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Sometimes they fight back...

Triplegreen500

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FBBO Gold Member
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Location
western Maryland
Michelle's daughter called the other night. "My truck's brakes fell apart and it's stuck at school". 08 Dakota, 209k miles, 3.7/6M/4x4. So, we loan her the Durango and last night after work, I hook the Demco dolly to my new-water-pump 2500 diesel with only a 25 mile shakedown so far on the new water pump...and head out to get the Dakota that's an hour away.

My Ram 2500 did fine...but that's about all that went right.

1. I'm a dumbass, and didn't read up on dolly-towing the Dakota before I left.
2. The electronic transfer case wouldn't go into neutral, which prompted reading up on dolly-towing a 4x4 Dakota on-scene (better late than never, I suppose...)
3. I thought I was prepared, with an impact gun, multiple wheel-lug-sized sockets, a spare wheel and tire for the dolly, a floor jack, a pry bar, a hammer, and a wheel dolly skate (in case the wheel was locked up from brake failure). I wasn't.

So we get there, and it's in a locked parking lot near a ball field (it broke on her way to softball practice). We had to call, and sit and wait for 20 min, for 'security' to let us in. Once in, it was on a gravel lot. Awesome. But, it did roll. Somehow, a brake pad backing plate was on the drivers floor mat. How it came out of the caliper, I have no idea...yet... Loaded it on the dolly and strapped it down easy enough. Chains, check. Remove pivot pin, check. Put transfer case in neutral with a paper clip....negative. Start reading up to see if I can just put the stick shift in neutral...nope. Have to either flat-tow, or trailer-tow, these trucks. Only other option....drop the driveshaft. This, is what I should have researched before starting this whole trek.

Since Barney Fife was sitting there with his lights flashing, waiting for us to get out of the locked parking lot...I towed it to the nearest UNlocked lot and dropped it, and found a Walmart 6 miles away. 10pm in this town...let's just say I'm glad I carry. Bought a set of box end wrenches (I need to build a road set for my new Wrangler anyway, so they'll have a home), went back to the truck, and removed 4, 207,000 mile, 15 year old bolts from the rear of the driveshaft to drop it from the diff flange.

And it was stuck.

After much hammering on the end of the prybar, using it as a punch, to drive it loose from the flange...it finally dropped. Grabbed a ratchet strap from my truck's cab (always have six or eight under the back seat), strapped it to the frame up out of the way - I didn't want to pull it out because that would let the transfer case piss out all its fluid - and started the drive home.

With a pound and a half of rust in my contact lenses.

One wrong turn on the highway (couldn't see dick with all the junk in my lenses), then finally made it home with no issues. Truck pulled great, good temps, good oil pressure, good voltage (all issues in the recent past). Got home, hooked the driveshaft BACK up, unloaded, parked everything, and finally got inside to take out the contact lenses at quarter past midnight. No dinner, hungry, wiped out...and my alarm went off at 05:25 this morning like every day.

Ugh.
 
Michelle's daughter called the other night. "My truck's brakes fell apart and it's stuck at school". 08 Dakota, 209k miles, 3.7/6M/4x4. So, we loan her the Durango and last night after work, I hook the Demco dolly to my new-water-pump 2500 diesel with only a 25 mile shakedown so far on the new water pump...and head out to get the Dakota that's an hour away.

My Ram 2500 did fine...but that's about all that went right.

1. I'm a dumbass, and didn't read up on dolly-towing the Dakota before I left.
2. The electronic transfer case wouldn't go into neutral, which prompted reading up on dolly-towing a 4x4 Dakota on-scene (better late than never, I suppose...)
3. I thought I was prepared, with an impact gun, multiple wheel-lug-sized sockets, a spare wheel and tire for the dolly, a floor jack, a pry bar, a hammer, and a wheel dolly skate (in case the wheel was locked up from brake failure). I wasn't.

So we get there, and it's in a locked parking lot near a ball field (it broke on her way to softball practice). We had to call, and sit and wait for 20 min, for 'security' to let us in. Once in, it was on a gravel lot. Awesome. But, it did roll. Somehow, a brake pad backing plate was on the drivers floor mat. How it came out of the caliper, I have no idea...yet... Loaded it on the dolly and strapped it down easy enough. Chains, check. Remove pivot pin, check. Put transfer case in neutral with a paper clip....negative. Start reading up to see if I can just put the stick shift in neutral...nope. Have to either flat-tow, or trailer-tow, these trucks. Only other option....drop the driveshaft. This, is what I should have researched before starting this whole trek.

