Rob

Where would I be without you. Appreciate you taking the time to measure. It looks as if they will ship by USPS, (be sure to purchase insurance). I'll look for their arrival the first of next week. Thanks a bunch. Rob

Admission of Guilt?????? Rob

First thing I would do is remove the fuel line that is from the tank to the inlet of the filter housing. Replace this with a temporary line into a supply of diesel fuel from a can on the floor. Get the engine started and running smooth, then shut it off. Let it set the amount of time that you had trouble with prime loss and see if your temp line solves the problem. If it does, replace your suction line. If it does not and you have an inline check valve, ensure it is good, or replace it for good measure. If it is losing prime, it is most likely due to air getting into the system from a pinhole in a line, or a drainback from some type of check whether it be a valve, the transfer pump valves, or whatever else is in the low pressure side of the system. Chances are with the engine starting right off, running a short while then dying out, it is starting on the fuel gallery storage within the pump. It runs until this supply is exhausted. The transfer pump overpowers the drainback leakage to the line and eventually refills the pump gallery and the engine restarts as you grind on the starter. This assumption is that your primary, and secondary fuel filters are physically mounted lower than the injection pump, otherwise you would drain your filters down and need to refill them to restart the engine. I have also seen plunger barrels so worn out the truck would be difficult to start, idle fine, but have limited power when asked to deliver fuel. I'm assuming your truck runs well once started. Rob

Here is an interesting article concerning oil filtration on old and new trucks. I found it informative. http://firechief.com/news/firefighting_spinons_microns/ Rob

Unconventional as it may seem I drain the cooling system complete, and with unencumbered access to the frost/core/freeze plug I warm the outer perimeter of the plug in the block. Not really red, just too warm to touch without getting burnt. While the area is warm I spray the plug itself, (dead center) with a stream of refrigerant, (R-134A) and this immediately shrinks the plug a few thousandths and it usually backs right out with a large flat blade screwdriver or hand impact driver. I suppose you could use water in a spray bottle but refrigerant is so much colder during expansion that it really works well. Don't spray the block when it is warm due to uneven thermal contraction that in an extreme case could be hard on the casting. Rob

Pink goes with just about anything. Mine is a light green originally. I've seen gray, blue, and red in different application in A models, B models, L models etc... The engines were painted when they were complete. Rob

If I paint the cardboard with Rust-Oleum paint, will it rust? My opening is only on the left side, (driver's) of the truck. I need both of yours in case I screw up and destroy the first one. Rob

It's not tunnel vision rage but merely excitement. Just like whips and chains do for me. Does the link not open? Rob Hey, before you ship me those battery box covers could you relay the measurements for the retention holes spacing? I would like to know in advance what I may have to do to get them to fit if they are slightly different, (like me).

No problem. Really am happy you got it sorted out. Damn trucks can be frustrating and costly when they are down. Rob

Home exercise routine? http://mail.google.com/mail/h/fwb066oz4onr...isp=attd&zw Rob

I'd have a difficult time getting rid of a dead reliable truck if I made a living with it. I don't know much about E7 series engines but any mechanical injected engine is far superior, (my opinion) to the electronic "marvels" that are out there now. The "tree huggers" are only making matters worse as time goes on. That CL could be taken down and rebuilt for less money than you could potentially wrap up in the Granite from the sounds of it. I know people that absolutely love their Granite trucks, and some that can't get out of them fast enough from a mechanical standpoint. Everybody likes the way they drive and handle, but it has to run and perform consistently or is of no practical use. A well maintained CL is hard to beat and I'd probably evaluate stongly keeping the one you have. Rob

Seems like you are bashing members of this board because you did not get an answer that helped you? Don't understand that logic myself cause there is a future and this board is a wealth of information. I know nothing about the newer engines and cannot help but to frustrate someone with problems with one so I remain mute. Glad you got your problem resolved and welcome to the site. Rob

Yes they are. If that is not a demo tape of sorts the driver has a lot of pride in his machinery and it shows. I would think someone that competent with their equipment would command a respectable premium for their service also. Rob

