410Custom's builds a 2007 Ranger V8 - custom truck build - Project "Ranger Premier"

[410Fortune]

It’s very odd he lost a 15amp fuse in the pjb the one right above drivers front tire… after something g happens with the driveshaft. I have a pic of the d shaft removed and it looks like maybe something was rubbing? So I’m wondering if some wiring got caught up in the shaft… but it’s all speculation at this point

 

[vroomzoomboom]

remote tuning with those holleys are pretty easy (or i found it easy with the tuner i went with). and if i am saying its easy, it is! they did it while i was driving which i thought was really cool! this weekend i had them program my fans and update to x3. however i managed to brick the ecm. lucky for me i found a video on how to unbrick it and took all of 3 mins to do.

 

[JoshT]

remote tuning with those holleys are pretty easy (or i found it easy with the tuner i went with). and if i am saying its easy, it is! they did it while i was driving which i thought was really cool! this weekend i had them program my fans and update to x3. however i managed to brick the ecm. lucky for me i found a video on how to unbrick it and took all of 3 mins to do.

How did you connect, hotspot from your phone?

 

[vroomzoomboom]

How did you connect, hotspot from your phone?

yes. had no clue how to do that. marty (the owner at mo's speed shop) had to talk me through that as well. so not only is he tech support for tuning, he is also tech support for smart phones.

 

[JoshT]

Cool! Hotspotting isn't a problem, just didn't know if it would have adequate speed and capacity to do the job. Granted that will partially depend on the data plan and hardware used.

 

[410Fortune]

Well he made it home
But not without issues
I may be headed to Seattle to help fix this sucker depending on what we find today

Truck is big hero for getting back home
I told Eddie this was the first of many adventures
I know if issues with front shaft and trans puked it’s fluid 5 minutes from home. Will see if it was just a cooler line or if the front pump seal went… either way I have his back! (And Brett does too)

 

[EddieMoney]

How did you connect, hotspot from your phone?

Im just gonna put this out there... any one that gets a Holley an thinks the learn feature will suffice is mistaken. The only thing the learn feature will do is get the engine to start an set safe parameters to get it TO the tuner. You WILL need a tune!!!

The remote tuner referred was a cool dude, very patient an helpfull... I contacted him an found out what I would need before our appointment.... A Microsoft laptop with a minimum of 4g RAM an the Holley data cable with good WIFI.

I'm fortunate to belong to a local car group on whatsapp. In my group there are a couple of computer dudes, serious IT guys. They helped me pick a inexpensive laptop. I dropped it off an my buddy removed all the bloatware (preinstalled apps an programs that arent neccessary but can slow down the performance of the laptop) installed the Holley software an the app needed to allow the tuner to take control via the lap top.

The day of the appointment the tuner called my cell, I took the laptop to the truck an connected the data cable an gave him the code to access the laptop. After that he was the one moving the curser an doin the typing. Interesting side note, the tuner is in Pennsylvania an the truck is in washington.

First thing he did was update the Holley to the latest version. From there he was able to review the current "global file" an make some changes. Then he had me start the truck a few times while he made adjustments. Next he showed me how to data log and had me take the truck for a drive while I made several 2 min or less data logs an take note of odd behavior, shift points, an driver feel. This is done without WIFI or a hotspot. You can definitely use a hotspot an do live tuning but I'm not set up for that. The 2min logs are done to keep them easier to review. Long logs would make it harder because it's too much data to go through...

I used a route that was close but varied with short stop n starts, long stretches to get up to higher speeds an RPM, and hill. I returned to the house, we got back on the phone and would go over each file an share my notes while he reviewed the tune an made adjustments. I did this same route twice to keep the information consistent. The final route, I took it to the freeway an tried to get a good run through the gears from a dead start an put as much foot to the peddle as I could safely. When he reviewd it, I was slightly above 50% throttle position. Still chicken footin

This initial tuning session took about 6hours and is intended to get the engine an transmission working together. It does not address cold start. That's the next one. The beauty of the Holley is I can keep making data logs an the tuner can keep plucking away till it's perfect.

We ended with a very drivable truck that would start each time an run without stalling.

I hope that gives some insite to the process...

 

[JoshT]

Good overview. I've got a Holley Sniper system in one of mine. Haven't had it tuned yet, but you are about right on the self learning and the tuning process.

I understood that was involved in data logging and remote tuning, and covered in the hardware side of things.

It's @vroomzoomboom mentioning the live tuning while driving that I was unsure about. I know it's done, but he's the first that I've personally encountered having it done.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

yea it kinda sent me for a loop when they said "ok, lets go for a drive." the truck really had not moved from the same spot in almost 2 years. i was lucky that the week before i upgraded my cell plan, and i always keep plates on my truck that way if something happens the insurance company cant find a loophole and wiggle out of paying me.
i cant remember who told me the same thing, the learn function is pretty much start up. the tuner is the one that fine tunes everything. when i had mine done, i had asked them to pull 25% fuel on cold start up. it was fouling plugs real bad. its better now, still not 100%, but they also have to go off what a O2 sensor is telling them. i am used to datalogging then emailing a tune, then having a revision sent back. even was laughing once because i was at the drag track and member Dono was sitting at his coffee table making changes to my tune when i had my sct proracer package (don was a hour away from me that day, but lives 20 mins from me). marty and jeff (mo's speed shop) are in georgia, and i live in manatoba canada. i can pretty much say i have dealt with 3 tuners, and have had one that i really wasnt happy with.

