XPLORx4

You probably bent something under there. Check your A-arms, tie rods, and the position of the steering rack.

The first quote added a bunch of stuff you didn't ask to be replaced. Thermostat should run you no more than $25 at your local Autozone. It's not hard to replace. $56 to pressure test? Bah! Is your cooling system leaking anywhere else? Losing any oolant now (except through the leaky radiator)? $25 for coolant? OMG, talk about a 200% markup! What's funny about this quote is that with all that extra un-asked-for work, they didn't even include new radiator hoses. If it were me, I'd just do it myself. Replacing the radiator isn't all that hard. But if you're not so good with tools, then I don't think you'd have any issues going with the 2nd quote, unless the mechanic seems shady. Where did you price the radiator? I found it for $118. Call your local auto parts stores for prices.

Nonsense. 9 bucks each. Click here. You want TWO of part number 2 on the diagram.

Yep, that's them!

Did you see if the entire rack was moving back and forth? If so, this is NOT due to a problem with the steering rack, it's due to rotted out rubber bushings securing the steering rack to the subframe. Just buy new bushings (likely under $50) to replace the rotted ones, and the steering rack will not move back and forth anymore.

x2 on the R&P. Ask them what's wrong with it. Definitely get a second opinion. Radiator: try local auto parts stores. Kragen, Checker Schucks, Autozone, etc. should have it for a hundred and change. A/C compressor: junkyard?

It is possible to have correct alignment, even after adjusting the steering wheel. I've done this to my truck several times. Since the R50's only adjustable alignment parameter is toe (camber and caster are not adjustable without aftermarket parts), here's how to correct the steering wheel center position yourself. First, note which way the steering wheel is tilted while driving straight. If it's tilted RIGHT, do this: Climb under the front of the truck and note the number of threads showing on each tie rod adjuster. Next, loosen the nuts holding the adjuster against the tie rod end. I just use a large crescent wrench, because I usually can't remember what size wrench to use. Using a 13mm open-ended wrench around the center of the adjuster, TIGHTEN the LEFT tie rod exactly 1/2 turn, and LOOSEN the RIGHT tie rod exactly 1/2 turn. You may need to hold the tie rod ends from rotating while you do this. Snug up the tie rod nuts with very light pressure; do not tighten them down fully yet. Go for a short test drive (no more than 1 mile) to check the steering wheel position. If it's not enough, repeat another 1/2 turn on each tie rod. When you're happy with the position, TIGHTEN both nuts securely, making sure that neither the tie rod ends nor the tie rod adjusters rotate while you tighten. If it's tilted LEFT, do this: Climb under the front of the truck and note the number of threads showing on each tie rod adjuster. Next, loosen the nuts holding the adjuster against the tie rod end. I just use a large crescent wrench, because I usually can't remember what size wrench to use. Using a 13mm open-ended wrench around the center of the adjuster, LOOSEN the LEFT tie rod exactly 1/2 turn, and TIGHTEN the RIGHT tie rod exactly 1/2 turn. You may need to hold the tie rod ends from rotating while you do this. Snug up the tie rod nuts with very light pressure; do not tighten them down fully yet. Go for a short test drive (no more than 1 mile) to check the steering wheel position. If it's not enough, repeat another 1/2 turn on each tie rod. When you're happy with the position, TIGHTEN both nuts securely, making sure that neither the tie rod ends nor the tie rod adjusters rotate while you tighten.

Just go drive over a speed bump in a parking lot. Then you'll understand what the strut top-out problem is.

"Illegal" parts are only those which affect emissions. You'll never fail a biennial inspection from a loose ball joint, rusty rocker panels, a noisy strut bearing, bald tires, or even a burned out brake lamp! Though, you might get cited for bald tires or a burned out brake lamp. Also, a salvage inspection is a special case, of course.

First, congrats on your new ride. It's got low miles for its age! So, how is it that the inspection tech diagnosed a bad strut bearing and failed the inspection because of it (plus the others)? Who'da thunk PA would have more strict vehicle inspections than California? Go figure... $1000 to fix the truck? How did you come up with that? Just spray some expandable foam in that rust hole, slap some bondo on it, and spray some bedliner over it. Done. Ball joints? Those are easy to do. Strut bearing? Not too difficult, assuming you have the right tools. Tires? Well, you gotta buy those anyways, sooner or later. They are, after all, consumable items.

Yep. For the most part a 99 is indistinguishable from a 98, and a 99.5 is indistinguishable from a 2000, except I think the 1999.5's have the grille shown above in Fueler's post, as opposed to the grille shown below. Here are some more examples: 1999: 1999.5/2000:

The diagram above shows only the fill/drain plugs for the transfer case. It's nearly the same as the TX10A lever-operated transfer case. You cannot fill the automatic transmission using the transfer case fill plug. As mentioned by FUELER, the A/T is filled via the A/T fluid dipstick tube.