Since Barney Fife was sitting there with his lights flashing, waiting for us to get out of the locked parking lot...I towed it to the nearest UNlocked lot and dropped it, and found a Walmart 6 miles away. 10pm in this town...let's just say I'm glad I carry. Bought a set of box end wrenches (I need to build a road set for my new Wrangler anyway, so they'll have a home), went back to the truck, and removed 4, 207,000 mile, 15 year old bolts from the rear of the driveshaft to drop it from the diff flange.

And it was stuck.

After much hammering on the end of the prybar, using it as a punch, to drive it loose from the flange...it finally dropped. Grabbed a ratchet strap from my truck's cab (always have six or eight under the back seat), strapped it to the frame up out of the way - I didn't want to pull it out because that would let the transfer case piss out all its fluid - and started the drive home.

With a pound and a half of rust in my contact lenses.

One wrong turn on the highway (couldn't see dick with all the junk in my lenses), then finally made it home with no issues. Truck pulled great, good temps, good oil pressure, good voltage (all issues in the recent past). Got home, hooked the driveshaft BACK up, unloaded, parked everything, and finally got inside to take out the contact lenses at quarter past midnight. No dinner, hungry, wiped out...and my alarm went off at 05:25 this morning like every day.

Ugh.
Damn. That's quite a experience. Makes me think to call a tow truck for my next issue.
 
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Yeah, I know. But she's 21 and broke, and towing a car over an hour would have emptied her bank accounts. I have the diesel and the dolly (unfortunately the enclosed trailer is full of Michelle's - her mom's - crap, so I couldn't use that; that would have made it SO much easier!)...I used to do dumb stuff like this all the time when younger, but back then...4h sleep was "meh, gimme more coffee and let's GO!!!". Now, at 50? Not so much fun.
 
At my age, tow truck. And sometimes I regret selling my open flat bed car hauler but been hanging onto the 2500 diesel.
 
Yeah, I know. But she's 21 and broke, and towing a car over an hour would have emptied her bank accounts. I have the diesel and the dolly (unfortunately the enclosed trailer is full of Michelle's - her mom's - crap, so I couldn't use that; that would have made it SO much easier!)...I used to do dumb stuff like this all the time when younger, but back then...4h sleep was "meh, gimme more coffee and let's GO!!!". Now, at 50? Not so much fun.
Wait until you're 70.....it's no fun at all!!
 
At my age, tow truck. And sometimes I regret selling my open flat bed car hauler but been hanging onto the 2500 diesel.

I need to sell the enclosed trailer and get a flatbed. I don't use the enclosed....at all, really. Bought it for my sound company, but have since gotten smaller AND more powerful gear, and it all fits in the truck and my 5x7 enclosed trailer, so the 26' is just...sitting.
 
I need to sell the enclosed trailer and get a flatbed. I don't use the enclosed....at all, really. Bought it for my sound company, but have since gotten smaller AND more powerful gear, and it all fits in the truck and my 5x7 enclosed trailer, so the 26' is just...sitting.
iirc, my enclose trailer is a 24' and is being used as a storage building with the intent to haul a race car but the 'last' race car didn't happen even though the car did sleep inside that trailer for a bit....
 
Although I have Roadside Assistance on my Grand Cberokee, I buy CAA membership for my oldies.
 
Was gonna say, that's why I have a car trailer with a winch...... but then I saw that you HAVE one. Suggestion? Buy a cheap storage building and keep the trailer empty. Lol
P.S. edit. I'd buy your 26 if it werent 3000 miles away!
 
Michelle's daughter called the other night. "My truck's brakes fell apart and it's stuck at school". 08 Dakota, 209k miles, 3.7/6M/4x4. So, we loan her the Durango and last night after work, I hook the Demco dolly to my new-water-pump 2500 diesel with only a 25 mile shakedown so far on the new water pump...and head out to get the Dakota that's an hour away.

My Ram 2500 did fine...but that's about all that went right.

1. I'm a dumbass, and didn't read up on dolly-towing the Dakota before I left.
2. The electronic transfer case wouldn't go into neutral, which prompted reading up on dolly-towing a 4x4 Dakota on-scene (better late than never, I suppose...)
3. I thought I was prepared, with an impact gun, multiple wheel-lug-sized sockets, a spare wheel and tire for the dolly, a floor jack, a pry bar, a hammer, and a wheel dolly skate (in case the wheel was locked up from brake failure). I wasn't.

So we get there, and it's in a locked parking lot near a ball field (it broke on her way to softball practice). We had to call, and sit and wait for 20 min, for 'security' to let us in. Once in, it was on a gravel lot. Awesome. But, it did roll. Somehow, a brake pad backing plate was on the drivers floor mat. How it came out of the caliper, I have no idea...yet... Loaded it on the dolly and strapped it down easy enough. Chains, check. Remove pivot pin, check. Put transfer case in neutral with a paper clip....negative. Start reading up to see if I can just put the stick shift in neutral...nope. Have to either flat-tow, or trailer-tow, these trucks. Only other option....drop the driveshaft. This, is what I should have researched before starting this whole trek.

