The Power Ranger, aka What Could Go Wrong?

[JPolen01]

Well that's a bummer. At least it was an easy fix and your right leg is probably slightly stronger now.

[Beej]

I swear, I’ve seen dozens of this exact trick since this situation popped up. Never would’ve noticed them otherwise, I’m sure.

Glad ya had a safe and hopefully fun trip!

[Jake]

I checked the transmission fluid last night after noticing the occasional firm 1-2 shift. The 5R55E is considered pretty reliable, but if anything is acting up, I wanted to catch it before letting it get worse, or grenading the trans. So, this fluid is what I found last night:



It didn't smell burnt, but was pretty dark. I hooked up the ol' Mityvac and pumped out ~4.5 quarts from the dipstick:



That let me drop the transmission's oil pan without getting quite as much fluid everywhere. Every bolt came out with zero hassle - the entire underside of this truck could pass for just a few years old. It's wild. The pan came down easily but the old gasket was pretty plastic-y.



I took the filter off (the big black plastic thing in that photo above) with one bolt and replaced it, including the o-rings that seal it to the uh... valve body? I swear I know cars. Then I cleaned up the pan - wasn't much goop or debris but there was some. I made sure to clean the magnet in the pan as well. In all, looked pretty good but the fluid was just old. With the new filter and pan gasket, I reinstalled the pan and poured new Mercon V down the dipstick tube.

This is what came out of the Mityvac after extraction:



I started the truck and shifted it through all gears but didn't drive it yet. The engagement between Reverse and Drive was smoother so that is at least one positive - it was thumping fairly hard before. I checked the fluid level but will have to let it warm up and go for a drive before considering it a 100% success. The transmission holds 10 quarts, so I got about 50% new fluid in there, which should help it out a bit.

Also gave it a quick oil change with fresh Castrol 5W-30. I've put a tick over 3,000 miles on it in a variety of conditions, and it was easy as a "while you're in there" job jacked up for the transmission. Ironically, the Mityvac's tube won't go all the way down the engine oil dipstick tube! It gets stuck, so I had to use the drain bolt like a plebe.

Oh, and I started the Ozium process of de-stanking the interior. Still plan to pull the seats and rent a Rug Doctor for the carpet, but this will be a good start.

[Senor_Taylor]

Glad you remembered to do the filter! They way you did it is the way a shop would unless you paid for a"flush" which usually isn't recommended. Just remember to be careful on your first drive. After I did mine in the Tacoma I made it about 4 feet before the torque converter drained enough for it not to work. I was a couple quarts low even after shifting through and checking.

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[Jake]

Glad you remembered to do the filter! They way you did it is the way a shop would unless you paid for a"flush" which usually isn't recommended. Just remember to be careful on your first drive. After I did mine in the Tacoma I made it about 4 feet before the torque converter drained enough for it not to work. I was a couple quarts low even after shifting through and checking.

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Hah, good to know. I have an extra quart of fluid that I will bring with me on the first drive (likely to lunch today, I'm WFH). I sucked about 4.5 quarts out of the dipstick tube, but then had a bit more pour out onto the floor when I took the filter off. So, will probably have to add the rest in there once it's warmed up.

[Jake]

Mileage: 214,095

I wanted to have the truck fully prepped for sale, and part of that involved making it not smell like a pack of Winstons. Cleaning the seats and plastics went a long way, but the carpet is where a lot of funk can stick around. I pulled the seats (easy - 4x 17mm bolts and unhook the seatbelt sensors) and rented a Rug Doctor from Harris Teeter.

Before...





...After:



It was super fun pouring a bucket of liquified tar out of the Rug Doctor when I was done. And then cleaning the bucket before returning the contraption. The amount of sludgey, liquid tar I've had on my arms and under my nails has been... vile. Anyone who smokes should be made to clean a car out like this.

Anyway, it smells way, way better now. I'm going to hit it with an "odor bomb" and that'll have it super fresh inside, ideally just in time to be sold to a happy new owner.

[ViPER1313]

Do the headliner too.

[*insertusernamehere*]

Daaaaanngg that carpet looks good. Nice job!

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[JPolen01]

Much improvement. Nice work.

[Jake]

Mileage: 214,150
Sold it! It went to the first guy who responded and came to look, and I had cash in hand within 26 hours of posting the ad. He and his girlfriend came down from Fells Point in Baltimore in rush hour to look, so I figured they'd be taking it home. His name is Kelly and he's going to be using it as a crabbing truck. He used to have a Dakota but it got totaled while parked (seems to be a thing in parts of Maryland) and this is the replacement. They paid nearly full asking price, even.

It was a good run, I made quite a lot of memories with it, and I'm glad to see the truck spend yet more time on the water, just on the East Coast this time. I think my uncle would be happy to see where it ended up.