When shifting between 4H to 4L, first STOP the truck, and shift the transmission to N. Depress the transfer case lever straight down towards the floor and SMOOTHLY, QUICKLY and FIRMLY move it rearwards to 4L. DO NOT PAUSE between 4H and 4L, or you will get the grinding sound. The whole shifting action should take less than 1 second. When I first started using 4L, I frequently had the grinding sound, and had to shut off the engine, too. Then, I realized that I was shifting too timidly and slowly.

I take it that none of your family is small enough to require a child seat, or you would likely be able to secure the seat using the rear tie-downs and the lap belt, and seat 3 rear passengers adequately. I've never heard of an aftermarket lap-belt to shoulder-belt conversion before... for ANY vehicle. It is generally not possible to replace the center lap belt with a 3-point (lap and shoulder) belt. This is because the car will probably not have been designed with a mounting point for the upper end of the shoulder belt. A seatbelt has to take a very high load in the event of an accident (the tests required during vehicle development generally apply enough force via the belt to distort the body shell beyond repair), so the upper mounting point has to be included during the design stage of the vehicle. If you've seen newer vehicles equipped with a center shoulder belt, you'll note that the shoulder belt usually attaches in the center of the roof, where extra reinforcements inside the body have been placed to withstand the forces of a collision. That being said, you MIGHT be able to use a product like this to your center seat position, but you would have to cut a slit in the carpet where the rear seat folds down to feed the belt through.

Any PCM reset procedure which requires physical access to the PCM will be difficult at best, due the the inconvenient location under the R50 dashboard. Besides, the only difference between a PCM "reset by procedure" and a battery disconnect is that you don't have to reprogram your radio station presets and clock time with the PCM "reset by procedure". If you don't want to lose your radio presets, the easiest -by far- technique is to use an OBDII code reader/resetter, such as this one that I randomly found via google search.

The PCM is mounted under the dash above the steering column. It's pretty hard to reach. It's much simpler to disconnect the negative terminal on the battery to reset the PCM. The more basic question, though, is: Why do you want to reset it?

I think the hatch sheetmetal is shaped differently on the 99.5-04 body styles. so the plastic trim piece the houses the light doesn't fit on the 96-99 hatches.

It's not clear to me what you mean by "You could see the whole thing rolling round..." The whole thing [wheel] is supposed to roll around. That's what wheels do. Does the wheel wobble on the hub?

The white smoke doesn't come from "sucking into the oil". The white smoke comes from sucking it into the intake manifold. This is normal and expected.

Yep. You can get a wider variety of opinions by googling "seafoam procedure". I formulated my above response based on my own experience as well as the information I learned via google.

With the engine at idle, allow 1/3 of the can to be slowly drawn via vacuum into the intake manifold. I used the EVAP line to ingest the Seafoam. On my engine, the EVAP line is located immediately after the throttle body, which provides better distribution throughout the manifold than the brake booster. Shut the engine off and wait 5 minutes. While you're waiting, pour 1/3 of the can into your gas tank. Pour 1/3 of the can into the crankcase, then drive TEN miles. Wait for the engine to cool, then change the oil and filter.

I would get some nice 20" wheels, lower it, and put a 5000watt audio system in it! Blingity bling! Oh wait, you didn't say what you want to use it for! A few years ago I put about $5K into my rig. The $5K included t-case crawler gears ($1300), front locker ($900), dual battery system ($350), custom rear bumper ($1500), and a dual-din in-dash DVD player, amp, new speakers and a 10" sub. But if you're starting from bone stock, and you want to use it for off-roading, I would do this: timing belt replacement put poly bushings in the rear control arms 2" lift manual hubs 15x8 wheels and 32" tires sliders skid plate 4.636 front and rear diffs

P/S problem: Your power steering belt may be loose or worn out. Replace or tighten it. To flush the fluid, I think you need to remove both of the P/S hoses from the steering rack and let the system drain out. There may be some residual fluid left in the rack. DexIII ATF should work fine. Misfiring: could be any number of things: bad plugs, wires, dist. cap/rotor, dirty fuel filter, dirty air filter, dirty MAF sensor, dirty throttle body, vacuum leak... Start with the easy stuff that you KNOW could benefit from being replaced. Plugs/cap/rotor/filters should be changed every 30,000 miles. If that doesn't solve your problems, start digging deeper: plug wires, vacuum lines, MAF sensor, etc.

Next time just drive around with the drop and ball attached.

LOL. But not if that spacer is 4" tall and is accompanied by some other metal bits that bolt to the subframe!