Context
The day after Christmas of 2002, my uncle and grandma went on an impulse buy and bought the truck with 80k mileage. We've taken it on weekend trips, commuting to school and work, grocery shopping. Basically anything but off-roading. We've actively driven it regularly for the next 12 years until I got a minivan to replace it for long drives for more fuel efficiency. So since 2014, we haven't driven it much and have only used it in case one of the other cars weren't available. Around 2020, I was thinking of selling it, because some relatives came up to us and asked to buy it, but my grandma wanted to keep it for sentimental value.
Then I stumbled upon this community after googling on how to fix some of the symptoms I'm seeing from driving it. I guess YouTube algorithm also brought me videos on overlanding and off-roading and how 80 series is sought out for nowadays given the rise in prices they go for for ones that were well taken care for (which ours isn't). So I think it would be nice to hold on to it for now and just consider this baseline project and accept the fact that it's going to be a money pit to restore.
I hope it's okay to post this thread as a log of how grandma's old truck is hopefully restored to an ideal state where it drives like it did back in 2002. I'll post some of the symptoms I'm experiencing now, a check list of things I would need to inspect and perhaps replace, post some other threads that already covers some of the issues I'm having, and pictures of the truck's WIP. Feedback/suggestions/critiques are welcome.
Maybe it's good to start with some of the symptoms I'm having now? I'll list them out below and then scout the many threads on here for similar issues that others have already posted and share it here for reference.
Issues
The day after Christmas of 2002, my uncle and grandma went on an impulse buy and bought the truck with 80k mileage. We've taken it on weekend trips, commuting to school and work, grocery shopping. Basically anything but off-roading. We've actively driven it regularly for the next 12 years until I got a minivan to replace it for long drives for more fuel efficiency. So since 2014, we haven't driven it much and have only used it in case one of the other cars weren't available. Around 2020, I was thinking of selling it, because some relatives came up to us and asked to buy it, but my grandma wanted to keep it for sentimental value.
Then I stumbled upon this community after googling on how to fix some of the symptoms I'm seeing from driving it. I guess YouTube algorithm also brought me videos on overlanding and off-roading and how 80 series is sought out for nowadays given the rise in prices they go for for ones that were well taken care for (which ours isn't). So I think it would be nice to hold on to it for now and just consider this baseline project and accept the fact that it's going to be a money pit to restore.
I hope it's okay to post this thread as a log of how grandma's old truck is hopefully restored to an ideal state where it drives like it did back in 2002. I'll post some of the symptoms I'm experiencing now, a check list of things I would need to inspect and perhaps replace, post some other threads that already covers some of the issues I'm having, and pictures of the truck's WIP. Feedback/suggestions/critiques are welcome.
Maybe it's good to start with some of the symptoms I'm having now? I'll list them out below and then scout the many threads on here for similar issues that others have already posted and share it here for reference.
Issues
- noticeable loss of power (resolved with EGR)
- squeaky noise when shifting between PRND gears
- transfer case shift lever vibrates slightly during idle and gets more intense as I accelerate; main shifter vibrates to but more subtle
- sometimes when letting off the gas pedal, the car would slightly veer to either side; not consistently
- I can smell fuel vapors around the hood or underneath after exiting the vehicle
- observed fuel leaking from the tank if I fill up > 90%
- P0401 CEL (fixed 4/12/22)
- bubbly rust on several parts of the body
- quick vibration around the front passenger side of the body for a second when accelerating from a complete stop (bad engine/body mounts)
- heat shields on both catalytic converters came off
- wind noise coming either from front door or windshield when driving > 40mph
- loose sun visors on both sides
- large dent at the center of the front bumper
- vibration on passenger side, noticeable on side view mirror. it goes away when I turn the steering wheel to the right or left
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