Since Barney Fife was sitting there with his lights flashing, waiting for us to get out of the locked parking lot...I towed it to the nearest UNlocked lot and dropped it, and found a Walmart 6 miles away. 10pm in this town...let's just say I'm glad I carry. Bought a set of box end wrenches (I need to build a road set for my new Wrangler anyway, so they'll have a home), went back to the truck, and removed 4, 207,000 mile, 15 year old bolts from the rear of the driveshaft to drop it from the diff flange.

And it was stuck.

After much hammering on the end of the prybar, using it as a punch, to drive it loose from the flange...it finally dropped. Grabbed a ratchet strap from my truck's cab (always have six or eight under the back seat), strapped it to the frame up out of the way - I didn't want to pull it out because that would let the transfer case piss out all its fluid - and started the drive home.

With a pound and a half of rust in my contact lenses.

One wrong turn on the highway (couldn't see dick with all the junk in my lenses), then finally made it home with no issues. Truck pulled great, good temps, good oil pressure, good voltage (all issues in the recent past). Got home, hooked the driveshaft BACK up, unloaded, parked everything, and finally got inside to take out the contact lenses at quarter past midnight. No dinner, hungry, wiped out...and my alarm went off at 05:25 this morning like every day.

Ugh.
that 'somabitch' Murhpy gotcha

glad to see you got it home & you & she/it is all safe

now the fun starts
 
Yeah, there are days (like yesterday) I think I should change my name to Murphy...

Tonight, load my truck for a St Pat's Day gig.
Tomorrow night, do the gig after working all day. St Pat's in this town is amateur alcoholic's night. At least the people-watching will be fun.
Saturday AM, get out to the garage to see what's actually broken on the Dakota.
 
Seems like someone started a thread on here about the Ides of March! :rolleyes:

I sold a '92 Dakota at Chryslers at Carlisle one year and the buyer said he was going to drive it home to New Jersey. I knew it would make it, no problem. The next show I went to I met up with the buyer and he said he destroyed the transmission taking it home. Turns out he had loaded on a car dolly instead and didn't remove the drive shaft. This one was an automatic and a big no no to tow. I thought that's what you were going to say had happened.

Those e-brake shoe's linings are known to just pop off and wedge inside the rotor's drum. Even the full size trucks with rear disk do it.
 
Those e-brake shoe's linings are known to just pop off and wedge inside the rotor's drum. Even the full size trucks with rear disk do it.
Front brake failure. Somehow a FRONT pad-backing-plate (pad all worn off) came out of the caliper and she had it on the drivers floorboard.

I'm familiar with the minidrum e-brakes; my Cummins is a 2001.5 with rear discs, and my one-owner '91 Daytona is also a 4 wheel disc car. Had the ebrake fail on the Daytona back in '93 I think, locked up a wheel, flat-spotted a tire before I could find a spot to pull off the road. No bueno...but warranty covered the brake and the tire!
 
Front brake failure. Somehow a FRONT pad-backing-plate (pad all worn off) came out of the caliper and she had it on the drivers floorboard.

I'm familiar with the minidrum e-brakes; my Cummins is a 2001.5 with rear discs, and my one-owner '91 Daytona is also a 4 wheel disc car. Had the ebrake fail on the Daytona back in '93 I think, locked up a wheel, flat-spotted a tire before I could find a spot to pull off the road. No bueno...but warranty covered the brake and the tire!
In the 80's a buddy with a new Ferd LTiddy had a radiator failure that filled the trans up with coolant. Ferd fixed the radiator but wouldn't fix the transmission. That's as far as he took it.....but I would have painted lemons all over that car and then parked it out in front of the dealership.
 
In the 80's a buddy with a new Ferd LTiddy had a radiator failure that filled the trans up with coolant. Ferd fixed the radiator but wouldn't fix the transmission. That's as far as he took it.....but I would have painted lemons all over that car and then parked it out in front of the dealership.
In the 80's I worked for Ford... Never heard of Ford ever pulling something like that.... If it was actually a used vehicle many aftermarket warranties were & still are well known for that kinda BS... If it truly was under factory warranty through Ford he should have made waves, any Zone Rep would have paid that without question... Any dealer Service Manager should have handled it before a Zone Rep had to get involved...
 
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After reading that.... I guess you should be happy it wasn't raining or snowing.
 
That's why when I started working away from home I bought a AAA membership for the wife so I wouldn't get that call when I was on the other side of the country or world. Best money I've spent. I think we've only used it 5 times in 17 yrs, but it was well worth it.
 
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