Ford Motor Company is issuing a safety recall for approximately 12,300 2015-model Ford F-150 vehicles in North America for an upper I-shaft that might have been riveted improperly, potentially causing it to separate. If that happens, it could result in the loss of steering control without warning, increasing the risk of a crash.
Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries, but is aware of one report of loss of steering believed to be related to this condition.
Affected vehicles include certain 2015 F-150 vehicles built at Kansas City Assembly Plant from March 19, 2015 to March 21, 2015 and certain 2015 F-150 vehicles built at Dearborn Truck Plant from March 21, 2015 to March 30, 2015.
There are 12,328 vehicles that might be affected in North America, including 8,963 in the United States and federalized territories, 3,348 in Canada and 17 in Mexico. Of those, 6,722 vehicles are unsold, meaning 5,606 vehicles are in customer’s hands.
From MSN News
Doug Monin is always working on something. This resident of Sheridan, New York and father of three has a large car collection, but what really peaked my interest is the 1969 Dodge Coronet Super Bee.
Monin bought this car a year ago from Earheart Collision in Dunkirk, New York. He has been working on it ever since. The first thing he did was strip the car down to nothing and replaced the rotted floor and trunk pans. To give an idea about how bad those were, this is the original rear seat. You can tell it needed work.
Once finished the Super Bee will have factory a/c, an upgraded electronic ignition and a new radio. The radio with have a factory look right down to the tuning knobs, but will be Bluetooth enabled. The car will be panted the original emerald green and have factory Super Bee graphics.
I guess this will be the last year of the Viper. I am reposting this because the guy who wrote it is funny! He was also rather informative, I always thought the Viper was nice looking, but I did not know it had so many problems.
After the oil is drained and the cheapest oil filter possible is put on, pour about a gallon of diesel fuel into the oil fill. Yes, I said the oil fill. Relax, it is an old school trick for cleaning out a dirty engine.
Find the coil and disconnect it. The engine must not start while you are doing this. On this Jeep, the coil is located on the right front of the engine. Crank the engine over for a while then let it sit. The diesel fuel will be pumped around the engine and begin to loosen up the sludge. After about a half an hour crank it some more, then let the crap settle into the oil pan before draining.
Air can be pumped into the oil fill by plugging the hole with a rag and that will make more of the crap come out of the pan after the first drain. This can be done several times, depending on how bad the engine is. After you are satisfied with how cleaned out the engine is, change the oil filter again because it too will be plugged with crap. This was a new filter, but not anymore.
The crossmember is now in. Nuts where welded inside the channel for the bolts to go through like stock after the inside piece was made and two holes where drilled. And then…weld weld weld, and walla! The transmission his held up by something other than automotive cancer. It is not the prettiest thing I have ever seen, but at least the tranny won’t fall out.
Nothing was done to the Jeep last weekend because it was just two cold and nasty out. But after putting the jumper pack on it fired up no problem. Of course it sounded like a Sherman tank because of the lack of exhaust, and that will get worse before it gets better because the Y-pipe will be coming off.
The left front fender had a nasty hole in it where mud, salt and rocks get thrown at it. The first step is to remove the dum-dum, or factory undercoat around it along with dead metal. I would suggest wearing a facemask. The entire shop was filled with the smoke from that dum-dum.
After it hardened I ground it down some and then we sprayed it over with undercoat. Some people may have done a better job, but it is hard to tell we were ever there, unless you really look, and it keeps the carpet dry.
I have had this 1997 K-1500 Chevy since 2005 and everything on it works (almost), except the windshield washer pump. It hasn’t worked at anytime in living memory, so it is time for it to. Unfortunately because of deadlines, it had to be changed outside on a minorly chilly February day. But it is a quick fix.
The tank is not hard to find. It is in the front of the left inner fender and the neck is by the upper coolant hose were it goes in the radiator. Only two bolts hold it in, one right by the filler cap that is 8mm and one by the inner fender that is 10mm. Once the bolts are out, the tank will pull out, but it is a bit of a tight squeeze. Pull on the part farthest from the fender to get it out.
After that comes removing the plastic cover that protects the pump from the cold blast of air made by rocketing down the road in sub-freezing temperatures. It is held on by snaps that come apart quickly. Remove the power wire, and the pump just pops out of its holder and slides out of the tank. Remove the hose by turning the pump to loosen it up then pull.
Since I did this outside, I had to use lung power to make sure the lines were intact and not plugged. If they are broken the fluid won’t go where you want it to, if plugged nothing will come out and put extra strain on the pump, or fly over the windshield and that will just annoy you.
After reinstalling the two bolts fill the tank and try the wipers!
This is just one example of some small projects that most car owners can do themselves, but varies from model to model. Some jobs that are easy on one car can be major surgery on another, so know if you should seek help before doing something on your own.
Scott Downey 