Troubled Child

Ouray 2017

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000

View from Red Mountain mining area

Violet and I are heading to Ouray Wednesday evening. Last time I went down was 2015; Violet's never been so needless to say I'm super excited to share the place with her.

Stranded on the Test Run

I took a short highway trip to Castle Rock on a hot day last Friday and guess what? That intermittent problem with fuel cutout that has been plaguing the Jeep for the last few years came back with a vengeance, leaving me sitting on the side of the road.

Swapping in the brand new relay and ignition module I'd purchased just for the occasion had zero effect. The ECM was hot and I attempted cooling it off to no avail. Then I tried connecting the fuel pump directly to the battery positive terminal. And it wouldn't run. A few more times and it sounded like it was grinding gravel.

Once I'd swapped in the new pump I'd also purchased for this very occasion, all was well and I made the trip back home without event. Probably, hopefully, I've squashed this gremlin. I'm praying for smooth sailing to, during, and from the Ouray FSJ Invasion.

Fuel Pump Problems

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Sat, 15 Oct 2016 21:45:00 +0000

The electric fuel pump stopped again! This time it happened three miles from home after an hour drive back from Colorado Springs on a warm fall day (80F). The Jeep acted like it was running out of gas. When I tried to restart it, the fuel pump did not come on like it normally does. It came back on after the Jeep sat for about 10 minutes.

These symptoms occurred a few other times. Once on the nightmare trip back from Moab this past spring, but that's a long story for another day. Another time on the Bunce School Road trail (2015?), and on the way back from Boulder in June 2014 both during the late afternoon and at night.

The fuel pump doesn't always cut out on long trips and/or warm days. I had no problems on the way to Ouray and back last year, or on the way out to Moab, or to Colorado Springs, or on any other drive or trail that I've been on in the last three years since the problem started appearing.

I did notice the last couple times this happened that the ECM box in the passenger cabin, and the relays in the engine bay, were hot, while the fuel pump itself was barely warm. However, on the way back from Moab, I noticed this and tried swapping relays and ECMs to no avail. This time, I happened to have my laptop running TunerPro with ALDL connected and the ECM was reporting "OK" status for the fuel pump relay.

This is one of those very rare, unpredictable, intermittent problems that is wickedly hard to troubleshoot...

Meanwhile I'm still trying to figure out how to get the ECM tuned to run well and also pass emissions. I've also got a (new to me) 1911 Officer-size pistol that has been misbehaving.

Don't get me wrong, I love troubleshooting hard problems, but sometimes when problems pile up it can be overwhelming.

Front Door Speaker Install

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Tue, 03 May 2016 23:00:00 +0000

from jedi.com

My Alpine deck and 5" Boston Acoustics should have sounded decent but even for small speakers, they lacked the low end response. Why?

In large part because the OEM speaker installation method leaves much to be desired.

Speakers are mounted on flimsy sheet metal that partially spans a giant hole in the door.

To get more out of your FSJ's stereo, read on.

Procedure

You'll need a 4'x4' panel of 1/4" MDF, tape measure, drill, screwdriver, and some self-tapping screws, and allen wrench (to remove the inside door latch handle).

Before removing the original sheet metal mounting plate, measure the location for the speaker using the original sheet metal, the door panel, tape measure, etc.

Next, remove the interior door panel and the sheet metal plate. Measure the large door opening. The new panel will be slightly wider and taller so it can screw into the recessed flange around the entire opening.

Make a pattern on paper or cardboard to check. Then, cut the panels from 1/4" MDF. Test fit and trim as needed.

Now, make a hole for the speaker at the location you measured when you started.

I found that there wasn't enough material to work with at the bottom of the new panel so I had to relocate the speakers upward just a bit.

They are misaligned with the door, but the OEM speaker covers hide this minor flaw and the tweeters are still exposed so it shouldn't affect sound too much.

Trace an outline for the speaker then cut with a jigsaw. Drill holes for speaker screws and mount them up.

Lastly, drill holes for mounting screws in the MDF. Mount the board into the door panel hole with self-tapping sheet metal screws.

Result? By ear, at least, the mod increased volume and low end response. I suspect the reason is that isolating the front and back of the speakers prevents reflected sound from the back of the speaker from canceling sound from the front of the speaker. Lower frequencies are probably affected most.

Test Results

I didn't do a "before" test. So... take this with a grain of salt. Tests were performed with a Radio Shack Sound Level meter and Stereophile Test CD 2 for bass test track. I set head unit's volume to produce 71dB at 200Hz with the meter pointing at the right door from the ctr console. Engine was off.

200Hz: 71dB
160Hz: 71dB
125Hz : 74dB (audible 'spike' in volume; +3dB = 2X volume I have read)
100Hz : 71.5dB
80Hz : 66dB (-3dB = 1/2 volume)
63Hz : 62dB
50Hz : 62dB
40Hz : 56dB
31.5Hz : 54dB
25Hz : 52dB (-20dB = effectively inaudible)
20Hz : inaudible

The hump at 150Hz is a bit troubling. And low frequency isn't where it should be, though it does sound improved. These smaller speakers should be able to deliver more at 80Hz. If I ever find the original panels again I'll do a before test, ok? :)

CB Radio Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Sat, 30 Apr 2016 20:36:00 +0000

Hey rubber duck, got yer ears on? Citizen's Band (CB) radio has held its popularity with off-roaders. No license required and a mobile-mounted CB has reliable, sufficient performance for the trail.

Ready to buy a CB system? Read on for some thoughts and experiences...

Antennas

At wheelin' ranges, any decent antenna should work. Buying used saves money, too. I've run across some great deals along the way. Cruise the Goodwill, 4x4 club swap meets, Craigslist, etc. You might occasionally find a deal on ebay.

I've run: Hustler 17" permanent mount, Larsen permanent mount, cheapie fiberglass bumper mount, and a K40 and K30. They all worked ok but the K40 magmount was the best performer. It hit too many branches, though. I run the Larsen with a spring on the base.

In some cases you may have to tune the antenna to resonate across the CB frequency range. Standing Wave Ratio (SWR) meters measure how much power is transmitted versus reflected back to the radio. You can find low cost vintage SWR meters on ebay.

SWR / Power Meter

A perfect setup has an SWR of 1:1 and will maximize the legally limited 4W of radio power, while anything under 2:1 is acceptable.

Generally I find that better and/or longer antennas have a lower SWR over a wider range of frequencies than smaller and/or cheaper antennas.

Installation matters. Grounding the radio to the chassis is important for good permanent mount performance.

Placement in the center of a steel roof maximizes performance in all directions. But it also maximizes branch hits. You need a spring, strong magnet, and/or durable antenna. I prefer permanent mount on the roof with a spring.

