What did you do to your Ranger today? (Part Deux!)

[Rick W]

That's where the leak is. One thought; you do have the reservoir on that side of the check valve. Right? Between check valve and AC controls.

Yes. When I first had the problem, before I bought the smoke machine, I swapped out the sphere which had been damaged by rubbing the belt, and I put in one of the soup cans like you find on there 80s and 70s full-size Fords like my Towncars. I’m guessing it’s 2 to 3 times the volume of the little sphere. That improved it a lot, but that didn’t do it, which is why I finally got the smoke machine and found a real leaks.

When I had a similar problem on the F250 after putting in a new belt driven vacuum pump, and I put the smoke machine on it, I had a problem up by the firewall, but smoke came out from under the dashboard like the dashboard was on fire. I chased down a little bit of it, but the heat and air was working fine, so I never really pulled all those guts out.

 

[youngbuckwithapickuptruck]

do you think it would be a good idea to make a "9in drum brake General Thread" in the brakes sub-forum for questions that dont really necessitate their own thread? a general thread that can be searched for and bumped by others working on their brakes in the future.

a few questions I have:
1. is drum brake overhaul much easier with the axle-shaft+hub removed from the vehicle and out of the way or does it not make much of a difference?
2. looks like those drum brake tools could easily be identified and bought at the flea market for $1ea, eh?
3. is it advised to also change out star adjuster if the vehicle does not live in the rust belt (though the mechanism is 25y.o)
4. should i swap out my brake cylinder even though there is no sign of a leak? -i asked this earlier but didnt get a response "if it aint broke, dont fix it"

also i found a 1992 radiator fan at pick-n-pull with no signs of cracking whatsoever so i bought it $18.99. I labeled and dated mine and threw it in storage in case this one gives out in a month or three.

 

[Curious Hound]

1. is drum brake overhaul much easier with the axle-shaft+hub removed from the vehicle and out of the way or does it not make much of a difference?

Doesn't make much difference once you figure it out. I definitely would NOT add axle shaft removal to my drum brake procedures. That's way too much work.

2. looks like those drum brake tools could easily be identified and bought at the flea market for $1ea, eh?

Probably. I've never looked for them there. Honestly, the spring removal/installation tool is the only special tool I use for drum brakes. I adjust the star wheel with a screwdriver. I've had my spring tool since around 1991 or longer.

3. is it advised to also change out star adjuster if the vehicle does not live in the rust belt (though the mechanism is 25y.o)

Inspect and evaluate. I often just take it apart, clean thoroughly, coat the threads with grease and re-assemble/re-install. Take note. One side has regular threads and the other has left-hand threads. Do not swap tjem from driver side to passenger side and vice-versa. They won't work.

4. should i swap out my brake cylinder even though there is no sign of a leak? -i asked this earlier but didnt get a response "if it aint broke, dont fix it"

If it ain't broke, don't fix it unless you just have the extra money and want to make sure it's new. Those cylinders generally last quite a while and they're cheap and quick to replace when they do fail.

 

[Curious Hound]

One more thing. Take a bunch of pictures from different angles of all the brake hardware before disassembly. That makes it much easier to put back together correctly and KNOW that you have it assembled correctly.

 

[Uncle Gump]

One more thing. Take a bunch of pictures from different angles of all the brake hardware before disassembly. That makes it much easier to put back together correctly and KNOW that you have it assembled correctly.

While I agree that photos are a good idea... if they aren't correct to begin with... they're of no use.

 

[youngbuckwithapickuptruck]

another question not worth its own thread...
am i okay to torch this area or are these parts sensitive to heat?
how about penetrating fluid?
i was the last person in here ~18mo ago and i applied blue thread locker and tightened, but now it is GORILLA tight and my little wrench doesnt want to move it and my 8mm socket is a sloppy fit.
..might have to go source a tighter fitting 8mm socket

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

another question not worth its own thread...
am i okay to torch this area or are these parts sensitive to heat?
how about penetrating fluid?
i was the last person in here ~18mo ago and i applied blue thread locker and tightened, but now it is GORILLA tight and my little wrench doesnt want to move it and my 8mm socket is a sloppy fit.
..might have to go source a tighter fitting 8mm socket

I think some heat to loosen the blue lock-tight would be fine. Just be careful of the very flamable oil in there. Keep some cotton or wool fabric handy to smother flames.
And look for 6 point socket or wrench.
I'm not sure if 5/16" might be a tighter fit?

 

[Rick W]

Keep the heat away from the seal around the pinion that goes out to the driveshaft, and at the end of each axle. I don’t think there’s anything in the pumpkin that would be an issue.

Edit: except of course the oil

 

[Rick W]

The Missing Linc has 60-40 w/armrest donor seats from a 1993 extended cab range. I need the driver side, bottom seat, cushion foam, and I can’t seem to find it online. Well, I found one for $400 and I’m not going to do that.

Does anybody know where I can find the foam seat cushion for a 1993 6040 seat? Or what might be an easy swamp with a little modification? I’m looking for the $50 version not the $400 version.

As always, thanks in advance

A repeat:

Does anyone know where I can get the driver bottom foam pad for a 1993 6040 seat?

 

[Curious Hound]

A repeat:

Does anyone know where I can get the driver bottom foam pad for a 1993 6040 seat?

Look at your sofa. There are 3 cushions. You always use the same one. Grab one of the others and trim to fit.

 

[ElectraRider]

To bad your not closer I would give you the whole seat and passenger seat, I personally prefer consoles.

 

[pjtoledo]

another question not worth its own thread...
am i okay to torch this area or are these parts sensitive to heat?
how about penetrating fluid?
i was the last person in here ~18mo ago and i applied blue thread locker and tightened, but now it is GORILLA tight and my little wrench doesnt want to move it and my 8mm socket is a sloppy fit.
..might have to go source a tighter fitting 8mm socket

5/16 is a tighter fit by about .002"
for this bolt a good quality tool is required.

get it out yet?

 

[Rick W]

Look at your sofa. There are 3 cushions. You always use the same one. Grab one of the others and trim to fit.

Aha! But how do you think that will go over with the cute little brunette?

Let me give a little more info. This is not just for the comfort of my butt. I’m sure you recall I had surgery on my elbow because of nerve problems that had to do with the operation of my right hand. Literally last week I realized that in that 87, I’m probably sitting 3 inches lower than if I had a new seat. That means that elbow on the armrest is pushing down with 10 times the force instead of just laying there for comfort. For all I know, it may have been the reason I got the nerve problem in the first place.

So I’ve done some research. Dense foam, actually any foam, is rated by the pounds per cubic foot. That’s how they rate the density. Car seat foam is about 2.5 to 3.0 pounds per foot cubed. Having that density is probably important because of my medical issue.

If I want to make my own, sofa cushions and the stuff they sell on line and in Home Depot is 1.0 to 1.5 to a max of 1.8, and I can’t find anything online that’s higher than that. And I’d actually prefer to buy a true ready-to-go replacement rather than fabricate one.

So again, thank you as always, but still looking.

Plan B is to measure my seat and head to the pull a part and see if I can find a late model low mileage seat that’s close.

 

[SenorNoob]

Is the 20 parts of the 60 still good? If it is you could get the rest from a passenger seat in the yard. It's one of the benefits of buckets. Usually the passenger seat is in much better shape and has the same pad and cover.

 

[Jazzer]

https://www.carparts.com/seat-foam

Not for the 6040 but just the seating area.