Modifying my Brick-On-Wheels

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by trollbait

At least check the fluid levels in the diff and transfer case. A friend didn't on a beater truck, and had a wheel come off on the highway.

I agree about checking the level, but how would a dry differential result in the loss of a wheel?

[MTUboi86]

Originally Posted by theholycow

I agree about checking the level, but how would a dry differential result in the loss of a wheel?

Yea... I'm curious about the wheel myself. Only thing I can think of is the dry diff. built up so much heat, over time it weakened the axle... causing the wheel/axle to break off. Though, that's just my wild guess, I really have no idea. Seems like the Diff would seize up before anything else. Maybe that's what happened... the diff seized up, and with the tire moving at HWY speeds, it torqued the axle, etc too much and broke it off. *shrugs*.

-------

So, before I emailed Royal Purple about fluids for my xplodr, I didn't even know there was fluid in the transfer case
4wd is important for me, so maybe I'll change that fluid... and then just check the diff. fluid levels and top them off.

What is diff. fluid supposed to look like? ... if it's no longer transparent, I'm just wondering if I should change it rather than top it off ... because don't these fluids lose their viscosity over time?

What I worry about with not changing the oil at least every 6 months is the anti-corrosion components of the oil losing their protective properties, creating havoc on my engine.

[Jay2TheRescue]

You're already using synthetic. The oil isn't going to break down that fast.

[trollbait]

Originally Posted by MTUboi86

Yea... I'm curious about the wheel myself. Only thing I can think of is the dry diff. built up so much heat, over time it weakened the axle... causing the wheel/axle to break off. Though, that's just my wild guess, I really have no idea. Seems like the Diff would seize up before anything else. Maybe that's what happened... the diff seized up, and with the tire moving at HWY speeds, it torqued the axle, etc too much and broke it off. *shrugs*.

-------

So, before I emailed Royal Purple about fluids for my xplodr, I didn't even know there was fluid in the transfer case
4wd is important for me, so maybe I'll change that fluid... and then just check the diff. fluid levels and top them off.

What is diff. fluid supposed to look like? ... if it's no longer transparent, I'm just wondering if I should change it rather than top it off ... because don't these fluids lose their viscosity over time?

What I worry about with not changing the oil at least every 6 months is the anti-corrosion components of the oil losing their protective properties, creating havoc on my engine.

It was the wheel and axle. The diff wasn't dry, but really low. Either through the motion of the gears, most likely, or the road grade to let rain flow off, one side ended up starved for lubrication. Eventually the heat and wear snapped the axle. Being an old, high mileage beater didn't help. My friend uses synthetics in his trucks now.

The main anti-corrosion component are bases that will neutralize any acids that form during engine use. The TBN in oil analysis is a measure of much of those bases are left. Time isn't really a factor in their, and other additives, lifespan.

GM uses an oil monitoring system on their cars for oil changes. There is no mention of a mileage or time for oil change intervals in their manuals. The computer monitors things like engine run time, rpms, engine temps, and environment temps. Then it compares this data to charts of known depletion rates of oil additives under certain conditions. The lowest interval on HHR was 6700 miles. The use of EOC likely led the computer to low ball it, and the GM engineers likely assumed the minimum spec of additives in the oil.

IIRC, Ford recommended changing the Ranger diff at 100k. I did it at 60k to put in synthetic. Used Mobil1 which wasn't much more than a brand name regular oil. The truck was a daily driver, with the potential of 20k miles a year, at the time. With your situation, I don't think synthetics are worth the expense. A quality dino oil should be fine.

If you are going to change the transfer case fluid, and if they are the original fluids, you might as well do the diffs while crawling around under there. I said doing the rear diff throughly takes 2 days. Most of that time is allowing the RTV to cure. You can just suck the old fluid out of the fill plug though, and just not touch the cover plate. I think that's the only way to get the fluid out of the transfer case and front diff.

