Just bought 99 v6 3.0 4x4...help w/fluids, no book

[RumpRanger98]

if it is indeed the steering rack pressure fitting your talking about, then no there is no gasket. its a flared fitting (like brake lines). with the truck off, you can remove the line. fluid will run out, so have a drain pan ready and be fast so you dont waste all your power steering fluid. top the system off after your all done (it takes dextron III automatic transmission fluid).

awesome thanks for the help

 

[rurouni20xx]

question on the oil leak, ive seen in the past where when doing an oil change the gasket on the oil filter coming off the old filter and staying on the block. after the new filter is installed you now have two gaskets and when pressure is applied (running the engine) it leaks. fig i would throw that out there since its a simple thing that i found on accident one time.

 

[RumpRanger98]

question on the oil leak, ive seen in the past where when doing an oil change the gasket on the oil filter coming off the old filter and staying on the block. after the new filter is installed you now have two gaskets and when pressure is applied (running the engine) it leaks. fig i would throw that out there since its a simple thing that i found on accident one time.

ill be looking at it today, but how much room is there to change the filter. i hate filters that point down, too messy

 

[JohnnyO]

I used to have the same truck. Use a high-mileage 5w-30 like Max Life or whatever and a Motorcraft FL-400S filter. The transmission and transfer case take plain Mercon ATF (not Mercon V) which is not hard to do yourself if you get a suction gun to fill them. Yes, the manual tranny takes ATF. The transfer case is aluminum so do not overtighten the plugs or the threads will strip. Just snug is fine. There may be a vibration damper weight on the back of the t-case, just unbolt the three bolts that hold it on and the drain plug is behind it. The fill plug is a few inches above. I use Mobil 1 ATF on both. With those miles I would change the axle lube also, the rear you can do yourself, the front is impossible to do without a suction machine unless you want to remove the whole diff. The Valvoline Qwicky-Lube near me does axles for $39.95 each with a suction machine, at that price it's not worth the bother of doing the rear myself either. The front axle takes 75w-90, same for the rear unless it's a limited-slip then it takes 75w-140 plus L/S additive.

ill be looking at it today, but how much room is there to change the filter. i hate filters that point down, too messy

On my old '99 the filter was on the driver's side of the block pointing sideways and there was a funnel with a hose bolted to the side of the block. You unscrew the filter from above and tip it into the funnel, well, before that aim the hose into your drain pan. When your're done just tuck the hose above the axle. On the other hand, after 10 years the funnel may not be there any more.

I would also flush the cooling system and change the antifreeze if it looks dirty.

 

[RumpRanger98]

if its that much per axle and most likely Id take it in for the front, Ill just have them do both. Im going to definately drain the radiator, was going to let a house fill it while i ran it for a while to flush it, is that a good idea? I was thinking, open the radiator drain, take off radiator cap, stick a house in with just enough water flowing to keep the radiator full. Then run the truck with the heat on high. This should eventually get all the old coolant out right?

is there a difference between mercon and dexron atf? Im going to replace the oil drain plug and tranny draing plug, just so they are fresh bolts with fresh washer seals.

unfortuneately it looks like rain all week here, not sure how much i can get done if any at all

 

[rurouni20xx]

your oil filter (as much as i hate it) is at a 45 degree angle under the exhaust manifold on the drivers side just above the starter. i can only change it from the top one foot on the driver wheel and my knee above the headlight both both hands on it to loosen then right hand loosening it the rest of the way. the reason i hate it is its right above the starter, when changing the oil you accidentally pour some on the starter and you have premature starter issues, my trk in 16 yrs has went thru 11 starters cuz of this. in the last 5 yrs i fig out how to get the filter unskrewed and lower the back of it and tip the top up square so lil oil gets on the starter and pull it out that way and have only been thru one starter in 4 yrs. when i rebuild my trk im going w/ a filter relocation kit. the dif between dexron and mercon is dexron 3 meets mercon 1 requirements. your trk calls for mercon in your tranny, however mercon 5 meets all requirements and you can run this safely w/ no consequence. hope this helps.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

as johnnyo said, newer 3.0's have a little plastic funnel that keeps most of the oil off the starter. i always get my filter from the bottom. partly because im working on a vehicle hoist, partly because i only change my oil after its up to temp...and i still have the scar from the last time i tried to snake my wrists in past that hot exhaust manifold from the top.

heres how i flush my vehicles cooling system:

napa sells a chemical flush that works wonders for removing rust and scale. its made by macs, comes in a blue bottle, and is in powder form. they also sell a flush thats in liquid form...dont confuse the two.

while your at napa, pick up a new thermostat and gasket (cheap).

when you get home, as per the instructions on the bottle, drain your cooling system. while its empty, remove your t-stat (install the housing using the old gasket...it should seal well enough for your purpose).

flush the system with water then drain and refill with water plus the flush. let the truck circulate this mixture at idle for 30 minutes. drain, fill/flush, then drain and install your new t-stat and gasket. refill with no more than a 50/50 mix. if you live in more temperate climate, more water is better. i usually run 75-80% water and 25-20% antifreeze.

i know it sounds like kind of a long drawn out proceedure...and it kind of is. best to save it for a weekend when you can wait for the truck to cool between flushings.

 

[99RangerBoss]

hey wicked what ratio did you run when you lived in alaska 60/40?? because i live in winnipeg manitoba canada and its gets pretty f'n cold here in winter?

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

i ran a 50/50 mix while i lived in cordova.

heres an antifreeze protection range chart:

as you can see, a 50/50 mix is good till about -30 degrees fahrenheit (-34 degrees to be exact). cordova is fairly "warm" as far as alaska goes. the coldest it ever got was about -15 or so. IMO, if you live somewhere where you need better than a 50/50 mix...you need a block heater

 

[rurouni20xx]

one thing i like nowadays prestone and a lot of other companies sell prediluted 50/50 coolant/deionized water. cheaper and takes the guesswork out of mixing.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

personally, i dont like buying water. ive always used tap water. but then again i always flush my cooling system every 3 years like im supposed to do. ive never had any problems with corrosion, rust, or scale in any of the vehicles ive owned.

50/50 is also too heavy of a mix for 90% of americans (and many canadians ) needs. remember that the more glycol you add to a system, the slower your coolant transfers heat...meaning reduced system efficiency.