You can mount it on the back of the truck (bumper, tire carrier, etc.) where it's more out of the way, with a tradeoff in performance that probably doesn't matter at trail ranges.

Radios

You're legal limited to 4W, Amplitude Modulation so radio performance matters very little. And, look around for deals on used CBs. I've gotten lucky a few times. It's more about features, many of which I personally think are a waste of money for four-wheeling.

Single Side Band is rare to find on the trail and really only good for long distance communication.

Chrome on radios reflects sunlight, blinding you on the trail as your rig moves at various angles.

RF Gain effectively ignores people further away than your 4-wheel group. You can always switch channels, though.

Noise filtering clean up the audio from ignition noise electric fans, etc.

Weather (WX) channel capability would be handy to have.

CH 9/19 switch is less useful than I originally thought.

Public Address (PA) is marginally useful to have if you hook up a PA behind the grille. Can be helpful in communicating with spotter or people walking.

I really like my Uniden 520XL, a small, all-black CB with RF Gain and noise filter, and think it is a great unit for four wheeling. The Uniden 510XL is a budget option lacking RF gain.

Conclusion

This is just a short overview of some thoughts when you go to buy a CB and antenna. For an outstanding set of articles on antennas and how to get the best performance out of your radio, check out the Firestik Library.

FSJ Cowl Vent Screens

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 23:00:00 +0000

If you've owned an FSJ during autumn, you know that the cowl fresh air intake is a magnet for leaves, twigs, and other debris that end up clogging your fresh air vents and drain holes, leaking water into your FSJ and rusting it from the inside out.

Several years ago, I implemented a low cost solution that's easy to install and aesthetically pleasing.

First, remove the vent grill. Lift the engine hood and then remove 7 screws and the windshield washer nozzles and lift out the cowl vent grill. The grill measures about 48" x 6".

A trip to the local home improvement store yielded several viable options. Of those, I selected these plastic gutter screens as one of the lowest cost options. They've held up well for 10 years so far.

Next, use the grille as a pattern and mark on the rain gutter covers. Two are required to cover the entire cowl vent. Position the cover to hide the thick bars of the gutter cover. Measure twice, cut once!

Gutter screens

Each covers half the cowl vent

Measure twice and mark

Cut, test fit, trim

Then cut out the gutter covers with strong, sharp scissors, metal snips, etc. Test fit and trim so that the guard is slightly smaller than the grille area.

Now test fit on the cowl to make sure the guard is not blocking the cowl grill's tabs that fit into slots nearest the windshield. Trim as needed.

Remove four rubber pieces against which the grille rests. Note where they were positioned. You'll put them back on later once the guard is in place, using some adhesive.

Reattach bumpers with adhesive

I used these #8 self-tapping screws

It is easiest to attach the guards directly to the Jeep's body, rather than to the cowl grill. I used #8 self-tapping sheet metal screws with wide, flat phillips heads. Before you start screwing in the screen with these screws, mark locations for the screws where they'll be hidden by the grill.

It works great!

Next, drill/drive in the screws, starting at the center and working outward. I used two screws in the middle, at the edges, and one on either side of the washer arms. That's enough to keep it in place and sufficiently tight against the surface of the intake.

What about the window washer nozzles? You could cut a hole for the stock nozzles which suck by modern standards. And, a little bit of stuff might get into the cowl. You could install modern hood nozzles, but that requires cutting up your hood. I tried this but be sure to measure carefully. Finally, wiper arm nozzles are an option, but may require cutting a small hole in the cowl screen to route the tubing.

The final step is to reinstall the cowl vent grill. Then, no more fall leaves entering your fresh air vents! Hope you find this helpful. I'm very glad I did this mod and wished I'd done it even sooner.

Replacing an A727 Reverse Servo

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 23:30:00 +0000

I knew what was wrong with the A-727. The reverse servo piston had cracked.

The Shimniok daddy-daughter Moab trip was coming up at the end of March.

I just had to get my rig back on the road and fast!

Which New Piston?

Unlike the stock, cast material, billet aluminum isn't prone to cracking, making them popular among the Mopar drag race crowd who also prefer 1-piece servos without the stock inner spring that cushions reverse engagement.

But surprise! The Jeep isn't a dragster. Fortunately, Randy J (mrrandyj) sells both 1- and 2-piece piston kits for 727. He's a good guy, easy to work with, and happy to share his considerable knowledge.

Real engineering, the kind that takes obsessive dedication and doesn't fit in a sound bite or ad slogan, is what Randy put into his awesome products.

The kit includes the piston, a new piston spring, and a beefy spring retainer, eliminating all the common reverse servo issues. You reuse the stock pin and inner spring.

Read on for the disassembly and reinstallation...

Disassembly

Chock the wheels. You'll need a gasket/filter kit later. Wear safety glasses. Drain the fluid and remove the pan and filter. Then you see this:

In the upper right is the reverse servo arm and piston/bore (two arrows), the retaining clip has been removed and the spring retainer is dangling.

The piston and spring won't come out without removing the strut between the servo arm and the reverse band.

Loosen the reverse band adjustment lock nut and square screw on the servo arm. Then, insert a pry bar (upper left arrow), force the band against the drum while pushing the arm up as far as you can. The strut should fall out and lodge in your cornea (if you forgot safety goggles).

This video makes it crystal clear what you're dealing with: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aci45eVwGJY

Valve Body

With some effort, the piston, spring, and retainer came out without removing the valve body (star), but it had to be removed to install the strut. Might as well drop it now.

Don't panic. It's all self-contained and easy to get back in. No gaskets. Just bolts. Deep breath.

Disconnect the shift and throttle position linkage. The arms on these linkages are each indexed to a flat and clamped with a bolt and captured square nut. Remove the two linkage arms. Unplug the neutral safety switch plug.

Valve body, all one self-contained chunk. Don't panic.

Now remove the valve body bolts. The whole unit comes out along with the selector mechanism and attached parking rod (upper left above). The rod should easily disengage from the rear of the transmission case.

Piston Removal

Now, loosen the reverse band lock nut and square adjustment screw. Push the arm and piston far in, and pull out the strut or let it fall and lodge in your cornea if you forgot safety glasses.

Spring retainer clip, top. Strut, bottom.

The arm should now swing down free, providing enough clearance to slide out the piston and spring. Remove the clip around the spring retainer, then remove the spring and piston.

Broken, two-piece stock piston.

As you can see, I found where the missing chunk came from, in case there was any doubt.

Piston Disassembly

As mentioned, the stock piston is 2-piece. A pin in the center that the servo arm pushes, and a lower piston with rubber seal. An inner spring (painted light green above) cushions reverse engagement.

