k9sar

what's the code on the ECU? That'd give you a real good idea what the problem is.

I think 88's brain is in the USA and not considering the international aspect of the question.

lay under the truck and have someone exercise the parking brake and see if you can tell where there is and is not movement, and how much. It's certainly possible that the cable has stretched and can not be adjusted. If that is the case, you will need to replace the cable or shorten it (at the appropriate place) and loosen the adjustment. That will give you flexibility for future tightening. but... I agree with 88... have a brake place check it out (usually free) and find the problem... then fix it yourself

Dang Aaron... all that in one post. I'd have thought a "post whore" (not my words) like you would have used at least a dozen posts for all that information

well... I've heard of "flying down the road" but to need an altimeter?!?

as long as the cable isn't so slack that you are getting absolutely no pull on the mechanism when pulling your e-brake lever. Also, if you pull the wheel and drum, you'd be able to see if the brake were working at all (having someone GENTLY pull the e-brake handle). My first approach would be to tighten the cable.

If the battery is good but your connections are bad, you could experience this type of problem. Enough voltage getting through to power your internals (low amp) but not enough ooomf to start her (high amp).

oops.... brain-cramp

bad CV joints? Something loose rolling around in the back of your pathy?

I ran mine for nearly a year before fixing it. I doubt it'll hurt anything as long as you aren't sucking fumes into your cab (which is the main reason the inspection stations will fail you if it exists. essentially a leaking exhaust)

Batterrrr up!

I'm trying to find a good link to the Umbro dog-kick commercial. 88 would love it!

interesting thought. I had previously had my good'ol check engine light come on a couple times during long runs from PA to IN. The code was that of an injector leak. I added some cleaner and ran some high quality gas for a couple tanks and it solved it. Perhaps it's acting up again and just not doing it in a way that the ECU recognizes (I get no code). The forecast is for thunderstorms for the next 5 days so I have little ambition to do any work on the truck until the weather is nicer. Today, it worked fine. I'll cross my fingers and drive for a sunny day.

sure... but don't you need to drive a hundred miles just to get anywhere?

Starting in '93 when I moved to New Mexico, I got involved in Search and Rescue, specifically the training and use of dogs for both air-scent and tracking. There was an interesting fine line between training the dogs to be obedient and letting them think for themselves. An example is that the dog must come to the handler when it's called.... unless it's on scent. In that case, it should ignore (but alert) the handler and continue on it's path. I also did some training with the Border Patrol and their K9 units and the state police and learned how to handle a dog attack (from a different dog) while on a mission. It only happened once while I was out there and I had to intervene when a Great Dane/St Bernard mix attacked my Golden while we were training in the desert near a not-so-nice neighborhood. I only got bit once in the scuffle but I ended up with the dog in a body and headlock such that it couldn't do anything but struggle and whimper until the owner showed up. I had no intention of hurting the dog but mine took the opportunity to get in a couple last minute chomps at it's underbelly while I held it.

here's a link to it.... Video NOTE: I had a cat for 18 years and still love them. The fact that I posted the link to these was due to the funny nature of the video. (and to take a poke at 88 )

here it is.... video

sorry cat-lovers... I had to post this. Cat_Video

nah.. did the hose a couple weeks ago. There was no event between Friday pm (leaving work) and Saturday morning (when she started acting up) that could have knocked anything loose etc. Sun and Mon were problematic when I started her up after sitting for several hours but today.... no problem. sheesh!!!! It's so much easier to track down things that are consistent.

Look Left! These are my 2 girls. The older (8) was raised in New Mexico as a search and rescue dog but now only does therapy work and pretend to be a speed-bump. The young one (2?) was a stray in Virginia that I adopted about a year ago. Here's another pic of them

Well, I'm sure it's not the MAF. If that were the case, it'd idle rough (or not at all) even when warm. I've had that lovely experience already and had to rewire the plug on top of the sensor. I thought about fouled plugs or bad wires but I would expect it to be a little more consistent and not clear up after a few minutes of running. Experiences the same problem after sitting at work in the parking lot while I'm off making money. I came out today and it hated running. By the time I got to the end of the parking lot, she was fine. Odd though... it's not like the engine is even warm yet when it starts to perform better. I think there's a diagnostic test you can setup on the computer to check things while you drive (I'll have to consult the manual in the morning). Maybe that'll tell me something. I had hoped that someone had experienced this problem before and could point me right at the problem. Oh well, I'll post what I find. I no longer have the the gas smell in the morning since I tightened the clamps on that little 3" fuel line between the rails. Now that I think about it, I haven't had her in the mud lately, maybe she's starved and pissed-off

dang... you have a toughie :confused: . I've had my drums off a couple times and never had too much trouble. Good luck with the bolts. let us know how it goes.

If your parking brake is not on, your brake shoes should not be holding the drum on. It's definately a snug fit and takes some work to remove but you probably need to do a bit of prying and hammering to ease it off. If you get it cockeyed even a little bit, it'll bind-up on ya. Smack the drum a few times from all angles to break it loose from the axle. You may be able to rig a press to pull on your drum and press against a plate sitting across your studs. Once you get it open, make sure you adjust your shoes so you can get it back on easily. Drum brakes definately need brute-finesse

Hi all... Seems that my 95 SE has started some undesirable behavior. When I first start it up in the morning, it seems sluggish. If I hit the gas (even lightly), the engine bogs down like it's choked. It coughs and sputters and tries to die. I can nurse it to health with gentle pressure on the gas and a lot of prayer but this is getting annoying. After driving a few hundred yards, it seems to have cleared up and runs fine for the rest of the day. Thoughts?

I rarely shift mine from Auto to Power. The one time that it's essential is when climbing a long hill, you may slow down enough to bog-down the engine. Having it set to power will keep it in a lower gear longer (higher RPMs) and could avoid reaching that 'should I shift or not' point in the auto trans.