1991 Dodge Dakota Beatertruck

Spectre said:
Permatex is just a brand/company name... they also make RTV. Are you perhaps referring to their Permabond Non-Hardening Sealer or a similar product?
Click to expand...

*shrug* the tube I have is older than I am (yeah, around here we do not only ancestral tools, but ancestral MATERIALS), and is devoid of legible labeling. If I had to describe it as anything, it would most definitely be a non-hardening sealer (or 'black mystery substance that should totally not be eaten')
 
Okay. Diff is back together. Soft brake line is replaced (hard line still needs to get bent and go in - turns out dad has lost his tube bender). Power steering fluid leak #2 is taken care of.

Did a lights check. Front corner markers aren't coming on, nor are the reverse lights. I get the suspicion the reverse lights are going to need a wiring hack - if you'll recall earlier, the transmission position switch seems to be not grounding properly, causing the starter interlock to fail. Couldn't find the appropriate torx to open the reverse lamps to check the bulbs.
 
Just came back in from another session of foul language. Front brakes are now good, but now that there's pressure in the system, we've discovered the drum brake cylinders on the back are leaking.

Magical discovery regarding the neutral safety switch preventing the reverse lights from coming on - the contacts on the shift linkage are impossible to see without dropping the trans or disassembling the linkage. Simply adjusting the linkage had no effect (though the shift indicator in the cockpit is now pointed properly - so that's another inspection item ticked). So in an epic hail mary, I'm going to just order a new neutral safety switch and hope the switch itself is bad. If that's not the case, then I'm going to have to disassemble the entire linkage. And no, I can't be arsed to pull the switch out and test it first. It's just $7.

Power steering fluid leak #3 has now emerged as well. This time, it's a rusty patch on the bottom of the pump itself. Gonna need a fresh one of those. Dammit.
 
You know, it's starting to look a lot like that thing is getting close to this time:

Kill%20it%20With%20Fire%20Aliens.jpg
 
Oh yeah. And to top it off, the transmission seems to be on its way out internally, as well as its seals - shifting from idle drive through neutral to reverse without waiting for the forward wheel movement to stop somehow equated to grinding gears instead of a mildly pissed off torque converter.



And really, it's almost done. I swear. Just a few more issues.
- Exhaust hole (easy patch)
- Rear brake rebuild
- Un-stick the e-brake
- Power steering pump
- Neutral/reverse safety switch
- R134A conversion (my uncle found the kit - he bought it years ago and never got around to installing it)
- Kill + interlock bypass switches

and it'll only be like 16 months before I buy a new truck anyway
 
Last edited:
EyeMWing said:
Power steering fluid leak #3 has now emerged as well. This time, it's a rusty patch on the bottom of the pump itself. Gonna need a fresh one of those. Dammit.
Click to expand...
Just get this:
9402460.JPG


If it works on brake lines I bet it will work on a power steering reservoir. :shifty:

EyeMWing said:
and it'll only be like 16 months before I buy a new truck anyway
Click to expand...
Just think of all the exciting new things you've learned! At least you're fixing these problems. I just try to ignore this kind of stuff on my truck.
 
tigger said:
Just think of all the exciting new things you've learned!
Click to expand...
This thing really hasn't thrown anything truly new and interesting at me. Just the same crap I've been helping dad with since I was 7.

It rained today, so there's a pile of new parts sitting in the cab waiting for tomorrow. And good call on the JB Weld. I keep forgetting that stuff exists.
 
Last edited:
Okay. Got a lot of crap done today.

First, I changed the rear brake cylinders, breaking the lines off in the process.

Second, I bought and reran the rear brake lines.

Third, I patched the exhaust mad leet style. Going to hit it with some high-temp paint before inspection to cloak it.


Fourth, I pulled out the neutral safety switch to replace it, without realising that it's submerged in the transmission oil pan. My face was not happy with the results of this situation.

Fifth, I found that the new neutral safety switch does not appear to have helped. Dammit. I need to play with the linkages more - and even worse, if that doesn't help, the broken bit is going to be IN THE TRANSMISSION PAN.

Finally, I took some pics of the radiator swap job I did awhile back. Anyone wanna buy my old radiator?

 
So, the thing runs, stops and drives. Three items left to look at:
1) Power brake booster. I may just inop the power brakes and say fuck it.
2) Parking brake is still stuck in the off position
3) Shift linkage still is not adjusted quite right to engage the back-up lights.

Also, I need a new rear bumper.
https://pic.armedcats.net/e/ey/eyemwing/2010/08/11/IMG_2695.JPG
[video=youtube;-kHuuTlIfcQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kHuuTlIfcQ[/video]
 
:lol: Nah, now it's got character.
 
Still not on the road (FCKING SHIFT LINKAGE) but it's proving EXCEPTIONALLY useful offroad. Chopped down a 70ft dead oak tree a mile or so out from the house. Decided "what the hell" and chained the whole tree to the truck. With some careful driving I got the whole thing dragged back to the house. NATURE IS NO MATCH FOR 4WD.

No video because my keycam got laundered.
 
I am beginning to wonder if you are working on this truck in order to get a truck, or because you're secretly a masochist.... :p
 
Secretly?

I thought I'd made that fact clear.

Really though. I just need to disassemble the shift linkage, sandblast it, and then it should all be good.
.... And swap the brake booster.

And then I can take it for inspection and have the transmission grenade all over their shop floor because there are various gear-grinding issues caused by the shift linkage being out of whack and my not being careful all the time (Shifting from any travel gear directly to park = CRUUUUUUNCH. Need to pause for a few seconds in neutral and then slam it into park. Also D to R and vice versa is the same.)
 
You know, you could have just bought an F-150 for all the money you've dumped into the thing... :p
 
Heh, knowing how old people in this part of the country care for their cars, I suspect I'd have a similar laundry list of broken shit on an F100 as well.

The transmission wouldn't be a ticking time bomb, but I expect I'd be in a similar boat on the rest of it.
 
:lol: I don't even think there's that much stuff that can break on an old F-series.

Then again, my truck is a lot further away from being able to pass any kind of inspection than your Dakota is.
 
Last edited:
Haha, I need to pop in this thread more often.

I deem thee FULL OF MASOCHISTIC WIN.
 
I had a dakota just like this, and I loved it to death...literally. By the end it had a wood flat deck, the body was madee of rust, the four wheel drive refused to stay engaged, heater/blower/ac were all out of order, and the transmission wailed like a banshy. It was my first truck though, and it never let me down. Good luck with yours EyeMWing, I hope it treats you as well as mine treated me
 
This topic is epic win.

Massive respect to EyeMWing for refusing to let this thing die!
 
A stinkbug managed to crawl between the plastic gauge cover and the actual gauges - which, as far as I can tell, is a 100% sealed compartment. WTF?

I now have a dead bug wedged between my speedo and tech. Whatever.

Still trying to make the reverse lights work - on my todo list is to call the state police and find out of I can just connect the damned things to a dashboard switch instead of having them come on with the transmission.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top