Truth to be told (update with pics)
It’s 6aye-em and dark out. Been up since 5, gettin’ my cuppa’s in, letting the body wake slowly.
I surely do not know how I did this stuff in my younger days. I feel like I went through the Crucible on Parris Island this morning: muscles feeling that ‘workout’ burn/ache from disuse to full monty activity. I thought I was doing pretty good with the calisthenics: LOL NOT! Maybe I need to ramp that activity in the mornings and evenings. Or at least raise the weight factor in those weight lifting moves I do practice.
The truth of what ails BlooTwuck comes out first thing this mornin’ I’ll be headed down to Da’s here after I hit publish on this; a repeat of getting grimey and gross. Old truck, years of seepy gaskets, everything is a little sticky and greasy. Eventually I will take care of the top end, and seal those valve covers and intakes back up. Too much on the dinner plate this round,,,
I’m feeling the ‘creeping dread’ of watching a horror movie right now. You know the feeling; the one where you are internally screaming at the main character ” don’t open that door, DON’T OPEN THAT DOOR!” ,,, Yeah,,, that,,, I almost don’t want to pull those caps and see the carnage.
Or worse: such as my pulling those caps and seeing NOTHING of consequence. That would tell me that I would be doing the top end sooner, and replacing even MORE parts, like lifters and a camshaft. I feel strongly that my diag is the correct one, but there are so many moving parts in that section of the block, it literally could be any of the above and sound similar. Fingers crossed: the Rubicon of truth is dead ahead. (and it may be a case of my needing to find a scrap yard to find a crankshaft, as RockAuto does NOT have any in stock: yes, I checked,,, )
Either way,,, I’ll know soon enough, and WILL post pics of that carnage as I find it. Stay tuned HERE on this post as I will do those as updates to this post.
more as the day progresses,,,
L.L.L.L.L!
(, ‘)
dunno the amount of damage in thousandths .yet, but its significant, may be terminal for this crank. No 7 shows some wear as well
new crank $400+$75shipping, be here Muhnday. Looks like Dio is taken some time off from J.O.B.
I don’t think the inhabitants were happy about my buying Bloo
That was behind the flywheel,,,
And someone has been here before. There are a couple of odd bolts on the Rear mainseal cover,,, and as you can see, that looks GREAT. Still gonna replace it since I am in here. Same thing with the near perfect Friction plate on the clutch. Definitely on the throwout bearing and slave cylinder,,, (the slave and throw out looked OE. And the throw out was noisy off n on.) All of it!!!! NEW,, I’m there, Do IT! You can kinda see in the pic, the manifold is already done,, The old one was cracked 90% of its diameter between 5 and 7. Didnt come apart on removal. But I could flex it and open up that crack by hand.
Oil pan is off, but I took one look at the caps and splash plate and oil pump sump, and said “Call it!” 8 straight hours,,, I’m a little whooped right now, needed to eat something, and Of course, the Kidz at home were yowling about my negligence,,,, Cosmos not so much as he hung out at Da’s all day, playing with his girlfriend and keeping me company when I went out to chill off. No fire in the box, but its plenty warm in there.
Tomorrow I find out how bad it is. I could have tonight, but Figured, if I know, I’ll have a hard time sleepin’ tossin’ and frettin’ over it. I can sleep soundly tonight, knowing how close I am to finding out. Prayin’ that catching it early alleviates the worst possibles. Lots of ‘glitter’ in the bottom of the pan, but no chunks,,,
Tomorrow the real work begins.
Live
Love
LAUGH
Learn
LOAD
(, ‘)
A call for Prayers
Its Friday. I seem to recall that today is the last day for Mike inFLA’s cancer treatments. Lets all send up a call to God/Yahwah/ your prefered diety of choice, for his complete remission.
I’ll be diving into the lower end of BlooTwuck here shortly, Praying that the Knockin’ about, hasn’t galled the journals and I can get away with a simple clean up of galleys and polishing journals to ensure good oil flow.
My prognostication that we would not be working the J.O.B. was dead on (would that my prognosticatin’ for poli-sci were marginally better like my work prognosticatin’ is.) This would normally ‘gall my bearings’ a touch, but with the BlooTwuck sitting in the clinic right now,,, More time for her, more that can be done, and since its out of the weather,,,
Da gave me a little grief last eve. Worried about all that gas thats in Bloo. Seeing how his woodburner is in the basement as well, I sorta see the issue. BUT, I have never smelled gasoline smells around her. (no leaks found, yet) and a FULL tank is much safer than a partially filled one: Less vapor and vapor is what does the boomy boomy. Explaining that to a Da, not so easy: I’m still the young punk dummy child in his minds eye. Actual experiance is null and void when dealing with an elder ‘Rent: they only remember all the fuck-ups you did as you grew. Doesn’t even matter that you have proven, FREQUENTLY, that your experiance in some area exceeds theirs.
