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mws
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Posts posted by mws
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I use Rock Auto all the time.
Service has been very good.
They are like your everyday parts store, but online. They sell top shelf stuff, and some crap stuff. So caveat emptor.
Also, watch shipping carefully! They are not a massive mail order retailer like Summit. They take your order, and then relay it on to their distributors who ship it to you. And they pass on their distributors shipping costs. So if the struts come from one warehouse, the bearings from another, and bumpstops from yet another, your shipping costs can get outrageous. But your shopping cart will reflect actual shipping costs before you check out, so as long as you pay attention, it is all good.
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When? Only and always at the least opportune time!
And age seems to be a relatively insignificant factor. If they don't die within the first month, they tend to last a very, very long time.
My personal approach is to not change as PM - and especially never before a big trip! The first month is when you find all the manufacturing defects and is the most common failure time.
If I were in your shoes, I would buy a replacement fuel pump, seal it in a bag, wrap in a rag and stuff under the rear seat or similar... Just for peace of mind. Changing on the side of the road is a pain, but extremely unlikely to happen. And getting one out of a known good runner with lowish miles that is being parted out is arguably BETTER than brand new - it has been proven good with no inherant manufacturing defects or gremlins!
Alternator? I don't change until it makes noise or dies. Even if it dies, you can get home if you have a buddy. Just swap batteries back and forth so his recharges one while you run the other as total loss. If you leave all lights, fans, and stereos off, you can run total loss off a good battery for at least an hour with no ill effects.
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Rather than two gauges, you can save a few bucks and some space and use a single gauge with two sending units with a single pole double throw switch to select which sending unit is connected!
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That would explain it!
I also ordered the Summit 9 ton pulley block. The storage pouch has "T-Max" screen printed right on it. And the block has a Summit sticker on it. I wonder what I'll find if I peel the sticker off....
And the Summit shackle is yellow and black, just like the T-Max stuff - but it doesn't say anything on it.
The moral of the story: We now have a reliable, fast, and pretty darned inexpensive source of T-Max stuff! I ordered it all late Thursday night and had it Monday afternoon. Would be next day if ordered during the week before 3 pm.
The winch weighs close to 90 pounds... I wonder what it actually cost to ship? As you all know, with Summit, shipping is included in the $9.50 per order "handling" charge.
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I used to consider Moog products the benchmark.
But.... I just bought new tie rod ends for our tow van. And one was defective out of the box - the brass colored backing plate was not properly inserted and sealed into the body of the rod end body. It was actually weeping grease while in the box. May have been a wierd fluke, but it still disappointed me to see it.
I didn't have time to get it replaced as it was a Sunday and the only place open was a Napa, so I installed a Napa end instead.
I will send a note to Moog to let them know.
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Confirmed!
"T-Max" is cast into the motor end housing.
The owners manual I received is the original T-Max manual - doesn't even mention Summit... Everything is referencing T-Max model numbers and says T-Max in about 82 places...
Now here's the funny part: I spent an hour looking at it, and I can NOT find a "made in XXXXX" sticker or note ANYWHERE! Not on the winch, not in the manual, not on the box, nowhere. I thought the US import laws were very strict that all imports must list the country of manufacture? As I see it, one of three things may be possible:
- They are made in USA (no labeling required)
- Australia is exempt from labeling
- Somebody oopsed and forgot to affix the label, and it somehow got through customs.
Regardless, this is a seriously beefy unit and appears waaayyyyy better built than the ubiquitous Chinese built 9000 lb unit sold by MileMarker, Harbor Freight, and half a dozen others.
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Because I don't know enough about the post '89's to say for sure my research applies to them as well...
I strongly suspect it does, but they did make some changes - some I'm aware of, some I'm sure I'm not - so I don't feel I'm qualified to have an opinion on them.
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Where to put the sensor is a long running debate.
Right as it comes out of the transmission does monitor the fluid when it is at its very hottest and is commonly considered the "best" place.
But it is generally easier to monitor the pan temperature - but this is monitoring the fluid at its coolest point.
My opinion? Monitoring the outlet is most accurate, but if that is a PITA, monitoring the pan is 95% as effective if you remember what it is and realize the peak temps are probably 20-30 degrees F hotter than what you're seeing on the gauge.
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Mine should be arriving today.
The first thing I'll be doing is ripping the package open to see where it was made... I'm so hoping it is still the original T-Max... :bow:
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Great idea!
Make sure it can bend backwards relatively easily.
