Thanks for the replies. 41 ft/lbs for the idler sure does feel like a lot though??? The 30 ft/lbs for the auto belt tensioner and 25 ft/lbs for the oil pan plug were a sinch! I even tried the idler pulley @ 30 ft/lbs, and I didn't even get a click on that b4 I stopped cuz I got scared! I battle a neurological disorder and because of that, I've lost a great deal of strength & dexterity in my hands & feet. Will just keep an on it!
Now that my is no longer under warranty, I'm goin to try and save some $, do what I can on my own. So I rely on my torque wrenches for proper application. But for that idler pulley, I ended up going with 2 ugga uggas! 40 ft/lbs just felt too much. I was worried about snapping the bolt, my father-in-law(fil), said I'd strip out the aluminum threads first! I'm lucky I have great in-laws & my kids have incredible grand-parents! I digress!
In the past 5 days I've replaced my cabin air filter, engine air filter, idler pulley & serp belt, changed my oil & filter and rotated the tires. Saved at least $500. I kno it's all very basic, but as a person w/a disability, I was quite happy w/myself!
Although @ 34000kms, my fil said the pulley & belt didn't need b done! My worry was time, truck is six years old now. I kept the old parts, packed them intoon board, just in case! He was prob right though, they looked great, but I already had them off! My fil does his own regular maintenance on his 07 PW & 09 Ram 1500. So I would usually go w/his advice, but he hadn't arrived yet! But, that is why I listened to him when he told me to dump the rest of the last quart in! I wanted to leave a 100mls, check & go from there. Now I feel like I'm just a touch over.
Unfortunately neither of our garages are perfectly flat! Going to run through jiffy lube(nice level surface) on Monday, it'll b way easier for them to let of few drops of my new RP out, if needed! We literally let her drain for 45mins! Engine was warmed up too. We put exactly 7 quarts back in. But I guess you can never really get all of the old oil out, unless you have two hours?!?
We did find that my front passenger strut is clearly leaking, covered in oil! Which could be what I've been feeling for the last year and a half? If so, I'm going to be mad. When I first started to feel it, the truck was still under warranty. Twice I took it in, had a service tech road test it and check the suspension. They gave me an "everything looks good, could be the age of the tires, could be road conditions"?!? My favorite was "feels like all the other big trucks that come through"!!! I get I have a full size truck. But it's a completely stock Ram 1500 w/camper shell and a med sized tote for tools, rain gear, etc..... It's by no means "a big truck"!?! When I drive my fils' PW, it's completely different than a half-ton. Prior to my disability, I drove a Ram 2500 w/service bed for many years for work, that was a big heavy truck. If you can't feel the differences between a 1500 compared to 2500/3500, should you then be diagnosing problems or even repairing said truck??? I remember a mechanic(can't remember his name), but he said "there is a difference between a mechanic and service tech. A mechanic can figure out why something failed, a service tech is a parts swapper. A computer tells them what's wrong, and they replace it.
Anyways, excited to see how the truck runs, and sounds running the RP! About a month ago, right after a morning start up, I heard a knock in the motor. The knock didn't start right away, it started about 45secs after ignition. Nor did it last very long. It caught me off guard! By the time I got my phone out to try and record the sound of it, it stopped! First time and only time I've ever heard it. It sounded like it was coming from the bottom of the engine, right in front of where the pedals are. Hopefully the RP can be help?
Going to check diff levels and transfer case in a couple of weeks. Now that I know the front struts need to be replaced, it may be easier to convince the wife to let me lift it!?!
Take care guys.