Sorry to hear you had trouble with your RW series. Highly unusual, but anything can, and does happen. Generally those were very tough trucks if spec'd correctly for the task assigned. Just a regular R model with a lot more cooling capacity, and room for a lot of ponies to me. An early one is on my wish list......... sometime........., (prolly AFTER I'm divorced). If I bring another truck home, I'm sure to be that way. Rob

Hi Rod, here are a few photos of a king pin set for a 505 axle. This set is brand new. Rob

That is almost exactly the way I've seen it done although never by turning a trailer 180 degrees. Sure is a lot faster than the transfer dump method. Was that a publicity shot/video, or was it a real operation? The danger of banging up very nice equipment is a reality when operating in such close proximity to fixed obstacles and all the equipment looked new, or really close to new. Rob

Yup. That is exactly what I did in the towing business at the shop; Exited the market segment. There are STILL outfits around here that will tow a car for $35.00. I wouldn't run a $60,000 truck and lose money by working it. Of course all my eggs are not in one basket neither. I sold the unit, (Mack CS-300 w/22' steel rollback) and have never looked back, (from business perspective). Out of sheer convienience, I may build another on an R model chassis for private usage. It sure was handy to have around. Rob

Couldn't that be accomplished with a dump trailer that had a second end gate mounted amidship? I don't know for sure but it seems about the same capacity could be loaded into a double compartment dump trailer as two separate dump boxes on separate vehicles. I can see the manuverability issue in some cases but it has never been needed in this area that I know of. It just really seems like a lot of extra time and expense for equipment that needs to pay for itself. The video showed the transfers working on a hard, flat surface and there appeared to be plenty of room for a dump trailer to operate so maybe this is a bad example to judge by. Around here there is an outfit that pulls pup dump trailers constantly but they do not transfer the box at all. They turn the trailer 90 degrees to the truck, dump the trailer, then either pull out and align to dump the truck in the same spot, or dump the truck right there. They then drive off and with the trailer at 90 degrees it hardly runs over the pile at all. A loader then pushes the pile together. This is very quick in operation. I've watched this operation of dumping into a hopper for a conveyor and an experienced operator in the saddle takes no more time than a pair of single dump trucks to discharge. Watching that video just showed an amount of lost productivity that I would be unwilling to pay for unless mandated compared to other methods. If this were the case, I would base rates appropriately. Rob

I could be wrong and prolly am but really don't think there is a lot of money in hauling that type of commodity. Besides that; It may be difficult to find drivers that want to drive into such a gaseous atmosphere for work. Of course on the flip side that may just elevate the rates?? Rob

Since my RL797L was a transfer all it's working life and I've never seen one before I did a little researching. If I can get the YouTube video to work there are a few available to watch. The operation of these sure seems cumbersome to me and would be better served with a single end dump trailer. I get the gist of "only in California". What do you guys think, or if you've ever operated one of these setups, what are the pros and cons? Rob

But I absolutely have to have what is left!! Rob

Hi Erwan, yes that is a "UniShift" transmission with diesel power. The TR72 states that it is the larger five speed main, the 25 denotes the air shift compound, with the final 0 denoting an overdrive top gear. Rob

Hi Mark, the link does not appear to function properly. You would be adjusting for a clearance of about .005 between the spindle and top of the axle beam with the axle loaded. If you can't get that clearance close the thrust bearing is probably worn out and time for replacement. That is not too difficult of job but if needing to go that far just get a king pin, (or bolt) kit and replace everything. The top should be a needle bearing pack, the bottom a pre sized bushing that does not require reaming to size. Of course all the seals, and shims, (sometimes) are included. I've found from a labor standpoint that it is more cost advantageous to replace everything at once rather than to piece meal it together and then do it again at a later date. Rob

I can just imagine my immediate future if I brought that one home....... But man would I like to have something like that!! Rob

Yes they will take it if not rammed upon. It has been years since I've seen a single countershaft transmission worked regularly but in the past it was commonplace with the horsepower race of the 70's. I've seen several more twisted and broken input shafts on triplexs, and quadraplex transmissions than I've seen good ones when a Maxidyne engine was placed up front and the truck worked as designed. This is vocational work I'm referring to. Glad to hear you have a good one. Most likely it has had a pick of easy drivers. If it does break nowadays, it will be expensive if not cost prohibitive to repair. Rob