I used a vise and a scrap of wood with a half-hole to press together the servo pin and piston so that I could remove the C clip holding the pin and piston together.

Random scrap wood already had the perfect cutout.

Assembly

Next, install the new piston and reinstall the clip. Now it's time to put everything back together.

Piston Installation

Lying on the cold, filthy curbside street, where you last left your dead truck, install the piston.

Installing the spring, retainer, and retaining clip is tricky. Or maybe there's a special tool?

I used a puller/installer tool and a socket to try and force the retainer in far enough to get the retaining clip in place.

I'm sure this is easier when the transmission is out of the vehicle and upside down so gravity isn't working against you.

Strut Installation

Once that's in, install the strut much as you did before. You can wedge a pry bar in to hold the band against the drum then use one hand to hold the strut and the other to move the servo arm, and snap the strut back in place.

Might as well perform reverse band adjustment now in case the strut falls out again.

Valve Body Installation

You'll have to manipulate the valve body a little to get the park rod to engage at the rear of the case. It should pop in without much trouble. If not, make sure the selector is in park. You may need to chock wheels and put tcase in neutral and/or jack the rear wheels.

The valve body slides back in like it came out, more or less, and you can hold it in with a couple of the bolts to start with, then torque them to specifications (careful; it's inch-pounds!).

Now reinstall the linkage arms, tightening the clamping bolts. Reinstall the linkage.

Install the new filter. Capture the gasket on the transmission pan with several bolts. Start threading them in and then tighten them to specifications (again, inch-pounds).

I used a rubbery kind of gasket so no RTV for me. I also pounded the pan lip flat around the bolt holes. They often dent inward from over-tightening the pan bolts. My pan isn't leaking.

Refill

Refill the transmission. Mine took about 6 quarts, but I started with, I think, 4 and worked up to 6, since overfilling is hard to undo.

Look for leaks. Start vehicle, put in neutral awhile... check fluid level in neutral (wheels chocked) when warm. Add a little fluid at a time until it says you're full.

Run the transmission through the gears several times, spending awhile in each gear letting the motor idle. This should make sure the various circuits get filled back up with fluid again.

Hopefully you find that reverse works once again, and you can now jump for joy and high-five yourself.

If your fluid is low, the transmission will slip and require higher rpms to engage. In that case, check fluid level and refill as above.

Test Drive

After awhile you can test drive, make sure the transmission upshifts and downshifts properly in both D and manually selecting gears.

Success!

Might as well check fluid level again and keep an eye on it and look for leaks over the next few days of driving.

And that's it. Not so bad, was it?

Mosquito Pass 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Back in August, 2015, right after blowing up reverse in my transmission, CFSJA went on a trail run over Mosquito Pass. We had a good turnout with 3 FSJs and two baby Jeeps.

The weather couldn't have been better and thanks to all the rain there were still wildflowers in the high country.

Read on for more pictures...

Scott was kind enough to give Violet and I a ride, since TC was down with a sick transmission. We felt at home; it was an FSJ and the interior color was the same as TC. But that's about all they have in common.

His 1986 Grand Wagoneer, Super Chief, is one of the rarest kinds, having been expertly equipped with WideTrac flares by a dealer, long ago. I didn't even know they still did that in the mid-80's.

I can only find a few pictures of these conversions, let alone actual vehicles; I've seen only 2 of them in the all last ~20 years of FSJ spotting.

To top it off, he swapped in a modern 5.3L Vortec drivetrain to send power down to WideTrac axles (ok, TC has those too), spinning 35" tires, all of which made the climb to the 13,185 foot pass no problem at all. I consider Super Chief one of (if not the) coolest of rigs in all of FSJdom.

It was a bit chilly way up there, so Violet stayed snuggled up warm inside the Super Chief.

Sure, I always prefer driving off-road trails, but being a passenger comes a close second. Plus, you get more time to eyeball the scenery. And Mosquito Pass has plenty of that, let me tell you.

In all, we made it with only a very few minor issues, and then headed back to town.

Diagnosing 727 Reverse Problems

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Tue, 15 Mar 2016 23:30:00 +0000

Chrysler A727, picture from Novak Adapters

Last we left off, I was scrambling to get the rear brakes done in time for the Mosquito Pass run. The parts arrived quickly and I did the brake job with time to spare.

One adjusts the rear drums by driving in reverse and pressing the brake, which activaties the automatic adjusters. I did this a few times and then...

Disaster

I did this a few times and was almost done, then ... no reverse! Nothing. Uh oh.

With a sinking feeling I drove home. Violet and I would be passengers on Mosquito Pass.

Transmissions are a final frontier for me: dark, arcane magical boxes of wonder, their inner workings a mystery wrapped in an enigma, enshrouded in a big WTF?! Well, here's what I did next...

How It Works

I always start with diagnosis, but to diagnose you have to understand how things work. So after some web research on various Dodge, IH and Jeep forums that pointed to a broken reverse band or reverse servo, I set about (shudder) learning, at a basic level, how slushboxes work. Well enough to troubleshoot at least. And, actually, it wasn't that hard.

Munroe's Torqueflite A-727 Transmission Handbook, HP1339 and Tom Hand's Torqueflite automatic transmission were invaluable in understanding the 727's inner workings.

The 3-speed 727 uses clutches, bands, drums and planetary geartrains to transmit power from the engine to the transmission output with various gear ratios. It has a front clutch, and a rear clutch, a reverse/low band and an overrunning clutch which operate on the rear drum, and a front (kickdown) band and that operate on the front drum.

From allpar.com,
Tom Hand's Torqueflite Automatic Transmission,
reproduced for educational purposes.

Second gear engages the rear clutch and front band while Third gear (aka high or drive) engages the front and rear clutches. Both worked fine and were unrelated to reverse gear.

Reverse gear engages the low/reverse band, and the front clutch. So, clearly one of those two functions weren't working.

Manual low engages the reverse/low band and rear clutch. The rear clutch remains engaged even when you let off the gas, providing engine braking.

Breakaway Low occurs when starting from a stop with the selector in Drive. In this gear, the rear clutch is engaged and, only with power applied, the overrunning clutch holds the low/reverse drum stationary. Without power, the transmission more or less freewheels.

Diagnosis

Armed with this knowledge, I now had a simple diagnostic test requiring no disassembling. (In fact, many problems can and should be diagnosed before disassembling anything).

If the reverse band or servo are broken there will be no engine braking in manual low. Furthermore, the vehicle will not downshift manually into low from 2nd; it'll freewheel. And that's exactly how TC behaved.

I now knew the problem was either that the reverse servo was not engaging or that the band was broken.

