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  1. pybyr

    Thanks to all/ Fond memories of my IDI

    I've now got a recent model Toyota Tacoma V6 4WD for my daily driver, and it's a darn good truck. It's not as much of a pure truck as the F350 was (what is?) but it is still truck-enough to do most of the things that I want a truck for (pull, carry heavy big dirty stuff), and despite its...
  2. pybyr

    Thanks to all/ Fond memories of my IDI

    A couple of years ago, I regrettably had to let my 89 F350 IDI go- despite really low mileage, all of the age-related things started to fail in quick succession (hoses, alternator, heater core....) and even though it was all stuff I am able to fix, I was spending every available dollar and...
  3. pybyr

    fast cheap path from Leece Neville to other alternator?

    thanks, as always, for all the support here. Long story short, I'm completely tired of chasing weird intermittents in my 165 amp Leece Neville alternator that came on this truck due to its initial build as a firetruck. Everything that matters has been replaced and/ or triple-checked but the...
  4. pybyr

    Alternator 'key on' electrical and physical path?

    In the process of troubleshooting my intermittent charging problem with the 165 Amp Leece Neville Alternator in my 89 F350 7.3 I decided to double-check the voltage at the "key on" wire that feeds power to the alternator's regulator/ field when the engine is running. I'd previously checked...
  5. pybyr

    DIY tire mounting?

    I have the offset DRW wheels for my 89 F350 and I'm soon due for tires. From what I understand, many standard tire shops' equipment may not work with the huge offset. I am intrigued by balancing beads- which has me wondering whether it would be possible or just plain insane to do "DIY"...
  6. pybyr

    >>> WHEELS --- SAND or BLAST <<<

    Yes
  7. pybyr

    Leece Neville alternator diagnosis, continued

    Thanks- does sound like it could be an explanation. I was under-impressed with the solidity of all of the regulator attachment and terminals when I had it out before, given the supposedly legendary L-N robustness.
  8. pybyr

    >>> WHEELS --- SAND or BLAST <<<

    Hand-held gravity feed sandblaster. You lose the media and will "wear" a lot of it, but they are handy as heck.
  9. pybyr

    Leece Neville alternator diagnosis, continued

    thanks- when I had it out to change out the rectifiers, I put toothed washers between the posts and the terminals for the rectifiers...
  10. pybyr

    Leece Neville alternator diagnosis, continued

    Thanks, but I don't see any way that L-N could be shoehorned in where the unit is located on the IDI in front of the fuel filter bracket. It's possible to get the various L-N models set up to be self-exciting. At present I would settle for it exciting at all!
  11. pybyr

    Leece Neville alternator diagnosis, continued

    Thank you everyone for the suggestions. When I said I'd replaced the diode trios, I mis-spoke; I'd replaced the rectifier bridges, both positive and negative. It's not the self-excite, and relies on the 12VDC wire to 'wake up' and power the regulator/ field. The alternator has been flaky...
  12. pybyr

    Leece Neville alternator diagnosis, continued

    I'm back with another puzzle about this alternator. Worked like a charm since end of January, until a week and a half ago I noticed my volt gauge reading low during a road trip. What timing. Made it home then wouldn't start the next day. One of the two batteries was dead and un-chargeable...
  13. pybyr

    electrical headache

    I should have mentioned- My truck's heritage as a military/ firefighting truck means that there's a battery isolator and a big disconnect switch that allows off, battery 1, battery 2, or both. I nearly always set it to off when parked; it was definitely in the off position over the...
  14. pybyr

    electrical headache

    Lately I have been getting erratic readings on the OEM dash voltmeter on my 89 bricknose. I'd been hoping it was the gauge being flaky, but several times after the truck has sat for several days, I have had batteries that faded into nothing and failed to start the engine. Last week I ran...
  15. pybyr

    block coolant drain locations/ access?

    Hello all- In the process of yanking and changing my heater core and replacing all the hoses, which are original. Since I am this far in, I want to do a total drain and replace on the coolant. Can someone please give me some pointers on the exact location of the block coolant drains and...
  16. pybyr

    Is it possible to weld on the valley pan?

    No personal experience doing fabrication with a valley pan-- but for things that can't hold up to welding, how about some careful brazing using a fitting with some wide flat surface to match up to the pan?
  17. pybyr

    heater [or other coolant] leak troubleshooting?

    Got a new brass/ copper heater core coming from RadexNH for $28 and should be arriving by UPS tomorrow. Apparently the late 80s bricknoses were the first trucks to use aluminum heater cores, and corrrosion from dissimilar metals can occur (though thankfully apparently it's the aluminum heater...
  18. pybyr

    Dually Conversion

    My 1989 has the sensor for the ABS right in the Sterling 10.25 diff housing (on a dually axle)- so at least some of them did.
  19. pybyr

    Return Lines Leaking... Again.

    Get and use Viton o-rings. Russ (typ4) can sell you a kit with them. If you really want to go bulletproof, do the hose between the caps with Viton hose, too. It's usually wicked expensive but I lucked into some on ebay at a really good price.
  20. pybyr

    heater [or other coolant] leak troubleshooting?

    My radiator looks pristine inside as I went to top off the coolant due to whatever slow leak I have going on. Do heater cores just crap out from internal corrosion over time?
  21. pybyr

    Be Glad to Drive an "Obsolete" Vehicle

    Read this and gloat that you drive an "obsolete" vehicle! http://www.internetevolution.com/author.asp?doc_id=233302&f_src=ieupdate No one's going to "hack" any codes of my rolling time warp...
  22. pybyr

    heater [or other coolant] leak troubleshooting?

    Beautiful that it's that simple if I do need to get into changing the core (I assume that it can't be more complicated on a slightly earlier truck). Yes, it's really 33,000 miles. I bought the truck with only 12,000 on it. It's got various issues cropping up from the sheer passage of time...
  23. pybyr

    erratic volt and temp gauges (1989)

    Lately I seem to get different readings at different times on my volt and temp gauges (the OEM ones). I have taken voltage readings with a digital multimeter and verified that my charging system is operating properly. Fuel gauge and the OEM oil pressure gauge are working just as normally...
  24. pybyr

    heater [or other coolant] leak troubleshooting?

    Hello all- First, thanks to all the great advice and generosity in sharing it here. Life has been overfull lately and I have not had as much chance as I'd like to follow/ contribute here. But I really hugely appreciate peoples' willingness to offer help. This morning I was headed to...
  25. pybyr

    Trimless F250 IDI?

    87 would be a bricknose body. Lots of the bricknoses, maybe all of them, that I have seen, do not have a diesel emblem on the side. Mine has one up under the driver's side headlight, which is where I have seen them on other bricknoses. If it had trim or paint work done on the front, the...

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