suggestions

[Dads Tractors]

Need suggestions please. I bought my 02 4x4 ST witb 86k. It now has 128k. I'm taking it in for new valve cover gasket, serpentine, thermostat housing, spark plugs, upper ball joint, sway bar end links, oil and air filters. I'm bout tapped out on price but wondering if tbere is anything I should add such as a coolant flush or any other fluid exchange?

 

[Vic Sorlie]

Transmission, transfer case and differential fluids, also fuel filter and coolant. Are you a DIYer? Several items in your list aren't all that tough - serp belt, spark plugs, sway bar links, air filter. Valve cover gaskets and thermostat housing a little more difficult, but doable. Need some basic tools, and there's lots of DIY videos on YouTube.

 

[Yardsale]

Agree with Vic. In that you probably don't know the service history, do all the fluids. If you're up for some of it, save some money on labor and maybe put it toward other items that you don't want to do yourself (valve cover, thermostat housing and transmission flush, for instance).



Without knowing your abilities or desires, some items that are doable at home are (in order of ease):



Serpentine belt (half a beer)

Air filter (the other half of beer)

Fuel filter (~one beer)

Sway bar end links (one beer)

Oil and oil filter (one beer)

Spark plugs (three beers - this is more a pain than difficult; see recent posts)



These represent a lot of labor cost.

 

[Duane Foster]

Depending on your desires and abilities like Yardsale said, along with having the tools and place to work, all the things he listed are relatively easy. Some are more frustrating than difficult. For example, the spark plugs you can see are difficult to get to, and the ones you can't see are easier to get to than the ones you can see.



You can save a lot of money doing it yourself, but we understand that's not an option for everyone.

 

[Dads Tractors]

Thanks all. I am a DIY'er just not with auto mechanics plus three young kiddos. Probably going to go with a full fluid change as well.

 

[Dads Tractors]

Got er done. Serp belt, sway bar links, ball joint, control arm, upper and lower thermostat housing and thermostat, all fluid changed and all filters, valve cover gaskets, spark plugs, pcv valve. Hopefully I should be good for a while.

 

[Yardsale]

Dang - that's a bunch o' stuff!



You're good for a long while.

 

[Dads Tractors]

I'm a DIY'er except vehicle mechanics. You would think since I grew up on a farm. Embarrassed. Anyway since my last post I did put new vinyl down over linex sprayed and neoprene, fixed my door locks and windows, put new Rockford door speakers in, JL amp, Kenwood powered amp, inline converters, Yakima ski racks for my fishing poles, monroe shocks, Westin safari bar, and new mats. Got er where I want her. I would have to say she's worth more than the $7K I paid for her 3 years ago.

 

[Dads Tractors]

Oh. And two years ago on my sons birthday it got stolen. Insurance co was gonna give me $9200 for it. I ended up finding it abandoned about five miles away luckily for the most part unharmed.

 

[Dads Tractors]

Lovin my monroe reflex shocks. Nice to have all wheels on the ground.