MrJim

Any takers for Saturday?? I will be winched and ready!!!

FYI, I can get those for $16.50 each if anyone needs them. That is the price for any spring at Pull-a-Part by my house...

Wow, that would be awesome!!! Will you email me at stillafloat@ymail.com. I would LOVE to have that. Thanks so much...

So I took my girl to a movie yesterday and as I pulled in, there was an old beater Bronco II sitting there with the hood up and a young couple inside. I pulled up and asked him if they needed a jump? He told me maybe. He said his girlfriend (maybe 16 yrs old) said it was the alternator or the solenoid. I told him to turn the key and it the solenoid just clicked. I put the cables on and no change. I had him turn on the headlights and they were very strong, and so I told him it could the solenoid or even the starter. He told me that it was certainly not the starter because it was brand new and had just been put on. I told him new starters do fail. From my experience, I have been able to tap on a locked up starter before as the key was turned and have it start working again, so I looked under the rig to maybe try that and I saw the power cable that goes to the starter hanging with the starter end nearly touching the ground. I told him, this could be your problem. He looked down and started screaming (yeah) OH MY GOD!! THE FREAKING CABLES ARE NOT EVEN CONNECTED! THEY ARE HANGING DOWN ON THE GROUND!! and then without skipping a beat, he looked again and and screamed (seriously) HOLY CRAP!!!! (she said calmly, "what is it") HE SCREAMED, "THE WHOLE FREAKING STARTER IS GONE!!! OH MY GOD!!! SOMEONE STOLE MY STARTER!!! WHY??? WHY??? WHY WOULD SOMEONE STEAL MY STARTER?? ITS GONE! ITS GONE!! THE WHOLE FREAKING THING IS GONE AND SOMEONE STOLE IT!! Well, we (the 3 of us) were trying to rationalize this thing as this guy walked in circles with both hands on his head screaming. and we asked when they last started it and where did they go and how long did it sit? He was screaming in hysterics still as she told us that they started it at her house a few miles away and drove over to the theater and turned it off. Then decided to go eat first and they tried to restart it and it only clicked. He was outside screaming that the cable had been cut. Cut right off and then started screaming why again as he started back into his circling. I looked under the truck and could see the cable and it was ripped off at the bolt. I asked him when it would have been possible for anyone to steal or cut anything if they were in it the whole time? He was like, "Hey, Yeah..." and I told him that the bolts were not tightened and probably fell out causing the cable to rip when it hit the street. He insisted that was not possible because the starter was installed by and actual mechanic. (wow)... I told him mechanics are people and people make mistakes. I also told him if it was a reputable mechanic that they should replace this starter and labor at no charge. I offered my cell for them to call a ride as our movie (couples retreat) was about to start. They thanked us and I told him he needed to hang onto that gal as she really did offer some good mechanical advise and suggestions. (because clearly he was not going to make it on his own)... Once again... Wow.... Okay, I am off to get my 9500lb WINCH installed... Yeah baby!!!! Later

If this was directed at my post, I was not saying to put the Seafoam in each cylinder. I was saying that you need to pull the spark plugs and crank the engine so you can pump out any water that is in the cylinder so it does not damage the valves. Apparently, water does not compress like gasoline does so it will instead bend valves when the space is compressed inside the cylinders. My mechanic friend told me to spray starter fluid into the spark plug hole to help evaporate any moisture that was in there, but after you pump out the initial water and then add the seafoam to oil and fuel system, it will take care of any moisture.