Before you start, you need to be on a level surface in order to get the correct fluid levels in. Filling can be a pain and messy do to the limited space and angles for bottles and funnels. I know that the rear diff is filled to the bottom of the fill hole. I don't know why it would be different with the front and transfer case, but I only had 2wd. If you have a limited slip diff, you will need to add traction modifier. Doesn't hurt to put RTV on the plug threads when your done.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by trollbait

You can just suck the old fluid out of the fill plug though

Filling can be a pain and messy do to the limited space and angles for bottles and funnels.

I did both my diffs, struggling with the mess using whatever I had around the house. Then I bought this for something like $5 at WalMart:


I used it to do my transfer case and I wish I had used it for my diffs. It was cheesy but dealing with it was way better than doing it the hard way.

[MTUboi86]

Cool stuffs. I'll have to get one of those pumps. It's in the automotive section at walmart? I think I've actually seen it.

I just got back from my trip. It was about 145 miles round trip from the place I filled up at (Baraga, 26 miles from Houghton/Hancock Mich... has cheap gas ... so total of ~200 miles, but gas mileage is only for the 145)

On the way there, it was VERY windy and I was getting blown all over the road. On the way back there was barely any wind at all. I also had 3 passengers... totaling more than 700lbs of weight (which includes me ... closer to 800 would be more accurate cuz I had two overweight people and two average people). Considering all of that, I got 21.81 miles per gallon. I think that's pretty sweet!

I didn't use cruise control at all, just my foot. Kept it at 55mph, didn't accelerate up hills (just kept my foot steady), and coasted down the other side usually without my foot on the gas.

What do you think?


I don't know why, but about 10 miles into the return trip, I glanced down at my temp gauge and it was just about out of the "Normal" range and by the H (Hot). I'm wondering if my thermostat stuck closed or something because the trip there it was fine. I removed some duct tape from the vents in my bumper and started driving again. About 5 miles later, it finally started dropping and returned to it's normal spot.

[theholycow]

You may be able to save even more gas by coasting down hills instead of "coasting" in gear. Shift to neutral. Rev-match while shifting back to drive (to avoid extra transmission wear); know how many RPM you'll be turning in gear and raise the RPM before shifting. However, being old and beat-up, you might not want to experiment with things like this.

It sounds like your overheating was caused by too much grille blocking.

[Jay2TheRescue]

You had too much of the air intake blocked off, that's all, and removing the excess duct tape was the right thing to do. There's nothing wrong with the vehicle.

[MTUboi86]

This is the best gas mileage I've ever gotten with this beast. I'm so stoaked right now!

I know something under my hood is going (It's been squeeling in the cold weather for the last 2-3 years [~12k miles]. After Wednesday, I'm thinking it might be my alternator cuz with the lights on, heater on full blast and radio on ... my (idiot gauge) looked like it was showing below 12 volts which is unusual. Normal winter driving for me the lights are on, heater is full blast, and radio is on. So... maybe if that's fixed I'll get even better mileage. The sound appears it may be coming from the Alt. area too, but can't tell (even with the screwdriver-to-ear trick)

I've noticed that my Serp. belt looks like it is visually getting pretty hot, like one of the bearings in a pully are bad. (excessive wear, and is now smooth on the non-ribbed side). Replacing the belt, it does the same thing.

Only reason I haven't fixed it is because I don't know what exactly is wrong.
Majority of the parts are original, or were, when I bought it in 2006 ... amazingly, the battery was the original Motorcraft as well. Only replaced it for higher CCA.

Wondering if I could get even better mileage if I replaced the alternator (if that's what is bad). I've replaced the idler & tensioner pullies last month to try and diagnose, but it wasn't those.

I've posted on [explorerforum.com] about this, and there's no real "answer". They think it's either the water pump, power steering, tensioner pulley, idler pulley or Alternator ... which names almost everything on the serp. belt except the crank.
My A/C doesn't work, so I had already taken that off the serp. (Bad clutch, I think ... it should work if I fix that).

