RowdyRebel

The company I'm leased to was 100% Mack up until 2003. They started having problems with some of the '03 and ESPECIALLY the '04 trucks, so in '04 they started buying '05 Freightshakers (Mercedes engines) and Petercars (CAT C13). The Freightshakers weren't working out for them either, but the Petercars were acceptable (still not great, but would get the job done). Once they get rid of the few remaining Freightshakers, they will be 100% Petercar. Guys in the shop aren't too thrilled....they liked the ease of which they could keep the Mack's on the road and a few are always asking me if there's anything they can help me with on mine I'm glad I bought a low-mileage '01 Mack....Mack drivetrain, gold Bulldog on the hood.....built before all of this V*lv* BS. I ought to be able to drive this truck for the rest of my driving career, barring any unforeseen incidents of course. Heck, I just turned 290K on it this week.

I don't move my vehicles without at LEAST one hood latch secured...even short distances (like to move the truck in the driveway onto the asphalt to be able to roll under it on a creeper). Same with the pickups...I've seen people roll cars around inside a shop with the hood propped up...not me....always put it down and at least the safety latch (released through the grill) is holding the hood. Damage caused by being lazy is too easy to cause and too expensive to fix....don't add but 2 seconds to make sure that hood ain't goin' nowhere...

The other day after pre-tripping my truck, I closed the hood and it caught me by surprise when it slammed shut. It NEVER felt that heavy before....so I opened it back up and one of the hood springs that run from the top of the radiator mount to the hood had broken. I finally made it by the Mack dealer today, and when I found out the price of the springs, I just bought one to replace the one that had broken. After I put it on, I noticed the considerable difference in tension between the new spring and old...but I closed the hood anyway. It felt lighter than it had ever felt before....WOW that new spring made a HUGE difference. So, i went back inside and paid some more money and got the other spring too. When I closed the hood with both new springs, I couldn't believe how little effort it took to control the hood. Now all I need is one finger on the back of the Bulldog's head to open and close the hood of my CH I've NEVER had a hood that was that easy to open or close on any truck I've ever driven....'bout the only thing that would make it any easier would be one of them fancy push button electronic thingamajiggers that opens and closes the hood for you

so far the 20 amp fuse is working...not like I have the switch turned on all the time...just when I'm at the mines or at a construction site which requires it... anyway, thanks for all the help. I never even thought to look for a second fuse box under the hood...looked at the one in the dash and didn't see a fuse burned out, so assumed it was the switch... ...how many more fuse boxes does this thing have? Just the 2? or is there another one hiding somewhere that I should be aware of in case there are more electrical fuses blown in the future?

After I bought the truck, I ran a wire from the hot wire going to the back-up alarm up to a switch on the dash and back down to the alarm so that I could shut it off when I'm backing into the driveway at 2 AM or anytime I'm in a truckstop....I was planning on retracing those wires to make sure they weren't rubbing on anything they...maybe it was just close enough to the 20 amps that the extra wire length along with the lighted switch was enough to blow it...not sure what the draw is on the back-up light/back-up alarm/idiot light is supposed to be... Truck's going to Mack over Labor Day weekend to get the overhead run and I'm going to have them quote me a price on getting that leak on the rear axle taken care of too...if I blow another fuse and can't find the reason by then, I'll have them trace the problem too....either that or I'll up the fuse to a 25 amp and see if that blows. I hate electrical problems

Thanks...found the burnt out fuse....now just gotta buy a tiny little 20 amp replacement.

...OK, so the new reverse sensor is in and it STILL isn't working ...no backup light, no backup alarm, and no "R" idiot light on the dash. Is there a fuse in that circuit anywhere that I should be looking for? Or should I be looking for a loose connection or short?

Yup...that's why the company I'm leased to quit buying Macks. They USED to be 100% Mack, but with all of the problems they had with the '03 and '04 trucks, they bought a few freightshakers and a few petercars....the freightshakers are being phased out and they are sticking with the petercars...not sure if that'll change in 2010 when CAT no longer will supply the C-13...but they'll be "pre-buying" enough 2009's to give them a little time to figure out where to go next. I'm in my own truck now...found a good low-mileage '01...so what the company buys really doesn't concern me too much...but I still wouldn't mind seeing them go back to the Macks...at least then the guys in the shop would keep the peculiarities of the Mack a little fresher in their heads when I have a question.