To eliminate a broken reverse servo piston, one tests the pressure on that servo when the transmission is in reverse. If it's 200psi, the piston is ok. If not, either the piston is broken (a common failure mode, according to the interwebs) or something else is wrong.

I bought a set of gauges (OTC) and found the pressure was essentially zero. It wasn't the band. I figured that a broken piston was the most likely explanation and opted out of further tests.

The surest confirmation of my broken servo piston hypothesis was to drop the pan and find a chunk of servo piston at the bottom. And, that is exactly what I found:

A chunk of my 727's cast aluminum reverse servo piston.

I didn't get the transmission fixed in time for Mosquito Pass, or before the first snow or even before winter was almost over. Life was repeatedly kicking me in the tenders, so the Jeep took a back burner. For six months.

The problem was, I had promised to take Violet on a big Moab trip at the end of March, just daddy and daughter, and the departure date was coming up fast!

Would I fix the Jeep in time? Or would we be relegated to passenger status once again? Stay tuned...

Rear brakes and wheel bearings

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 23:20:00 +0000

I have been planning to go four-wheeling on Mosquito Pass with the CFSJA on Saturday, two days from today. However, my Jeep currently looks like this:

Good thing I checked the rear brakes. Shoes are gone. One side's cracked. The other side's at the rivets. And, I found side play in the passenger axle shaft. Ugh. Time to scramble...

I turbo-ordered brake parts yesterday and picked up shoes and hardware last night.

I figure I better do bearings just in case. Today at lunch I pulled both shafts and took them in to Front Range Driveline to have new Timken SET10 bearings installed (aka A-10; correct for SJ AMC 20). They might be ready later today. Hopefully.

On the way back I picked up my drums from Napa. I need to go pick up the adjuster hardware later.

If all goes well I might actually get it all put back together tonight at the earliest, or tomorrow at the latest.

Otherwise ... I have to drive the WRX over Mosquito... ?

Ouch. Not good.

Alta Lakes, Ouray

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 18:00:00 +0000

Thursday morning came early and with a bit of misery following the all-night drive after work to Montrose.

pic on booking.com

The Black Canyon Motel was a pretty decent place to crash for the night although I could've slept on a rock, no problem.

On request from Will E I headed to Autozone to pick up a part for his Sport Trac, then headed to the Ouray KOA, with a McD's breakfast in hand, ready for the adventure...

The group decided to run Alta Lakes. I'd never done that one. It's located around the corner from Ouray.

Which is to say, you take 550 up to Ridgway, head west on 62 all the way around Mt. Baldy, etc., pick up 145 southeast to the trail head.

But, on the way, you have to be sure to struggle like nuts going up Dallas Divide, push the temps, and have at least one of your members overheat.

Cherokee Jim's beautiful red Cherk was the victim this time, and it stalled just as a shoulder appeared. A few stayed to help, the rest of us found more room to pull over up and around the bend.

Waiting ensued. This is a common FSJ trail run scenario. If we were stuck in our rigs the whole time we wouldn't get to talk, right?

We got going again and made it to and up the trail, which features lots of scenery, old mine buildings, and not much technical difficulty.

At the top are the lakes, inset in rich green forest. The smoothly rippled surface interrupted by splashing trout and making me wished I had two things. My fishing rod, and a license.

Scott and his son had both and did their best with the fish, but were unable to compete with various insects landing on the water, including an aggravating number of mosquitoes.

The group milled about, chatting, enjoying, and then buckets of rain ensued, much like most other days this summer, explaining the unusual greenery and wildflowers that greeted us on every trail.

Heading back down was equally uneventful and fortunately Dallas Divide seemed tamer on the way back for all of us.

Buen Tiempo is still in business down there and still as awesome as always. One of my favorite Mexican restaurants in Colorado, which is saying something coming from a Tucson boy.

We circled around the campfire that night, telling Full Size Jeep tales, and I caught up with old friends, and got to know new ones.

Sleep came real fast. And with a smile.

Ouray 2015 Success

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Last Dollar Road

After 10 years, TC and I made it back to Ouray! I drove down after work on Wednesday night, stayed over in Montrose, and headed into Ouray early Thursday.

Joining other FSJers, we ran up to Alta Lakes on Thursday, part of Yankee Boy on Friday, Red Mountain on Saturday, and Ophir Pass and Last Dollar Road on Sunday.

I left Monday early and had an uneventful trip back home. TC did great with no mechanical problems at all.

Wrenchin' for Ouray

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 01:00:00 +0000

Getting ready for Ouray, the Jeep has been making a funny noise...

Gathering at the (in)famous 2002 Ouray FSJ Invasion

Ok, not just one noise. There's never just one noise with these rigs. But the one worrying me lately sounds like a bearing going out, or maybe diff problems. Uh oh...

One lunch hour, I inspected the rear diff for fluid. It was full and clear as the day I put it in. So the rear is probably ok. I also filled up the transfer case which was low by 1.5 qt. Mostly because the 'case leaks like a sieve. The noise remained.

Couple days later, again during lunch, I inspected my front hubs and wheel bearings only to discover the front brake pads looking mighty thin. And passenger bearings scored.

That night, I ordered pads, caliper hardware and a bearing set online. My wife took the rotors in the next morning, got the parts, but was told they don't turn rotors at that store. A trip to O'Reilly later that evening revealed the rotors were too thin to turn.

I didn't want to further delay by getting rotors that would require a machine shop to install. But nobody seemed to have rotor/hub assemblies in stock. One place could get them the next day, though.

Notice how the time is just sliding away. A day here, day there. Pretty soon, there's only a week left!

The parts came in on time, thankfully. The races were already installed in the hubs saving time and cussing. By Saturday night I had everything back together. I rotated tires at lunch today. I'm crossing my fingers for the test drive.

2015 Ouray FSJ Invasion

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Sat, 20 Jun 2015 13:00:00 +0000

I'm going to Ouray! Yay! (hey, that rhymes)

I'm finally going back to Ouray! For the first time since 2006! I've been wanting to go every year but things just kept coming up and getting in the way.

Well, this year I got permission from the boss to make a multi-day solo trip to the Switzerland of America. I leave Wednesday evening after teaching a training class, and will be there until Sunday or maybe even Monday.

The FSJ Invasion is July 15-18 this year. I'll be staying in the KOA campground. That's where all the fun happens after the trail rides are done for the day. Since I've never stayed at KOA with all the cool kids, I'm really looking forward to it! My liver, however, not so much. But my sanity could sure use the altitude adjustment.

Estes Park

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 14:00:00 +0000

The annual Estes Park, YMCA cabin trip with friends of ours was a blast and Troubled Child got to join in the fun.