Okay, I have some experience with Seafoam... I had just returned from a 3 day ocean cruise (my boat) on the 4th of July weekend and my boat was really dirty from fishing, etc. So, I was cleaning it up and the rear deck was self bailing. There were small holes in floor that were drains to the outside in case a wave crashed in there. The engine compartment had a lip around the outter edge of the door opening that had drains in the lip on both sides to keep that channel empty so water would not go into the engine compartment around the door. SO, I washed the front decks, then just flooded the rear deck with water and was scrubbing it with a hard brush on a long handle and it was taking a long time to drain. After about 15 minutes the water was gone and the deck was clean. I was going to start the engine to move it in the slip and the motor appeared to be seized. Now remember that I had just driven 100+ miles in the open sea and suddenly it would not even turn over and all I did was wash the decks. ???? I tried and tried to get it to turn over (mistake) and I could see it trying, but it seemed that compression was holding it in place because you could see it start to move each time. It eventually powered through and starting cranking, but would not actually start. I was really puzzled. I retraced what all I had done in the 30 minutes that had passed since it was running perfectly and after some investigation, I found that the drains in the engine door channels were clogged and then soon realized that water had funneled for 15 mins directly into the carburetor and worse yet, since I had forced the engine to eventually turn over and start cranking, What I had done was forced water into the cylinders and I was on the phone with a mechanic friend of mine who was telling me that the valves were going to be bent by my forcing the water past them and that it would now be in the oil too. If I had realized what the problem was before I forced it to to crank, I could have pulled the spark plugs and sprayed starter fluid in there to help dry it out as I cranked it with no plugs. Well, the oil was full of water. I was really really lucky though because it did not do damage to my valves on this Volvo Penta 4 cyl engine. It just mucked up my oil and carb. I changed the oil twice and could not get all the water out of it. It would turn milky after running it long enough to warm it up each time, plus the engine temperature was going up to excessive temps after running it for 10 minutes or more. I was worried I had done more damage was letting new water into it, but I willed that to not be the case. I refused to accept that as a possibility. So, when I went back to the same auto parts store to buy oil and filter again for the 3rd time in 2 days, they asked why and suggested using Sea Foam. I put some in and ran it for a few hours and right away the temperature issue went away and when I checked the oil the next morning it looked like beautiful golden clear honey. I was thanking God because I did not even want to consider the alternatives. After this, I went on several extended trips and never had an issue again. Seafoam is some amazing stuff and I can't believe I had never heard of it before either. And the moral of the story is this: If you ever mess up and pull your engine under water and it gets into it, DO NOT TRY TO START IT without removing the spark plugs. I was told that it was nothing short of a miracle that I did not have to replace my valves after this happened to me. Pass it on!!!! Here is an informative site about Seafoam

And you siliconed the old mounting holes from my roof rack too. You were very thorough. I can never thank you enough. It makes me want to do something for others now. I do tell the story a hundred times a day and everyone is really moved by it. No one more than me though. Thanks again...

Hey, It's MrJim and my brother lives over there in Colorado. That is awesome country to go offroading... He lives in Larkspur, but he is more of a street dweller. I also go to Boulder for training at IBM where I work. MrJim

Hey, I wondered if there was anyone from Valdosta or surrounding areas on here? I bet we know some of the same people if so. I grew up there and left in 1992, but still have good friends there that I talk to every week. Let me know... MrJim

Wow, that would be great! I am always ready to go wheeling too... Email me at stillafloat@ymail.com and we can work out the details. Thanks...

Thanks for the info. I will look into that.

So that is all good information. Thanks. I didn't know that about the Nissan 300z... I will look into that. I saw a bunch of Jeeps at the salvage yard. They didn't seem very long though. I don't want to loose much height. The f150 springs looked long enough, but they are so thick that I worry about stiffness with them like what I have now. I am curious about that Aerostar spring. It looks like the same thickness as the factory Pathfinder spring, only its longer. Out of the ones you suggested, which do you think would be best to keep good height, while softening my suspension some? I could loose up to a couple of inches in rear to level it out a little, but that's all I would want to lose. I am liking that 300z idea. I wish you guys lived closer so I could grab some parts and head over... By the way, I heard my ex is really irritated that I got my Pathfinder back. She said she hoped I drive it off a cliff. I'm gonna miss her...

