Slartibartfast

LOL no worries... I honestly don't take the end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it stuff seriously, but at least you're putting your money into something that would be of use.

Checked for strut rot? If it's sound, and the guy will give you the repair records (!), I'd go for it... the VG's probably got a lot of life left in it.

Given how flammable all kinds of stuff is in pure oxygen, I'd be a little leery of running it into a hot engine. Plus you'd probably have to re-program the computer or mess with the MAF, or it would be running way lean. And of course you'd be buying oxygen cylinders with your gasoline... I'll bet that'd offset whatever fuel savings you'd get from the system. My dad suggested putting little tires on mine, saying he'd talked to people who said it improved their fuel economy over the 31s. My first thought was, they probably didn't change the speed sensor/speedo gear when they put little tires on, so they're getting bogus numbers. And I'm not into mods that reduce the vehicle's capability. But yeah, bigger engine, less restriction (intake/exhaust), maybe some computer mods, and it'll go quicker and (from what I've heard) do better on gas too.

If you put the transfer case in neutral the the front and rear diff would be locked together (4x4). Also, you'd still be spinning part of the transmission. I think I'd just unbolt the shaft where it meets the axle, push it over against the frame rail or a bracket or something, and strap it in place. Put it in 2H. Then you're good to go. The problem (as I remember reading about it) is that the trans relies on the engine to push the fluid around to lube the bearings and whatnot. With the engine off, the oil isn't flowing, and so any part of the trans (except the transfer case) that's spinning won't stay lubed for long. I flat towed mine once with all four wheels down and the drive shaft attached and had no problems, but that was only about half a mile. The owner's manual suggests putting the rear wheels on a tow dolly, or using a flatbed if possible.

I know (mostly) how it works, it's built like a tank, and at this point I've become somewhat attached to it. Also, holy old post Batman.

Seems like the function of a CAI is less about air temp than it is about restriction. It's not like the air it's sucking past the grille is going to be that much cooler than the air it's pulling out of the fender... just less tubing, fewer transitions, and a better filter. I've read a lot of people saying that a CAI boosted mileage over the stock system, and if they're bothering to check mileage, I doubt they're at WOT. The heated intake probably comes in real handy in negative temps. When it's 104* outside, not so much. So depending on where you live and how cold it gets, a reduction in intake temp could improve power without screwing up the mileage... a system meant to work in a variety of conditions probably isn't optimal for any of them. (And while the heated intake will by design increase air temp, cold air in isn't going to come out as hot as if it was warm already.)

Got my vote just for the unfitting music.

The cylinder compression will still heat up the air anyway. Cutting out a little heat before the air goes in should mean denser air, thus more oxygen, and a cleaner burn. I can see the benefit in the winter (or in Siberia), but otherwise, a little cooler air would probably be a good thing. Aren't there some cone filters you can just wash out and re-oil? And I thought these came stock with the EGR and the BPT? Mine has both. Is it a 94+ thing?

While you've got the belts off, try spinning the pulleys by hand (including the a/c idler) to check for binding etc.

Gotta love intermittent wiring problems! Good to hear you got it going.

That's a lot of miles, but if something was leaking, I'd expect smoke of some kind. Codes?

If the whistling sound from it doesn't drive you nuts!

Yeah, it would have to go in before the MAF, and then it would have to create enough extra power to run the compressor... I doubt it'd be worth it. I've heard that snorkels help in this respect, because they suck colder air from outside the vehicle. That's probably in comparison to a cold air intake kit though, as the stock airbox sucks from the fender. (I can't come up with a reason why you couldn't use a cone filter in line with a snorkel.)

Just to add more fuel to the cost thing... I just had a shop replace most of my front end IFS components (BJs, TREs, centerlink, idler) and it came out to around $800. And that's not including CVs or the strut rod bushings. (Dad had the CVs done when we got it, and I'll be doing the bushings myself.) I don't wheel much (and I haven't learned to weld yet) so an SAS wasn't really an option... and it especially isn't now that we're eight bills into the stock stuff.

Thought about the various things I still need to do to it! I remember reading in the tire review thread that the Yoko Geos weren't terribly grippy. But for that price, why not?

Personally I prefer the look of incandescents... you can get 'warm white' LEDs but I dunno if they're what the car kits use. I can see using them for interior stuff though, the stock dome light is pretty dim.

There's a story there...

Got my hinge plates fresh from Taiwan, and picked the truck up from the alignment shop. New ball joints, CL, idler, and TREs. Feels a little less like trying to steer a puppy.

Hmm... wonder where the extra fluid came from.

You sure it didn't get pushed into 4x accidentally? It'll bind up like crazy if you drive in 4x on dry pavement. That binding would show up as a power loss, even in neutral, and would lead to increased wear in the diffs and transfer case. The lever should be all the way forward, and the hubs should be disengaged. (Engaged hubs alone won't cause the problem, though. If it's not in 4x, but the hubs are engaged, you'll just lose a little fuel economy/CV life.)

^^That. I've actually done it a couple times to mine, nothing's exploded yet, but definitely something to avoid. It's tough to gently engage the hubs when, for the CVs to move (and thus for the hubs to lock), you have to spin the rears on ice/dirt/whatever. That's why I engage them in the driveway now if I suspect I'll need them at any point between there and where I'm going. Gotta get me some manuals!

Never had a problem with mine, with the key anyway. It doesn't always lock/unlock. I pulled the panel off and shot some lithium at the joints, which seemed to help somewhat. Maybe check the linkage for play where the rods hook together?

I've heard that the EGR can 'flutter,' the mechanic who did my timing belt said mine was doing it, so I cleaned it out. My only other thought is that the lifters might be worn out. How many miles are on it? The knock sensor can trigger the engine's limp mode IIRC (won't rev over 3k), so that probably is something to take care of.

Maybe a motor mount is bad and it's stressing a wiring harness somewhere?

I shift on the fly, but only when it's already had a chance to lock up the hubs. On some days (winter) I'll start out in 4x to get out of the driveway, shift to 2x when I get to the road, and then shift in and out as needed. Until I back it up in 2x the hubs should stay engaged and it shouldn't cause problems. It clunks a little if I wait to engage it until I'm stuck, but it doesn't grind.