Ugh..more things to fix..

[diesel4me]

Lately my truck has been having a noticeable rumble/vibration at 30-65 mph..

I assumed it might be the tires,they are just crappy used ones,and the fronts are a smaller size by an inch.and "C" rated,not "E" rated like the rears..

I also put decent shocks up front and thought maybe they transmit more road noise than the dead ones I removed...but I didn't notice the vibes right away after replacing them..

But to be sure,I crawled under it today and looked everything over..as usual,I saw nothing I liked...just more things getting ready to fail and cause more grief ..

I checked the diff gear oil level and the transfer case,both are a bit less than full,but not low enough to do any harm--only the transfer case leaks a little,and I've only had to add a quart at most after a year...rear diff may still have the 1982 oem lube in it for all I know..looks OK,not milky ..

I've never had to change the rear u-joints,but they felt tight and have not made that tell tale squeaky chirp noise on take offs,so I assumed they were OK,and I went to the front shaft--and found the joint at the front diff was wasted--no needles in 2 cups,and I can move it up and down about 1/4" or so.....
But the CV joint and u-joints at that end are still nice and tight..

Then I looked at the passenger side axle joint,that is wasted as bad or worse..

So,I guess that explains the vibes I'm feeling..

I think I have a rebuilt front shaft that may fit this truck,but I am just going to put one new u-joint on the existing one and run it..

My NP-208 has always powered the front shaft,even in 2wd--I tried adjusting the linkage as instructed by service manuals,and it was spot on,and I couldn't move the link on the case any further towards 2wd with the linkage off,so I assume something internal is "stuck" in 4wd...

For all I know someone could have had it apart and screwed with it,but it doesn't appear molested--no RTV on the case halves ,etc..
For the past 15 years I've just unlocked the hubs and drove it like that,and let the front drive shaft and axles spin..more than one mechanic I've talked to, said the u-joints fail faster on part time 4x4's from not getting spun,letting them sit seizes them up faster--so the grease dries up and the needles rust..

I tend to agree,I had a NP-203 truck I never changed any u-joints on,and I put a lot of miles on it..while my K5's and 1/2 ton pickups all needed new axle joints every 4 years or so..(usually the drivers side went first)..always due to rust too--no matter how well I greased them...

I've never broken a U-joint,even plowing with axle joints that were devoid of ANY needle bearings!..some were so badly worn,the cups almost wore thru,and the cross would have chowed the yokes to hell...but I didn't go full throttle either,I babied them..

I had replaced the drivers side axle joint a couple years ago (in December,as snow started to fall)..I checked the right side then, and it was still tight ..

So now I have to replace both of those--I hate doing axle joints the most..my yokes on the drivers side axle shaft and stub shaft were rusted so thin where the u-joint cups go,I feared I'd ruin them pressing the u-joints out and the new ones in..I used a light foot on the throttle plowing ever since..
I'm betting the yokes on the right side are no better..

I found some spare front axle shafts from 1/2 tons I had,but I'm pretty sure they are from pre-77 Dana 44's...my '82 truck has the GM corporate 10 bolt front diff...so I doubt they would fit or work..(figures)..hoping I can get a u-joint in them without harming them..

Of course,I have spare u-joints on hand for the rear shaft,but none for the front diff one or axle joints..so I'll have to buy them.......just like I have over 175 V belts in my garage,all the wrong sizes for anything I am repairing,naturally..nothing irks me more than having a garage full of new & used parts,that wont work on the vehicle I'm repairing ,and having to go buy them..

 

[RootBreaker]

Of course,I have spare u-joints on hand for the rear shaft,but none for the front diff one or axle joints..so I'll have to buy them.......just like I have over 175 V belts in my garage,all the wrong sizes for anything I am repairing,naturally..nothing irks me more than having a garage full of new & used parts,that wont work on the vehicle I'm repairing ,and having to go buy them..