Well, he decided, he isn’t backing out of his offer to let me use the basement, BUT, there will be no fire in the box for the interrum. Just going to use the ginormous HVAC unit to keep the house warm. Fine,,, A little cooler down there, but still better than the ambient on the other side of the garage door. Worked in worse, will again. My gig is to get this done SOONEST, so some of the niggling little details I was hopping to get at will be laid aside. Like finding that Backup lights wire,,, It can wait. The big stuff, bearing refresh, clutch, manifold,,, those are my priorities.
SO, Send up a prayer for Mike in FLA, that his remission is a reality. Bloo, that she didn’t munch critical parts in such short span of badness. ME, that my skills are still on par to my old self. And to anyone else, including yourself, that is on the cusp of some change in life: preferably for the better.
More laters, but likely super early or super late as MY GOAL is to be super focused on metal and physics.
Now, for anudder cuppa as I wait for the lightening of the sky to indicate a new day has dawned. (its super cloudy out, so no sunlight today.)
LIVE
Learn
LAUGH
Love
LOAD!
Feelin antsy
BlooTwuck is sitting down at Da’s currently. I’m sittin’ at home. Regular work day tomorrow at the J.O.B. but I’d rather be elbow deep in grease and grime getting things DONE!!!
Patience Grasshoppa!!!
yah, yah, yah,,, I’m tryin’, I am. The running dialogue here in the house is a mirror of this post. Talkin’ to Mama-kat on my lap, telling her how much I’d rather be down there turnin’ wrenches,,, Getting purred at because she doesn’t understand my words, only that I am talking to her.
sigh,,,,
I’m tryin’. Can’t do, not yet: still have some stuff to pick up when I do my banking run tomorrow. Cleaners mostly, some RTV for gaskets, Assembly lube for the rebuild side (I have some,,, Highly doubt I have enough.) Stuff, don’t want to get caught without it and have to interupt my flow. And I fully intend to get into a Zen state while doing this. Yeah, I might cuss at times, but when things get moving (especially on the rebuild side) I already have the gist of the motions down and “Fly!”. Like this afternoon, doing the teardown then build back to running. Maybe I shortcut some points (like just a little RTV as a gasket on the water pump) but it wasn’t critical, just enough to get her down the hill. Doing it ‘properly’ wouldn’t have taken me any longer, but would be wasted since its all coming right back apart.
I did all of that ‘tear down and back to running’ in one hour. I think book time calls for 2 hours for replacing the timing gears. I didn’t replace them, but could have in a matter of minutes where I was.
So, I try to get my thoughts on to a different focus: Just what am I attempting to do with BLooTwuck? Mobile mechanic? (doable) mobile welding? (doable) General handyman services? (doable),,,,,
Hell, that door is WIDE THE F! OPEN, ain’t it? Up to me, so many choices, so many skillsets that I could bring to the table,,,,DO bring to the table already, but for one company,,, Time to take back my life?
Gots some thinks on my plate, don’t I?
Live
Learn
LAUGH
LOVE
LOAD
udate: we may not be workin tomorrow anyways
Goodness,,,
As in, “thats a goodness thing”.
Off at noon today after building a custom gate and some drop rods for all the crap I have built this week (between running demo-hammer and crew.)
Home by 1pm, after stopping at Da’s and checking in the deliveries today. Everything there, even though Da did try to run it all over: FedEx dropped it right in front of his garage door, and he didn’t look before backing out. Nothing of consequence damaged.
Pulled Waterpump, Harmonic balancer, timing cover, and pulled the broken Crank Sensor out of its hole. Put timing cover back on, put the crank sensor in, plugged it up and CHECKED,,,
Vrooom!!!! Fired right up!
Shut her right down since no coolant, no drive belts, no nuthin to keep things running for long, and put her ALL BACK TOGETHER AGAIN just so I can tear it ALL BACK OUT this weekend. ROFLMAO,,,, Not like I don’t know what I’m doing the fourth time (fifth???) time around,,, I sorta lost track of how many times I have pulled the front of this motor apart,,,, Heck,,, I know it well enough I only pulled FOUR sockets out today. I didn’t need a mess of tools to do the job.