[Jay2TheRescue]

My first thought was you had a bad belt and/or tensioner, but you've already done that. Take the belt off, and try to spin the different pullies by hand. If its a really bad bearing (which this sounds like) you may be able to tell by hand. Otherwise just replacing everything till you fix it can get expensive.

[theholycow]

Use a mechanic's stethoscope to determine which item is squeeking.
$6: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=41966
$0: any old piece of wood/rod/whatever that you can press one end to stuff and the other end to your ear; not as good as the $6 one though

Then decide if the cost of the replacement part is more or less than you expect in gas savings (or if it's worth it for the noise reduction alone).

[MTUboi86]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

My first thought was you had a bad belt and/or tensioner, but you've already done that. Take the belt off, and try to spin the different pullies by hand. If its a really bad bearing (which this sounds like) you may be able to tell by hand. Otherwise just replacing everything till you fix it can get expensive.

The two pullies that are hard to spin by hand are the alternator and the p/s pump. Can't spin the water pump/fan pulley, but I think that's normal.
They're a pump and a generator, so I'd assume they'd be somewhat hard to turn.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Yeah, but when you turn them by hand, do you sense any grinding, or anything like that?

[MTUboi86]

[[gas log updated for xplodr]]

Hrm. It's a nice day out today (50's!!) so I'll go check it out again.

[MTUboi86]

Well, I finally got some time to check my alternator. I'm not sure if it's bad or not...
I recorded the audio with my phone ... The first part of the recording might not be good, but the 2nd half is where you can here me spin it again and it's a little more clear.
View My Video
Any ideas? Is that a normal sound? I can hear the clicking, which I would imagine is the brushes of the alternator. You can also somewhat hear the bearings, tho I can't tell if it's bad or not. It's easy to spin, and continues spinning for a bit after I spin it.


I also peaked in on my air filter, and it was probably the filthiest I have ever seen it I was amazed. I got a new (cheap) one. I tried washing the old filter with my K&N filter cleaner & soap/water. Seems mostly clean now... it's the "Heavy Duty" Fram filter. I might put that back in if it doesn't fall apart before it dries. So, that should help me with gas mileage some I don't know why I didn't check the air filter sooner. I think it's only a year old.

About a month ago I noticed my power steering fluid was low, so I topped it off. Today, I was curious so I looked in it, and I could barely see any power steering fluid The guy at Napa suggested I use the Lucas-brand power steering thing that "stops" leaks and reconditions seals. So, I put that in. I guess we'll see.
From that, I'm wondering if it's the power steering that's squealing? Without the Serp. belt, it is hard to turn ... but I figured that was just because it's a pump. Should it turn easily? I mean, I try to spin it, and it won't even make a quarter of a revolution.

[MTUboi86]

Hrm, I got to thinking about something else as well.
Would lowering the air pressure in my front tires and keeping the rear tires at a high PSI be beneficial?

Theoretically, lowering the front end?

Current tire pressure is 40PSI. Sidewall/max is 45. I believe the door says 26psi is what it should be (factory spec's).

I don't know if I can take my tires at 40PSI. The ride is significantly rougher and I'm bouncing all over the place (basically, it rides like an old jeep wrangler/cj), before the ride was mostly comfortable at 30PSI. But... I am accustomed to the floating-ride of the Buick

[Jay2TheRescue]

There may be an advantage to having a lower pressure in the front tires, but only because when loaded, the front axle bears less weight than the rear. I too am a fan of the classic "Buickesque" ride. My 81 Regal rode well even with 4 bad shocks. When I replaced the shocks & tires on The Beast I selected the best for both ride & economy. I'm proud to say that even at 11 years old and 165,000 miles my 98 K1500 still rides like a Buick, and not an 11 year old 4x4 pickup.

My best recommendation for tire pressure is leave it wherever the tires wear evenly. Underinflation/overinflation will cost you more in increased tire replacement costs than any amount of fuel you may save. Actually underinflation is the worst as you use more fuel, and you prematurely wear out your tires. If you're doing an economy run then overinflate the tires, but just for that day. Don't go about your regular business with overinflated tires unless they wear even at that pressure.