I feel your pain... BUT... we can grow tired and sell off the old trucks and say on new and never have to deal with this... OR... take it to a shop and let them fix it... either way... we most likely don't like that.

so the 175 V belts and stuff.. I know... totally different but still gets the point out..
If wife wanted a picture hung.. I would go to home depot... I know I need 4 screws.
I see a pack of 6 and am like.. ok if I lose or break 1.. or 2 I'm good...
ok $1.65
but next to it is a box... a box of 500,000,000,000 for $2.45!!!! WOW WHAT A DEAL...
so buy it.. its only a few more cents more...

get home, hang picture and only use 4 screws.. never lost 1 or broke 1 or anything... and am left with so many extras.. put them in the garage.
next thing I need to work on uses a different screw... ok but do same deal. next thing I know is I am my father with coffee cans, boxes, etc with tons of screws... I'm tired of having it all.. so I threw it all out.

now when I need 4 screws.. I buy the 6 pack, do the job and throw the other 2 out. sorry that's me.. if I have a job I just go buy it. I am doing the labor so saving the $ there so I can afford to do that.

all is up to what we want to tolerate. If you don't mind holding 175 V belts and sifting through to find out you don't have the right one... then hold onto them... but when you do find that one that is the right one...then find out its dry rotten... don't think that really did any good.

just my opinion...
take it for what it is.. hah

 

[diesel4me]

Luckily,I didn't pay much for the whole lot of V-belts..

A guy at the flea market does clean outs and buys up estates,he had a huge pile of brand new Browning V-belts ,some other brands mixed in,he was selling them for $1 each--I had pawed thru his pile every week I went there ,and bought probably a dozen belts off him..

Later that year in November,the outdoor flea market was closing up for the season,I went on the last scheduled day,and was looking thru the pile of belts ,and he approached me and said "Hey,you seem to be the one guy buying most of these--how would you like to have ALL of them ?..I'm getting tired of hauling 4 totes full ,the sleeves are getting torn or lost,and I'm done coming here for the year..

I showed him my wallet when he said "I'll take $35 for ALL of them--I had only $22 bucks left..he said "close enough!--and I'll even have my helper carry them to your car--but I keep the totes!"..

Most of the belts were the "fractional HP" black rubber type,only about 20% were Kevlar belts suitable for idler clutch use--but they still work on mowers and tractors,they just dont last all that long..

Then a few months later while browsing on craigslist,I came across a old gas station 3 miles away that was getting rid of old stock--I bought a nice Ken-Tool bead breaker for $30,the type you lay the tire on,and press on a handle..while I was there,I noticed a lot of V-belts,and various brand new small engine parts..
The guy says "Yeah,we were servicing Ariens stuff here a long time--anything else you want,just make an offer"..


I asked about the big box of belts,and he said "eh--there's at least $100 worth there,most are the good kevlar ones--tell you what,give me $50 for the bead breaker,and you can have the belts too!..

I'd say 90% of the belts aren't very old,a few are "antiques" but probably will never fit anything I would put them on anyways..

I paid $25+ each at Tractor Supply for two belts for my tractors,after I used up the few in the pile that were the correct size (or "close enough)..that was more than I spent on the entire lot of belts..|

I have sold a few to people who wanted their tractors fixed and other things like snowblowers too--so I wont say I screwed myself..

I do wish I had a RACK to hang them on though..sucks having them all hanging by a chain all in one big heap and having to paw thru them..but I did organize them by width and length,and did an inventory,wrote down how many of what sizes I had,etc..so I can just look in my notebook and see if I have one,rather than dig thru all of them..

But I how you feel,it seems you end up buying tons of things,but never seem to have the exact size or type of hardware you need..

But I still buy tons of nuts and bolts in bulk--when I see a 5 gallon pail full of new nuts & bolts,nails,screws,etc,for $5 at the flea market,I'm willing to lug them home and dump them out and sort them out,and put then in my drawers and cans,to use later on..

After seeing what they get for ONE 3/4" bolt at Home Depot,I held off paying $3+ each there,waited till the next flea market--I bought 25 of them,galvanized,for $5...
Tractor Supply is where I go if I need a lot of bolts,nuts,they sell them by the pound--not each at ridiculous prices like Home Depot and Lowes or the mom & pop hardware stores..

