'88xtracab

hey everyone, I just picked up "my new to me" 1988 22re automatic trans xtra cab yesterday and took it to my mechanic today. he gave me a laundry list of things that needed done, but he didn't seem to think that they were 100% necessary to take care of before my 450 miles drive/move down to Charlotte this weekend. Just curious if anyone has a different opinion and thinks I should get some of it taken care of prior to my trip for my safety or the prevention of a possible breakdown. the drive between PA and NC goes through numerous mountains and areas of minimal to no cell coverage and can be very rural.

here is the list and he ranked the order of importance...

#1 leaking rear wheel cylinders (both)
#1 right rear brake shoe broken (chunk missing)
#2 rear parking brake assemblies frozen (parking break doesn't work)
#3 hole in muffler (any recommendations for exhaust upgrade for more power?)
#4 rear pinion seal leaking
#5 alternator drive belts old and brittle
#5 front and back shocks are pretty bad

so what would you guys not take a chance with on a 450 mile drive with a loaded down truck??

also, would you rate out of 10 the difficulty of doing these yourself?

finally, the motor is pretty sluggish, especially on hills. any quick tune ups I should do on a "new to me" truck to help? seafoam? new plugs/wires? etc?

thanks everyone!
josh

rworegon

Brakes and all related leaking components...... Safety issue don't take a chance on these.

RSR

Search first, ask second. There's way more info in the archives than you'll get from responses on here.

#1: Fix your brakes! Stopping is way more important than going...
Check out rotorpros for brakes: http://rotorpros.net/
Rear drums and shoes should be $100 for backend and $140 for frontend. Reviewed well on here and by mopar action: http://rotorpros.net/pdf/mopar.pdf

#2: Exhaust can wait. Search if you want to replace.

#3: Replace your rear pinion seal. You don't want your rear diff to go lose all of it's oil and then have to replace -- or to have to be checking and refilling your rear diff on the road.

#4: Replace your belts, and might as well do your timing chain too. If they break on the road you're screwed. And if your timing chain breaks or stretches it'll destroy your interference 22re.

#5: Replace your suspension or you'll ruin your tires within the first 2k miles. And replace your tires while you're at it.

I put a pretty exhaustive summary of stuff not related to 22re engine mechanics, reliability summary, etc, over here: http://www.expeditionportal.com/foru...po-Build/page5

Filters, fluids, general maintenance are a good place to start.

But head over to the FSM and make sure all 30k and 60k maintenance procedures are completed: http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-b...intenance.html

And this is a great newbie resource too: http://toyotachinook.files.wordpress...ckup-alive.pdf Covers a lot of the same ground but walks you through some of the procedures in a more user friendly way. And the graphics are great.

a4runnerfreak

Brakes and seal, oil change change, and basic tune up. The rest can wait til after the move, just don't PUSH the truck during the trip, just take it easy and cruise.

scope103

He wants to know what to do before "this weekend." So he's not replacing the timing chain.

I didn't see the wheel cylinder leak, but your mechanic did, and he wasn't too worried. I'm a big fan of having brakes, but this is not something that will suddenly fail. Just check the level of the brake fluid every time you get gas.

But losing the belts will stop you by the side of the road. They're easy to fix in an hour or so, and don't cost much. So do them before you drive off.

Have fun!

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

I would do everything on that list except the exhaust and perhaps the pinion seal, but really depends how badly its leaking. Brakes are a MUST especially if driving hills with a loaded rig. The belts and shocks are very simple fixes.

'88xtracab

thanks everyone, I unfortunately don't have time to mess with this stuff myself before my move this weekend so its in the ship getting the brakes, cylinders, front suspension, and belts done. costing me just shy of $900.

paid $3450 for this truck. needs some paint and body work. no major rust though. interior is really clean. wheels are good and brand new 31" tires. 141K on odometer. did I get ripped off here? bought in Ohio where there are no state inspections so I guess previous owner had no need to address this stuff, if he knew about it, which I have no idea if he did or not

Dimedout

I just bought the same truck with rusted bed, 181,000 miles, 33's. For $3,000 about 6 months ago here in central NC. Not a bad price you paid. Pics would be nice!! Oh yea, Welcome to NC!! There's plenty of Yankee counterparts here for you to mingle with. Lol.

JohnnyCanuck

Sounds like you are taking care of all the right things, and sounds like the p.o. didn't look after this truck very well, glad it's going into good hands - have a safe trip.