revgolem

i just wire into the pre-amp out on my head units (made an adaptor for the co-ax plugs) and used the pathy's OE amps only. they have plenty of power for anything that could be mounted in the stock locations and i can still piggy-back to the wires to add any additional amps/speakers. works great for me.

First step in all evap leak codes - remove and retighten the gas cap, clear the code and see if it comes back. if you were to go to a shop this is exactly what your first hour of diag time (at full shop rate) will be spent doing.

the best way to use seafoam is to suck it directly into the intake... but this can be a bit tricky. find a vac line that goes directly to the intake (the smaller diameter of the hose the better 'flow control' will be). start the engine and SLOWLY suck the seafoam our of the can with the vac line in SHORT BURSTS. too much too fast will hydrolock the engine and may or may not cause major problems. the main thing is to find a rythem that works by stopping just at the point that you hear the engine start to bog down. after a couple of mins the foam will work its way through the system and flood the CAT... thats when you get to watch all the pretty smoke come out the tail pipe and fill the entire neighborhood in a thick pea-soup fog. if you actually like your neighbors you might want to warn them as the fire dept. has been known to be called out on such occasions. once you've sucked down the bottle (or half suck, half in the tank to get to the injectors) drive it around town until the smoking stops and you are all done. works great AND it's fun... just don't get careless and forget to watch your flow rate.

i was going to c opy/paste the test procedure from ALLDATA, but it's a huge long mess of text/images from a secure site. below is a portion that i think may apply. it's not so much that the procedures are hard, but the system is so complicated that without a detailed understanding of exactly what is going on when the ECM runs it tests that many experienced machanics loose their hair trying to solve these problems. ill try to do some research in the next day or so and see if i can find something more (if someone else doesnt beat me to it)

its an EVAP code. most manufac. call the "Vacum cut valve bypass valve" the "purge" valve. it opens to allow manifold vacuum to evacuate the gas vapors in the EVAP canister as part of the required procedure to test the fuel system for small leaks (as small as 0.020") it sends the vapors into the intake and then uses the O2 sensors to calculate the amount of vapors that were purged. something happened to cause the ECM to not see the vapors it was expecting. valve could be stuck closed, lines blocked... etc. could also be a source of the knock code depending on how its reacting to what it thinks it sees. neither code should cause a problem driving, only prevent you from passing emissions depending on local laws. on a side note, what part of TX are you in? I moved to WA from Austin about 3 years ago and have been wondering whats been going on back there.

without it there is nothing holding the input shaft for the tranny in place. you will end up replacing your tranny once again very quickly. its not unheard of to get the wrong bearing with the kit. first of all make sure it will fit around the input shaft and that the bearing matches the old one. manual trans can be weird to try and restab into the motor. sometimes they just slide right in, others i have fought with for almost two hours before getting it to sit right. its all about getting the angle right and making sure the splines on the shaft and the clutch match up. oh, one other thing that ive seen cause problems is if the clutch isint exactly lined up with the alignment tool.

Definatly sounds like the starter. If you are going to wait for it to die to replace it, be sure to carry a good sized hammer in the back. When it does go, it probobly won't be somewhere convenient. Many times the starter can be brough back to life by whacking the crap out of it while someone else cranks it over. It won't work too many times so when it gets to that point it's definatly time to replace it.

one thing to think about... synthetics do a great job of cleaning and unsticking things, which usually for the most part is good. but one common problem with switching over in a high milege vehicle is that some of the guck to get cleaned may be the only thing holding some of your seals and gaskets together. not always a problem, but just be prepared for the possibility that you will have to start resealing your engine just a bit sooner. as far as brands, most of the name brands are just about the same. personally i think stuff like royal purple are more gimick than anything... but thats just me.

With everything you will be replacing an alignment wouldn't be such a bad idea and not too much of a compromise for the money you would be saving. with all the new parts the chances it would be spot on are pretty slim. i wouldn't really stress about getting it, but i wouldn't consider the job finished until it was done.

definatly sounds like timing, but before tearing back into it i would check out the wiring for the knock sensor. all engines will ping occassionaly. the knock sensor senses these and retards the timing just a bit until it stops. the pcm will throw the code then the timing is as retarted as it will get and it is still pinging more than the predetermined limits. if the sensor is getting false readings and backing off the timing thus causing real pinging.... it can be a viscious cycle. but i wouldnt get too caught up in the sensor.

When you do your oil changes, check fluid in both diffs and t-case, change as needed. Unless you are having specific problems you can probobly cut back a bit on changing the fuel filter. every 6-12 months would be being very cautious if only boarderline OCD.

This is just a rough estimate of what it would cost in labor alone. This takes into account things that overlap, such as going in to change out cam seals you are already right there to replace the t-belt. also note that the water pump has been added since the shop will try hard to sell it to you since again, you will already be "right there". I also threw in the thermostat because they would sell that too, citing that it is needed to in order to warranty the pump/coolant flush. Exhaust Manifold (Left Side Only) 2.7 Axle Shaft (Both Sides) 3.2 Front Brakes (Resurface Rotors) 2.0 Coolant Service 1.0 Thermostat 2.1 Clutch/Brake Fluid Flush 1.5 Cam Oil Seal 5.9 - T-Belt 1.0 - Water Pump 1.0 Valve Cover Reseal 2.5 Total 22.9 Hours @75 per hour (Cheap Shop) --- $1717.50 before tax Parts could easily total at least that much. It would definatly be a "do it yourself labor of love" kinda purchase.

My interest is definatly peaked.

The hardest part about the whole ordeal would be the heaqvy lifting and moving into position if you were doing the job on the ground. the bead you see is just a high temp sealer (ATF-RTV Black). just a matter of seperating, cleaning and resealing. it can be a big deal if it runs dry, so if you plan on holding off on fixing the leak at least check and top off the level.

everything people have been listing is definatly important to think about. but i'd try to at least narrow down the root of the actual problem rather than shotgunning and doing a lot of work (which actually still should be done) but ending up with a truck that is still cold. id start with the engine cold. start er up. keep track of the temp of the upper and lower radiator hose. the hose without the thermo will get warm first, the other will stay relitivly cold until when (and if) the thermostat decides to pop. then both hoses will get very hot pretty darn quick. when this happens you know that your thermo is working. if the pathy overheats, then you know its not. if it pops, and while the truck is warm and running, turn on the heater to full blast, such as it is right now. feel the heater hoses the go into/out of the firewall. if there is a significant difference in temp between the two hoses, then your problem is almost positivly a clogged heater core, which is a total PITA to do yourself OR try to pay for. if the temp on the hoses are about the same id suspect an air bubble... though it is also possible that the water pump has taken a crap and just isint circulating the coolant, though with it taking as long as it does to warm up thats probobly the longest shot. just thought i thrown in my two cents.