Frank,
It's good to know an honest mechanic... I've been driving my truck for about 7 or 8 years now... a 91 Ford Ranger... someday I'm going to have to have the dash worked on... the gas gauge hasn't worked since I got it, if I don't watch the mileage I can run out of gas.. so far only once.... not sure if the oil pressure gauge works... always reads normal, but never moves... same with the temperature gauge.. always reads just over warmed up... the battery gauge always shows charging at about 18.. ? whatever that means... the check engine light has been on for a year, the tachometer works one or two days a week... sometimes it just waves at me, other times it's set on "0".. last week every time I backed it out of the driveway the rear antilock break light would come on, as soon as I go forward it goes off, this week it's normal.. I don't like the radio on, but the wife and stepson ALWAYS turn it on and you can be driving along and the volume will suddenly go way up, but as soon as you reach to turn it down, it'll drop... it has a cassette deck that has more static than music, but it helps the radio if you keep a tape in the deck??.. for a while last year, every time I turned the head lights on, I would blow the passenger side bulb... couldn't find anything wrong, but finally put a new head light assembly in and stopped that. Now the muffler has a quarter size hold in one side.... I sound like Grandma ... phutt phutt phutt phutt as I got down the road.... so far, she has run every time I start it.... the longer I live in TN, the more like Pa Kettle I get... gonna have to fix it one of these days.....:rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
Frank,
It's good to know an honest mechanic... I've been driving my truck for about 7 or 8 years now... a 91 Ford Ranger... someday I'm going to have to have the dash worked on... the gas gauge hasn't worked since I got it, if I don't watch the mileage I can run out of gas.. so far only once.... not sure if the oil pressure gauge works... always reads normal, but never moves... same with the temperature gauge.. always reads just over warmed up... the battery gauge always shows charging at about 18.. ? whatever that means... the check engine light has been on for a year, the tachometer works one or two days a week... sometimes it just waves at me, other times it's set on "0".. last week every time I backed it out of the driveway the rear antilock break light would come on, as soon as I go forward it goes off, this week it's normal.. I don't like the radio on, but the wife and stepson ALWAYS turn it on and you can be driving along and the volume will suddenly go way up, but as soon as you reach to turn it down, it'll drop... it has a cassette deck that has more static than music, but it helps the radio if you keep a tape in the deck??.. for a while last year, every time I turned the head lights on, I would blow the passenger side bulb... couldn't find anything wrong, but finally put a new head light assembly in and stopped that. Now the muffler has a quarter size hold in one side.... I sound like Grandma ... phutt phutt phutt phutt as I got down the road.... so far, she has run every time I start it.... the longer I live in TN, the more like Pa Kettle I get... gonna have to fix it one of these days.....:rofl::rofl::rofl:

My previous truck, a 1977 Dodge, I often wished it was that good. :eek:
Over 500,000 miles by the time I got rid of it. Really can't complain. Although dust coming up in the summer from where it used to have a floor wasn't real pleasant.
 
Sometimes you get lucky.
No bad parts on my truck. The wire harness thingy inside the steering wheel column just came out of the terminal. One tiny $2.00 connection was all that was needed. :D
But, I swear, the engine runs smoother now. :huh:
 
Sometimes you get lucky.
No bad parts on my truck. The wire harness thingy inside the steering wheel column just came out of the terminal. One tiny $2.00 connection was all that was needed. :D
But, I swear, the engine runs smoother now. :huh:

I hope you gave it (the truck not the mechanic:D) a little pat on the dash for the cheap fix...
 
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