Newbie from TX

therealdgh · #1 (**permalink**) 01-18-2007, 09:56 AM

Howdy y'all,

I actually posted in Hometown America first and forgot to post here, so am doing it now. I just had to put Texas before everything else.

I've been pining over a diesel for a couple years now, and finally got me one. :> Just decided to jump in with both feet (the wife helped push things along by totalling her car - oh, yeah, she's fine) and went out and got a 1997 F-350 4x4 7.3L crew cab long bed right at the end of the year - literally, on 29 Dec 06. I didn't know the original ball joints would last for 216,000 miles!

I decided to get an old one in case I did something stupid like putting gas in it - DOH! Only having owned gas vehicles, I figured I would buy an older one that was broken in and I could fix up to get used to working in/around diesels and if I broke it, oh well. Already had the ball joints (all four), oil pan seal and all the fluids changed by a diesel shop (Diesel Dynamics of Joshua rocks!). The rest is up to me - mostly.

I have already replaced the multi-function switch (to me, it is a fancy turn signal switch), all the bulbs behind the instrument panel (don't ask....found out the previous owner glued the headlight knob to the shaft

), and fixed both front doors' pull handles (still have to work on driver's side - doesn't want to push the lock button up enough to unlatch). Next is riping out the old air brake system and replacing the manual hub locks with new Warn lockers - got stuck when I thought the front wheels were engaged.

Being a total newbie to diesels - heck, to auto maintenance - don't be surprised if I ask some really off the wall questions.