Clutch job on 2006 ranger, mechanic scam?

[Curious Hound]

The worst unknowns are bleeding the clutch and dealing with rusty, stuck fasteners.

 

[pentode]

He billed $205 an hour so that's where most of the cost is, i agree with you that it's not really worth fighting, but if i had known it would have been that expensive i would have bought a transmission jack and done it in my driveway, learned my lesson for next time. I do believe the book time sits around 6-8 hours. I don't think I'm going to this guy anymore, but next time I'm definitely doing it myself, not worth that much in labor. I've been going to this guy for a while but tbh I feel like there's always something I'm having to fix after he's done with it (wheels not torqued down, brake caliper slide pin bolts missing, etc) so I think I'm pretty much done with his shop. Keep in mind, I'm only 19 and am still learning some stuff on it, but my maintenance list over the past year is very long, so I feel like id be able to knock out a clutch with enough time and patience, I've done a lot of smaller jobs on it so I have a decent amount of experience already.

Totally get it, I didn't stop going to mechanics (sorry mechanics) until I was 25 and had what happened to you happen to me about 5 times. There are good, honest mechanics in the world but they're rare as hen's teeth. I was a bad mechanic when I started but I hardly ever kill anyone anymore.

 

[7aawilson]

Totally get it, I didn't stop going to mechanics (sorry mechanics) until I was 25 and had what happened to you happen to me about 5 times. There are good, honest mechanics in the world but they're rare as hen's teeth. I was a bad mechanic when I started but I hardly ever kill anyone anymore.

Lmao couldn't be me right now with a half seated spark plug cross threaded into my head, that thing ain't getting touched until it misfires, we all make mistakes but learn our lessons too, dreading when im going to need thread repair on it but I got iridium plugs so hopefully they'll last a while

 

[Uncle Gump]

A good cross thread is better then a lock washer.

Get a decent thread chaser and give that a go...

 

[7aawilson]

A good cross thread is better then a lock washer.

Get a decent thread chaser and give that a go...

Oh I ain't touching it for a while, plugs got about 15000 miles on them, they should go about 100000 miles. But it definitely ain't moving in there, I felt it cross and at that point just thought that pulling it back out would be worst so I just kept going, not coming out now

 

[Uncle Gump]

OH...

 

[pentode]

To paraphrase various wise people: cross-threaded is threaded.

Also, what wiseguy decided to start making engines out of aluminium? Iron heads are still undefeated vs spark plugs.

 

[7aawilson]

OH...

Yeah it may need a time sert when I go to replace them, but the truck will have around 200000-250000 miles anyways so at that point i might just pull the heads to do a top end refresh and do the timing chains while I'm at it

 

[7aawilson]

To paraphrase various wise people: cross-threaded is threaded.

Also, what wiseguy decided to start making engines out of aluminium? Iron heads are still undefeated vs spark plugs.

Hey all a cross thread is is just manually tapping new threads into the head, nothing wrong with that, and better than a plastic head too, at least aluminum won't crack like plastic will (cue the thermostat housing)

 

[pentode]

Don't get me started on plastic in engine bays. I'm known to rant.

 

[Li'l Work Truck]

Don't get me started on plastic in engine bays. I'm known to rant.

 

[7aawilson]

Don't get me started on plastic in engine bays. I'm known to rant.

I replaced my thermostat housing before it left me stranded i did not want to deal with hundreds of dollars of a tow for a $60 thermostat and housing off rockauto, got to love that skp actually decided to make an aluminum one, and oh boy do I have a story about that, read this ranger station thread https://www.therangerstation.com/forums/threads/tps-sensor-code-after-thermostat-change.216334/

 

[pentode]

I'm imagining my perfect woman now... "oh please, please get angry about something and don't shut up about it for an hour."

 

[Curious Hound]

With all this talk about cross-threading, I'm making a list of people who are NOT allowed to work on my trucks. I don't care if I'm laying upside down in a muddy, poison ivy covered trail with rattlesnake bites, a bear tearing me apart and a tree lying across my chest. I'll fix the damn truck myself.

 

[7aawilson]

With all this talk about cross-threading, I'm making a list of people who are NOT allowed to work on my trucks. I don't care if I'm laying upside down in a muddy, poison ivy covered trail with rattlesnake bites, a bear tearing me apart and a tree lying across my chest. I'll fix the damn truck myself.

Well I cross threaded the plug myself, first time I ever did spark plugs and tried to get it from the top where I was blind rather than going through the wheelwell, not my brightest moment and I do feel bad for my truck, but it's fixable and I'm owning it, and I'm going to be the one fixing it. I'd much rather have a small screw up and learn a lesson than pay for a mechanic to do it for me.