A good test to find the right range of pressures is to use a bottle of chaulk dust. You can get it in the hardware store right by the snaplines. On a dry day drive around for a few miles to heat up the tires, then pull over to a flat, level area. The back end of a parking lot is usually good. Put on a glove, and put a small amount of chaulk dust in your hand. Rub your hand over all the exposed tread on all the tires. Slowly pull forward about 10 feet, then look at your tires. If the chaulk is worn off the sides, but there's more in the center you're underinflated. If its gone in the middle, but still on the sides of the tread you're overinflated. Adjust pressures & repeat until the entire tread area is used. You will probably hit different numbers on the front & rear on that vehicle.

-Jay

[MTUboi86]

Jay2TheRescue, I never would've thought about that. Thanks!

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

My best recommendation for tire pressure is leave it wherever the tires wear evenly. Underinflation/overinflation will cost you more in increased tire replacement costs than any amount of fuel you may save.

I've found that even allowing a little bit of center wear is fine. I don't mind driving on center-worn tires and they handle fine...unlike edge-worn tires.

[trollbait]

If the Explorer is just for winter driving, have you considered just getting a good set of snow tires for the car? I remember a Popular Sci/Mech article where they compared AWD with all seasons to FWD with snow, and there was little difference in winter performance between the cars. Depending on what insurance rates you are paying, and whether you have the space to store a set of tires, you might save more than the difference in gas.

[MTUboi86]

Originally Posted by trollbait

If the Explorer is just for winter driving, have you considered just getting a good set of snow tires for the car? I remember a Popular Sci/Mech article where they compared AWD with all seasons to FWD with snow, and there was little difference in winter performance between the cars. Depending on what insurance rates you are paying, and whether you have the space to store a set of tires, you might save more than the difference in gas.

The area I'm in, if you don't have 4wd or awd, it's very difficult to get around. There's lots of steep hills that are unavoidable, unless you want to go 10+ miles out of the way... Before I had the Explorer, in order to get up a hill I had to get momentum and get my speed to around 30mph at the base (speed limit 25), and then just floor it up the hill. If you let off the gas, you lose momentum and can no longer get up the hill ... then you're left in a VERY dangerous situation of trying to slide back down the hill while still maintaining control (very difficult). My speedometer showed 70mph going up that hill, but I was moving about 15mph. (This was with really good tires too) And, if you have traction control FWD, you're screwed even more... those cars can't make it up the hills.

It's very common for cars to slide through stop signs on the way down the hills (I've done it a couple times ... scary sliding through two stop signs with no control). There are NO stop signs when going up the hill... cuz if you stop, you'll never get going up the hill again.

With the 4wd the Explorer gives me, I barely, if at all, have to spin my tires to go up those hills making it the much safer alternative.

If I were in a flat area, yea... I agree with what you say. But, the hills are the reason I bought the explorer. And, I only drive the explorer ~4-5k miles a year ... which is 90% winter driving (6 months out of the year it's Winter here ... 2-3 feet of accumulated snow is very common, some areas get 4+)

"During the winter of 2008-2009, Houghton County received 260 inches of snow and had as much as 30" on the ground. Keweenaw County received 282.5 inches of snow and had as much as 37" on the ground." Source: http://www.keweenaw.info/conditions.aspx#areasnowfall

[MTUboi86]

Update on the squeal: It appears it may have been the power steering making all the racket when the engine was cold (The sound didn't change when turning the wheel). I added that Lucas stop-leak power steering fluid, and the loud squealing has been reduced to a minor chirp.

That Lucas stuff also has special lubricants for the power steering.
Link to the stuff here.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by MTUboi86

Before I had the Explorer, in order to get up a hill I had to get momentum and get my speed to around 30mph at the base (speed limit 25), and then just floor it up the hill. {etc}

Did you, as trollbait suggested, have snow tires? The rubber compound and tread design used for snow tires is far more effective in snow/ice than regular or Mud & Snow rated all-season tires. Additionally, you can get many snow tires studded.