The guys did a great job restoring my Pathfinder. Now I am back on the case making it better than it was before I lost it 4 years ago. I ordered a 9500 lb winch yesterday to go back into my ARB Bumper. I like having that "do over" ability that a winch gives you when you are 40 miles in the wilderness by yourself in the snow. Um, yeah.... I also noticed that my steering stabilizer was non-existent on the trail run we did in Tahuya. I was feeling every little bump from the rocks in my hands and it was challenging a few times to stay on course because of that. So I took it to Les Schwab and told them I used to have a steering stabilizer on it and I wanted one again (cause I briefly looked under it and did not see it at glance). Three mechanics there tried explaining to me that you cannot put a steering stabilizer on a Pathfinder because it has rack and pinion steering. I glazed over the rack and pinion thing at first, but told him that it did have one on it and it was a Rancho. He and the other 2 guys carefully explained to me (like I was a child) how a Pathfinder has only a small rod on each end that has no way of attaching a stabilizer to it. I finally went out and opened the hood and looked in (they had had it up on the rack for an hour) and I could plainly see the old stabilizer sitting right there in the middle. It was leaking obviously and that explains why I thought it was gone, but how the heck does 3 mechanics not know what a stabilizer looks like? I took it in to get my tires rotated and they told me that it needed a new idler bar on the steering. If they don't know what a stabilizer looks like, how are they going to tell me they know anything about the rest of it. Crazy... So I did order a new stabilzer at the other location in Marysville where I have always had my work done. They are the same location where I ordered my winch. The manager told me he would charge me 1 hour labor to install it (sucker). That ARB bumper is a beoch to pull off, install winch, and reinstall. I have had an account with them for years and have a flat payment that I make monthly. So it really doesn't impact me monthly to order this stuff. It will take me longer to pay it off, but its no money upfront and no more monthly than I am already paying. Works for me. A NPORA member built the last sliders I had on my rig that got taken off and sold while in the junk yard. I feel really naked on the rocky trails without those, so I am going to be on a quest to get those back on there soon. I may see what a local metal shop would charge. Oh, I went to the Department of Licensing yesterday and got my old license plates ordered again. "MRJIM" will be back on there in about 6 weeks. They gave me a temp plate made of paper that says "MRJIM" on it and its posted in the back window. They said it was still assigned to me, but has been dormant since 2005. Cool... I walked around in a salvage yard for awhile yesterday looking for ideas, parts, etc. My rear springs are from a lifted Bronco and they give me lift for sure, but don't give much flex. I can put any weight on the rear and it will squat the tires before the rear of my rig will go down. I would rather have some better flex. I took a stock Pathfinder spring in hand and walked around looking at different rigs. The old F150 trucks had one that looked a little less stiff, but still pretty heavy thickness. I saw the rear coils from an Aerostar (I know), and it looked like a possibility. It was the same diameter as the stock Pathfinder, only longer. I would have to cut the last curl off each end to make it fit, but ??? I am still looking around. I really really want to lock my axles one day. Mine is limited slip, but it is not so limited anymore. A friend told me that he hadn't worked on a Pathfinder, but he has worked on other LSD differentials where he replaced the clutch bands/discs? and he added extra ones that pretty much locked the axle. I know its not the best plan, but if it gave me better traction offroad - I would do it. I'd prefer to just lock the front and rear. What are the best (cheapest) ways to do this guys? I have been out of the loop for 4 years so I don't know all of the options that may be out there now. Ideas?

Thanks. It feels great to reclaim this part of my life again...

That is a 2 1/2 hour drive for me, but if you remind me I will probably make it. I am back to work on my Pathfinder now continuing the excellent job the guys did on restoring it. I got a winch ordered and a other things too. Just remind me and I will be there.

Hey! What do you have in mind for Woodinville? I am game!!! MrJim

I think it would be cool to setup a trail of NPORA members from the West Coast to the East Coast and back and then setup a roadtrip where fello NPORA'ers could tag along for a piece as we passed through their state. Maybe some NPORA members would offer a place to stay for the nights along the way too. Could be cool...

Someone high up in Ford and or Chevy must have bankrolled that episode. What a joke. I had a 94 Explorer and to put it over a Jeep, Pathfinder, and a Toyota on the trails is crazy. And I can't remember the last time I saw an S10 Blazer on the trails in Washington. Wow...

I am curious about what they had to say about this. I have Calmini kit and torsion bars on my rig too and I would like to think they would replace an obviously defect unit.

What can I say? Thank you Derek, Scott, Shane, everyone for all of the hard work. You were certainly thorough and the truck is great!!! It runs strong and looks great! I appreciate knowing all that you did in detail here and I know everyone who contributed does too. You are the best!!!

I moved from the boat to a basement apartment, so I don't even know if the sun is shining outside now. No sounds either. Its only a 3 month lease, so who knows...

Actually, since I lived in the outtermost marina to the ocean, there was some movement most of the time. I barely felt it after so long, except during really bad wind storms, which we did get from time to time. I miss being able to start the engine and head out to open sea whenever I wanted to, but am do appreciate having lots of space and cable TV too. Plus in the winter, it got challenging to keep it warm. Boats are not really insulated very well. I also miss being so close to nature. I had sea otters playing on the dock daily by my boat and leopard seals who showed up every evening at sunset. Then there is the Orca whales and the list goes on. I watched a giant Bald Eagle dive into the ocean one day and he grabbed something. He was struggling with whatever he had under the water and he was flopping around for a minute before using his wings to literally start swimming (breast stroke) to the shore (30 ft away). He swam to the shore with his wings and drug out a 3 ft salmon and started eating him. I wished I had my camera that day. Its all good. That was a great time in my life and now I am onto new things. I think my Pathfinder coming back into my life will play a big part in that.

Does anyone want to head out to Reiter's Pit this weekend or next weekend? I have allot of lost time to make up for with my Pathy on the trails.

I got one of those custom shirts too. His Mom did a great job with those... I want to buy one of the hats now. The hat was slick.

THAT IS A FACT... I WAS PRETTY HAPPY AND STILL AM... I HAVE BEEN PROUDLY DRIVING MY PATHY ALL AROUND TODAY.