If you were to get into an accident, your knee or shin will slam into it. It will cause less damage if it could bend out of the way.
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I had a situation arise where I thought I might need to tow mine, and did a bunch of research.
As others have alluded to here, the key thing is to NOT have anything rotating without it's lubrication system working.
Having the output shaft of a automatic transmission turning without the pump operating would be a bad thing, as the bearings will not be getting enough lubrication.
With regards to your situation, an 89 with MANUAL transmission and true transfer case:
If your transfer case is in neutral, the output shaft of the transmission will not be rotating. The only things turning are the rear axles, driveshaft, and output shaft of the transfer case. All of these do NOT require any kinds of pumps or the like to be lubricated. The differential and transfer case have their gears dip into the lube, so they stay perfectly lubricated whether the engine is running or not.
So theoretically, it should be fine.
Experientially, I have read about many people who flat towed 5 speed 4x4 WD21's for thousands of miles with no problems, just like Pathfinder Phil reports. And I could not find one report of it causing problems. Just lots of people saying it shouldn't be done, just because they think it shouldn't be done.
If you want to read about more real-live experiences, do a search on rv.net
So, my conclusion was that the pre-'90 pathy's are about as optimal a vehicle as any to be towed 4 down and I wouldn't hesitate to do it with mine. If it was more than a hundred miles or so, I would probable disconnect the driveshaft from the differential just for peace of mind. And install manual locking front hubs and leave them unlocked - again, for peace of mind.
So why does the manual say not to?
My guess is that notice was put in there by the lawyers.
Does anyone know if this notice appear in the owners manuals of WD21's sold outside of the US?
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Yeah, the generally repeated rule of thumb is double the vehicle weight as the one-size-fits-all recommendation.
But if you want to think a little for yourself, think about what you will need it for. The biggest factor by far is mud. When you get stuck in mud, you need to pull the truck, all the mud stuck to the truck, AND overcome all the resistance caused by the body parts stuck in the mud. So then you want at LEAST 2x of the vehicle weight, 3X is even better for southeast US gumbo mud.
But in dry sand, you won't need near as much. 1.5X of the vehicle weight will take care of 99% of what you encounter.
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Build a new lower IFS frame and hang it from leaf springs, then you have IFS with some of the articulation of a solid design
Hey.... That's along the lines of something I've been playing with in my mind.
I still GREATLY prefer IFS for the handling, ride quality, and safety on the street. But have been sketching and dreaming about ways to allow the center member to twist and droop on demand, and in a controlled fashion.
The patent race is on!
If you stick to your leaf springs, we will not be in conflict. But if you start playing with pnuematic springs and actuators, well, then we may be converging!
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I did this because the harness requires some electronic thingamabob (Really, I have a Bachelor's degree in aircraft electronics; cum laude even, this is an industry term) to convert the signal to the standard 4-wire trailer config.
You electronics guys are all alike with your sloppy slang.
The proper technical term is "doo-hickey".
Quit "dumbing" down the techno-jargon around here, K?
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Was scanning my latest Summit Racing catalog the other day and saw they now offer a private label winch. At a very competitive price.
So me get's to thinking, whose winch ARE they private labeling? Another company slapping their name the same Chinese sweat/slaveshop piece that Milemarker and Harbor Freight use? Nope. Looks completely different. Hmmm... More searching....
Whoa - those are T-Max winches with the Summit name on them! Last I heard, T-Max were still Australian made and darned good stuff!
Check it out!
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.a...15&autoview=sku
Identical controller, body, hp ratings, levers, appearance. Everything listed and visible is identical to the T-Max. Could this be our score of the year?
I ordered one, it should be here next week. I'll report on where it was made and how it looks. I am hoping and praying T-Max hasn't outsourced the materials and manufacturing of their units.
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The other part of making any part CA legal is paying the CARB for an EO number.
Most of us are do as has been already mentioned here - Thorley headers, aftermarket hi-flow cat (I went with 2.5" universal Dynomax Ultra Converter from Summit and am impressed), aftermarket muffler (Dynomax for me, I don't like the harmonic droning of Flowmasters - again, from Summit) and then having a local small shop bend up tubes and weld it all together. I went 2.5" all the way out the back, but 2.25" after the muffler would be quite adequate, perhaps even better.
Another option is to get a Flowmaster tail pipe kit from Summit and cut/weld up your own. The pieces they give you can be configured to fit just about anything with enough experimenting and forethought...