My wife, daughter, and our friends met up at the YMCA of the Rockies on Thursday night a couple weeks ago. I was away on business travel, returning early Friday morning.

During that time, 14" of snow dumped on the YMCA. I decided to take Troubled Child instead of my Subaru. And, I thought I'd have to use my new snow chains to make it to the cabin.

Fortunately, the drive up was uneventful, the roads were simply wet, and there was no snow until I reached the driveway for our temporary home, the Isabella Bird Cabin.

We had a fun weekend of impromptu snowshoeing behind the cabin, wandering downtown Estes Park, eating well, playing games, roller skating, swimming, crafting, and watching the kids play.

The truck made it up and back with no problems other than vibration from a horribly neglected ujoint.

My EFI tuning continues and, unfortunately, I didn't see much power on the way up or back, but I may have solved some off-idle transition issues.

Neglected U-Joint

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 06:04:00 +0000

On my drive up to Estes Park for the weekend, I noticed a drivetrain vibration getting worse. The mechanic who serviced the transmission a few months ago mentioned a bad ujoint. That's the understatement of the year.

I pulled the driveshaft and discovered the upper ujoint was flopping around loose. So I removed it and disassembled the end caps.

Instead of finding steel roller bearings and grease, the only thing in one of the caps was coal-black dust and rust. The roller bearings were long gone.

Which explains why the bearing surfaces were severely heat damaged, rusted, and pitted. And why there was a ton of play in the joint resulting in crazy vibration.

The seal had cracked wide open which probably let the grease out and let moisture in, destroying everything. The lower ujoint was ok, but the grease was obviously way too old.

Major shame on me for neglecting to lube the chassis over the last few years. Ugh.

I swapped in a spare driveshaft after installing brand new, heavy duty, greasable ujoints on both ends and lubing the shaft. The vibration is gone; I didn't realize how bad it had gotten.

Time to lube everything else, repack the front wheel bearings, replace axle and transfer case fluids, and perform a bunch of other preventative maintenance...

Back on the Trail

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Tue, 29 Jul 2014 14:30:00 +0000

I stopped four wheeling about five years ago. Purely by coincidence, I assure you, my daughter just turned 5 years old... Well, after a brief stint as a robot, TC is back on the trail! Here's what I've been up to...

A few weeks ago, that very same daughter and I took the Jeep down US 285 to Jefferson, and drove out a bit on Lost Park road. I discovered that we needed a portable camp potty.

Last weekend she stayed home while I took the Jeep out toward Rollinsville to run West Magnolia Trail. After a half hour goofing around in the charming town--I had never been there--I set out to visit Moffat Tunnel a water and rail tunnel cutting under James Peak to Winter Park. The ski train, apparently goes through the thing. I didn't see any trains.

I did see my Jeep stall out on the way after going over some nasty washboard. You're really not supposed to go wheeling alone, but I did. Without a multimeter or any electrical crimp connectors. I'm out of practice with four wheeling prep. Even so I had tools and spares galore.

The fuel pump fuse mysteriously burned out again, last time at the robot competition. I replaced it and that fuse burned out too. Deeper investigation failed to turn up any problem other than my coil sitting loose on the intake manifold. I repaired it, zip tied the fuse holder more securely, replaced the fuse a third time, and had no problems since.

Except the tailgate window stopped working. Ugh.

I debated bailing on the trip but figured I might as well stress test everything else so I headed over West Magnolia trail. It wasn't too hard but definitely rougher than I remember 3/10 rated trails.

A fair number of climbs, some rocky sections. Still doable by a stock vehicle. I guess I'm out of practice driving, too. Aside from getting off on the wrong FS road and finding myself in some very tight trees, the run went smoothly.

I saw some amazingly beautiful wildflowers dotting the very unusually green hills, encountered fragrant wild roses, saw a few little chipmunks running around, and discovered West Magnolia is actually a campground complex, and a pretty neat one at that.

Being out in the mountains having those kinds of experiences makes up for all the stress and crazy the last several weeks (months? years?). I love exploring.

A trip into Nederland to visit a friend was the next item on the agenda and after that, a run back home on the highway.

TC is a Robot!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Tue, 24 Jun 2014 15:00:00 +0000

TC is now a robot!

Every year Sparkfun Electronics hosts the Autonomous Vehicle Competition with robots that fly or drive themselves around courses.

The ground robots are usually 1:10 scale RC cars, sometimes larger like 1:5 scale we saw in 2012 or even a go cart that ran in 2013.

This year a few of us from my robotics club, SHARC, got together to enter the very first full size vehicle in the AVC. It was a dream team of some of the brightest tech people I've ever worked with.

I figured if you're going to enter a full size vehicle why not go all out so I volunteered my trail rig. The Jeep was a big hit with the crowd!

You can read more on my robotics blog to find out why we're not crazy or stupid, and see how the Jeep fared in this intense competition.

Read more here.

TBI Tuning: Spark

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Wed, 01 May 2013 16:32:00 +0000

I've pretty well dialed in the VE (fuel) tables with average BLM numbers between 126 and 130 for most cells.

BLM is Block Learn Mode and basically indicates how much fuel the computer is adding or subtracting versus what's called for in the VE table. Low numbers suggest rich condition, high numbers suggest lean condition.

Earlier this week I worked on adjusting timing, starting with Bill USN-1's timing table on Binder Planet. After driving and minor tweaking, the part throttle timing appears to be pretty good, now.

Two issues remain. Sudden WOT from idle/stopped results in popping and stumble. I'm looking at a possible lean condition and/or timing issue.

Second, the vehicle has little power at 30mph (low rpm). Part of the problem is my transmission shift kit refusing to do part throttle downshift at this speed. Transmission linkage seems properly adjusted.

Using a '7747 ECM, $42 ASDU bin, there's the Main SA (Spark Advance) table, but it's modified by several things. There's a table for power enrichment spark advance which shouldn't be needed in my case and may be causing the first problem. There's also an accelerator enrichment (same function as a carburetor accelerator pump) which I've increased slightly to prevent lean out in hopes of preventing the first condition occurring anywhere else.

Finally, I've restored the Warm Bias setting. The Main SA table can be biased, that is, the zero point can be set to a positive number to allow negative SA numbers. The stock ASDU bin has this set to 9.84, in other words, that value is subtracted from any cell in the SA table to get the 'real' value. A value of 9.84 in the table is zero. A value of 19.84 is 10.00.

I had removed this bias and adjusted my timing table down by 9.84. Just in case this is causing problems elsewhere, I reversed this change, adding 9.84 to my SA table, and restoring the 9.84 warm bias value.

