Roy's Garage: '90 2.4-4G64 5-spd D-50

[royster]

Thank you, Brad. We'll just have to wait and see: I'd like to run it when the temperature is higher than 29 degrees

Meanwhile, I got calipers off, and though lush90 is right about saving moolah by rebuilding my own, I went ahead and ordered remanufactured. The core on these calipers is more than the cost of the remanufactured part!

The parts truck has identical brake parts, and I am coveting them. The driver-side rotor is seriously scored and should be replaced. Ugh. There's always plenty to keep you busy with these trucks.

Tonight is supposed to be 0ne degree F, tomorrow's high 17, but it starts to rise after that, into the high 30's come Thursday. I'd like to take the truck out and blow all the funkola, crapinski and caca~laca out of its system before making any conclusions. At any rate, the truck is running, which is more than it was doing a month ago.

I DID get a bottle of STP with ZDDP additive. My intention is to add about 4 ounces of this to the engine when it's warmed up...I feel okay about that. It's a far cry from filling the engine up with STP and expecting it to crank on a cold day!!

[royster]

BTW, tomorrow...if all goes well...my D-50 will be back in service!

[royster]

BTW, tomorrow...if all goes well...my D-50 will be back in service!

All went well, but I was a nervous wreck until the first 20 miles passed. The truck did excellent over snow and ice, and once it warmed up the smoking stopped. I paid particular attention to smoke occurring at decelleration, but there was none. Got some fresh fuel in it and drove it around. The only thing I noticed was an occassional hesitation...hoping the fresh fuel helps that out. I'm not confident in the timing: the book says to hook up some wire to a thing on the firewall. I simply used the timing light (once the engine warmed up) and set it at about 7 degrees BTDC. It doesn't seem to have quite the get-up-and-go, but I haven't driven it for (sob!) two months and need to re-familiarise myself with it. Any suggestions as to fine-tuning and tweaking will warm this old man's heart.

If it smokes on the next cold start, I think I'll replace the rubber (intake) valve seals with the plastic. While I'm in there I'll definitively check the exhaust seals, but it seems to me that if the seals weren't set properly, they'd be dancing somewhere above on the valve stem.

Bottom line, though: it's back on the road, winter-be-damned.


And not one little leak at all...not one drop!