THIS
was the sole problem. Well, that and a Harmonic balancer that was machined 1/10″ TOO SHORT on the main shaft. thats why it impacted the sensor when I bottomed it out on the timing gears. I did measure both the old and the new with a depth gauge, and that 10th of an inch was GLARING.
Anywhoozmajigitz, I’m cooking a lunch, warming up, (t’ain’t bad out, 39, no wind. But it ain’t the tropics either.) THEN, I’ll take it down to Da’s and park it (and get it out of my Cousins mind for thievery. He saw the open boxes the other day and I can envision him drooling over the contents.)(no worries, If I see him in action on Twuck, there won’t be a 9-1-1 call,,, Coyotes need to eat too.)
More laters as I warm up, and relax a bit. Feeling much more able bodied about this coming weekend, and what I have to do.
Live
Love
Laugh
LEARN
LOAD
(, ‘)
Inhale, hold 10, Exhale slow over 30,,,,
Did some negotiatin’ today, and Will Be using Da’s basement garage to do the work on BlooTwuck,,, THATS one good point.
Second good point, parts are flowing in quick,,, Still waiting an a few critical items, but for the most part, what I need is here already. The set of main bearings is the only critical piece not arrived yet. and they show they are in the northern part of KY headed this way over-night.
Dipstick, manifold, those can wait if need be: I will have two full days, not obliged to the J.O.B. to get things done, and I know that given proper flooring, a warm ‘shop’, I can get a boatload of stuff done.
What sucks???
Went to put BLoo back together enough to make the short trip to Da’s (without needing towed down a hill,,, scary shit that.). Had everything back in place, closed up enough though I know shits gonna leak some (Jerry rigged gasket on water pump, just stuff the old timing cover gasket back in the hole for now,,,,)
And she is now a Crank/No start,,,, I pulled it all back apart to make sure I hadn’t put the Crank reluctor ring on backwards (not possible without binding shit up, I found.). Make sure the sensors are all plugged back in,,, put it all back together AGAIN,,,,(yup, I pretty much have it down to a science now,,,except,,,,)
CRANK/NO START,,,,
FUCK.
I did this over a two hour period before the sun starting easing around the ridge and darkness fell. Finally threw the rag at it, cleaned up the tools and put back in their places. Locked the boxes up TIGHT (Long conversation in email with Prak about that subject matter last night. Thanks Prak for the suggestions and concern.) came into the house and made me a steak dinner,,,
There are times where an assistant would be EXTREMELY helpful, and CNS’s are one of those times. Just someone to crank the motor over while I eyeball things under the hood. That whole “the KING is a FINK”* thing does work, but on cars/trucks, checking those things is a matter of being an electron or a god: Being able to be in two places at the same time. {*F=fuel I= ignition, N= neutral safety (in Bloo’s case, the clutch pedal), K= Kill switch. Works great for diag in motorcycles.}
At this point, it could be anything: bad crank sensor (I did have a code for that sensor before the Knock issue reared its head). Fuel pump shit out (easy check, but it’s dark now.) something I unplugged and didn’t realize, a blown fuse,,, you name it. BUT, Bloo isn’t running at this point,,, I can say, I believe it to be totally in the ignition. I did spray starting fluid down her throat, and could smell it coming out the exhaust, and she never coughed or chugged. No spark would do that particular symptom. But, why the sudden ‘No sparky-sparky’?
It’s only Wednesday, I can check that stuff out after the J.O.B. tomorrow. And who knows: Maybe she just needs a moment to think about it,,, LOL.
More thanks to be given for effort: Thanks Spud for doing some research for me, but the points you mentioned are not the points in question. I know the switch, fuse and relay are all good. The actual problem is the HONKERS themselves. The High side sounds like a goose with laryngitis, and the low side does nothing. FINDING THEM,,,, I have looked in most of the usual spots GM hides these, and my guess is behind the grill somewhere, out of sight and mind. Looking as best I can, I see nothing back there, but it’s not exactly an easy place to see anything. I have the replacements in hand,,, again, finding the OE parts location.
Time to chill out, think about the things I have done and seen under her hood, replay all the things I have done so far and see if maybe, just maybe, I can find where I screwed up. (note, I never took the timing gears off the truck,,, the most I did was make sure the timing marks on them lined up by turning the engine over by hand.)
MOre laters,,, tired, feeling warm and relaxed for the first time today, and I need to let my brain do its things behind the scenes.