The only thing I have little of,is metric hardware--I must have 10,000 nuts and bolts,but less than 50 are metric..this makes repairing anything with metric fasteners a hassle--also most hardware stores here have a very limited selection of metrics--always lacking the right "pitch" or length,or they only have 2 of them,and you need a dozen or more..then your forced to travel far off to an industrial supplier,who balks at selling to "retail walk in customers"..
Most of all I hate trotting all over hell to find that elusive nut,bolt,or auto part,not so much the money..

It's one thing to hoard hardware,you can never have too much of that--but auto parts pile up fast,only have limited applications they'll fit and work on,take up a lot of room--but with everything "old" getting scarcer around here,it pays to hold onto things ,at least the stuff you know will fit what you own--or "might" own,you know how that goes..after awhile you accumulate so much,you cant even find that part you KNOW you have--"somewhere"..or waste a day searching for one you forgot you already used,gave away,etc..

This sucks,that my truck needs u-joints this week,I have 100 other pressing things to do,and I need the truck to get me around to go pay the utility bills,get food,etc...hate to disable my only daily driver..not until I get all that done anyways..also hate to have the front shaft drop to the ground too though,and have to tow it home..

--my FIOS contract expires this week,I'm going to see if I can get a "triple play" deal,and keep the landline and internet,and add TV to the package,without costing way more than I pay now..

I have Comcast for TV,and am tired of them dropping channels,also they no longer offer the "digital economy" package I have--existing customers still can get it,but for how long,before they force you to "upgrade"?....the selection of channels sucks,and I'm paying $63 a month,to watch lousy shows,and commercials..

I am likely going to go with Verizon for all 3,phone,TV and FIOS--and cancel the account at Comcast--also sucks having to go to two places to pay them..

If I cant cut a good deal on a triple play,I'll just keep the FIOS and landline,and suffer without cable TV ,at least for awhile..

If anything else like my house taxes or insurance costs go up,I won't be able to afford to keep this house..never mind have a decent vehicle to get around in..beginning to wish I had swapped the plates to my van,and started fixing that up instead,then I could rip my truck apart and fix all it's woes all at once..you cant really fix a vehicle you need to have driveable every day..not when it needs a lot of repairs..
I can't put off fixing the truck with winter approaching either..

 

[RootBreaker]

^^^ WOW hear ya on all of that..

for nuts/bolts - I agree as HD prices are a lot. I paid $16 for 4 grade 8 bolts/nuts/washers/lock washers... due to a store that has 8-5pm hrs that I normally go to. hmm maybe ill go Saturday.. 8am-12 noon...

called fazzios and man.. you buy bolts by the lb...I went in and baught a shit-ton of various sizes.. walked up, put on scale... $8.45!!! WOOOT... hah..


for triple play, we have had cord cutting threads.

for me I'm screwed with only comcrap as fios stopped laying fiber (as they are to go 5g wifi internet as well as 5 cell companies in 2020 - so be patient as your options will open up and prices will have to be competitive).

screw triple play. if you NEED phone. go with Magic Jack. I did that... I paid $55 for the box kit which comes with 1 year. after that I bought the 5 year for $99.. device died (my fault - you need to unplug the outside world from your phone lines and I didn't) so another new device for $45 which came with ANOTHER YEAR!!!!!
so for phone I paid roughly $250 with number port, 911, etc... FOR 7 YEARS!!!!! still got like 2 or 3 years left. a bud who was a vonage user switched too and loves it...

so with that out of the way... double play.
internet is internet - cant get around that.

but TV.. really look at what you watch. look through and see what channels you "REALLY" watch. if they fall on 3/6/10/29/57 (my area sorry abc, cbs, phl, etc) which are all local... a simple over the air (OTA) antenna will get you those. hell for football I watched OTA NFL on abc or nbc vs cable tv as it was so much more crisp...

so I have AT&T for cell phones and I have their unlimited plan. switched from sprint about a year ago. I now have DirecTV Now ( it is like Netflix or Hulu) and there is no dish. and I have their smallest package and we get 90% of what we used to get with Comcast. BUT we pay $22/m as AT&T owns it so they give their unlimited customers $15 credit. a guy I work with pays full price of $35 and loves it... you use a Roku or apple 4k tv box to stream tv.. its not perfect but its great...

so due to ala cart.. comcrap charges $74.95 for internet (I got a loyal customer discount for a year so $59.95/m) plus $22/m for TV. so about $100/m for what I had with Comcast tv.

now I can call Comcast and get a new package and be back on cable tv but I have more problems with that than ever. Their bill sucks... it was never consistent. my neighbors switched to Sony PlayStation Vue (just like DirecTV Now), which is a live tv streaming service and they pay $45/m. the on demand and dvr features are better than what I have but DTV Now is in beta with dvr and it is getting better...