I haven't had a chance to test drive yet.

Due to personal reasons I need to take time off from the Jeep and the blog for several days.

Grizzly Lake

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:30:00 +0000

One weekend in August, 2007 held several firsts for me and what is adventure if not experiencing new things? Adventure can also be found in places you've been, so long as you're steering your life outside of the daily grind into different territory. Both metaphorically and literally in this case.

It was a heck of a rough week at work, deadlines approaching and all the pressures mounting, tension, drama, people upset. So it was with great joy and anticipation that I watched Friday come to a close and shifted gears for the trip up to St. Elmo. Scrambling around for awhile that evening I loaded gear, clothes, and most importantly: fishing pole.

Trail Run

I met up with Fred and Randy just east of St. Elmo after a surprisingly uneventful drive down US 285. Troubled Child seemed willing to suspend the typical shenanigans for a couple days.

After rolling Fred's 70's Wagoneer and Randy's 73 Jeepster off their respective trailers, following a repair of the Jeepster's lower radiator hose, and doing the usual tire air down, we headed up the trail. This was my first time driving on a trail all year following the engine swap and failed attempts to take TC to Moab and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

First obstacle

Grizzly Lake trail sorts the real trucks from the wannabes right away where you find a gnarly set of rock steps right after a creek crossing. Even if you pick the right line, you better have a lot of clearance or you'll high center. I almost did.

It took each of us a few tries but we were able to find the line. Fred's original line put him far off-camber so that didn't go. The better line was more or less through the middle of the thing, keeping the truck level.

Fred leads the way

With judicious use of the throttle, wet tires latched onto rock and the trucks clawed up one by one. We all agreed, this obstacle was harder than we remembered from 2004 when we last ran the trail. Randy had minor problems with the radiator hose but sorted that out for the rest of the trip.

After climbing awhile, the next obstacle loomed into view over the engine hood, a series of large rocks, making for a gnarly steep, uneven climb and turn combination. The correct line keeps all four tires in contact. Fortunately we made it up this one without too much trouble.

Sometimes you have to pile rocks

Shortly after this point the trail features a long, relatively steep grade climbing loose rocks.

This time around I kicked in the front locker and it seemed to help as the truck scratched and bucked and struggled its way up the loose surface, peppered with larger rocks to add to the challenge.

This spot was a little harder in places too. Randy's transmission shift linkage came out along this climb but he was underway again after a few minutes.

Fred makes the long, steep, rocky climb

Another spot with a tree root seemed to have grown harder. The line puts both tires up on two rocks jutting out of the dirt and just a little momentum gets you up and over.

TC and I tackle the tree root

The wrong line either puts your differential smack on a rock, or you shift off into the dirt hole impeding all hope of further forward progress.

The remainder of the trail follows the side of the gulch, finding its way through a dense section of pine, and then out into the open expanses between two mountains. You cross what I'll call a river of 6-12" moss covered granite rocks washing ever so slowly down the mountainside.

Some more dirt and smaller rocks lie ahead, under the cover of sparse trees, and pretty soon you arrive at Grizzly Lake, set in a mountainous bowl at around 11,200' above sea level.

We arrived without need of straps, winches, jacks, or anything else, and the worst problem we ran into was Randy's linkage situation. That's pretty darn good for a bunch of antique Jeeps.

Fishing and Camping

Constant, lighting fast changes swirl around us in our artifical bubble of civilization, the walls of concrete and technology that cradle us but insulate us from the wild, from nature beyond our cities.

We, concerned with our newest fads, gadgets, the fall lineup, the news, a lifestyle that is a cacophony of trivia, a thousand images flashing by in a breath, day in and day out, forget the slow, enduring, deliberate, calming pulse of the natural world.

Out there, in the Wild, mountains of rock reach up to the heavens in a pose for the eons, trees sprout up in the flash of centuries, while the rhythmic cycle of life hums a constant note below.

The days come and go, the seasons progress year after year. How many tiny stream-bound bugs hatch, breed, die every year? Every day? The deer have their routines dictated by sun and moon, seasons, weather.

Brilliantly colored trout flash to the surface, patrol their pools. Freed from the chains of past and future, these animals just exist, their entire beings focused on the moment, their superior senses attuned to Life around them in ways we can never begin to comprehend.

An escape to the back-country, then, is my attempt to break from the trivial clamor of modern life and remind myself there is a longer lived pattern outside the city, a slower running river of time in which I can tarry for a short time. An outsider, yes, but I still seek to participate in some small way, to pull the plug on the digital life, and plug into the ancient analog if even for a weekend.

After our trail run, we set up camp among the stately pines on perfectly flat, rock free ground on the fringes of the ancient cycle and pattern and it was time to gather the fishing rods and participate, in our odd human way, in Nature.

Fred led me to a series of still beaver ponds along the stream flowing from Grizzly Lake. This was my first experience fly fishing any kind of still water and only the second time I'd had this pole in my hand in the field.

It's important to watch your step in this area. Dozens of small streams cut through the fauna and soil leaving giant holes that can swallow you up past your knees.

The ground is soaked with water, mud threaning to devour you as you thrash your way through the bushy growth covering the whole area. Nature and danger are friends.

In the first pond I saw a rise. Fred threw out his fly and immediately got a hit, a small brook trout. I was determined to repeat the performance, so I stepped up. Thus began my education. Either this was the only trout and had left the area or all the others were spooked.

I moved on to the next pool in which several fish hovered waiting for hapless bugs to seek the water's surface, to reproduce, to drink, to rest, I don't know. I quickly learned how easily trout can be spooked.

I could see the fish underwater, I could see their reaction to my movements, and how they darted away as I came to the edge of the pool... to untangle my fly from shoreline twigs.

Moving more cautiously I progressed to the next pond, a larger, deeper one, with at least a dozen scaly animals sharing its shelter. I could see them rising, saw them swiming, patroling, cavorting.

In a few casts, I saw a rise where my fly rested on the water. I was stunned for an instant, just long enough for the fish to turn and head back down, and I raised my pole on instinct and there was a resistance, a fish, my first fly-caught fish on the end.

I played the determined creature to the bank and got my first look at this marvel of creation, a brilliantly colored animal in deep, rich green, a bright orange belly, with brilliant spots along the side. This was no hatchery raised trout, but had grown up here, in these mountains. I had touched The Wild... and it was a little slimy and squirmy as it always is when The Wild is in the form of a fish.

(Remember, always wet your hands before handling the fish to avoid removing it's protective slime coating, assuming you intend to release it). I managed to get the hook out of The Wild so I could let it go back to its home.

