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[AIRDOG1138]

OK. Here's the poop.

#1 - Why did I need the thermostats replaced? I have no idea. I am at 99,630 miles and the check engine light came on. When the fella's checked the reason for the light it said that my thermostat was stuck open. It was under warranty so I had the dealership replace them. BTW - this happened while the Banks stuff was off the truck and running stock. So it was not a Banks related issue in anyway. My mech friend summed it up this way. "Dude. It's $29.00 for 2 Thermostats. They go bad in 100,000 miles. What do you expect?"

#2 - I installed the new SixGun and crancked up the Big Blue Beast! Here's where things get weird. (sidenote: this should come as no surprise to those who have been following my journey) The engine fired right up but I noticed a very loud roar coming from under the hood. It sounded like I was going up a steep hill while towing a trailer. The RPM's seemed normal, so I couldn't figure out what was happening. It seemed to me that the radiator fan was running at 100 mile per hour. But the engine wasn't over heating. So I had no idea what was happening.

I took it into the dealership Monday and had the mechanics take a listen and they said the same thing. The fan was running at full speed. They ran the codes and the fan clutch had gone out. For good measure they also told me that my brake switch was also sending an error code. The fan clutch was under warranty so it got replaced and as I am somewhat friendly with the guys they replaced my brake switch as well at no cost to me other than the $17.98 (plus tax) for the part.

So, the thermostats, the fan clutch and the brake switch all decided to go bad in the same week and all with less than 400 miles to go while under warranty. I gotta tell ya, that's just good timing right there. It should be noted that all of these things happened while I was running stock. The loud engine roar had been intermittently happening for about the last 3 weeks but would go away quickly. So while it was concerning to me I paid it little attention.

The bottom line: The F350 is once again running like a top and the SixGun is performing perfectly. It's really awesome to have the power back. You don't appreciate it until it's gone and you try to pass a few people and can't seem to get the ponies to work for you. The BanksIQ is also amazing. I was worried that I would have a large learning curve after I got used to the Palm PDA - but the learning curve is right at ZERO. It's completely intuitive and I love all the options. I really like the huge display and the ability to alter the screen color a million shades to fit your tastes.

Huge thanks to Banks for really really taking care of me and staying patient through all my trials. For me at least it was well worth it.

Gino