Here I am

Wife, you want to drive my truck? Just pass a 10 question test first.

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May have to get stroked

Do you think the Cummins could handle this?

The wife was feeling her oats the other night and insisted that all of our vehicle were hers to drive if she wanted. Laughing in her face pobrably didn't help the situation, so I had to think quick and come up with a comprimise. I said, "OK, you can drive the Dodge diesel to the store once in a while-after you pass a 10 question test-right out of the owners manual. " She blinked a couple of times and said proudly, "Fine". I plan on letting her study as long as she needs to, so I need to get a few questions together soon. Any suggestions?

I thought I would consider these areas:

Starting and operation: Wait to start light ( what is it and what does it indicate?), Block heater (at what temp should it be connected?)

There are quite a few I can think of, and I might make more than one test. (if by chance she happens to fail the first. ) Only good can come from this I'm sure. I may very well have an informed co-pilot soon. This could help in various instances and will surely keep me sharp. On the other hand, my wife may not believe the ol' "muffler bearing went out again need more money" (for bombing) story anymore. #ad




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98 qc, 12V, 4x4, slt laramie, 47re slushbox, 3:54 ls diff, 2YG pkg, Kelsey trailer brake control, dodge running boards, diamond plate bed rails, prime designs bug shields, silencer ring wind chime on porch, Raven cab-hi camper shell, psychotty air system, T/C lock-up switch, gutted cat, Walker muffler 22572, crome 5" tip from Kenworth stack, Isspro guages, A pillar 3 guage mount, TST #6 250/635.

Toys: 70' F250 4x4 highboy- 429cid 400+ hp on 35"BFG's(ranch truck) 64' MF 205 tractor 3cyl perkins diesel w/bucket
 
Heetseeker, That's a great idea. If only you had posted this a few months ago maybe I'd still be driving MY truck. I only get it on the weekends. I was guilted into submission. Oh well. I'll have to tell her the muffler bearing is going and that's why I got the new 4" turbo to tail. Hope it works. Todd

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97 2500HD 4x4 ST 12v, K&N, 16cm turbine housing, recalibrated pump, Geno's man trans filter, McLeod dual disc clutch, LSD with 3. 54's and Amsoil, AGR power steering box and pump, Borgeson steering shaft, Skyjacker 2" leveling kit, Rancho RS9000's, dual RS5000 steering stabilizers, AR Outlaw II wheels with 33x12. 5 Bridgestone Desert Duellers, Lund visor, Ventvisor window shades, Glasstite HiRise cap, aluminum tailgate protector, illuminated bumper guide poles, Cobra CB, Wilson 5000 antenna, Alpine CD, Infinity spkrs, Fosgate amp with 8" Bazooka tubes, Hayes elec brake controller and Husky floor liners. 16. 247 @ 87. 52mph quarter mile at 6700lbs
 
Bought a new 4x4 dually in 96 and only had the truck for 1 month and my wife took the truck and horse trailer and spent the summer at our place in Republic [350 miles away]. I only got to drive the truck on the weekends. One time while visiting the steep gravel road up to our place was slick and she had to show me how to get it into 4x4. Trust me---some women can do the job.
 
I would think that the most important questions would be the startup and cool down procedures. After that, I would make sure she knows NOT to run it out of fuel, and the consequences of that. (Repriming and harm to the fuel injection pump).

Another thing is parking in the south forty at the store... prevents dings from idiots in old beatup cars.

My wife owned a 92 Cummins when I married her... I didn't have this problem!

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Rob Hanson
1999 "Big Red", 3500 SLT QC 4X4 6 spd, 4. 10 LSD, Braided SS fuel lines, Mag-Hytec Rear Cover, Cummins E-Brake with BD Switch, Blue Box, DD3 Injectors, Banks High Ram and 14cm Wastegated Turbo, All-steel Cowl Induction Hood, Cummins RED Valve Cover, Rhino, Rosewood Kit, Scotty System, SportComp Gauges, TorkLift SuperHitch, Tekonsha Brake Controller, Rear Flood lights, Cobra CB, DeeZee Running Boards, BD 2WD Low kit, Air Lift bags, Hitco exhaust blanket, air horns and a Geno's "I tromped a Ford" decal. Member of BOMB! (WW NW Chapter)

MyPics.com (pics updated 02/17/01)

I'd rather be... .
Cummin than Strokin.
 
My wife was burning diesel in farm tractors before the notion of a diesel in my life ever surfaced.

BTW, there is a question you may be required to answer... ... ... ... How many blankets do you want on the couch ??? #ad
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Joe

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White 2001 QuadCab 2500 Laramie SLT, HO 6-speed, 3. 54 limited slip, Mopar exhaust brake, towing/camper options, Rhino liner, Grover Air Horns (not yet installed), Un BOMBed (so far), DUAL AIR BAGS !!
 
