getting discouraged with the CUCV

[hilber]

Guess I am lucky. So far no leaks and 76,000 miles.

 

[olly hondro]

Yes, it needs more stuff. It has new tires, brakes, belts, hoses, filters. But I still have to charge the air conditioner, put an antenna on it (it has the mount but no antenna), wire this code 3 siren back in, fix the door lock on one side, get a rubber doodad for the brake pedal, replace the lexan insert in the windshield guard, dress/ tie a bunch of loose wires, repair one of the mufflers, fix a wing window, replace the dash pad......see what I mean about it being a hobby 8<)

Oh, and I bought the Avalanche. The rims on it are kinda blingy, but I like it.

 

[marchplumber]

Congrats!
God bless,
Tony

 

[fitz]

I'll try that leak fix stuff. Maybe it causes the seal to swell up or something. I have to keep the home owners assoc off my case, oil in driveway = bad.

A self tapping screw in the seep hole on the flex plate cover will buy you some time till you can fix it the right way.

 

[mktopside]

Well, OK, I appreciate all the thoughtful replies. There is lots of wisdom there. I don't want to work on it anymore, I have no time for another hobby. I like the truck, but not so much that I am willing to make the commitment to maintain it and I cannot live with ANY older vehicle , whether it be a classic mustang or an MV, leaving me alongside the road. I travel alot for work and cant miss flights, meetings, and such waiting on a tow truck. So what solution has God brought me to consider? He has provided resources to buy a Chevy Avalanche 4x4. So,the CUCV can sit, costing me no time or money, until I figure out what its future will be.

I probably have 10 serious hobbies in the rotation. Some if them I suck at but enjoy, some I am very good at on a competitive level; either way I get bored of all of them if I don't change things up every few weeks.

I'll work on one until I complete a large project, or until I get bored. When I get to that point, I pack it up and move onto the next one. So don't worry about not wanting to work on it, just hang it up for a few weeks/months. For me my A3 is a hobby, but my CUCV is cheap transportation. Trust me, there will always be something to fix, but as long as it starts and stops the rest is just small stuff.

 

[NPD732]

Check the vacumn pump. There are several holes on the front of the pod that can leak oil if its bad. The oil drains down to the intake valley and exits via a drain hole into the bellhousing area. It runs down the back of the block and out the inspection cover drain hole. You will swear its the rear main seal. I have had two do this to me.

 

[chicagodiesel]

I had a pretty bad oil leak at the same spot. Actually, coming down by the starter, coming off the pan, back of the bell housing, etc...was planning on replacing the rear main but read on here about replacing the cdr valve as it is keeping vacuum in the crankcase and without vacuum you have leaks. So, bad cdr can = leaks...also a leaky oil filler cap. I tried cleaning my cdr as I couldn't find one for under 75 without shipping/tax. Helped, but it was the original and I don't any amount of cleaning would have helped.

Then I found some on ebay (for a hmmv) that are a direct fit + it was $30 to my front door (correct mount and everything). When I went to install it I noticed that all of my rubber boots connecting the cdr to the intake manifold were cracked and leaking as well. Good luck finding new boots but after replacing them the best I could (which I'll admit was really good) and putting in the new cdr no more oil leaks. My power steering pump leaks and my oil cooler lines still leak, but they did before the cdr was replaced.

The point is without a good vacuum on your crankcase there is no seal that will hold anything back for long. Good luck.

 

[olly hondro]

oooooh, OK, I will look into that. Will pull it into the garage and start checking it out, now that its no longer 1000 degrees out . Thanks guys.

 

[wallew]

I only own 73 - 91 GM trucks of this body style.

Before anyone jumps me to say, 'they stopped making this body style in 1988'. Not in the Suburban. They made it up until 1992, when they finally came out with the newer (smaller) Suburban.

My 1991 GMC Suburban needs work occasionally. It's got the original 350 V8 with 225k miles on it. The 700R4 was rebuilt about 35k miles ago and is still running strong.

