Project Hazey

[Turdle]

Air brakes , that'll do it

 

[DintDobbs]

@CDW6212R Well, the break-in run didn't go as planned. Didn't make it to the islands, drove 65 miles out like art, turned around, and drove 65 miles home on 5 cylinders. My cat hates me. The wires looked new, no heat discoloration or drying, so I checked the connections to coil and plug, and they all checked out. Haven't thoroughly checked for a leak around the intake manifold, but didn't see or hear any signs of said; no leak DTC's were present, so I doubt that it's any thing other than the spark plugs. I guess I should have done both when I did the Vulture's. Oh well, I can take another vehicle out to the islands some other time.

Got to check over the Vulture once before her trip out in the next few days, so Hazey will have to sit around with that P0305 (misfire on cylinder 5) for a bit. Kind of wonder whether the previous owner changed the wires and not the plugs, or if they replaced them with cheap plugs or the wrong design, or what would have caused it to fail, but time will tell!

Man, she felt good on the first half of that trip though. Cruising at 70 MPH felt great. Didn't feel a thing, until the misfiring started.

 

[CDW6212R]

That's a shame, try to do take care of everything that seems the most important, and something else pops up. I hope the trip goes well even without that truck.

My last 98 had the original plugs in them, at 172k miles. I knew the front ball joints were all bad, so I did the suspension first. I needed the truck on my route quickly, so I changed the wheels and tires, checked brakes and drove it to work. It started to miss about three days later, so I changed four plugs the first morning after that, before work(the easiest four). Wow, the gaps were close to .150" each, and the miss got worse that day. I changed the other four late the same day as the others. There was still a miss, but it was driveable. The next day I checked for codes, wire connections, no help, and then I swapped the coil packs. Bingo, the huge plug gaps most likely killed the coil pack, and the wires were fairly old too(swapping a few around didn't help), I changed them a couple of days later.

I don't like the new plug and OEM schedule, 100k miles is way too long to leave them in. People now either forget them, or purposely don't worry about them, which is the same thing. We used to change plugs every 25,000 miles or so. It wasn't hard to do, and they were cheap.

 

[DintDobbs]

@CDW6212R Considering the status of the economy, spark plugs are still cheap! Even $6 a plug (way overpriced, I paid $3 and some change each, for SP500's) is under $50 for the V8, plus $200 for labor if you can't do it yourself. $250 every, let's say, 50k, for spark plugs... Sheesh, even just change your spark plugs every time you change the front end. I guess people would rather spend that $250 on half of a new TV, than spend it on reliable transportation. Whatever, I guess.

Change oil every 5-7k, trade $40k vehicle for $50k vehicle because shock absorbers or ball joints are needed. That seems to be the average consumer's logic. Let's not even discuss the fact that most people don't understand what the spark plugs do, or what the crank shaft even is, or why they should be concerned when their tires are bald. But they regard the CEL as impending doom.

0.150" gap? No surprise those suckers were dead! It's supposed to be like 0.056" or something, isn't it?

Any way, got my plugs on order. Gotta start a repair log for this one. I shall not be defeated, this truck is still going to the barrier islands before the year is out.

 

[CDW6212R]

Yes all of that. The average car owner has a vehicle with an extra long warrantee, with almost no maintenance required due to the 100k mile drivetrain guarantee etc. That has pushed people to even more, neglect the maintenance of their vehicles. So out of sight out of mind, they don't think about the plugs, the wires, tire air pressure, or a dozen other common items we long ago used to deal with kind of regularly.

 

[DintDobbs]

Update time! New Motorcraft SP500's were installed this morning, as well as new plug wires (the previous ones, although new-ish, didn't survive removal, but it's better that they need replaced while at the garage, than while on the road). That didn't solve the problem, but was worth it for future peace of mind, and I would have done it eventually either way. Next logical step, swap the coil pack. Tested using "known good" pack from The Vulture, and sure enough, problem solved. Nabbed one that looked fairly new from a Sport Trac SOHC at the junk yard, $40, and ran her around a bit. Everything is as it should be.

Also managed to get a matching spare wheel, with center cap. Score! Tire isn't the same size, looks like a worn (like, bald) 31-ish, but unusable describes that 21-year old Firestone on the steely underneath it. At least this wheel matches.