I was thinking more about the "necessitities" as mentioned by another in a different thread. #ad
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92 Ext. Cab, Auto trans. , 3. 54 Non-LS, Isspro Tach, 16 cm housing, PW injectors, no name 3 Gauge cluster, 230,000+ miles, straight pipe, old and abused but still running strong!!!!
 
I told my wife that as long as she keeps my guts full and my nuts empty she could do what ever she wanted, #ad
Kevin
 
I like this pass the test idea! Lets make it a decent challenge to the female intelect.

Trick question #1)What is the minimum octane requirement for a Cummins engine? #ad


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1997 2500 SLT 4X4,5 spd,3. 54's,Pacbrake,Rancho 9000's,Centerforce,K&N,Isspro,BD 300 HP pump, Jardine 4", 370's and 16cm housing.
 
I was going over the guages one day and was told,
"They are too many rules to driving this truck. "
I started to think besides the cool down and pyro up hill, you should know about all the rest in ANY car!
 
Thankfully, my wife has a wounderful sense of humor to match her pride. No couch for me, she gets too cold at night.
Here's what I have so far...

1) What color is the diesel nozzle at the pump in the gas station?
A. Purple
B. Yellow
C. Green
D. Black

2) At what temperature does the pretty multi-color guage on the pillar have to point to before you can turn the motor off with the key?
A. 5
B. 12
C. 43,526
D. 300

3) When pushing the gas pedal to the floor while going up a steep hill towing the travel trailer and trying to make it to the rest stop because you have to go pee real bad, what guage on the pillar should you not let get past 1500 at any time?

A. Tire guage
B. 12 guage
C. Feeler guage
D. Pyrometer guage

4) If you run the exaust gas temperature at 1500 degrees for lots of miles while talking to your mom on the cell phone because you are late for your commuter van and you spent too much time trying to pick out a belt that matches your shoes, what could melt and cause you a considerable amount of grief?

A. Your lipstick in your purse
B. Your husband
C. Your Macys card
D. The engines pistions

More to come as I am able to integrate my wifes priorities with this test... #ad


Steve.
 
Sounds like #4 has 2 correct answers: B AND D.

You said you were going to quiz her on items in the owners manual. Have you written a supplement to cover those extra guages? I mean, my manual doesn't have those in it and if I didn't read this site, I'd fail your test if all I studied was the basic manual!

My wife can drive my truck anytime she wants. The only thing that makes me nervous about that is the hitler complex she gets when this relatively small woman gets way up there in the driver's seat of the truck... .
 
Do what I did... get 'er her own truck and tell her if she blows anything up,she gets to pay for it!
My wife drives her truck just fine even though I don't have gauges for it yet... watches the mileage,waits to start,gives ample cool down,doesn't lug it and she loves practicing backing it up (the truck being a 2wd reg cab makes it easy #ad
).

-Mike

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'00 2500,QC,4wd,LWB,Dark Garnet,6spd,3. 54lsd,SLT,DD stage II,Psychotty air,10-level PM3,Jacobs ebrake,Isspro pyro & boost gauges,2wd-low,Airoquip fuel lines,Smittybilt nerfs,BFG 285/75 AT's
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'95 2500,Reg-cab,2wd,LWB,White/Star silver,Automatic,3. 54,SLT,Michelin 265/75
 
Heetseeker - Those are perdy good! #ad
Although that #3 could be considered a trick question since we don't really have, "gas," pedals. Maybe if she points that out to you she gets bonus points!

My wife does pretty good, but she's so little that she has to scoot the seat far forward. That makes it hard for her to get her left foot on the clutch. Plus she has a hard time holding it down for long. I keep trying to tell her to put it in neutral and let her foot off the clutch if she thinks she's going to have to sit long.

But the one thing that she does that just burns my a$$ is: She doesn't either push the clutch in soon enough or shift down soon enough. For instance she'll be in say 5th and start braking for a red light. She'll drag the rpms down to the point the engine starts pushing the truck (idle rpm). I'm over there squirming in my seat and trying to push a hole in the floor with my left foot. Then when she does push the clutch you can hear the engine rev back up to idle and the truck slows down a lot quicker.

