Turning into a maintenance problem

[gary_lucas]

So, when I bought my truck... I got it used... 2004.5.

So far it's been reliable... But when I bought it, the right lower ball joint had excessive play. I brought it to a local shop to fix and they claimed getting it all apart was brutally hard and it took them an extra hour to wrench the components off.

When I tried to swap the ECM it was a real pain in the ass. I brought it to my new mechanic and he replaced it... And described getting the connectors of as a 'real bitch'. He took the rad hose off, battery removed and then dc'd the bracket so he could get a run at it.

I was going to change the fuel filter on the weekend, however I was on call and work went nuts.

I definitely want the filter changed prior to driving to Las Vegas especially having just installed an in bed fuel tank... I asked the mechanic to do it for me as he was in there following up on the in bed tank install (first time we'd used the fuel tank this weekend)...

He told me that he had a real difficult time getting the fuel filter off, and broke one of his filter removal tools (he showed me the tool and filter). The filter was very heavy and had a dent in it from his wrenching...

So basically the first time I do anything on this truck it's a bitch of a time getting anything apart..

Anyone have any similar experiences? The truck was definitly operated in Northern Alberta for it's first 7ish years...

Gary

[Yukon6.2]

Is it white?
They say never buy a used truck that is white from Alberta.They lease all white trucks and work them hard in the oil patch.
But keep at it and you'll have the bugs worked out,and you'll love it.
Thomas

[DickWells]

While getting the fuel filter off and on can be a bit of a pain, due mostly to the close proximity to the head, it's something that every DM DIY'er has done without much trouble. I made mine much more accessible by cutting out a section of the fender liner, and making a cover for the hole from a piece of stiff black plastic using six or eight SS #10 screws to hold it in there. Most guys have just popped out the whole fender liner to get access, but I have some front mud flaps that make that a pain.

These issues with mechanics compliaining seem a little overboard, to me. Just may be a way of justifying charging more time against you. Hard to say. If you're at all handy with tools, all the things you mention can be handled by any back-yard guy. A good shop manual is the first thing I get when I get a new-to-me vehicle, and every one I've ever bought has paid me back in spades.

It's been my misfortune to be on hand to help work on two different Ford Super Duties, this Winter, and they are a nightmare to work on in comparison! Just this afternoon, I got to learn that the Ford SD factory trailer electrical hook-up can be a real pain, and when it's opened up, you find 14 and 12 gauge wires going into connectors for the 7 flat-pin socket that have the wimpiest little pins and sockets that you can immagine. I sure hope that GM hasn't gone the same route! The under-hood power dist. center is partly burried under the cowl, just like the rear half of the engine. :eek: I hear that a lot of the work that we can do on our GM's, requires that the cab be lifted off the Fords to accomplish! I do know, from painful experience, that changing, or cleaning out an 010 Ford AC/heater fan turbine is one very frustrating excercise. Your GM truck is just a matter of taking out a couple of screws under the dash and twisting the whole heater motor assembly and having it drop out in your hand, and pulling one connector apart so that you can work on it. I'll take the GM truck, any day.

Hope you get to feel more friendly with your truck, Gary. Just keep posting specific questions in here, and you'll get some great advise and info.

[gary_lucas]

Thanks for both the replies, it's a black truck and I have the previous owners info.

He was a fireman who probably spent 1/2 his work hours polishing and modding his truck... Other than the fact everything is welded on it seems fine.

Now that the fuel filter's been pried loose I'll be doing that myself.

probably when I'm in Las Vegas next week before we leave... DOn't wanna risk problems with the new fuel tank / lines.

The first guys who took off the ball joint may have been playing it up. But the 2nd guy I'm pretty sure is decent... When I have some time on the trip I'll take some nice pictures of the full tank install. I know the ECM was damn near welded on, took me 2 hours to get the first connector off... The fuel filter actually broke when he was taking it off, I'm 99% sure he's trustworthy...

I dunno, I think the truck was just operated in such a ****ty environment that everything is seized up... once I've gone through a couple of maintenance cycles it'll probably work itself out...

Gary

[Yukon6.2]

He was a fireman who probably spent 1/2 his work hours polishing and modding his truck...
Mabey a build up of wax and Armor All:D

[More Power]

I know that a lot of the things I do are (or seem) sometimes hard to do, but the second go-around is usually much-much easier. Having prior experience and the right tools make most any procedure a lot easier and it's more likely to be done right.

Jim