THE REAR MAIN SEAL is currently leaking and I am contemplating replacing it myself, with the help of a friend of mine. I would love this engine to go 400k miles + if at all possible. She's a strong running engine.

And if not, well, I'll rebuild it.

I've always looked at like this - You will either have:

a new car and payments

an older car with no payments but you have repair bills

you can also have varying shades of either one of these

but if it's got wheels or ... ahem ... never mind, IT WILL COST YOU MONEY, one way or the other

how much you want to pay someone else to work on your stuff is your business

and it's NOT a hobby - it's a sickness

it's a frustrating, pull your hair out, beat your head against concrete when you have a problem you can't figure out BUT it's also a piece of history.

HOW YOU CHOOSE TO VIEW THIS IS UP TO YOU

Good luck and let us know if your CDR valve was bad

 

[Cucvnut]

so what happens when you crash the truck and cant open the doors to get out do the window covers come off ?

 

[Zero_cool]

I agree with epitts, Clean Your CDR valve.
A CDR that is stuck closed will build up pressure and cause leaks.

 

[73m819]

The ONLY way a cucv will NOT cost you money, is if you use it as a WHEEL CHOCK for a 5t or larger MV

 

[Cucvnut]

The ONLY way a cucv will NOT cost you money, is if you use it as a WHEEL CHOCK for a 5t or larger MV

really man ? this is like the only joke you have about cucv's if you dont like them and just want to talk smack go some where else. all you do is say bad things about them on here and in chat. its getting old.

 

[86m1028]

And big surprise every one! Its a mid 1980's truck that needs work! Who would have thought it.
There will always be something to fix or replace or adjust. Its a old truck. If you wanted a hassle free should have got a new one with a warranty.
If you look at it that way you wont be so bummed out when things happen. Because they are going to happen. Just tackle one thing at a time and keep plugging away.

New trucks have issues also.

warranty is a joke when the dealer doesnt know what they are doing.

 

[olly hondro]

The front, rear, and driver side window guards open, see this other thread that has pix :
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/cucv/72038-closeups-cucv-window-guards.html

 

[lindyp38]

I agree with epitts, Clean Your CDR valve.
A CDR that is stuck closed will build up pressure and cause leaks.

how do u clean it...?

 

[Zero_cool]

Flush both ends with dish soap and water. I also found that a 90* dental pick works good for clean the inside part that sits on top of the nipple



CDR valve from NAPA questions and other tune up questions
jdemaris posted some great pics of the inside of a CDR valve. Page - 8 post #77

 

[rickf]

really man ? this is like the only joke you have about cucv's if you dont like them and just want to talk smack go some where else. all you do is say bad things about them on here and in chat. its getting old.

WOW! Someone a little grumpy today?!

 

[AceHigh]

This was posted on another deuce forum:

Ram Truck 3500 2002/2011 PL 1|
| OP NUMBER : TOTAL $10519.80 |
| MODIFIER : |
| 1. OPERATION : Fuel Injectors, r&r NEW |
| 2. DESCRIPTION: 6.7L 2011 All |
| 3. HOURS : 5.40 LABOR: 685.80 SPG LABOR CODE: O |
| |
| LN PART NUMBER DESCRIPTION REQ AVAIL PRICE TOTAL |
| 4. CH68069384-AA INJECTOR FUEL 6 0 1555.00 9330.00 |
| |
| PARTS: $ 9330.00 |
| LABOR: $ 685.80 |
| SHOP SUPPLIES: $ 37.50 |
| TAX: $ 466.50 |
| ================ |
| TOTAL: $10519.80 |

That my friends is the cost of new injectors! Well, maybe the CUCV is not so bad after all.

 

[hilber]

So, if I paid 1500.00 for mine. Drive it 30,000 miles. If injectors go what have I lost to part it out. Someone is dying to buy the body and axles. However it jsut keeps running.