I was thinking of going back to cable tv and my neighbor said.. EF THEM AND THEIR COMMUNIST WAYS!!!! Its so nice to be off most of their screwy bull crap... (LOL SOMEONE JUST FARTED A FEW CUBES UP FROM ME!!! and its a lady.. all I heard was... brrrrp.. whoops.. ooh gosh... BWAHAHAHAHAAH)...

anyway back on track.. he was right.. I had every channel on a promo... hbo, showtime, cinemax, stars, sports pack, HD, 3 cable boxes, etc... $129.99/m and after fees, taxes, boxes, etc... $169.99/m... umm my bill was never that.. $174, $168, $173.. that's just bull crap...

so in actuality my wife has learned how to deal without them and it is very nice.

oh and fyi .. don't rent cable boxes.. if you go double play buy your own and no rental. I haven't rented a cable modem since Comcast was @home.com

oh and last month DTV Now - does a loyal customer drawing and I won.. LOL.. they credit me $15 on top of the $15 credit so cable tv last month was $6.23!!!!!!

 

[diesel4me]

My phone bill is the least of my worries--its like $12 a month for the landline (and all I get is robo-calls and scammers 90% of the time).

My electric is cheap in comparison to the boning other towns that have National Grid get--the bill varies between $35-$50 a month usually,depending on how cold or hot it is,and how much the furnace or fridge runs..friends tell me their bill is $150 a month in the next town over!..

The company providing power to my town is local,privately owned,they are planning to install solar panels on the town's capped landfill site,and offer the first 400 customers a chance to get a discount on their power bill if they sign up...(in my case that'll be like $5..might not be worth pursuing )..

I also have a "free" crap cell phone the government gives low incomers like me--lately I've almost lost it due to me not calling anyone on it every 30 days,they cancel it if you dont,they'll send you a "use it or lose it" letter and you have 15 days to make some calls,or they will deactivate it..

I lost it once,did not find it for 35 days--and had to apply for a new one!--once they shut you off,you cant re-activate it..that's government efficiency right there..

I was planning to ditch Comcast months ago,but my trucks steering box was "down"then, and I couldn't drag all the cable boxes and other crap to the Xfinity store,I had to beg a neighbor for rides to pay my bills that month,until I got the truck back in operation..last month I didn't get around to doing it,and had to pay another months worth..
Pretty sad to have to pay $20 more to watch TV,than the electricity to run my house a whole month costs!..

Right now the "digital economy" package I have,is only available to existing customers on it--Comcast decided to "drop" that package a month ago,so once I cancel with them,if I wanted to go back to them,I'd be forced to buy a higher tier cable package..(and I bet eventually they will force ALL customers to "upgrade")...

The cable account is still in my late mom's name,I just paid it in cash at the store every month--and I was told I'll need to bring a copy of the death certificate to cancel it,because I'm not listed on her account..

The digital economy package is only $38--but they pile on additional charges for two "digital adapters" for the old analog TV's,at roughly $6 each a month,and all the broadcast fees,taxes,"other charges" (that no one can explain what FOR!)--it jacks it up to $63 a month..

That's a lot for someone on a fixed income..even "basic" cable is almost as much,and those channels can be had on an antenna,though reception is sketchy and some channels I like are just out of range..
Many shows I watch are on "over the air" channels,but not all..

I'm sure Comcast will put me thru hell trying to convince me to open an account in my name as a "new customer",which would likely save me a lot,because these thieves never give "existing customers" a break..
But I'm pissed at Comcast--can't say Verizon is "better" though really,they all are rapists..the final straw was in May,when Comcast dropped the weather channel,cartoon network,food channel,and several others from my cable package,and said "tough crap" as far as offering alternative channels,or a reduction in my bill..that should be illegal..

