For real? GM needs a kick in the *****

[clemsonfor]

I do nothing to them. Now that I think about it I have replaced one on my tractor back in about 2004. The oem one worked but was weak and they came out with a gear reduction unit so I bought it.

I know I am lucky but I do also think that maintaining things helps a lot. I change batteries every 3 years for example just for piece of mind. I am sure this also helps slightly in alternator and starter life. (do not have to work as hard). I have been doing this for a long time and have just learned its pay me now or pay me later and I will be money ahead paying now and maintaining things.

Chris

I understand that if you use your truck for work and all, with the down time you may be money ahead. But for me personally i have 4 vehicles. The current price of batteries even if i only had 2 vehicles i am paying way more in batteries than it would be worth. I mean if your logic holds true about making say my Alt last longer (not saying it dosent help or does) i am buying a battery at $90 twice as often as i usually do, just to keep from possibly having to buy a $60 alternator maybe at some point when i own that truck. To me the math just dosent add up. If you want to do it and it works thats good im glad it does but for me it dosent make financial sense.

I can also see why flushing your cooling system will help on waterpump life as there is less grit in there. Yes i have replaced several waterpumps on things over the years as well. And yes i dont flush my radiators as often as i should but am better than most at it im sure!

 

[Diamondpilot]

Have you priced alternators and starters lately? I replace the starter in my neighbor ladies GMC 1500 a few months back, well actually in the spring. My jaw dropped when the guy at AutoZone told me it was something like $225. Last alternator I replaced for someone was also salty.


I can get Exide batteries for around $45 to $65 any day of the week here at my local Rural King. I have bought well over 20 batteries for customers stuff and my personal stuff in the last 12 months. I do not know how they do it? Napa, Walmart, Car Quest, Auto Zone, ect are $70 to $100 for the same size batteries.

Trust me, I do not like spending money. I have currently 15 batteries in my equipment. But I do not like a dead battery either when I need something.

Chris

 

[Newblue]

All I can say is I have never changed one. Never changed a starter or alternator in anything of mine but I maintain things to the 10th deg. I never let coolant go more than 50,000 miles, batteries every 3 years no matter what, ect. Dont want to be stranded. I work on enough others stuff that is not maintained to tell me how to be money, time, and frustration ahead.

Chris

Can I buy your "old" batteries?

 

[clemsonfor]

Have you priced alternators and starters lately? I replace the starter in my neighbor ladies GMC 1500 a few months back, well actually in the spring. My jaw dropped when the guy at AutoZone told me it was something like $225. Last alternator I replaced for someone was also salty.


I can get Exide batteries for around $45 to $65 any day of the week here at my local Rural King. I have bought well over 20 batteries for customers stuff and my personal stuff in the last 12 months. I do not know how they do it? Napa, Walmart, Car Quest, Auto Zone, ect are $70 to $100 for the same size batteries.

Trust me, I do not like spending money. I have currently 15 batteries in my equipment. But I do not like a dead battery either when I need something.

Chris

Wish i had a rural king!! I having to replace my 7 year old Walmark battery that has been weak for an easy 18 months ( in the ranger). I got it apart doing plugs T-belt, water pump, rad flush, some hoses, exhaust. Once back togeather and running will get a new battery. I have coupon codes at advace online to get $30 off a $75 purchase so it makes the batter from $95is to 75ish but still a lot of money!

Also like i said earlier i dont have new trucks like you have. If i drove a brand new or 2 year old F350 i would agree alts are close to $300 bucks and starter maybe a hundred more than that! But when i drive a 1990 ranger as my primary truck and a 1997 saturn as the daily driver i can buy alternators all day long for what i said and a bit more. I just looked a reman alt for my ranger is $80 i have a $30 off coupon so i can get it for $50 plus tax. I buy online and its at the counter ready for pickup and all i do is have the wife drop by or i drop by and get it. I will be money ahead waiting on the thing to die, plus the fact that i bought a lifetime replacement at autozone years ago so i will just take it back there for a replacement!