In other news... with the OBD-II scanner issues I'd been encountering with both Explorers, I observed that O'Reilly Auto Parts' scan tool didn't have any problems interfacing with Hazey's PCM through the DLC, pulling the misfire code. So after that, I ran around from store to store, when the misfire code was still stored, to see if the DLC worked with other scanners. No problems reading the DTC's. Yet my OxGord scanner refuses to interface with either of my Explorers, despite working fine on my Dodge and Hyundai. Insignificant here, but for The Vulture, this is big news.

 

[CDW6212R]

That's great news, well done to keep working at it until you found it.

 

[DintDobbs]

Well, the repairs just held up to a 400-mile straight run on highway and beach sand. Let's see, what all did I do to day? The way out was uneventful, up until the part where the highway turned into straight sand. Never seen a highway before with green signs with white letters reading "4WD Vehicles Only Beyond This Point" and "Air Down Tires", and warning signs that say "Do Not Stop For Any Reason". Sadly, being behind the wheel on twisty roads and loose sand is not an ideal condition to photograph such things, and my passenger was not interested in those. However, she did photograph some scenery at my request.

The way back, it poured rain in two separate sessions, so I got the bonus of not having to wash sand off the underbody when I got home. Drove through some fat puddles. I love how these trucks handle water.

I would definitely advise anybody on the east coast to make a point of visiting the Barrier Islands at least once. Went to Corolla Beach to see the wild horses, and wasn't disappointed!

Credit to my ma for this photograph of God's magnificent creations, the predecessors to our metal beasts. These are untamed, wild horses in their natural environment. I'll grant you, they're plenty familiar with cars, since there are guided tours on these beaches, but they are still wild horses in their natural environment.

We saw several unfortunate victims of their own ineptitude with stuck trucks out there, but the one Ma and I laughed our heads off at was an inept driver in a built Wrangler Unlimited who ignorantly turned onto our side of the beach (two way traffic, forward moving keep right), stopped like a clown, and then dug some nice, deep holes with the rear tires, trying to get moving again. Seriously, now... If you're going to make a fool of yourself, at least obey the obvious warning signs while you're doing it. Transfer case disengaged, aired up, and stopped. I'm absolutely sure she heard us laughing, too, which is all the funnier since I'm in a stock-height long body with the running boards attached. Rest in peace in those two little graves you dug, lady! I hope she learned some thing to day!

 

[DintDobbs]

This thing is a pleasure to drive every single time. Pushing off modifying it, going to ride out the relatively new tires until either one blows out (have a matching spare wheel, don't have a matching tire for it) or they all wear out, then check out my options and put on 1" spacers (1.5" are tempting) and probably no larger than a 2" lift whenever life goes that way. I'm not in a hurry, I like her just the way she is, but better is always better!

Going to focus on my Durango for a while; it needs new tie rod ends and upper ball joints, and I'm throwing around the idea of a moderate lift on that one too, since they can be had for pretty cheap. Hazey doesn't need any work at the moment, and I've learned my lesson with The Vulture... if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[DintDobbs]

Got a quote on painting Hazey's roof, after I deal with this rust. There's not much rust to see, but I tend to freak out when I see it.

Pal at the body shop recommended me to grab some OSPHO and spread it over all the rusted areas, wait 24 hours for it to dry (it turns black), and then paint it. A workmate of my brother's does touch-up paint, and quoted me $40 for it. I can't complain about that price!

Rust in the roof grooves behind the sun roof. Kill it before it spreads to the rails!

Tiny strip of rust at the bottom of rain rails, on both sides, all the way from front to back. This is going to require very careful attention when applying OSPHO, because that stuff is very thin.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Got a quote on painting Hazey's roof, after I deal with this rust. There's not much rust to see, but I tend to freak out when I see it.

Pal at the body shop recommended me to grab some OSPHO and spread it over all the rusted areas, wait 24 hours for it to dry (it turns black), and then paint it. A workmate of my brother's does touch-up paint, and quoted me $40 for it. I can't complain about that price!

View attachment 434773

Rust in the roof grooves behind the sun roof. Kill it before it spreads to the rails!

View attachment 434775

Tiny strip of rust at the bottom of rain rails, on both sides, all the way from front to back. This is going to require very careful attention when applying OSPHO, because that stuff is very thin.

seems like the roof channels always do that, its the first spot.

 

[CDW6212R]

That first picture is rust that is easy to fix, it's shallow and it should be sanded to bare metal, and then sprayed with epoxy primer, and paint.

