Another reminder of what road treatment chemicals cause...

[mwilson]

Wife’s Town and Country suddenly developed a serious addiction to engine coolant.
I had been keeping an eye on the lower metal coolant tube and was flaky but ok two weeks ago when I changed the front struts..had put it on the list of fall repairs..

Apparently I looked at it a bit too long, and it got nervous from all the attention and it sprang a leak..

Road treatments attack any hot metal surface under the vehicle......

The hole was not that big until I picked at it with a screwdriver..

 

[mwilson]

My area of concern was the bolt that attaches the tube to the water manifold on the engine....if that snapped off I would be in a large mess....on a Sunday....in Lincoln Maine.....not good...

Drained coolant (drilled two holes in the pipe so it would precisely drain into the pan, why not) , wrestled the hoses off without damage. One bolt came out, bolt up on the block was not starting. Found a pathway so I could get a lit propane torch up through there without melting anything. About five minutes of gentle heat on the water manifold and then the bolt started and came out damage free!! Whew!!

 

[mwilson]

That bolt to the right of the tube is the one that I had to heat.

Now next summer it will need an oil pan...

 

[DavidC]

I do not miss those rusty days one bit. We should be leaving Minot for Az. Oct. 1st, hopefully way before any of the states we will be traveling through start using any of that crap. Quite a few rusty relics up here, some old and some fairly new.

 

[GCroyle]

Down here we salt fries, not highways.

Good thing to keep SWMBO safe and happy.

 

[mwilson]

Hoping that is final project as far as vehicles for today.
Tuesday night changed RR caliper and pads on the T&C. That was hanging and dragging a bit..
While I was fixing the van she had the Yukon, calls me and said LF caliper on that was stuck.
Also noticed LR caliper on van was pretty well spent.

So yesterday changed LR caliper on the van and then changed LF caliper on the Yukon.

All casualties of road treatment. I buy lifetime warrantied calipers now...Advance Auto has provided replacements as needed...so usually just a set of pads is all I have to buy. Sometimes I don’t even bother with rotors if I don’t have a pulsating pedal, They just crust right back up....

 

[TFucili]

It's a relief when something squirrely like that bolt goes right. Man, not having to worry about stuff rotting into the ground is a big bonus here.

 

[TFucili]

I do not miss those rusty days one bit. We should be leaving Minot for Az. Oct. 1st, hopefully way before any of the states we will be traveling through start using any of that crap. Quite a few rusty relics up here, some old and some fairly new.

We'll leave the light on for you, Dave!

 

[Wayne M.]

Mike, I’m surprised that you didn’t POR15 or rustoleum that tube fist.

 

[mwilson]

The first one lasted 10 years, and this is the OEM replacement. I won’t have it another 10 years...
Normally I would have...

 

[jgillott]

We really need to get you a lift Mike. It makes jobs like this so much easier.

 

[Jim W]

My son has a lift for his needs and I do agree it does make it sooo much easier working on anything.

 

[Wayne M.]

It’s a true luxury. On my wish list.

 

[Tuesdak]

I do not miss those rusty days one bit. We should be leaving Minot for Az. Oct. 1st, hopefully way before any of the states we will be traveling through start using any of that crap. Quite a few rusty relics up here, some old and some fairly new.

Yeah, well we post up dash replacements from the heat cracking them to death out here.

 

[DavidC]

Yeah, well we post up dash replacements from the heat cracking them to death out here.

Yeah the Sun and heat are killers for plastic, fabric, humans etc.. I have been with the rust and cutting panels, welding in patches, keeping a 55 gallon drum of rust lubricant on hand to try and get fasteners etc. loose much less watching your muffler trying to catch up to you in the rear view mirror. The truck turned 20 this year and all of the systems except plastic are original and I have not watched it rust before my eye's. I will have to live with the plastic, fabric deterioration as it is slower than the rust. At least there is an alternative to the rust belt.

 

[jgillott]

Yeah the Sun and heat are killers for plastic, fabric, humans etc.. I have been with the rust and cutting panels, welding in patches, keeping a 55 gallon drum of rust lubricant on hand to try and get fasteners etc. loose much less watching your muffler trying to catch up to you in the rear view mirror. The truck turned 20 this year and all of the systems except plastic are original and I have not watched it rust before my eye's. I will have to live with the plastic, fabric deterioration as it is slower than the rust. At least there is an alternative to the rust belt.

I hung on to my old 1985 Chevy until 1998 before I could no longer get it inspected due to the rust. Shortly before I got rid of it, I lost the tailgate along Rt. 30 on my way to work. Never did find it.

 

[Wayne M.]

I lost the tailgate along Rt. 30 on my way to work. Never did find it.

It probably disintegrated. Lol.

 

[jgillott]

It probably disintegrated. Lol.

Lol. So true.

 

[jgillott]

The guy I sold that Chevy to used it as a plow truck for his private driveway for many years.

 

[JR]

We really need to get you a lift Mike. It makes jobs like this so much easier.

I'll take one too please.....


Here's my rusty bolt story. Had an 89 3/4 Ford cargo van/EFI 4.9 inline. LOVED that power train, and the van for all of its economies. Running down the freeway one day, the muffler decided to let loose. Right in front of the axle, it was missing a hanger or 3 to boot so when it fell the front part of the muffler dropped and dug in. I looked down at the gauges reflexively when the exhaust changed note as the muffler pole vaulted the rear end. I actually looked behind me in the van expecting to see some kinda parts sticking through the floor. There weren't, but the floor was never flat again
It was tooth rattling stuff.

And we all like pictures eh?

Here's what's left of a half dozen hose clamps that feed the rear heat on the Mercury. All but one was still intact until I started digging at em. 10 easy winter's on this ol' girl.... WITH undercoating