4.0L OHV Soul crushed and seeking advice on starting problems

[TacoBelleGirl]

There should be plenty of used transmissions around if you just want to drop it and replace it yourself.

Honestly, I don't really want to. It's a mix of us hitting the winter season, not having a garage, and that I already did replace the flywheel last year.
I think I want a shop so I end up with a warranty and if something goes kaput it's not my problem.

If it has a ball joint or tie rod end problem, I would get that fixed right away. There is the possibility of a loose ball joint or tie rod end separating, and that is the sort of thing that can kill people.

So I did the smart thing and I called up les schwab and just explained the sitch.. they'll work on it and said if it won't start on the lift they'll push it off.
Tires I had picked out for myself last year were on sale and the ball joint prices came down a little bit...
Scheduled for tomorrow for tires and front end work

 

[TacoBelleGirl]

So 2 ball joints became 4 ball joints...
That + the ATs ended up being $1700 so other than maybe buying a fuel pressure tester I don't plan on buying anything truck related for a while lol.

But! I am quite happy to have new tires and the front end feels solid on the truck now and finally it's no longer pulling to the right.
Also my self assessment of the bumpy, not right feeling ride seemed to have been fairly accurate.. I was told the passenger ball joints were very loose

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

These trucks generally take to being fixed up rather well. I’ve come to terms with the fact that they will cost more to fix up and maintain than they are valued at years ago. Still beats a modern vehicle.

My F-150 I did a bit of an overhaul at one point. Think I dropped like $3,100 in three months on it. Then I drove it changing mostly just oil, tires and brakes for 10 years. None of that cost was labor, I supplied all of the labor in the driveway. That was well worth 10+ years to me. My F-150 is basically a bigger Ranger, TTB front and all.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

When you take cost for upkeep and repairs into account, don't forget to know replacement cost. 40,000 or more for a new truck will do an awful lot of maintenance and repair!
And you're not giving the government tax money twice. Once in income and another on purchase.

 

[TacoBelleGirl]

These trucks generally take to being fixed up rather well. I’ve come to terms with the fact that they will cost more to fix up and maintain than they are valued at years ago. Still beats a modern vehicle.

My F-150 I did a bit of an overhaul at one point. Think I dropped like $3,100 in three months on it. Then I drove it changing mostly just oil, tires and brakes for 10 years. None of that cost was labor, I supplied all of the labor in the driveway. That was well worth 10+ years to me. My F-150 is basically a bigger Ranger, TTB front and all.

I accepted long ago that I will be exceeding the value of the truck in repairs and I am okay with that. I like this truck, it's mine and it's the first manual I've driven more than a couple hundred feet. It's just a lot of money and I need to pay that off before I make any more big expenses towards it.
I'm happy to have it aligned with new tires though and they reported the rest of the suspension is tight, though I guess I should consider doing the front brakes at some point moderately soon. (are springs at all worth considering if they aren't broken?)

I hope that once I finally get the money and get the transmissions, fly, ect sorted out this truck will be reliable for a good long while
Would also love to spend money on improving cleaning up the body and interior as well as generally improving the truck instead of just repairing lol

When you take cost for upkeep and repairs into account, don't forget to know replacement cost. 40,000 or more for a new truck will do an awful lot of maintenance and repair!
And you're not giving the government tax money twice. Once in income and another on purchase.

Oh not only that, but I currently have no desire to have an auto loan that I need to pay off, I've only heard bad things about the reliability of modern vehicles, and honestly modern pickups don't interest me that much. I like my compact truck a lot

 

[RobbieD]

I accepted long ago that I will be exceeding the value of the truck in repairs and I am okay with that. I like this truck, it's mine

Oh not only that, but I currently have no desire to have an auto loan that I need to pay off, I've only heard bad things about the reliability of modern vehicles, and honestly modern pickups don't interest me that much. I like my compact truck a lot

The biggest point, that a lot of people just don't get, is that these types of vehicles are simply not made anymore. Can't get a brand new one, like these, not for love nor money.

Soooo . . . we're all left with having to dip into a shrinking pool, of survivor 30+ year old trucks, if this is what we want.

Yes, parts availability is becoming an issue, but that's life.

In my (admittedly biased) opinion, the '89 through '94 models hit a real sweet spot, with still having old-school simplicity, yet with just the right amount of electronic tech for decent engine management. They're relatively easy to work on, cost effective in use (i.e.- transportation and reliability) and they're honestly fun to drive.

For a person with the right priorities, and skills, these trucks are good investments.

And learning to do your own maintenance and repair, is one of the best investments that you can make, in yourself.


You're doing good with that old truck; pat yourself on the back.