I continued to work the pond and gain my education. The fly would land, the trout would rise, then reject the fly, sometimes. Other times I'd touch The Wild by snagging a branch. I managed to whip off two flies from my line. Along the way I learned that the trout would go for a variety of vaguely similar flies, but only when the line and the fly landed just so, with just the right cast.

And yeah, I caught the fly on my back while casting. Ah, learning. Another brookie went for it and I played him in as well, another gorgeous fish living its life out in the alpine wonderland.

These fish were pretty small, but ever so fun to bring in, the miracle of catching them for the first time on a bunch of hair and yarn tied to a hook making them seem a little bigger.

Moving on to another pond the next catch was... small. Actually, it was tiny. Probably the smallest fish I could imagine catching, only maybe three inches long, good for a bit of a chuckle.

The next, and the largest pool, we finally reached near sunset, the late day rays playing across the subtle waves and swaying grasses, clouds rolling in overhead.

Finally a last fish took a fly during a slight break in the breezes, after lots of practice casting farther than I ever had before, and this time with an ideal presentation of the fly that drew him up to strike.

Finally the sun was low, the clouds thick, and the raindrops growing bigger and more frequent and so began the slow, careful trek back to camp. Fred spotted a giant buck on the way back. Just standing. Watching us.

A view from our campsite

That night we sat around the fire, the most deeply ancient isolating, comforting human technology, talking and swapping tales as the rains swept in and we huddled under weatherproof garments into the night, and finally turned in, with a long, restful sleep of the sort that can only be found after a full day of communing with alpine denizens, cradled in the pines under the mountains.

The Way Back

Coming down was even more fun than going up. The rocky turn became a tippy turn, the final descent a different kind of challenge. We all made it ok, although I had several pucker moments.

Once down at the trailhead again, Randy and Fred ran Iron Chest while I headed back home.

US 285 is one of my favorite stretches of highway, and I realized sometimes one forgets to stop and really notice when one has seen something a bunch of times.

I saw it again with fresh eyes and appreciated the wide open country between the giant mountain peaks, the small rustic towns, the beautiful colors, just as I did on that magical day I drove up to Denver in October, 1993, leaving family and friends behind to start a new adventure.

Even seeing the splendor of this part of the Rockies for the first time, I had no idea the incredible sights, the soul-moving experiences I would later have as I took to the back roads. These memories I carry with me and they ease my being until I can make more.

TBI Test Drive and Super Chief

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:00:00 +0000

TC successfully completed the first cross-town test drive since rebuilding the throttle body. I wanted to go see Scott's newly painted Super Chief.

Scott's 86 GW, "Super Chief"

His truck is way prettier than my ugly, faded, dented, rustbucket.

I just did new injectors, new gaskets on the throttle body, and new gas tank. Before that, I had issues I couldn't seem to tune away. Lean spots where I couldn't bump the VE table up any further. I had to increase base pulse width (BPW) to an insane degree and still didn't quite get it solved.

Running the stock ADSU bin, it starts up easily--unlike before--and it drove pretty good but had some serious lean spots at high load, low rpm. I was able to tune those out and the drive back was improved.

More lean spots remain and it's running rich in the low load, low rpm areas. Hopefully I can tune those out, then get on with the highway tuning, and get it ready for emissions later this week.

TC is running again!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 23:55:00 +0000

I finally started TC today! First, the TBI module went on. Then, I took a quick trip to the gas station to fill my 'new' vintage U.S. military jerry can, transfered 5 gallons into TC's tank, then discovered problems with the fuel pump.

A little persuasion (with a hammer) got it delivering fuel again. The pump was clogged, most likely, with the same fine rust in the old tank.

The truck fired up and ran surprisingly well on a stock bin. I could never get to run right before so perhaps the new injectors saved the day. I'm sure soaking the TBI in cleaner and replacing all the gaskets didn't hurt, either.

Now, back to tuning after such a long hiatus, then time for emissions and tags.

San Juan Mountains

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 06:00:00 +0000

Way back in 1999 I discovered a jewel among the Rockies, a getaway offering some of the most beautiful alpine views in all of Colorado.

The mountains are flecked with the history of adventurous miners. Old buildings in the towns of Ouray and Silverton silently stand watching the decades pass, sparking the imagination, painting a ghostly panorama of life around the turn of the last century. Out on the old trails, feelings of awe can be found around most every turn.

How do you explain to someone who voluntarily incarcerates themselves among streets and concrete what it is they're missing? Pictures are pretty but a 4 inch by 6 inch flat piece of paper doesn't convey the size and space standing among eons old mountains, or the brilliant splashes of color in crumbling rock and delicate flowers clinging to them.

I've been to the San Juan Mountains a half dozen times in ten years and the adventure never gets old.

I wrote that in 2008 preparing for a trip that never happened because of a loss we experienced that year. The last time we were in Ouray was 2005. I haven't been to Ouray since, but our wonderful little girl, born in 2009, has taken a shine to the "Big Jeep" over the last few years.

At long last, I'm making serious preparations to take her on some four wheeling and camping trips, something I've tried to do for the last three years. Maybe, just maybe this is the year, 2013, I'll get to share the wonder of the San Juans with her.
Time passes quickly. Don't watch as it passes you by.

Find what's most important and grab onto it as if you won't live forever...

TBI gaskets and gas tank

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 18:00:00 +0000

The "new" gas tank is in with new vent grommets and vent hoses. Thanks to Scott for the help!

I decided to replace gaskets on the throttle body itself since I had to tear it down to swap injectors. Unfortunately I broke off one of the aluminum TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) bolts. The sensor was in cockeyed and the bolt must've gotten damaged along the way.

I already tried drilling it out, using three different easy-out type tools I inherited from my dad. No dice.

Then I tried to match the bolt at the hardware store so i could find a tap, only to discover that the GM TBI uses M4.5 bolts on the TPS. No normal hardware store will carry these let alone taps for them.

I contemplated buying a 5mm drill and tap and then decided to just use my 10-32 tap. I did this before finding a bolt, of course, but eventually ran across one that was a perfect length.

At least I'm closer than I was last week!

Iron Chest and Tincup Pass

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:00:00 +0000

Back in September, 2007, I took a fateful trip to Iron Chest and over Tincup Pass...

Glorious summer is slowly dying away with fall looming on the horizon, poised to steal away fun times on the mountain trails for the year. A long cold wait lies ahead as the leaves drop and the snow flies for months. At least until April.

Maybe we'll head to Moab again this year for an early season opener. Perhaps this year I'll make it to the Grand Canyon for the first time in my life. (I grew up in Tucson, too, go figure). At the end of this summer, my thoughts weave and dart around opportunities taken and missed, about the tentative promise of the future, and about ways to thwart winter with a little outdoor activity. Ice fishing? Snowshoeing?

