JoeH

Probably depends how well you can leverage your anger at them.

The power steering pump is really the only crossover point between engine oil and power steering. Rebuilt pump is probably only a couple hundred bucks. I'd go through dealer though, using your vin. My engines all have the PS pump on the back of the air compressor, on the front of the timing cover would turn opposite direction. Not sure if the pumps work right spinning backwards.

New fuel filters, pops was goosing it to clear any air in the system. And for fun. Managed to get a picture of the smoke.

My company is just my dad and I. No one but family has driven our trucks in over 20 years. Don't need some idiot breaking my old trucks because he wants a newer one. He would find himself out of a job real fast with a pretty salty employer reference. You can't beat multi speed reverse transmission for concrete truck work. A 2 stick in 3rd reverse will get me in places the 8LL will die in.

Lol my 2 stick is a `79 and works just about every day. Had 350k miles on it as a tractor when we bought it, we have about 250k miles on it since we got it in '86. We run a 15 mile radius delivering concrete. Lots of short runs in traffic, lights, stops, hills... very few highway miles. Lots of shift cycles. This one isn't a hobby truck, we drive it like a work truck. Shift, floor it. Shift, floor it. Shift, floor it. It has never complained. I'm assuming the Eaton was beat on but I have no idea if it was or not. But the 2 stick survived my brothers and I learning to drive on it right out of high school. Still shifts as good as ever. Up time in the 11 years since I started driving is close to 99%. And you have to factor that 1% downtime can be the mixer`s fault, not the truck. Compare that to anything new.

My Eaton shifts like junk. Someone beat on it before we bought the truck. No thanks, I'd rather a Mack. Though the 2 sticks are the only Mack transmissions I've driven.

I just went to see why my clutch brake wasn't working on my 8LL a couple weeks ago, I had adjusted it a few months before. Stuck my head in and it wasn't there! Somehow the clutch brake broke off and fell out! It gets sandwhiched between the transmission and the throw out bearing on the input shaft.

That's a nice looking truck. Love the paint.

Run the license plate.

Maybe have all 6 made up to ensure they're the same length.

Gears will have dots stamped into their faces where they need to be timed. Take pictures on your way in, print them out and circle timing marks for reassembly reference.

We got our truck used with 385's and put 315's on it because it steered like the Titanic. Tires didn't change anything, so we tweaked the axle stops. I do a lot of 6+ point turns to back into customers driveways. 385's would probably have too much resistance and wear out my steering kinda fast.

Used those in high school in our robotics program, they're not as good as the ferrel type synflex fittings but these are faster to change out the synflex. Push in on the tubing, hold the collar depressed and the synflex should pull out while you depress the collar. To install new synflex your cut has to be square and clean, no burr. Just shove the synflex in then give it a tug to make sure the fitting got a bite. No need to do anything with collar on install.

Why not run 315's?

But your oil is running hot too, so the engines gotta be overheating.

I suppose it also depends where your water temp sensor is mounted. Usually they're near the thermostat? But if Volvo was dumb enough to put it by whatever circuit you've stumbled on it could be reading hot there even though the main water jacket itself is at normal temp?

Not familiar with the MP engines, but the engine coolant is through the upper and lower rad hoses, which you'd have to try pretty hard to plug up. If the fitting you mentioned is clogged up it may indicate a sludge problem that could be clogging up your radiator core internally, not allowing enough coolant through to cool the engine when working hard.

It's pulling some air through. Can you set the idle in high in neutral using the cruise? It won't suck your hand hard, but it does need air flow. Just blow air through from the fan side with compressed air. It'll tell you real fast how much dust there is in there. Blow out as much of the radiator as you can this way before tearing things off. Get what you can out of there that way and run it for a day, see if it's any better.

And I call BS on that taking 2.5+ hours to change out that elbow. It's two V clamps and you're cruising.

Part of the reason some of us run old dogs. They cost a fraction, and don't have engineering defects that haven't been addressed yet. Volvo got your money, they don't care about you now. They'll wait for a customer to engineer the fix, void that customers warranty, call the fix their own and put it on everyone else's truck. Meanwhile you're stuck with a truck you can't use but still have to pay for.

Throw a patch on, run it. When they say they have a fix put the broken POS back on there and they won't know the difference.

Blow from the fan side out towards the front with compressed air. How is your air filter gauge? Is your air filter clogging? That'll run your pyrometer up.

How many tons of payload does the pup trailer setup get you?

Find a local commercial agent that can shop around for you.

Ouch! 21k?? What are you hauling?? I paid 11k/year to haul fuel oil, and that carries a high general liability. If you're new to trucking I'd walk away if you can't find something wayyyy lower. Can't make money with a 21k policy. If you're going to make a living with your driver's license you need to keep it spotless. Hind sight is 20/20.