by Chad Hauris: Updated 8/8/05
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This truck is instrumental to our business, allowing us to transport jukeboxes, organs, and other large pieces of equipment. It has a 360 c.i. V-8 with 4 barrel Rochester Quadrajet carburetor, and uses no computer controls.
So far, we have had the truck painted and installed new mirrors.
Up until July 17, 2005 we have had no problems with the truck. Gregory and I had gone out to pick up an organ the day before, so I drove the truck home that night. Upon going to church Sun. morning, after which I was going into the shop, the steering suddenly felt very stiff, like there was no power steering. When I got to church, I checked and found the belt to the power steering pump had come off. I thought maybe it was a worn belt. I called John and he brought the tools and we reattached the belt and tightened up the power steering pump.
Incidentally, the power steering pump mounting bolts on this engine appear to be a metric size, a little smaller than 5/8 inch.
I noticed also that the water pump pulley had cracks in it, and when we started up the engine, it appeared to be rotating eccentrically.
John then followed me to the shop and as I turned out on to Andrews Hwy. I began to accelerate and heard a bang. I figured that the belt must have popped off again, so I pulled into a parking lot. We found that the water pump pulley had completely broke off of the shaft. It only traveled about a minute from the time the pulley broke till I shut off the engine so there should not be any overheating damage,
Apparently metal fatigue had weakened the pulley over time.
We then towed the truck to the shop with a tow strap and looked for a new pulley...none of the local auto parts places had one. We will try ordering one from the Dodge dealer.
Update: 8/8/05. The Midland and Odessa Dodge dealers did not have the part...we had to have it ordered from Albuquerque. John installed the new pulley and the truck is back in service. We also plan to install a water temperature gauge as there is no temperature gauge installed from the factory.
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