Archive for the 'Work Vehicles' Category

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Dodge Work Truck? Watch for This Recall

Sunday, February 18th, 2007
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Autoblog is reporting this weekend that Chrysler will likely issue a recall for over 86,000 Dodge Rams built between Nov. 7, 2005 and April 27, 2006.  According to Autoblog:

“[The recall] amounts to little more than adding grease to wheel bearings.  Unfortunately for 2006 Ram owners if this issue is left unchecked it can lead to road noise and vibration and can eventually result in a loss of control and a crash.”

Check Autoblog for additional coverage, or better yet contact your dealer.  (And don’t miss the comments on AB’s post — they’re funny as hell.)

Chrysler Set to Recall Some 2006 Dodge Rams [Autoblog]

Posted in Recalls, Work Vehicles | 5 Comments »

Ford F150 Heater Core Swap, Part 2

Friday, February 9th, 2007

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I posted yesterday regarding my, um, surprise when I discovered that I’d have to remove the entire dash to get at the heater core in my good ‘ole ‘97 F150 pickup.  Well, the job’s part way done, and we finally exposed the heater core.  The above picture shows what it looks like right now.

I always liked my F150, but this job has taught me a few things about Ford pickups.  First, you obviously don’t want to own one long enough to have to replace the heater core.  People aren’t kidding when they say it’s a big job.  It requires removing the dash, the HVAC vent system (that’s as big as the dash), and — if you beleve the manual — the steering column.  As you can see, we managed to leave the steering column in, but that’s not really all that much help.  We’re currently 12+ hours into the job, and the hard part is yet to come.  And this is a couple of guys who’ve done their share of car work sitting in a shop chock-ass full of tools.

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Posted in Editorial, Ford, Work Vehicles | 34 Comments »

I Hate my F150 Right Now

Thursday, February 8th, 2007
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I generally don’t like to whine on Toolmonger, but screw it, today I’m gonna get my whine on.  It seems like every vehicle has an achilles heel when it comes to repairs.  Sure, it might be easy to replace the water pump, but the fuel pump’s on top of the gas tank.  Or the water pump’s behind half the front of the engine.  You know what I’m talking about.

Well, I found one of those on my ‘97 Ford F150.  Guess what you’ve gotta do to get at the heater core: pull the whole f*#$ing dash.  I’m not talking about the instrument cluster, either.  You’ve got to pull the entire damn dash out, including dismantling the passenger-side air bag.  Apparently Ford decided that leaving the core accessible below the glove box — like all sane manufacturers have for years — isn’t the way to go.  Instead, they decided to place it in the freakin’ middle of the firewall behind the dash.

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Posted in Ford, Work Vehicles | 18 Comments »

Super Bowl Ad Rundown, Part 1: Toyota

Monday, February 5th, 2007

What’s the deal with no tool ads during the Super Bowl?  Wow.  You’d think with all the additional focus on selling to individuals and DIYers right now that at least one of the big manufacturers would ante up to get in front of almost every living man, boy, and family thereof in the U.S.

But no tools ads.  We did, however receive two ads from Toyota, who appears to desire once and for all to separate themselves from the “mini-truck” era of yesteryear. 

More weirdness: Did someone forget to tell Toyota that viral video only works if you don’t “disable embedding” so people can, um, pass it virally?

Read on past the jump for our analysis and a stupid link to the second video, since the numnutzes at Toyota disabled it. If someone re-copies it (like the first one), we’ll add the link back in.

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Posted in TV/Media, Toyota, Work Vehicles | 4 Comments »

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