Today was a day of discovery on a couple of topics. Ever since I installed the stainless steel windshield trim back in 2012, I’ve been plagued by an intermittent chirping squeak somewhere in or near the dashboard. At first I thought it was the windshield trim, and numerous adjustments and hours of modifications presumably eliminated the irritation. Weeks or months later it reappeared. Eventually I found an errant nut wedged between the dash and the under dash panel. Removing the nut also eliminated the noise. As it came back again many more times. I would make corrections that apparently “fixed” the problem, only to have it come back repeatedly.
After a long winter nap, the truck was finally taken out for a nice long ride today. The chirping squeak was back, louder than ever. We touched, pushed, pulled, and pounded on just about every surface in sight, and it just got worse. It became so loud I could hardly stand to be in the truck, but it became so persistent it eventually became apparent the squeak went away when the driveline was disconnected. Running through the mental checklist I eliminated the u-joints and throw out bearing, which led me to the clutch linkage, which is hydraulic.
Taking logic a step further, the hydraulic portion doesn’t start until the firewall. The culprit turned out the spherical joint that connects the push rod to the original pedal arm:
When first assembled, it received a dose of WD40 or something similar. Nine years later the joint was so dry it wouldn’t even wobble when disconnected. After a good cleaning it returned to free movement, and was liberally coated with white lithium grease. Once back together the squeak was gone! I’m hopeful it’s really permanent this time, as this is one of the few functional pieces that has been neglected for a long time.
Another interesting thought jumped off the page when I looked at the new snapshot. Compared to the next shot taken around 10 years ago, the area certainly has been cleaned up by installation of the new fuse panel, elimination of the wig wag lights and removal of the cruise control. It isn’t pretty, but it’s much cleaner:
We also discovered another interesting phenomenon riding around. Cars, minivans, trucks, and big rigs that would intend to zoom by us on either side, apparent smitten with the lighted portholes, stopped their forward progress roughly even with the front of our truck and dropped back to sit on my rear quarters studying the portholes/lights. When they decided to move on several drivers stuck out their arms with a “thumbs up” as they accelerated away.
I also encountered a pair of cyclists as we approached an intersection simultaneously. They wanted to go straight (in the bike lane) and I wanted to turn right. I remained in the main traffic lane and flipped on the signal. They rode alongside the door for a few seconds watching the sequential blinkers and finally pulled out in front of the truck. Both turned around and offered another thumbs up as they went across the intersection.
Some individuals may not find favor with the portholes or the lights, but they generated more waves, smiles, and thumbs up in one day than in all the years we’ve owned the truck. They’ve added a whole new level of fun to the driving experience.