Finally reunited with the Dakota

Well, for those of you who knew I was in England, I'm not anymore. My truck and I are now in Australia.

Damn truck. Got it back today, went through Australian inspection and it FAILED! He said the right tie rod was "worn" bad enough to be "not roadworthy". They also noticed a differential leak (have yet to look at this and see if it's just the mess left behind by the last change).

Damn. Do either of these sound like high $$ fixes? Are there any other, related items (like the left tie rod, which passed) that I should have the Chrysler mechanic have a look at?

Not surprisingly, the 4th isn't a holiday here, so it'll be fixed that day. Guy at the dealership didn't think parts would be an issue. Hope he's right or I'll be asking Mike for help again :)

Didn't someone tell me that the click I started to sometimes feel in the steering wheel could be a tie rod?

Anyway, we're quite enjoying the abundant sunshine and pleasantly cool temperatures here (it's winter here). We only escaped the east coast just in time, we were in DC and in Upstate NY; the flood pictures are amazing, I've never seen flooding in that area like that before! Anybody from around there?

Hello to all the regulars!

jmc

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jmc
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If it's an outer tie rod end, it's a pretty simple and inexpensive fix. Inner ends are much more difficult, and sometimes it's cheaper to just replace the whole rack. The diff leak is a matter of R&R the cover with new silicone sealant. Again, simple and "inexpensive".

Reply to
.boB

Cool, thanks. I'm not a mechanic, but when I go to a new shop - as I will be - I like to go in better informed so I don't get taken for a ride. I've met too many mechanics that think us female types genetically unable to understand vehicles (Jiffy Lube was the worst).

I'll poke my head under the truck today and have a look around; I need to find that defective backup light switch and replace it, anyway.

jmc

Reply to
jmc

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