Thought The TRS Community Might Appreciate This

[1996xlt]

More of rant than anything, but I bought my 02 XLT in mid June and today was the first time I've changed the oil in it. I already had the oil/filter so, I figured this afternoon to take care of it.....or so I thought.

After a trip to Oreily's for a new drain plug (galled threads on the plug, not the oil pan) and running over to my dad's garage for an oil filter wrench 3 hours later I was done. Think its a record? I'm at least twenty minutes north/south from the nearest part store... What baffles me is why would whomever changed the oil last, not know the plug was cross threaded?

A little history on the truck (that I've surmised): dad bought the truck for his son and he had it living on the beach (NC OBX) so, as you might have guessed it, I've been fighting my share of rust issues (already replaced the rear brake hardline because it blew out in my driveway and shackles that both were completely gone, resting on the leaf spring eye)

Anyway its done and at least now I know the right stuff is in it. Cheers!

 

[wildbill23c]

That's done until you go to change the fluid in the transmission, transfer case, front and rear diffs, etc. LOL. Its a never ending battle with used vehicles sometimes. You just really never know what the previous owner(s) did to it, or in some cases didn't do LOL.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Nothing holds like a good crossthread.

 

[Mark_88]

Well, at least the PO didn't try to JB weld the plug in there...haha...or did he?

Anyway, yes, I've BTDT too with buying a used vehicle...as have many on here...it wouldn't surprise me to find that the oil was changed at a shop with some pimple faced kid with other things on his mind wondering why the plug was so hard to put in...

Just think of how quickly you will do the following oil changes...and I bet you can't wait to try to find more interesting things that you can fix...

Oh, spring shackles...yeah...probably a good thing you found that out sooner than later...

 

[wildbill23c]

I think my last trip to a lube shop ended any chance of any lube shop working on any vehicle of mine ever again.

I had a 94 Toyota 4Runner and took it in to have all the fluids changed right after I bought it, something I always do with a used vehicle as I never trust what a previous owner or dealer says about the maintenance. So I get it back, drive across town back to the house and kept hearing a really bad rattle when turning. So I pull it up onto the carport and have a look. Turns out they didn't tighten the bolts to the skid plate down correctly so the skid plate was hanging underneath with the only bolt that hadn't fallen out yet. I got pissed, took the skid plate off, drove back down to the shop, and asked what they used to put the skid plate on with and why the bolts weren't torqued down. The guy reaches down in the pit and shows me this little Black & Decker 3.7V screwdriver with a socket on it. I said oh hell no you didn't, he's like yeah it tightens them down just fine, I said the hell it does, I didn't even make it back home 4 miles before the bolts fell out. So I made them pay for and replace all the bolts in the skid plate, and they no longer had that little screwdriver when I left.

These shops hire complete idiots to work on vehicles, and have absolutely no business touching a vehicle. This goes right along with the auto parts stores where I live, they hire complete idiots who don't even have a clue what the parts are you are trying to buy, can't locate the right parts or read the part numbers correctly. Yet the one store wouldn't hire my uncle who had 23 years of parts warehouse, and parts shipping experience from a huge parts warehouse in California where he used to work.

 

[doorgunner]

wildbill_........................................

I got some spare Zanax/no charge

(My daughter did the MalWart oil change.........drain plug fell out on the way home....oil pressure safety switch killed the engine--Thank God)

 

[wildbill23c]

Doorgunner, unless it puts me out of my misery don't bother LOL.

 

[1996xlt]

I have no doubt the PO took it to a shop to have the oil changed, had a service sticker in the windshield "service in XXXXXXX miles." He didn't strike me as a "hands on" kind of a guy....nor was his son.

The kicker on the drain plug the one I took out was a 17mm head and the new one was a 16mm, makes me wonder if they lost the correct one and threw one they had lying around in its place. Anyway, I'll fix all his screw ups and make it the truck I want.