TakingThe5th
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Re: Downsizing, sort of?
pressure_welder wrote: No worries there on the equity, i have about 15,000$ Positive equity. While this won’t pay for the entire used truck will certainly pay for half. Then will just pay cash for remainder. To dig out of my car loan mess - I kept my car and kept my cash. Since I had essentially already paid most of the interest on the loan, I also kept the loan. When I finally paid off the loan I continued to pay myself by saving that monthly payment (I used payroll deduction at the time). When it was time for the next car/truck I had the cash I needed - no loan. I bought the new vehicle and continued to save a monthly payment for myself. After we retired, the DW was in an accident which totaled the car. The insurance payment was fair but to get back into the car market we needed additional cash, which we already had because we had been saving for it. Using this method, vehicles have been much cheaper because the bank was not involved. The lesson for me was - always use your own money, then you will automatically have more. Spend tomorrow's money today, then what will you be able to spend tomorrow? The magic for me was not in trading vehicles, the magic is in cash management. Start small and grow big. Good luck.350Views0likes0CommentsRe: Downsizing, sort of?
You might want to take a look at your loan to see if it uses a calculation method called "the Rule of 78" or "Sum of the digits" to compute your interest charges. If this method is used then it means that you may not have the equity you expected in your truck. If this method or other similar methods were used it means you have already paid much of the loan's total interest charge and consequently very little equity, by comparison, was accumulated. Laws in your area might not allow the use of these methods but it would be worth it to check it out before proceeding with your downsizing plans. I have not had an auto/truck loan since I discovered that these methods were being used to help lenders earn their interest early in the life of the loan.350Views0likes0CommentsRe: E450 trans oil change?
RAS43 wrote: The manual for my '06 F350 states to change the transmission oil at 30000 miles, along with the inline filter. I change it sooner 'cause the truck is used for towing mostly and west of me is the rocky mountains. My '05 F350 6.0 also calls for a 30,000 trans oil change interval.984Views0likes0CommentsRe: Brakes AGAIN !
whjco wrote: Have you checked the parking brake for a sticking cable? I'm not the OP, but I've checked the parking brake on my truck and it's OK, but this has also happened with the front calipers. I've also had this problem since the truck was new and all of those calipers have seized and been replaced so I haven't seen where it is a remanufacturing problem. But it does make me wonder if there was a supplier who made a bad caliper since some have the problem and some people don't.345Views0likes0CommentsRe: Brakes AGAIN !
Grit dog wrote: And if a person, especially living in the salt belt, does not adequate lube the slides, that is the second most likely cause IMO. No "light grease rubs" into the pores of the steel. First, it sounds dirty or you're having too much fun rubbing your pins... Anti seize that stuff and be done with it. Glad you enjoyed my "grease rub" comment. What I meant to say was I used the smallest amount of "grease" to moisten the metal without the danger of getting it on the pads or rotor. To do that I have used my bottle of brake caliper lube, or those little packets that they sometimes throw in, or anti-seize - I've tried them all. I've considered the salt issue. I clean my brakes every year, only because of this problem, and I see no salt-related issues. I've heard some people talk about concern over the "beet juice" that they spread on the roads here - some say it is more corrosive then salt but, again, I'm not seeing it in my brakes and my truck is still almost rust-free. And my other vehicles are having no problems like this. I too have been exercising the ABS system as well as I can to purge out old fluid but I've also heard that having a computer program that can open the valves in the ABS would be a nice way to flush it out completely, But since I have been having this problem since the truck was nearly new I wonder if the ABS unit has been defective rather then worn out or old but haven't found anything on the internet that would support that thought. If you are wondering why I didn't take the truck in under warranty for the ABS unit - this problem wasn't that obvious until after the warranty expired. I hadn't put many miles on it and I thought the problems were related to lack of use.345Views0likes0CommentsRe: Brakes AGAIN !
Dave H M wrote: Are you folks making sure the caliper pins are free and lubed. That was a pesky item on my ole 7.3 psd. Yes, pins are lubed and everything that moves is moving well. I sand any rust off moving surfaces and "moisten" them with a very light "grease rub" into the pores of the metal. I do this every year. You didn't mention the year of your 7.3, but my niece has a 2002 7.3 and has had no problems with brakes.88Views0likes0CommentsRe: Brakes AGAIN !
I'm having the same problem and it's always just one wheel, not multiple wheels and not a total lockup. Twice the caliper got really hot while I was going down the highway at speed, hitting the brakes rather lightly only to exit to a rest area. The other times were during solo driving with no heavy demands on the brakes. My suspicion now is that the brakes are dragging not as a result of normal use. In other words, I began to suspect that the ABS unit was somehow involved, reasoning that if I'm not riding the brake, then the only other normal way that brakes would be applied is through the ABS system. I too had also heard that the brake hoses could be the culprit and mine are original. But recently I just had the ABS sensor throw a code that it was bad and have replaced it. So far so good but it's too early to tell. But I am still planning to replace the hoses and maybe the lines with stainless braided before the season begins but I'm trying to first satisfy my curiosity on if it was the ABS sensor on the pumpkin.88Views0likes0CommentsRe: help newbie with charging house/solar battery
blueh20 wrote: hi, trying to learn about keeping my house/solar battery in good condition. My parts. -3 renolgy 100w eclipse panels, -renolgy 40amp commander controller, lifeline 255ah batt , renolgy MT50 digital controller. My first winter with my solar system(ford e250)sitting a little stagnant in my garage. I do drive it just enough in the winter to keep the battery up but lately its gotten down to 12.5v so I stuck my 4 amp battery charger on it. In about an hour the MT50 registered 14.1v but the Battery icon on the MT50 showed the battery about 2/3 full and seemed to just stop increasing. After 2 hours the MT50 still registered 14.1, the battery icon was still at 2/3+ full.(battery charger had floated down to 2.25amps) Not trusting that I know what I am doing,so before bed I just unplugged the charger and figured I would start over in the morning. This morning the battery was down to 12.5v again, stuck the charger on and its on its way back up to were it was last night. seems as though I just need to leave the charger on for a longer time, My question..is this scenario normal? What should I do, thanks. I'm not a solar expert but I have Battery Minders on all my "stuff" in the garage - riding mower, tractor, diesel truck, etc. The Battery Minder will condition all my wet-cell batteries and will not overcharge, even when left on for extended periods of time. Under those circumstances I don't worry about voltage, I just make sure the water levels are good. Hope that helps.92Views0likes0Comments
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