The last time my Verizon Fios contract expired two years ago,after an hour on the phone being transferred from one "retention specialist" to another--the best "deal" they could offer me was just what I had all along--for an additional $25 a month!..what a bargain....but I do like FIOS,and we've had our phone number with Verizon over 45 years,I hated to switch everything..but "customer loyalty" means squat to these monopolies...so I'm now paying $88 a month just for landline and FIOS internet..thats a big hit!..add $63 to that for Comcast TV,I'm paying $151...
But for roughly $120,I can get a triple play package from Verizon (so they say,we'll see-)--that is much better,if I can get that price,I'd keep cable..they have better channel choices too..and I wont have to go to two places to pay the bill any more..

This time I'm going in person to the Verizon store,the woman there I talked too last month told me to come see her when I go to renew,she can likely cut me a better deal than I'd get doing it myself,and I wont be on hold all day on the phone getting frustrated..

If I cant get a triple play deal for less than I'm paying now,I will just stick with internet & phone only--been thinking about buying a new "smart TV" ,that can get some HULU and or Netflix out of the box,for what I pay for 3 months of cable,I could own it instead..then all I'd need is internet...even the landline I could live without,but it'll be a hassle to notify everyone my number has changed,and that "free" phone is unreliable..

All I watch on cable is Discovery,History,and a few other channels--and most of the shows are old repeats..I don't feel its worth $63 a month to watch re-runs and commercials..and dumb reality shows..
I need that money for the taxes,insurance,a roof,chimney repairs,not for a TV I dont watch constantly..

I'm not looking forward to replacing the u-joints,especially the axle joint..but I cant drive the truck and trust it in this condition either..seems my back pain is always the worst when something hard to fix pops up on my vehicles too..

 

[RootBreaker]

.......cartoon network....

LOL you said had for 45 years, then dropped cartoon network... cmon man!!!!! u can live without it.. we grew up without it.. LOL..

I'm messin with you...

now you do bring up something important...

you can get a smart tv with a Roku built in and yes works great... while I ditched my cable tv, I still have Comcast internet. I can install the cartoon network "Channel" on my Roku or apple 4k tv ( its an apple box that looks like the Roku ultra I have.. google it and its not a tv)..., there are SO MANY free channels out there. I will check for you but I think having Comcast internet you get access to discovery and history channels... not 100% sure..

I did a full hunt without cable and what works... and it isn't easy but doable...

also you say some channels are out of range and some sketchy... did you try it? the big deal that many don't know.. is you NEED to point the antenna to the correct direction. and the higher the better.. so if your on a farm or something.. put that sucker up high... trust me.. I love watching OTA... and I'm receiving channels from over 25 miles away in heavy populated, tree infested areas from outside of pine barrens nj to center city philly...

 

[RootBreaker]

oh and try this... how bad it is here..
my elect bill this month... $400
cell bill - 4 smart phones $ 278 - just paid it
house taxes - $8800/yr

that's the tip of the bills.. ughhhh

 

[diesel4me]

I managed to drive it another 15 miles to pay my electric bill,go to Autozone to pick up the two U-joints, ($9.99 each,I got the cheap ones,because I have yet to break ANY U-joint..the non greaseable ones I prefer to use at the axle joints)...

It's raining today all day,so they wont get installed today..

My monthly expenses are as follows..
Electric bill averages $35-50 monthly
House taxes-$400+ a month
House insurance was $600 last year,or $50 a month
Internet & Phone - $88
TV--$63


My monthly "income" is $864..

The bills add up to roughly $650--the remaining $200 "leftover" has to go towards diesel fuel for my truck,any other parts or fluids it needs,any house repairs,and pet food...luckily I get food stamps,but $177 a month doesn't exactly let me eat like a king..

So you can see why I'm being forced to either cut the cord,or get a better deal..being disabled,I watch TV and use the computer a lot,since I'm unable to do the other things I enjoy without making my physical conditions worse..




I went to the Verizon store yesterday,to see the woman who said she could get me a good deal on a triple play ...waste of time--she was not working yesterday..
So I had to talk to another woman..

