Started the year off with a noise in the drivetrain and what seemed like a vacuum leak, symptoms were a tick on cold start that went away when warmed up. MPG seemingly not effected.

Keep in mind I live in the middle of a large city in an apartment with limited ability to wrench in an actual garage. Also I live on a steep hill so outdoor use of jacks is a problem. I do what I can myself but am reliant on indy shops to do most of my heavier work.

Drivetrain was first to be addressed, ruled out front driveshaft myself, noticed a lot of leaking from the transfer case... Indy shop said the noise was TC front output shaft and that the case was pretty much trashed and the E brake drum was full of gear oil due to the leakage. They found a replacement unit with a one year warranty. They also found the front and rear pinion seals were leaking and the rotoflex needed replacement. The work came to around $1200 all in, and then the TC case still had a whine and was again replaced but under the warranty.

Alternator died driving down the freeway. Found out the hard way that the truck will run for about 18 minutes with no alternator. Actually I was miraculously within 18 minutes of my usual indy shop when this happend. It died in the parking lot right after I got there. About $350 for a new alternator with warranty plus an hour or two labor.

First tried addressing the vacuum leak with the PV308 mod. The plastic nipple was leaking so I tightened that up and broke it. Symptoms of vacuum leak continued with P0441 code showing up weekly. Eventually P1171 started showing up too and the cold start tick started getting worse... Back at the indy shop for a diagnosis and they find the purge valve and leaking injector O rings. Another $1200 all in to change the eight O rings and purge valve. While that price might seem high, they also preemptively installed new plugs and wires while the intake was off. Most of this cost was the labor of two techs getting everything apart and back together. This did fix the cold start tick and the truck idles and drives much smoother now! One other odd symptom was detonation under extreme load, like trying to shift down to go 70+ up a steep section of freeway.

Still on the list to do, Tie rod ends are starting to wear, will need to replace track rod and drag link this year, I'm due for PS, transmission, and brake fluid service, and I have a clicking noise in the intermediate shaft U Joint.

So bottom line for the many new forum users, this is what it costs to maintain a daily driver D2 and why I always say to plan on about $2000 in annual maintenance if you are paying to have the work done. You might not spend that every year but it will average out to that if you properly maintain one of these.

Luckily I can afford to drive and maintain one... For now!!

 

$1200 for 8 o-rings, purge valve, plugs and wires...
I'm in the wrong business

 

Yep. Me too. It was in the shop from 8am to 3pm and hourly rates add up. Not sure what book time is for this service but obviously not something you can do in an hour.

And this is why I envy and admire those of you who have the place and skills to do this kind of work yourselves.

 

I feel for you. If I had to pay someone to do all the work I’ve done to my D2 I would definitely not be able to afford it! I can’t imagine not having a place to work on my cars. Funny part is it’s one of my dreams to own a loft in big building in a major city. Never thought about the parking and ability to work on cars. Sounds like your doing good keeping things sorted out though, hope it’s all smooth for you this year.

 

I don't have off street parking but luckily the street I live on is flat....I do all my maintenance work on the street and it's very doable but far from ideal.