She told me one day that my truck's brakes didn't work too good. I asked her what the circumstances were (cause they work just fine to me). She said she was turning into our neighborhood. I asked her what gear she was in. She said 3rd. I asked her if she had pushed in the clutch while turning in, she said no. I know in that turn, its sharp enough that 3rd is going pretty fast. I know she had the engine pushing the truck through the turn, and was mashing hard on the brakes trying to get it to slow down. :rolleyes I just can't seem to get her to understand what's going on. #ad
Oh well, she does real good other than that. So I got her a 4Runner that she likes real good so now she leaves my truck alone (woooo hoooo!). #ad


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Y2K 2500 Cummins ETC/DEE, SLT+, 4X4, Quad, LB, Intense Blue Sport, 3. 54 LSD, rear aux. springs (camper special), sliding rear window, all options except cab clearance lights including agate leather, totally stock engine, silencer ring removed, "stealth," mod to run fogs with high beam. (20. 8 mpg @ 70 mph) Since everybody else listed their toys, I will too.

2000 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4X4, 5-speed, 3. 4L V6 (25. 5 mpg @ 65 mph)
1995 Kawasaki ZX6-R, 97 H. P. @ Rr tire, 6-speed, . 6L I-4, 410 lbs. wet
- (60+ mpg @ 65 mph, but who can do that?) (For Sale)-[SOLD]
1990 Toyota Celica STX, FWD, 5-speed, 1. 6L I4 (36+ mpg @ 65 mph)
1983 Mazda RX-7 GSL Limited Edition RWD, 5-speed, 1. 1L Wankel (For sale)
No auto trannies in my home! Just say, "No!" to auto trannies.
 
Either accidently "loose" her key and/or get an alarm and keep all the remotes #ad


Forget the questions!

(easier said then done, I know #ad
)


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(on order) 2001. 9 White Sport RAM 2500HD QC SLT 4X4 LB 3. 54 LSD Cummins Auto

1999 21' Terry Towable
1990 Kawasaki KLR 250
 
I've seen green, yellow and black diesel nozzles!

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1995 2500 SLT Club 4x4, auto, 3. 54, 3300 pound Elkhorn slide in camper, AirLift air springs, Ricka dual wheel adapters (used only with the camper on), K&N, DC tow hooks, Rancho RS9000, Hellwig rear sway bar.
110,000 miles and counting.
 
Had a physics teacher (male) in high school that was temporarily stumped by 'how many spark plugs does a 6 cylinder diesel have?'

Ask her to show you the distributor & throttle plate - no the exhaust brake doesn't count #ad


Brian
 
I taught my wife how to drive. Seriously. She is from Venezuela (the country that wins most of the Miss Universe Pageants!!! #ad
). I taught her in my old '76 Suburban 4X4. She is 4'10'' and I had a lift kit on it. Imagine that sight. Well, I never taught her how to drive a manual. So, guess who doesn't get to drive my ETH/DEE? #ad
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Funny story, tho. For those who've read my posts know I had a Y2k with an auto. She's the one that picked it up from the dealer as I was out of town on temporary duty for the Air Force. The salespeople were afraid she wouldn't be able to handle that big ole truck. Well, with the assistance of my youngest son, then 10 years old, he pushed her up into the cab with all the people in the showroom looking out the big windows laughing. I wish I could have seen that!!!!!

She got it home alright. And she always wanted to drive it. She still misses my old 'Burban, and now misses my Dodge auto. I told her she has to learn to drive a manual before she can drive my new truck, but she ain't going to learn in it!! #ad


SOLER

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Shane Oler
'01 2500 4X4, ETH/6 speed, ISSPRO Pyro (pre-turbo)and Boost Pillar mount, Dark Garnet/Camel, 4" DD exhaust, Grill gaurd and nerf bars, 20K Reese 5er hitch

Other: '70 Olds Vista Cruiser 455 (future resto project)
30' Sandpiper 5er Super Slide bunkhouse(about 10k lbs. )

[This message has been edited by SOLER (edited 04-09-2001). ]
 
My wife hasn't driven our new truck yet, I think she's waiting for me to put the first dent in it. She is hard on a clutch, and doesn't always up or down shift when she should. I figure I'll keep letting her drive a stick shift as long as she helps me install a new clutch. I haven't had to install a clutch yet.

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ex Ford tech, now driving '01. 5 2500 4X4 QC LB ETH/DEE SLT 3. 54, Patriot Blue
 
Originally posted by MikeR:
Do what I did... get 'er her own truck and tell her if she blows anything up,she gets to pay for it!
My wife drives her truck just fine even though I don't have gauges for it yet... watches the mileage,waits to start,gives ample cool down,doesn't lug it and she loves practicing backing it up (the truck being a 2wd reg cab makes it easy #ad
).

-Mike

Mike's got the right idea! The only thing better than a Cummins is having TWO Cummins. However, I'm afraid she may be becoming a bomaholic too...

Daniel
 
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