Good deal! BTW, Mack Performance Tour is in town this weekend I was thinking it was gonna be @ McBride in Carbondale, but this schedule shows it split between Cape and Carbondale....don't make no difference to me....same distance either way....just gotta make sure I go to the right one ...hope they gots my reverse sensor in stock

...speaking of corrupt governors... ...an interesting read: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/3...o_stranger.html

You've gotta watch them emissions nazis up there...got a buddy in Joliet who was past due on getting his car tested (he was out on the road)...scale house in Indiana pulled him around back and when they checked his license, it came back suspended! So, his company had to send another driver ASAP to come get the truck to finish his run...he had to find a ride home...and he had to deal with a "driving a CMV on suspended license" ticket.

Left side shifter came with the PTO....it's a Muncie, so any Muncie supplier ought to be able to get it...just a simple on/off with a light. The right side PTO switch is the one I bought at Cape Tractor Trailer Supply to run the hydraulics for a dump.

not sure....don't think so. I know they don't do nuthin' with cars 'round these parts....if they did, I'd be in trouble

thanks

gotcha And yer right....it's an '01, so its got the 'lectronics....but its only "illegal" if yer caught

...still not sure what a puff limiter does, other than having some magical ability to stop the DOT from writing you a ticket for something...and now that it can be rigged up to be turned on and off manually. I'm guessing if it has something to do with smoke...but not sure how that has anything to do with DOT fines...

howzit do that?

Yup....just about as far from Chicago as I can be without leaving the state.

35 miles north of Ft. Defiance

DADGUMIT!!! how many trucks you got ta choose from? I just noticed you got quite a few listed...if I had that many trucks, I wouldn't have to jerry-rig up various "fixes" to get me down the road 'til I can make it by a place to get the "proper" parts.... ...the latest is a reverse sensor on the trans...gotta run a hot wire to the backup alarm from a switch in the dash so I don't get kicked out of the mines or written a ticket by MSHA

I was surprised he got RE-ELECTED!!! Then again, too many idiots in Chicago vote straight ticket however the union or Jesse Jackson tells 'em to, and too many people downstate vote democrat because that's how their daddy and grandaddy and his daddy before him all voted....nobody seems to look at the candidate and what that candidate stands for or has done anymore...just voting for the letter after the candidate's name...(D) or ®...Last time Blagosab!tch was up for re-election, there was a friggin TRUCKING company down here with one of his signs out front....I guess they forgot all the tax breaks he did away with, the fees he increased, and the multiple veto's of the bills to get rid of that danged split speed limit (amongst all of the other corruption and wasteful spending) but since I don't want to hijack your thread (too late, right? )....so you get your air problem sorted out yet?

puff limiter? Whatsitdo?

You looking for one that just does on/off? Or do you need dump (or any other) controls along with the switch? Seems any on/off air switch should work for an air-operated PTO...and any electric switch (of proper amp rating) would work for an electric PTO. The controller for the PTO I run my blower with came as part of the installation kit with the PTO, so I'm not too sure where I'd go to get another one. The controller for the second PTO that I run a hydraulic pump for a dump with I bought at Cape Tractor Trailer Supply in Cape Girardeau, MO....I think it was $150 if I remember right, but mounts under the dash....has the on/off switch as well as the raise/hold/lower for the dump. Any local tractor/trailer supply location SHOULD be able to get you something similar. I didn't like the tower that the previous truck owner had in this truck...took up too much space in the cab. When I started pulling it out, I noticed that all of the switches were just generic switches like you could find at Wal-Mart (the electric ones, anyway...the air switches LOOKED the same, except had air connections on the back instead of electrical ones). What I've got now: What came out: I suppose those switches in the old tower COULD be installed on a bracket in any other location in the truck...or even just put in a hole drilled directly into the dash. It'd do the job, but it might not look too purty...I guess that would depend on how much fabrication work a person would be willing to do

very true

Where'd Mack hide the sensor on the T2180B trans? I'm thinking that's why the backup light/alarm as well as the "R" idiot light quit working on me last week...but I can't see where any wires are coming out of the transmission other than for the speed sensor at the rear. Would it be on the top (out of sight)? If so, what's the best way to get to it? I'm thinking if it IS on the top, it would be easier to remove the rubber shift boot to go through the floor rather than work blind reaching up from underneath.... ...need to get it fixed before the mines decide to check and then refuse to let me go in to load...or before MSHA tries writing me a ticket for not having an operational backup alarm in the mine Worst case scenario (if I can't find the dang thing), I suppose I can rig something up that'll work by running a hot wire to the alarm from a switch inside the truck to manually turn on the buzzer whenever I need to back up, but I'd prefer to fix it right.