I thought i'd start this so i have a little record of what i've done and maybe even help someone along the way.

I have own this truck for 3 weeks now, i bought it as an extra vehicle, for occasional hauling and i thought it would be good to have when we get snow.
Little did i know that a 2WD truck is crap in the snow, but it can't be worse than a 350Z with summer tyres....

I picked the truck up with full service history & one owner until the last year before i had it, at which point i think it was just stood before heading for auction to a dealer where i picked it up with 146k miles.

I've come to find it's missing a couple of things, some stuff needs a little TLC and it stinks to high heaven of smoke and a little of whatever is trying to cover it up.



This was after i started trying to get the dealer gunk off the tyres and everything else they slap it on. Still some left to do before i dress it properly.


Dealer: "Yeah, tyres have about 70% left" Yeah, right.


What the hell, this thing's huge, no wonder i can't hear it running!



I was trying to work out what happened here.


It was painfully obvious when i opened the airbox and discovered a monumental nest of some description, composed mainly of fibrous material...

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Definitely been sitting, this was an inch or two deep, same deal between the V, had to get the vac out.



I had some evidence of power steering fluid leak, and having finally seen a small patch under the truck when i moved it, i had a look and discovered this inline filter for the power steering.


The filter was rubbing against the bottom corner of the PS pump, leaking from here?




Set about draining the system and replacing the filter.



Whilst bleeding the system, i noticed this top T piece was leaking coolant onto the engine :(


The plastic T pieces do not come apart.... well, they do, just not in a way they can go back together again, the barbs are still inside the pipes :(


Two new replacement standard T's from NAPA.

 

I'll be trying to get hold of some spare wheels and fitting snow tyres, undecided between studded or studless right now.
It's already going to be expensive as i need new tyres for general driving, thinking Bridgestone Revo 2.

 

Having found that i still had a PS leak after putting the new filter in, i found the reservoir on the pump itself had been cut open by the old filter's ribs :( New pump just for a reservoir leak :(

Ended up having to buy this as normal bleeding wouldn't work.


Had to buy this from Amazon for the large neck on the Ford pump.



Drilled a 1/4 inch hole through it and fitted a regular 1/4 inch brass air connector into it.


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Did i mention to make sure the puller you rent from Autozone isn't damaged and spins freely.

New PS pulley was required.


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The radiator was maybe 3 inches down on coolant, a combination of the T piece leak, and the factory overflow hose was not tight at either the rad neck or the tank, Jubilee clips on the hose stopped that problem.




Although i think the rad cap is now leaking under pressure too :(

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Just ordered a Gates replacement rad cap, marginally cheaper than the Motorcraft part, but probably made in the same place.

 

I hate ATF.

Soooo much, there is nothing about it that i like, it doesn't even act like normal oil, it doesn't wipe up, clean off or move like normal oil, it's evil.

I've never made such a mess since i put new oil in a bike without putting the sump plug back in :(




At least all the bolts came out without a problem (obvious exception being the drain bolt per the picture above)


There is certainly some red to the oil, but it's pretty grungy.

 

Simple Green should work pretty well to remove old garbage on tires.
I use a shower brush to gently scrub it into the tire and then just hose off.

I like this product and after washing things of with Simple Green, you should put something on the tire.
Simple Green is a mild ammonia solution.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Meguiar-s...ctant/16550251

 

I actually hadn't planned on removing the gunk from the tyres at this point, it's on the list, but i was wandering back and forth doing odds and sods, trying to remember what i was going to remove gunk from.....

I remembered incorrectly and hit the tyre with an APC, realising as i finished spraying it that it was the interior i was going to remove the same gunk from.....

I wasn't going to use the APC on the tyres, i have a water based degreaser that will take this right off, hence why only one, and not properly - I recommend 303 Protectant for tyres and other rubber trim, good UV and doesn't give a shiny look that i don't care for, but a 'new tyre' look instead.

 

I'm not going crazy, this is good for Mercon V, right?
It better be alright, because there's $25 worth in the box now.

 

I also fitted the new Gates radiator cap, i'll have to check it's fixed the leaking i saw down the back of the rad.

 

Thought i'd test fit and offer up that tubing to the intake, see what work i'd need to do.
Turned out it needed a quick flat bending in the top and bottom, and it wedged into the airbox hole quite snugly, just enough length to let it suck the cooler air from the front again.



It was held fairly securely, but just to be sure, i added a little hot glue along the top on both sides.

 

Finally, new plugs arrived, slight issue, i need a gap of .044 thou and these came from the factory set to .033 - i have never had to expand the gap from such a tight measurement before and it's taking me ages sing needle nose pliers, trying to make sure i don't damage them.

 

When your trans oil is that dirty, use regular (cheapest you can find).
Run that for a week (maybe even twice over depending on how dirty that is when you drain it).
On the final fill, use your expensive synthetic.

Remove the shifter and fill from there using a long thin funnel, makes it easier if you don't have a pump.
Leave the fill plug out when filling and keep an eye on it.
When it starts to over flow, put the plug in.

Hint on draining the trans so it isn't so messy.
Loosen the plug until it's just about off, hold your container up close and remove the plug.
This lets you know where the fluid will go so it doesn't get all over the floor.

 

Yeah, i did consider flushing, so to speak, but figured i ran it up hot and emptied it immediately, and left it draining for 20 hours, it's gonna be close to cleaned out in there.

Lifting the bowl up probably won't work due to its size, but taking out the last few threads by hand, without using the socket is probably the best here, the main issue with that was purely the plug suddenly disappearing inside the socket and me holding it there causing an oil fountain :(

 

Still getting a little air out of the PS every time i drive it; the fluid level goes down - vacuum will sit there without dropping for 30 minutes. Gonna put some MerconV in to top it up this time, it's only the smallest amount.

I also picked up some winter wheels and studded tyres finally! Not a bad deal i think, got some clean up to do on the wheels though, not sure what it seems to be on the surface of the wheel, it's like glued on tyre fitting paste or something.

 

$40 from Coastal Farm & Ranch.



Half an hour with a tape measure and a hacksaw, it'll look better once it jiggles perfectly into place.

 

Slight issue with huge amounts of the state being on fire, Ash all over the place :(


Still managed to get the new running boards fitted.


Look pretty good i think.


Finally found an antenna i'm happy with, a stubby wouldn't look to scale in my opinion.


Finally used my new tester, i think i might need to flush the brake fluid....

 

Nice looking truck. I just purchased a 02 edge flare side here in the rust belt you can't find clean rust free vehicles over 5 years old.

 

Thanks, all things considered, it's not in bad condition, it seems people really have them falling apart in the salt areas, it's a real shame.

 

MaDMaxx- your 02 looks great, way better than my 04. Mine has paint clear coat peeling or gone on hood and tops of bedsides and plenty of small dings. Oh and front bumper plastic part smashed a bit. Those bumper pieces are hard to find used!
No rust to speak of though.