 

[410Fortune]

Andy, the guy who tuned eddies holley is a “stud”’according to Brett
We are not worthy!!

Likely way above my pay grade

Today Eddie and I will have video chats to see if we can determine what happened to the rig

I know the front d shaft cardan joint failed
At the same time a fuse blew in the under hood Box leaving him with no spark
When he finally was towed to a shop they determined the u joint broke in the f d shaft and sent me a pic. The shaft looks like it was rubbing on something, maybe wiring? Which would explain the fuse

After that fiasco and a 10 hour drive, made it almost home with no driveshaft and then lost 3 quarts of Mercon v and the trans quit engaging.

Now we are home and rested we are gonna find out where the leak is coming from and which fuse blew.
Then we will plan our next move

Welcome to the new game show
“Trailer? Or No Trailer?”

 

[410Fortune]

Heading to Seattle Tommorrow with a new tailhousing gaskets hardware and tools

Three of the tailhousing
Bolts sheeted their heads?? Must have been a pretty violent jolt when the front d shaft cardan joint yoke broke.

We were able to determine the leak spot via video chats

Let’s hope the damage ended there!
We will Drop t rear d shaft, drop
Crossmember, drop t case and then pull the old tailhousing. Remove three broken bolts and then hopefully install new and she’s back on the road

I’m spending one night in Seattle. Driving the sport trac out there can anybody say “road trip!” No trailer for this trip but I am prepared to pull the trans and take it with me worst case scenario

Houston we have a problem
3 Bolt heads Mia
Crazy crazy carnage

 

[Rick]

Wow! Haven't seen that before. Best of luck with your trip and repairs.

 

[410Fortune]

That’s what Brett said
He said “I do Baja every year and I’ve seen some carnage, but I have never seen anything like this”

Leave it up to me to break new ground!

 

[JoshT]

So those are tail housing to transmission bolts? The tail housing and/or transmission case aren't broke?

I don't see how it could have sheered (or sheered) those bolt heads and still be attached to the transmission. Torsional or sheering action would have broken the housing it sheered the bolts at the split. Is something had forced them apart, a tension break popping the heads off, I would also expect damage to the tail housing and them to really be separated.

Possibly defective bolts? Almost hard to believe that three would have ended up in the same transmission right next to each other.

 

[410Fortune]

Very hard to tell over video phone but I think there is a crack in the tailhousing as well

Eddie has been doing a fantastic job on his end. Once I saw the leak (fountain) I knew it was not a gasket failure so we went hunting and I spotted the sheered bolts
The th does look cracked around one of the bolts

The three bolts on the passenger side are still in tact
No damage to trans x member or mount
As far as I can see

There is a new exhaust leak

Eddie reported hearing a “helicopter noise”
For a while followed by a loud “bang” event
That’s when he blew a fuse and got towed into town

The big fear is any cracks in the trans case…as we all know something is very strange here
I assembled the front d shaft myself, from the pics it looks as if the yoke for one of the u joints in the cardan joint snapped… maybe I pressed it too hard when doing centering ball and u joints? Not sure these parts come from old f150s and explorers
I inspect all parts of course and clean, etc it was not vibrating when it left Idaho! Well not enough for us to notice anyways
This is the first time I have had a shaft failure on one of the ones we Built in house and I have done quite a few


Brett would have to swap cases for us if the trans cracked
Brett was the last one to touch those bolts, he built the whole trans. I know they will be torqued to 28 ft lbs Brett is meticulous

I will do what it takes to get this truck on the road! We have cores and parts for days
Seattle is 5.5 hours and I have help, a hotel room and a v8 sport trac 5 speed

Truck is already a big hero for getting Eddie home!!!! Start to a beautiful relationship. Reminds me of My Beloved 88 b2

 

[dvdswan]

Have a safe trip and if you're on the Kitsap side it would be cool to see both the Ranger and ST. I'll share a beer with you if you have time.

 

[410Fortune]

Vroooooom vroooom is the plan
Head on over to Eddies house Tuesday eve for beer fest I’ll be under a truck I’m sure

Parts gathered truck packed oil changed

Just happened to have a complete 5.0 drivetrain in the back of my truck, perfect parts donor

 

[vroomzoomboom]

yea, like how does that happen. i have a 4406 behind my trans. both have had god knows how many launches in 4x4 on dry pavement, and track.


im ending my comment here because i know what will happen if i finish my comment.

 

[Josh P]

yea, like how does that happen. i have a 4406 behind my trans. both have had god knows how many launches in 4x4 on dry pavement, and track.


im ending my comment here because i know what will happen if i finish my comment.

you may have let that genie out of the bottle.

 

[410Fortune]

It is very odd indeed

Many many 4406 trucks running around here for years and never an issue

You still running a factory runner trans mount @vroomzoomboom ?

We shall know more shortly be there in hours