My #$%#% 2004 Ram Tried to Kill Me Today

[moparedtn]

The battery "insulation blanket" is there to keep most of the acid contained in case of total battery failure. It's useless. I had a 2002 and two , 2004's. I kept the 4 door 2004 till about three years ago. When I sold it it still didn't have rust around the rear wheel well lip and the bottom looked great, rust free. I have always had yearly unlimited car wash packages for all my cars from these car wash places and they stay looking new everyday of their lives. Most importantly the bottoms get bottom blasted weekly. My truck stayed out in my driveway everyday of it's life in the open with the weather on it, good or bad.
The huge, open carport you built over a decade ago to shelter the truck and your tractor from the elements now appears to
be an environment where unimpeded humidity/ground soak has been slowly corroding the underside of the truck instead.
Totally open on all sides and with a gravel floor, it now appears there's unintended results to such sheltering,............. that's exactly what happened!!

My Coronet sits on a carpeted garage floor for that reason and I only wash it once a year and to keep the dust off it and looking new, I use a cheap light weight car cover. The idea is to NOT trap moisture in or around my car. You wash those old car, top and bottom constantly, they'll fall apart if parked inside a dark moist garage.

I know a guy who bought two early 80's Corvettes, new, one he drove everyday for about 90 thousand miles and sold and the other was to be a replacement when the time came. When he went to use the other vet, which had 4800 miles on it, it was shot underneath. The radiator, everything rubber and everything that could rust or rot, did. It sat in a garage, about 4 inches off the ground everyday of it's life. It had cobwebs covering the whole bottom. It cost a fortune to fix. That's where I learned my lesson. I will say when you opened the door the interior smelled brand new and that was about it!! LOL. He used one of those Big dollar California waterproof moisture trap car covers on it too, no thanks.

My truck four years ago, except I dropped it 2 inches right after this picture was taken. Sold three years ago. The other 2004 was a two door, short bed 4x4. Two door was useless to me, that's why I had two 2004's, another lessen learned.

View attachment 1294471
My cheap Budge car cover and carpet under my car. Remember, I bought this car cover to fit loose and only for dust. It's 5 years old and was on another car before this one.

View attachment 1294472

These two get the coveted garage parking. Both exhibit no sign of corrosion as a result:

Ironically, the garage doors are wider than todays' standard sizes just to allow the Ram to fit in with mirrors extended...

 

[Hey-O]

These two get the coveted garage parking. Both exhibit no sign of corrosion as a result:
View attachment 1294537
Ironically, the garage doors are wider than todays' standard sizes just to allow the Ram to fit in with mirrors extended...

They do look happy!!! It also has to do with the garage door being open once in a while to help keep the moisture at bay!! I wish I had a picture of that Corvette. You'd have to see it to believe it.

 

[oldkimmer]

Glad your ok and didn’t damage anything or anyone. We get complacent and never seem to have the time to do preventative maintenance on our daily drivers. I think 20 years for a brake line/hose is the exception not the rule. Check all the other lines and hoses. Also give the whole truck a good look over. Next time it could be your life or someone else’s. Kim

 

[moparedtn]

Glad your ok and didn’t damage anything or anyone. We get complacent and never seem to have the time to do preventative maintenance on our daily drivers. I think 20 years for a brake line/hose is the exception not the rule. Heck all the other lines and hoses. Also give the whole truck a good look over. Me time it could be your life or someone else’s. Kim

Yes sir, thnks!
Minor update: Truck is reassembled (less one bolt for the wheelwell liner being missing for some reason
- there's always one, eh?).
I've been on the white-knuckle test drive, at first across the property a few times, slamming hard on 'em...
then when that proved ok, down the ridge I went to the highway - where more pickup chicken-dancin' commenced.
Wife hanging out on the front porch when I returned, watching....but acting like she wasn't.
It's all good I reckon, least for now.
Parking brake adjustment will now commence, the "cheaty" way - at the equalizer on the frame - for now.
The whole truck will get a brake makeover soon as that's economically feasible, including new parking brake
shoes.

