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That would work. You've inspired me to go check my plugs for corrosion, and make sure they're well protected for the winter. I'm trying to keep this truck from rusting, to the extent possible.

I had a '99 C3500 where the diff plugs were rusted solid. I was afraid to remove them, because even if I did manage to get them out, I feared it would do enough damage in the process that I wouldn't get them to seal well again. Looking at them, I imagined the heads would shear off before the...

My bubbles stopped, fortunately. I ran it until the cab heater was blowing full hot. After the initial burps subsided, I got no steady stream of bubbles as one would expect if exhaust gasses were leaking into the cooling system.

Yes, my new hose has the spring. I had to push it further into the hose when installing, to get it out of the way.

I figured I'd try this first, since it's simplest. I parked on the steepest slope I had handy, nose up, to help any air get to the radiator and out. I did get some air out that way, running the engine and letting it warm up with the cap off. In testing the hose to the overflow tank, I found...

I ran an errand today, about 10 miles, max speed 45 MPH. When I got home, I noticed wetness around the passenger headlight. It was coolant. The "overheat" idiot light never went on. The cooling system has been flushed twice recently, once at 1,900 miles, and again at 2,500 miles. Mileage is...

I had the opposite experience. I tell them what belt I want, say a 17510 belt, and they demand the year, make and model of my vehicle. I tell them that won't help, my vehicle isn't in their computer. They insist, until I tell them it's a military vehicle. Even better was when I told him the...

If internal corrosion is the problem, don't you also need to check voltage under load? I was taught that a corroded cable may show appropriate voltage and connectivity (ohms), even though its ampacity is shot.

If internal corrosion is the problem, don't you also need to check voltage under load? I was taught that a corroded cable may show appropriate voltage and connectivity (ohms), even though its ampacity is shot.

Boston piles the plowed snow in a lot by the harbor. When it finally melted, July 15, it left behind fire hydrants, manhole covers, car doors, trash cans, and whatever else the plows picked up. Fire hydrants!?!?!? You'd think someone would have noticed a leak in the plumbing...

It's the *depth* of the puddle that I struggle with. I've made very pretty MIG welds that had 0 penetration, and some with far more penetration than necessary. It's hard to tell the depth of a puddle by looking. When practicing, I saw through the welds afterward to see what depth and...

On my M1010, the lower alternator belt runs to the crank pully. When the engine is running, that belt shows no vibration at all. The upper alternator belt goes around the crank and fan pulleys. When the engine is running, it vibrates like a plucked guitar string. The lower belt tension is...

An old mechanic taught me this one, which is useful when you have a small coolant leak and you're trying to limp home, or to a place for repair. Radiator caps have a spring loaded seal that keeps pressure in the cooling system. If you remove that seal from an old radiator cap, you have a cap...

In boats and RVs, the "house bank" is the set of batteries that power non-engine things like lights and appliances and climate control. You have a separate "engine bank", sometimes called the "starter bank", so you can always start the engine even if you accidentally deplete the house bank...

Thanks. You're right. I was confusing bolt size with the size wrench required to turn them. That seemed like an awful lot of torque to me. I'm glad I asked before trying it. I just tighten the alternator bolts as much as I can using a 1/2" socket wrench. They keep getting loose, so I was...

The front battery sits between ground and the 12V distribution bar. The rear battery sits between the front battery and the 24V distribution bar. The rear battery went without an alternator for a few days, living off a maintenance charger instead. When it got its belt back, the rear battery...

Interesting data point: I had to run without my lower (24V) alternator belt for a while, because it was eating my lower radiator hose. I put the rear battery on a little maintenance charger whenever the truck was in the driveway, as a stop-gap measure while I got the belt/hose issue figured...

I got my belts figured out and tensioned properly. Details here. Oops. Really figured out here. I got my radiator hose out of the way of the lower alternator belt. Details here. I added antifreeze to bring the concentration up to snuff for New England winter. In the process, I discovered a...

I cut 2 inches off the radiator end of the hose. That got me clear of the belt and foul of the fan shroud. A few inches of split fuel line will take care of that.

I had new belts put on 2000 miles ago. The alignment guy noticed that one had rubbed a hole in my lower radiator hose. He said it was because the belt was too loose. I got a tool to measure tension, and confirmed they were all below 50 lbs tension, when the TM calls for 67 lbs. I tried...