This is how I did it on my van. Came out beautifully and I was able to squeeze 3" pipe from the muffler out the rear. I welded most of the connections, and clamped a few.
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I've carefully thought about and then proceeded to safely really load up a few of my vehicles... Way over ratings on a few occaisions. They ride kinda stiff when the axles are pressed firmly into the bump stops..
For most vehicles, the real mechanical limit is the tires and/or wheels. You can tell by comparing the GAWR with the load limit of the stock size tire. If the GAWR is exactly double the tire load limit, bingo!
If you upgrade the tire and wheel, you can likely carry much more.
On my van, I researched all the components and determined the only difference between my 1/2 ton and a 3/4 ton with "heavy duty" load option was the tires, wheels, and springs. The axle, frame, and all other suspension components were exactly the same.
By adding overload springs, HD shocks, and higher load capacity tires and wheels with ratings above the 3/4 ton HD model, I was very comfortable loading it up as much as allowed on 3/4 ton HD models. And then more research indicated I only needed to change the axle and springs to give it the same load capacity as the super mondo dual rear wheel G30 delivery vans... the frame was exactly the same. On most vehicles, that wouldn't be the case. "1 ton" versions usually have different frames and stuff.
The moral is that the max rating is based on the weakest link. By upgrading that weakest link, you can bump your safe limit up to the next weakest link.
And also keep in mind that unless otherwise specified, ratings are for near continuous use. You can PROBABLY exceed for short periods if you keep the risks in mind. If your tires are near new and inflated to max allowable pressure, you can overload them a bit for short drives - just keep in mind that heat is the evil you need to fear.
And if you can avoid sharp impacts, you can exceed rated loads on the suspension. The ratings take into account "typical" impacts with a large safety factor. If you overload 20% but avoid all sharp edged bumps and high speeds, they are quite unlikely to fail.
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One thing to keep in mind when coating with sealer:
If the prep job is not really, really good, the stuff won't stick for very long. And then imagine what a bunch of peeled off flakes of sealant floating around the inside of your tank is going to do...
So do NOT skip on the prep! Done well, great solution. Done poorly, much worse than the original problem.
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Let's see.... 2 McD's, 2 BK's, 2 JIB's, 1 CJ's....
Maybe 30 burger joints all together. For a town of about 80K. But we have quite a few of us eco minded freaks running around! I have heard ALL of the discarded fryer oils are already spoken for, and bidding wars have begun. The supply already can't meet the demand.
EAT MORE FRIES!
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Biodiesel is a supply limited option. Although America uses more than its fair share of french fry oil, I don't think we use enough to power more than a few thousand or maybe tens of thousands of bio-diesel vehicles. The average fast food restaurant discards maybe 50 gallons per week.
But I sure love the concept!
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One technology I like is on board hydrogen generation... So your vehicle is hydrogen powered, but carries very little on board at any given time.
And when you get right down to it, hydrogen is really no worse to transport than gasoline. If a gas bag the size of the Hindenburg had been filled with gasoline vapor and ignited, it would have been several time more dramatic.... Instead of a big fireball, it would have been an unbelievable explosion with absolutely no chance of survivors - on board or on the ground. Probably for several miles. Definitely would not have been any surviving film footage for us to see decades later - but one heck of a crater!
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FIRST URANIUM ENRICHMENT FACILITY
Read that line please, does that indicate an ENERGY RICH area? Could it be possible what you read is dare I say WRONG?
Huh? No, that's not what it says.
It says they are going to start enriching their own uranium to lower the cost of producing power at their existing and planned nukes.
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And let me go on record as saying I want us to become less petroleum dependent as much or more so than the next person. Heck, I ride my 50 mpg motorcycle and infinite mpg bicycle whenever I can! And I chose to live within 4 miles of my work to minimize driving.
My point is that it will require a lot of investment and is not as easy a slam dunk solution as some are presenting it to be.
Ethanol should be considered as one of the options. But right now, it is not looking all that great and appears will always be self limiting. Solar is looking better to me.
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Here's one blurb that points out some of the numbers. As with all things on the internet, consider the source and do your own research as well.
http://i-r-squared.blogspot.com/2006/03/gr...perors-new.html
If it ain't broke......?
in 90-95 WD21 Pathfinders
Posted
Please allow me to clarify:
I wouldn't change alternator or fuel pump as PM.
Belts, hoses, u-joints, ball joints, tie rod ends, spark plugs, filters, fluids, tire air, and many other things are RELIGIOUSLY changed as PM, per the factory recommendations or based on what I've learned.