 

[moparedtn]

EPILOGUE:
The truck has now been out on a couple of decent length runs and has exhibited no outward desire to kill me.
I'll take that as a win.

That said, it does still need the brakes re-done (think I'll turn the rotors this time, rather than outright replace)
and fetch factory pads as usual - but the emergency brake linkage is eat up with corrosion as well.
Reckon I best start looking for those parts also...
Anyone here work at a dealer by chance?

 

[mopar 3 B]

You begin to see why most just use a compression fitting and call it good. Something I have only done once and 200,000 miles later it was still there and doing a good job.

 

[Don Frelier]

Only rear brakes in an unloaded pickup is barely better than Fred Flintstone brakes.

Around here brake lines simply dissolve.
I've spent many hours crawling under rusty cars bending and fitting lines.
Luckily my stuff is in a little better shape so haven't need to do much of that the past few years.

 

[moparedtn]

You begin to see why most just use a compression fitting and call it good. Something I have only done once and 200,000 miles later it was still there and doing a good job.

When you're talking 1400psi, compression fittings are a fools' game.
It was cheap and easy just to replace the lines.

 

[moparedtn]

Only rear brakes in an unloaded pickup is barely better than Fred Flintstone brakes.

Around here brake lines simply dissolve.
I've spent many hours crawling under rusty cars bending and fitting lines.
Luckily my stuff is in a little better shape so haven't need to do much of that the past few years.

Who had "only rear brakes"? I must have missed something...

 

[mopar 3 B]

Here I thought the whole purpose of duel reservoir brake master was to prevent such an occurrence. There should have been at least rear brakes.

 

[Don Frelier]

Here I thought the whole purpose of duel reservoir brake master was to prevent such an occurrence. There should have been at least rear brakes.

That's kind of what I was trying to say.
If you've ever tried to stop a pickup with only rear brakes it sure feels like you've got nothing.
But they should have locked up which you would hear and feel the rear try to kick out.
Strange for sure.

 

[oldkimmer]

Glad your ok and didn’t damage anything or anyone. We get complacent and never seem to have the time to do preventative maintenance on our daily drivers. I think 20 years for a brake line/hose is the exception not the rule. Check all the other lines and hoses. Also give the whole truck a good look over. Next time it could be your life or someone else’s. Kim

Well I have to eat crow. I knew I had to change a tranny line on my truck. I’ll do it next week when I have more time. It didn’t wanna wait till then. Kim

 

[moparedtn]

Here I thought the whole purpose of duel reservoir brake master was to prevent such an occurrence. There should have been at least rear brakes.

You must have missed it the first time....I was asking the same thing early on.
Once repairs commenced, though...
It was discovered along the process that both a front AND a rear main feed line had failed at the exact same time.

 

[Don Frelier]

Ooohhh that explains it

 

[moparedtn]

Ooohhh that explains it

Yep and of course, two thoughts came to mind immediately when I discovered this:
1. What are the freaking odds of having both pop at the exact same time?
2. This could have been so very, very worse... and I am grateful for the blessing!

 

[Dave P]

Yep and of course, two thoughts came to mind immediately when I discovered this:
1. What are the freaking odds of having both pop at the exact same time?
2. This could have been so very, very worse... and I am grateful for the blessing!

Actually pretty good when you think about it. Fronts failed and you had that split second "oh ****" then drove the pedal through the floor and failed the other rusty POS line.

 

[Cranky]

I've been 'meaning' to check my 95 Dakota brakes. Everything underneath it is still original and so is my diesel. The Dakota has always pretty much been outside but it has had a hard surface to sit on and the diesel (97) has been garaged since 2001. Have no idea what the original owners did with it as I bought it from a consignment lot. The 95 still has the original fluid in it too.....

 

[oldbee]

Blame the whole thing on the “better half”. She doesn’t post on here. Sorry, had to say it!

 

[Cranky]

Blame the whole thing on the “better half”. She doesn’t post on here. Sorry, had to say it!

 

[moparedtn]

Blame the whole thing on the “better half”. She doesn’t post on here. Sorry, had to say it!

Heh, unless she's developed advanced metal corroding skills, I reckon it wasn't her....this time.