Live
Love
Laugh
LEARN
LOAD
PS: Went to check local for a new CrankSensor,,, CHOKE!!!! new, overnighted to local store (they don’t hold in stock) was $89,,,, I checked RockAuto and found same for $12, with FedEx express added in, I still was $30 cheaper than local,,,
FURTHER UPDATE: Me, being me, and can’t let a problem just lay,,, I went back out under headlamp, pulled the Cranksensor from Donor truck (remember her?) and went to swap out to Bloo. And Bloo’s sensor fell off in my hands without needing to pull the retaining bolt,,, Apparently, this Harmonic balancer is incorrect, and during install, had ‘impacted’ the sensor and broke it in half. Yeah, that means no sparky-sparky,,, I can’t return it though. The box it came in has been destroyed,,, One part to eat, I can live with. I’ll deal with pulling it all BACK APART tomorrow, pulling the remainder of the Sensor out of the timing cover, and swapping old balancer back in. Should be ok again, well, other than the fact that she is slapping things around inside, but thats the reason I am jumping right now.
Foundational prep failure
When we prep, we are attempting to alleviate future issues given unforeseeable calamities. Purt much sums up what prepping is, right?
Well, I knew that I would need a shop, problem being, I was also highly in need of living arrangements: I was not going to spend another winter in an RV that was, quite literally, falling apart at the seams. (when I pulled the mattress out, there was a 4″ gap between the corners of that wall, wasn’t able to be seen from the outside, because the original owner had mounted a section of aluminum diamond plate back there to hide the damage. And I wondered why I always had cold feet, no matter how warm I kept that place.). When construction began, it was “HOUSE! NOW! shop later”.
Only later has never came,,, And no small part of that is INCOME/INFLATION: one is stagnated, the other continually rising. When I built this house, I bought 2×10’s cheaper; like 1/4 the price of current. TREATED 2X10s for what I would buy a standard construction grade for today. Good that my house has appreciated, bad that I now couldn’t afford to do what I did 10 years back. And it’s a little late to be ruminating on building a shop: like closing the barn doors after the horses have set fire to the place.
Well, that is biting me in the ass now. And I look back on it and don my hair shirt for negligence. I should have found a way, same way I found to build a house on a shoestring budget.
I’m thinking, I could put Bloo back together enough (timing cover and gears back in place, they are there, just not secured currently) to move her under the carport so I can get really busy on her. The place that I mentioned in my earlier posts, where she is currently sitting,,, A flippin’ quagmire from my shuffling around. My pathways are quite soupy,,,, and getting worse. That will only continue to under the truck as I start taking things apart.
Current sit-rep is “Not Good”,,,, Parts started arriving today, and she is still sitting in the open, And I am sort of torqued at myself, though I had good reason to not get under her: Cold damp, in COLD air with a 10mph breeze,,, I’d have made myself sick as a dawg, or worse, hypothermic and solo: a slow death sentence just waiting to happen. I may have been 100′ from the house, but when I get-a-goin’, I ignore ‘silly body warnings’, like hunger, cold, pained fingertips from frostbite,,, Yes, I can get that autistic about “Git-r-dun”. I swear that Marine Corps training has a lot to do with my ignoring basic survival signals. ( Much like yesterday, doing the headlights: I kept going long past losing feeling. Couldn’t feel a screw between fingertips and kept going. By the time I finished and made it to the house, cool water over my fingers HURT!!!! Kept it up and the pain finally receded after 30 minutes or so. )
I am not suicidal though.
Just thinkin’ out loud here,,, I gotta get this done, this time of year/weather SUCKS, and income is down already with the seasonal slow-down (which actually is a benefit as I will have more days where I can get things done, without needing to request time off,,, just sucks that either way, no money made, just time spent). And there ain’t nothing to be done about it but DO IT!!! I just want to make sure that I am working in a way that doesn’t exacerbate the issues already on hand (like dirt getting in the bearing races during re-assembly, a high probibility with the conditions.)
It’ll get done, it will get done RIGHT, and I will be much happier about it after the fact. Right now though, intimidated by weather, the sheer amount of what needs done in primitive conditions, and the technical aspects, attention to detail that needs handled. and that means I vent here,,,, LOL
Not bitchin’,,, really.
Bite the bullet Dio: ask for the PTO and DO IT,,,, That what y’all are saying? Move Twuck to the Carport, kick Buffalo out of her stall for a week, take the time off (and hope the PTO thing is a reality) and GET IT DONE.
Only one way to go then, eh?
Live
Learn
Laugh
Love
LOAD!!! (and build that shop you think you’ll need!)
PS: quick question to the Chevy OBS owners out there: Where the hell are the horn modules located on this thing? I need to replace both and can not find them. Its not a diag issue, they do work, sorta,,,, The one ‘squawnks’, the low tone does nothing.
Dio's Workshop 