Legal Bill
Junior Member
Hello everyone. My 1500 is an '05 regular cab with the 5.7 and 192,000 miles. My goal is to make it as reliable as I can by identifying common wear items that might be worn out or borderline. I've replaced a few things already and I have a list of to-do items based on my observations. I'm not sure how far I should go on some of these projects and I'm also not sure who the best parts manufacturers are for the value/quality proposition. I don't want cheap junk, but the Mopar parts seem to cost two or three times what I find on Rock Auto. I hope some folks can make recommendations.
1. Brakes
The fronts look and feel fine. The rears needed to have the parking brake adjusted and I ended up taking the system apart to inspect everything. The rotor faces had rust on the outer and inner 1/2 inch while the middle of the surface area appeared smooth and shiny, suggesting that the pads are not coming into contact evenly. The calipers and carriers are very rusty. I am wondering if I should replace the calipers as well as the rotors, pads. If so, who offers a good reliable product at a good price? Power Stop?
Second rear brake question, my truck has rear anti lock brakes. If i replace the rear calipers, will I need to do something special, or have an OBD II tool to operate the ABS in order to bleed the rear brakes properly?
Third related brake question. Some of my brake lines are rusty, especially in the front. I'm considering replacing the very rusty metal lines. I notice the brake lines have a coating on them. Many of them look great, but may have a spot where I see some rust, especially at the fittings. How much rust should I tolerate before replacing them? Should I also replace the hoses? Is there a supplier that offers a kit that provides accurately pre-bent lines and quality materials?
Fourth, the pedal feels ok, but gets firmer after one pump. I wonder if it needs a power bleeding or a vacuum bleeding, or, again, and OBDII assisted bleeding to get all the air out? Any preference here?
2. Rust.
I see a lot of heavy surface rust under the truck, especially the front end where things are very crowded and cramped. There is some under the bed and at the bumper/trailer hitch area. The bed and trailer hitch area would be reasonably easy to scrape, sand, clean and paint with an anti rust coating. The front looks like it would be a real pain. Have any of you spent the time sanding, cleaning and painting rusted areas under the truck? What coating do you recommend? I see Por 15, Eastwood Rust Encapsulator and a spray on rust converter as the best three options. Any experience or preference? Is it worth trying to scrape sand and paint the underside of the front end?
3. Starter and Cables
The truck seems to have the wrong battery installed. there is no longer any blanket in place, the hold down is missing, and I can't even find the battery temperature sensor. The positive cable has some corrosion. The starter motor and solenoid housings are very rusty and the cable running from the solenoid to the motor is green. So I plan to replace the battery and the starter. Is there a starter motor that you would recommend? I see units ranging form $59 all the way up to over $200. The $110 AC Delco unit at Rock Auto looks like it might be a good value/quality compromise.
Second electrical question, I see on line what appear to be battery cable repair sections that allow you to cut off the first six inches or so of the old cable and splice on a replacement head. Are these repair cables reliable? Is there any benefit to using them over a whole new cable?
If I'm replacing the starter, is there anything else beside the cable i should repalace at the same time? For example,in my parts searches I see a starter relay come up. Should I replace that at the same time?
Thanks very much to those who took the time to read this. I'd appreciate your thoughts and comments.
Best,
Bill
1. Brakes
The fronts look and feel fine. The rears needed to have the parking brake adjusted and I ended up taking the system apart to inspect everything. The rotor faces had rust on the outer and inner 1/2 inch while the middle of the surface area appeared smooth and shiny, suggesting that the pads are not coming into contact evenly. The calipers and carriers are very rusty. I am wondering if I should replace the calipers as well as the rotors, pads. If so, who offers a good reliable product at a good price? Power Stop?
Second rear brake question, my truck has rear anti lock brakes. If i replace the rear calipers, will I need to do something special, or have an OBD II tool to operate the ABS in order to bleed the rear brakes properly?
Third related brake question. Some of my brake lines are rusty, especially in the front. I'm considering replacing the very rusty metal lines. I notice the brake lines have a coating on them. Many of them look great, but may have a spot where I see some rust, especially at the fittings. How much rust should I tolerate before replacing them? Should I also replace the hoses? Is there a supplier that offers a kit that provides accurately pre-bent lines and quality materials?
Fourth, the pedal feels ok, but gets firmer after one pump. I wonder if it needs a power bleeding or a vacuum bleeding, or, again, and OBDII assisted bleeding to get all the air out? Any preference here?
2. Rust.
I see a lot of heavy surface rust under the truck, especially the front end where things are very crowded and cramped. There is some under the bed and at the bumper/trailer hitch area. The bed and trailer hitch area would be reasonably easy to scrape, sand, clean and paint with an anti rust coating. The front looks like it would be a real pain. Have any of you spent the time sanding, cleaning and painting rusted areas under the truck? What coating do you recommend? I see Por 15, Eastwood Rust Encapsulator and a spray on rust converter as the best three options. Any experience or preference? Is it worth trying to scrape sand and paint the underside of the front end?
3. Starter and Cables
The truck seems to have the wrong battery installed. there is no longer any blanket in place, the hold down is missing, and I can't even find the battery temperature sensor. The positive cable has some corrosion. The starter motor and solenoid housings are very rusty and the cable running from the solenoid to the motor is green. So I plan to replace the battery and the starter. Is there a starter motor that you would recommend? I see units ranging form $59 all the way up to over $200. The $110 AC Delco unit at Rock Auto looks like it might be a good value/quality compromise.
Second electrical question, I see on line what appear to be battery cable repair sections that allow you to cut off the first six inches or so of the old cable and splice on a replacement head. Are these repair cables reliable? Is there any benefit to using them over a whole new cable?
If I'm replacing the starter, is there anything else beside the cable i should repalace at the same time? For example,in my parts searches I see a starter relay come up. Should I replace that at the same time?
Thanks very much to those who took the time to read this. I'd appreciate your thoughts and comments.
Best,
Bill