Also just looked i can buy the most powerful alt brand new remy for the saturn for like $160ish. Not that i would buy the new brand name one but my point is if i buy a $90 battery or even a $75 one with my codes every three years id be paying way more than the chance of replacing parts in the future.

 

[me0418840987]

Dont you need one big A cooler to cool solely with an external cooler? I tow with over half my vehicles.

Yes, and they are available. Usually I source them from the local salvage yard from busses/concrete trucks and such. The one on my 99 Chevy express 3500 van is from a bus w/ Cummins auto-$35.00. Same as the cost of a new small one at the auto parts store. Besides, all of my large vehicles are MANUAL transmissions for a reason-they last longer and require less maintenance. I tow the most with the smallest truck I own. I have a 2005 Dodge 1500 2wd 4.7 V8 6spd MANUAL that will pull anything I hook to it.

 

[clemsonfor]

And i had mentioned water pumps. I will add another to my list. The saturn has been down on coolant the last few weeks. I just added some this weekend but last night it took almost a half gallon. I was pretty sure i knew where it was coming from so reluctantly i looked around the pump pully and yep an oily looking residue on the inner fender plastic, and drips all down the bottom side. So i will now add a water pump to a saturn once done as vehicles i have replaced WP's in. That makes the Tempo, a mercedees 300D (it had a bolt in the engine that made it to the water pump and jambed the impellor?) the ranger twice now with T belt.

 

[klm]

Why not just run transmission fluid in the radiator also?

 

[Diamondpilot]

Why not just run transmission fluid in the radiator also?

Kramer ran blood in Jerry's Sabb in a episode of Seifeild.

Chris

 

[workinallthetime]

A not so funny thing happened to our 05 Cadillac ESV a few weeks ago. So if you own a GM you may want to read this....

This is my wife's car that is used to shuttle the kids around and to go to the grocery store. Every 5000 miles it gets an oil change, greased, tires rotated and a tranny service. I own an aviation business and I have never skimped on service.

She called me a few weeks ago and said that she thought something was wrong with the tranny as it seemed to slip coming up the driveway. Well she was right.... Somehow, a seal in the radiator let go and allowed the tranny fluid and engine coolant to mix.. I guess someone in their infinite wisdom thought it would be good to combine the tranny cooler and radiator...

Needless to say, $5k later it may be fixed....

And to think this could of been prevented with a $20 separate tranny
cooler..

break out your owners manual sunshine, that coolant was supose to be flushed in 2010 or at 100k. maybe you should make a point from now on to look where your wife parks and see if there is anything leaking. transfluid almost always ends up overfilling the coolant and runs out. looks like a pink milk shake, as in the pink milk shake of death.
your due for a 4x4 service, coolant flush, serp belt, plugs, fuel system service, change the cabin air filter and a few other things. its only about a 1500.00 service visit.
make sure someone checks your transfer case, if its dry rut ro- over full then not so bad just needs a seal.
like diamond pilot the blue oval lover said maintaining your unit is the key to long life.
or just fix it when it breaks but dont rag on gm for something everyone has done for a long long time.

 

[Skyco]

Radiators will last indefinitely IF you change the fluid out and replace with quality new antifreeze regularly. Most people fail to do that and the anti-corrosion protection fails with time and corrosion occurs. As somebody said, Rust never sleeps.

Tell that to the radiator I just replaced in my son's 98 Mazda B4000 (Ranger). The dang crimped seal between the plastic end caps and the core started leaking...of course it did this 150 miles from home, dear old dad with the car trailer to the rescue..:laughing:

Now you want to talk about a bad coolant leak? The 98 B4000/Ranger has the 4.0 V6 Cologne (made in Germany) ...$800 with me doing the labor, design flaw in the original intake manifold gasket that lets go eventually in ALL of them. $300+ gasket set, $400 at machine shop for a valve job and head resurfacing, $100 coolant, new head bolts (required) , sealers, etc.
Ok I could have just replaced the gasket which is a royal PITA, but while in there with over 200k on it I went ahead and pulled the heads...hopefully to NEVER go back in there again...Felpro and others have a better intake manifold gasket than OEM.