Recently though, I bought a beat-up Subaru with a rebuilt title for a commuter vehicle, and the truck has become mostly a yard-goat and plow truck.
Even though the old truck now only sees intermittent use as a trash hauler and plow truck, I still need for it to be reliable - which it has not been.
I've replaced the alternator twice. The last time I replaced the alternator was in 2008 or 2009. Ever since I installed the last one, the battery light has come on intermittently. It still charged the batteries though, so I eventually ignored the flickering red battery light on the dash. Fast forward 10 years...
For the past couple of years or so, the truck hasn't cranked very fast. The engine would slow way down after a couple of seconds of cranking, and it wouldn't try to fire or kick over. Eventually it would not even start without a small shot of ether. I started putting the batteries (it has two 12 volt auto batteries) on a float charger, hoping that this would bring the batteries up to full charge, but that did not help. Even with a float charge, the truck still didn't have much cranking power. It would just chug very slowly until the ether finally hit the engine, and then it would kick and start.
I replaced the batteries a couple of years ago, hoping to correct this slow-crank problem - to no avail. I also made sure all the main battery connections were free of corrosion, which didn't correct the problem either. I had all of the glow plugs replaced in 2013, so they aren't terribly old - but they sure didn't seem to be doing much to pre-heat the cylinders.
I didn't feel like throwing more parts at the problem or tracking down the multiple possible issues with the charging, starting and glow plug systems, so instead I took it to a good local mechanic.
He replaced the alternator with a brand-new (not re-manufactured) alternator.
He also replaced the glow plug relay.
The glow plugs all tested OK - probably because with a faulty glow plug relay, they hadn't seen much electrical use.
Bottom line: The truck now starts without needing the block heater, a shot of ether or a float charger. It sat out in the cold overnight before I picked it up, and it started right up. That would not have happened before this work was done.
He was also able to figure out how to repair the driver's side door lock, which I was unable to do. The linkage rods had come loose and fallen down inside the bottom of the door, and I had no idea how to put it all together again. He figured it out, ordered parts, and managed to get his hands into the crevice to get everything connected and working.
I had attempted this job, but reaching into the tight crevices and trying to connect the lock linkages to the correct places by feel kicked my butt.
Awesome job bro! To say the least, I'm very happy about my old, but newly-reliable truck!!!
We have one more thing to fix, and that's the front fuel tank level. Unfortunately that means dropping the tank to get to the sending unit. Fortunately, since the level sending unit failed, I ran the tank dry on accident, and now it should be easy to deal with.
Dave's Auto Repair
1 comment:
Glad you got things working again. Kind of a long road to get there. I used to have a 1990 Toyota 4x4 with a 4 cyl engine in it. Bought it new in 1990. After several years I started having problems so had to get out the manual and work on it. Had replaced the battery several times, alternator 3 times, starter once and radiator once. Surprisingly, was able to replace the radiator faster than I could change the oil. It was a tough old truck, with standard transmission (won't do that again), and I had it for 25 years (219,000 miles) before giving it to Dwayne Eckert. And, right before a winter where Boise received record snowfall. Then bought a 2015 Tacoma 4-door, 4x4, with a V-6 engine, which I still have. It it will last as long as my old truck did then I'll never have to buy another one, ever. Have decided it's best I don't do my own work on vehicles though, other than basic stuff. Is just too hard, when blind in one eye and no depth perception at all. Thank goodness for mechanics.
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