Truck Thursday

Hello and welcome to Truck Thursday!

When I last took the truck in for an innocent oil change - and to have a cold start up problem checked out - I was advised to have some manner of pressure fuel system cleaning thing. This involves removing the intake, having a machine bolted to the intake, then some cleaning stuff is injected under pressure.

And the rear brake shoes were down to 5%. I only got 75,000 miles out of the brake shoes, so I suppose that is good enough. Nothing lasts forever. Even the mighty Rocky Mountains will one day be nothing more than bedrock stubs only a few feet high.

Anyhow they also discovered that the valve covers were leaking oil, and that the timing belt should probably be replaced. This can be done at late as 90,000 miles - but the belt is 8 years old. And if it breaks that sucks.

The problem - the dealer service place wants $500 to replace the valve cover gaskets. WTF!??!?! The gaskets are like $20 for the set. If there was not SO MUCH SHIT in the way, I could just remove the covers myself and replace the gasket. But there just happens to be a lot of shit in the way. The whole ________ing intake looks like it needs to come off, along with a lot of unlabeled hoses and lines and crap.

Today is the service appointment I made last week. I have decided to not have the valve cover gaskets replaced. They are not leaking too bad.

But the timing belt needs to be replaced. Better to get it done before the 90k limit than to have the thing break.

When timing belts break, valves can slam onto pistons - which can create a much more expensive repair bill.

If the service department lobby is out of coffee - I am going to be pissed.