But neither fall nor winter are quite here yet and there's at least one more trip to be taken, one more camping excursion: Iron Chest trail and Tincup Pass and fishing at Mirror Lake.

We arrived in St. Elmo around 9:45 after a late start thanks to me. I was fiddling around too long in the morning and then had to go all the way back home for something I forgot. Embarrassing (and typical). Oh well, we made up the time ok. No one else was there, which we kind of expected. Paul and his gang were to be up at Mirror Lake, skipping out on the wheeling. Not Scott and I. We pointed our rigs up the trail to Iron Chest, which leads up to an old abandoned mine of the same name.

Rock Garden

The hardest part of this difficult trail is right at the start. The picture doesn't even begin to do justice to the long field of large, loose boulders that one must bounce and flog one's rig through in a most ungainly dance of metal crunching, diff banging, and all around jostling.

Oh to have lower gearing for more control. Slowly up one rock with all the finesse one can muster then wham, the truck falls off the other side. No chance to use the brakes to slow the decent. This carried on for what seemed like an hour until finally the trail mellowed out and became a relatively easy climb to the top. I sure hope buckboards and mule trains didn't have to endure that.

Mine Buildings

Finally, at the top, we started to catch glimpses of the wooden treasures that awaited. Many of the old Iron Chest Mine buildings were still standing, some had crumbled to piles of timber. Old tram towers fought to stay upright down the hill.

One building was an impromptu museum of found artifacts like soles from shoes, all neatly arranged on an ancient weatherbeaten table. In this building the shelving and bunk beds remained hinting at the feeling of the miners' meager comfort; a feeling surely magnified by the mountain's harsh conditions just outside timber doors. How thankful would you be to live in a lumber shed if the alternative were life on the slope of a moutain peak?

After a lunch at the top consisting of yummy meats and cheese wrapped in tortillas, the four-wheeler's bread, we explored the tailings pile near the mine building for awhile to see if, by any chance, we could find a rock with some gold in it to help subsidize the cost of maintaining our rickety rigs but to no avail. Of course I'm kidding. I'm sure the miners did a fine job of picking anything valuable out of the pile of rock. And there's more valuable stuff to be found here.

Corny as it sounds, the glimpses we get of Colorado's mining past, of old buildings and machinery, of hard life on a hard rocky slope are the real treasure, one that you can take with you and enjoy for a long time in your memories. The wheeling is fun, sure, but so is the discovery and exploration of new, or even familiar places.

Pretty soon it was time to head back down where we encountered a large group coming up (they had the right of way), so we ended up having to back up the narrow trail about a mile before finding a place to pull over. Eventually we were able to head down and bounce and lurch our way through the rock garden and head up to Mirror Lake via Tincup Pass trail. That's where things took a bit of a sour turn.

Heading for Tincup Pass

We were heading up to the campsite near Mirror lake, past Tincup Pass, to meet a fellow named Paul and a few of his friends. At one point during the climb, I applied the brakes and my foot went completely to the floor! I was going slowly in low range, low gear, so coming to a stop was no problem.

We both jumped out to find a puddle of brake fluid by one of the front tires. One of my stainless steel braided lines had come apart. Just as we'd learned in Moab earlier that year, we folded over the broken brake line and pinched it off with a vise grip and strapped it to the frame.

The front brake system held hydraulic pressure like when you fold over a garden hose so at least I had one front brake. I tested and decided it would be ok at slow trail speeds, nothing technical lay ahead. The vehicle could be controlled on the way back down, too. We'd deal with it on the way back from our trip.

Tincup Pass

After making it up and over Tincup Pass we found our way to the lake. Paul and his friends were fishing so we parked and chatted for awhile. They'd already set up camp and had been having some pretty good luck with Rainbows in the lake. After a bit Scott and I headed to the campsite, set up, and joined some of the lakeside party.

As mentioned everyone was having great luck at the lake. Well, except yours truly. At least there was plenty of opportunity to practice my fly casting. Switching back and forth between spinning rod and fly rod didn't really improve my luck.

I lost a lure, lost a fly, got tangled up, hit myself in the back of the head with fly line a few times. As evening came along I was able to coax a little interest from the fish in the dry flies but I think the trout were hitting emerging insects just below the surface, not bugs on the surface because none of them actually took the flies.

It was getting late and a few people were drifting off to camp to set up for dinner. Still no fish. Skunked? Argh. Couldn't let that happen. Surely there was one fish out there. Others had been using worms while I staunchly insisted on trying power bait, salmon eggs, and artificial lures to no avail so I broke down and tried some nightcrawlers.

Evening was starting to fall, dusk approaching. Still no fish, but a few nibbles but no hearty takes. Finally it was time for the big guns. Figuring on luring in a bigger fish, I took a whole worm and rigged it across two hooks... cast the rig out on a bobber where something had been nibbling and waited. Then, a hit, and a fish was on! After playing it a little bit, the fish turned out to be a real nice 11" rainbow. I packed up and headed for camp where dinner was underway.

Fresh caught trout is far tastier than I imagined. With some cornbread coating, oil, salt, pepper, and some creole seasoning, the fish turned out great. Paul's mountain stew was super as were the various sides. We all ate really well.

A windy and rather cold evening awaited our party. It must've gotten down into the 40's or less, signs of summer coming to a close.

The next morning left frost on the tent. After a very hearty and delicious breakfast it was time for us to head out. The plan was to stop in Buena Vista at the parts store for a new brake hose.

Aside from a minor glitch with Scott's transfer case shifter cable, it was an uneventful drive into town.

Unfortunately no brake hoses were to be found at the only parts store in the vicinity. After a slow trip to Fairplay, nothing was open, so we had to leave TC behind.

The nice folks at the motel let us park the truck, and we moved all the important gear from TC to Scott's rig and made our way back to Denver. Fortunately we were able to head back down on the following Monday, fix the brake line, and get TC back home.

That's the only time I've every left my rig behind. Come to think of it the truck was pretty reliable after that point. Maybe it finally learned a lesson.

Gas Tank Replacement and TBI

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Shimniok) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 01:40:00 +0000

The gas tank is out. A "new" one is ready to go in. The old one got contaminated with lots of rust. I had a jerry can filled with gas for several years resulting in a ton of extremely fine rust getting into the gas. I used this can to refill after I ran out of gas on the road while testing my TBI setup. I'm hoping to get the new tank in this weekend. I have some work to do on the throttle body which is full of rust, needs a gasket kit, and will be receiving a new pair of correct-model injectors. I'm hoping that these fixes will cure the issues I've been having getting a good tune on the TBI.