And, if you have traction control FWD, you're screwed even more... those cars can't make it up the hills.

I have never seen a traction control that didn't have a button to turn it off.

It's very common for cars to slide through stop signs on the way down the hills

4wd or not, you'll want studded snow tires for avoiding that one.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by theholycow

I have never seen a traction control that didn't have a button to turn it off.

My brother in law has a Toyota SUV (I think its a Sequoia) and the one thing he has mentioned in several instances is the only way to disable traction control is to activate 4wd. He said he got it stuck in a tiny ditch beside his driveway, and the traction control disabled the vehicle because one wheel was slightly off the ground. He said when he pushed the accelerator the engine revved, and a bunch of lights flashed on the dash, but no wheels moved. He had to put it in 4wd to get it out of a small ditch.

[MTUboi86]

Originally Posted by theholycow

Did you, as trollbait suggested, have snow tires? The rubber compound and tread design used for snow tires is far more effective in snow/ice than regular or Mud & Snow rated all-season tires. Additionally, you can get many snow tires studded.

I have never seen a traction control that didn't have a button to turn it off.

4wd or not, you'll want studded snow tires for avoiding that one.

Studded tires are illegal in Michigan, so are chains ... at least on-road. Off-road it doesn't matter.

...yea, snow tires are better, but it's extra money and they'd literally melt on my 2-3 trips downstate (1000 miles rnd trp), because they're not rated for over 50-55mph.

At that time of the story in my last post, I had some BF Goodrich tires on my buick that were very good in the snow on my car (Driving 60-70mph thru a foot of fresh-fallen snow on the highway, no squirreling or slipping at all ... speed limit was 55). Many locals up here get snow tires, but they still have to spin their tires to get up the hills. They help in city driving, but not much for the hills. And yea... I know I was driving way too fast for the conditions, I was rushing home (downstate) for a family emergency.

What Jay2TheRescue said is exactly the reason why traction control won't work on the hills, and I've seen many where you can't shut it off. One tire starts to slip, and eventually the traction control slows you down so much you can't go up the hill anymore. I know the Prius is one of them where you can't shut it off, at least older models. My old tenant/housemate had one.

[theholycow]

Bummer about studded tires. I just looked it up...apparently Michigan allows them but requires data that no manufacturer currently provides for approval.

You may need to update your research on snow tires. I just checked Tirerack.com and snow tires for my VW are rated between 99 and 130mph.

Traction control that you can't shut off and can't be disabled simply by pulling a fuse would definitely be a deal-breaker for me.

[trollbait]

{I know the Prius is one of them where you can't shut it off, at least older models.}

The TC on the Prius was more about preventing damage to the drive train than safety. Toyota may even have been over cautious with it, worrying about any breakdown giving the hybrid a black mark. Of course they made the TC to aggressive in kicking in at first, which left some stranded in conditions another car would, if not gracefully, gotten out of. It was corrected with a software fix, but it soured some people.

[VetteOwner]

yea traction control is dumb as hell and im not a fan on abs either. (you actually stop faster in a straight line without abs)

i was gonna suggest power steering pump. they can make weird noises when they go out. seems like ford power steering pumps are alot harder to spin the pulley than gm ones...water pump on both should spin somewhat easy (should be able to flick it and it will turn for a little while)

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by VetteOwner

yea traction control is dumb as hell and im not a fan on abs either. (you actually stop faster in a straight line without abs)

ABS quite intentionally sacrifices a few feet of stopping distance for steering control.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by theholycow

ABS quite intentionally sacrifices a few feet of stopping distance for steering control.

My K1500 doesn't have traction control, but it does have ABS, 4wd, and a locking rear end. You really have to try to get it to lose control, and it stops really short. I can stop that truck a lot quicker than in my Buick.