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03 Rodeo in Iowa, Best deal on this site

1K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  andy_sykes 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

Bought myself a Rodeo a few weeks ago for next to nothing. ($260) PO didnt really know much about anything and needed it gone quick. lucky me. I trailered the rig back home thinking it had a blown head gasket but for the price plus cost of parts factoring in the near perfect condition of the body, roof rack, and brand new set of tires ($250) I figured i had a fairly good deal.

The story goes that he left it outside idling on a hot summers day and came outside to find steam (he said smoke) coming from under the hood. Said he turned it off, waited for it to cool down and then drove 2 blocks home where it had sat for 2-3 months until i bought it. He said that the cats had plugged up and thats why the head gasket blew. has anyone experience these cats plugging? i have a low voltage error for both upstream sensors and was planning on switching but ebay screwed up my parts (beware of their vehicle compatibility checker!!) would this indicate them being plugged?

Things get better. I get the rig home and start it up to diagnose things myself, which i have auto tech education and the ability to devour info from forums and youtube, Long story short I have not found any evidence of a blown head gasket. No coolant in the oil, switched to synth, not oil in coolant, not using any coolant, no steam from the tailpipe, no bubbling in the radiator (except the heater core which from what i understand is higher than the radiator cap and is easily bled), no overheating, aside from a leak down test theres nothing that points to a blown HG.

I've been driving it daily for about 3 weeks now with minimal problems unrelated to the HG. I am in love with this thing and have even taken it on some mild trails and climbed a large dirt pit with it with no overheating. I freaked out at about 45 degrees when i saw fluid pouring out, turns out it was just washer fluid, anyone else experience that and could give me a hint to where to look/what to seal up.

lastly I have 50-75 technical/troubleshooting questions ranging from diy windshield replacement, O2 sensor questions, seat motor being stuck, which would be the best board to post all my questions? some are exactly 'mods' or just drive train related

Thankns guys I hope to hear back soon, I love this thing so much,glad to be a part of the community
 
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