The extremely attractive young blonde who waited on me,with her blouse unbuttoned far enough to see most of her impressive chest, ,was nice to look at,but extremely distracting--and quite useless as far as getting me any answers..she typed on her computer for like 10 minutes,while talking on her cell phone to the other woman employee who "normally takes care of these things",that was somewhere else on her break..

She couldn't tell me a price to "upgrade" to a triple play,she said despite me being an existing customer,all she could come up with was the price for a "full install" ,with a router,FIOS interface system (which I already have),installation fees,additional analog converters,etc,came to almost $420.....
I said no friggin way,not even if she was included in the deal.....

She said I should just call the Verizon number I had got on a card in the mail reminding me my contract expires this weekend,and they can "probably do more for you"..

I told her I could sign on as a "new customer" with Comcast,and get a triple play deal for $119 a month,which is $30 less than I'm paying for Internet,phone, and TV now..she says "yes,but I'm sure they aren't including the "setup" fees,additional equipment like cable boxes and digital adapters--and if you drop Verizon,we'll have to come take out the interface box in your house,which is not free..

So once your "under contract" with Verizon,you pretty much have to stick with them,unless you are well off and have money to waste on early termination and equipment removal fees..

I'm not expecting Verizon to come up with a "deal" I will like when I call them today though..
I assume I will likely once again,end up staying with my current plan,for an additional amount of money,just to keep the internet and landline..
I'm not looking forward to wasting an hour on the phone being handed off to one customer retention specialist to the next or their supervisors...only to be told "sorry,we cannot offer you the same price you had the past 2 years for no changes in service"...most of them I cant even understand ,their middle eastern accent's are so thick too..

I hate being gouged and being at the mercy of these monopolies--today everything is "online" and now that I'm addicted to the computer,like 95% of all of the other people world wide,the thought of having to do without a computer or internet access scares me ,its like losing your only connection to friends & family and your ability to search for items online,price them,etc..make me wonder how we lived without them so long..

But I don't feel $100+ bucks is a "good deal" for just the phone and internet alone..and you must have internet in order to use a smart TV or watch shown online on the stations own websites too..they are jacking up internet access prices to compensate for so many cancelling their TV services from Comcast and Verizon..they have you coming and going..

Bottom line is they got you by the gonads,despite having more than one company to "choose" from,they all work the same way--screw you with rental fees,broadcast fees,force you to stay with them 2 years,and if you want to opt out early,zap you with a $300 "early termination fee",and if they decide to drop channels,or change something,tough crap,we're not going to give a refund or anything in exchange for your "losses"..

Comcast offers "Internet Essentials" for people with kids on food stamps,for $10 a month..too bad I dont have kids,I feel its discrimination to offer "some" low income people that option,and exclude the seniors, and others no better off financially..if they can offer internet access for them for $10,it goes to show how much the rest of us are getting boned..

 

[RootBreaker]

fyi.. they CANT charge you to come get the stuff..if you unplug it all and walk into them... my bud did that... its a money scam for them to say that..

 

[diesel4me]

That's true for the cable boxes,router,etc--but the FIOS interface box in the basement is screwed to the wall,and had to be installed by their techs when I signed on to FIOS,and that can't be removed by a customer I was told..its for the fiber optics I guess,that allows it to work with the copper wiring on the street..not all areas have fiber optic in my town,much of the phone lines are still old copper..

The electric company I have also offers "some" internet access to certain areas of my town,for a lot less than the monopolies,but I have no clue as to how reliable it is,or if the internet speeds are good,and if they limit you to a certain amount of use time...probably has the same early termination fee BS and other "rules" too most likely..

The Verizon plan I have for 25/25 mps and "unlimited" use suits me OK,but I don't feel its worth paying more for the same thing I now have either..I do not recall the FIOS ever going "down" or have any other issues or outages in the 4+ years I have had it either,(excepting power failures )--no other company can make that claim..

 

[RootBreaker]

in 2020 all wireless companies are coming out with a 5g wireless internet.. so expect better pricing...

 

[diesel4me]

in 2020 all wireless companies are coming out with a 5g wireless internet.. so expect better pricing...

But until then,I'm stuck with another 2 year contract,if I stay with Verizon.. --wont hold my breath waiting for "lower prices" in 2020 either..
(I'll be lucky to still be breathing 2 years from now,judging by how I feel lately)..