That 2nd picture shows rust which might be a body seam, which if it is, that is serious and may not be fixable depending on how deep it is.

Any rust not in between body panels, in Seams, should be minor trouble to fix and paint over. But rust in seams is permanent in general, because you cannot access all of it, so some survives whatever you do to it. The OSPHO chemical is a great rust converting product, most good body men use it. But it's still a surface rust product, deep rust and that inside seams is an entirely different problem.

I'd mask off that line of rust and go at it with some sand paper to see how deep that line is, if it's a seam, that's a big deal.

 

[DintDobbs]

@CDW6212R Yeah, I've been sorta freaking out about rust recently because it's very humid and salty around this area. I'm trying to knock it all out before it gets past the surface. Waiting for my OSPHO to arrive and then a day off to roll around before I can really judge the rust on the edges; there's no point sanding it early because it'll be right back in a day.

As far as the rust in the grooves, thank God I got the truck before that spread to the black rails, because after it got there, I'd have to drill the rivets, and that would have probably broken the sale. I hate rust.

 

[donalds]

I hate rust

Me too

 

[CDW6212R]

If you think you have a rust prone area or car, check the bottom edge of the doors, and the hatch. There is a body seam there on all of those, if the seal of that seam is broken and air/water gets to it, there will be rust there, which again is between sheet metal(permanent).

 

[DintDobbs]

Got Hazey's roof touched up to day. Some of the OSPHO dripped or ran, discoloring the paint around the rusted areas, but whatever, I'll take any color rather than rust. It does NOT look pretty, but it'll give it at least a few more years before I've got to worry about it.

Checked the ABS codes on her as well, got these:

C1230 - Wheel Speed Sensor Rear Center Input Circuit Failure
C1102 - ABS Acceleration Switch Circuit Failure

So... the C1230 doesn't appear to affect the Control Trac. Hazey's TOD works just fine with the C1230 stored, so that potentially negates one thing to sort out on the Vulture.

 

[DintDobbs]

Miscellaneous small fixes including a new light switch for the glove compartment (no idea where the old one went, it was missing when I got her) and tightening the hatch glass hinge... Does anybody else have the problem of the hatch glass hinges loosening up over time, or stripping out the hole for the Torx screw? The Vulture stripped one out a year or two ago while wheeling, and Hazey's hatch glass started rattling badly on a gravel road to day, so I knew exactly where to look. Surely enough, the right Torx screw had come loose (backed out, not stripped) and both the left Torx screw and the nut behind the hatch panel had backed off, but were still attached.

Probable contributing causes: constant vibration from loud music (Hazey), vibration from rough roads (The Vulture), parking at construction sites or where loud or heavy machinery is regularly operated (The Vulture)

Just never heard anybody else mention this issue here on EF. Easy fix, no more than 10 minutes if the hatch panel gives you as much trouble as mine did, may be it happened to others but they didn't mention it? Or may be it's happening to your Ex right now, and you should go look at it. You'll want about a 2" extension and a 10 mil, and a T27.

 

[CDW6212R]

I have only had one hatch glass issue, the hinges both were slightly loose when I got it. I tightened them up after a few months, doing it by hand until then. Then I found one very loose, and tightened it with a socket. One day at work I found one apart, it stripped the hinge threads and I had to tape the glass shut.

I believe it happens from vibrations, likely by driving with the glass open. The hinge threads are not strong enough. If they are not allowed to ever come loose, they should last forever. But if they become loose somehow, expect it to happen again. I haven't replaced mine yet, I didn't drive it much more until the water pump went. I think the best answer is to use loctite, even the red version, and tighten them carefully. If the hinge threads don't seem perfect, replace it.

 

[DintDobbs]

@CDW6212R When I was at the junk yard a while back, I grabbed a bunch of 'em, just in case this happened. They do strip out pretty badly if over-tightened, but fortunately there's a rubber seal between the glass and the hinge that kind of helps prevent over-tightening. In my opinion, the design there is kind of dumb, using such a small thread for such a large piece of glass, but if it holds for 20+ years, I guess it isn't too bad of a design. I should have nabbed some more spares when I was at the scrap yard the other day, but didn't think about it.

In other news, my RTZ lift kit came yesterday; just need to order up a few pair of those long-travel CV's from TRAKMOTIVE (those got pricey!) for future use.

 

[CDW6212R]

The long-travel CV's from TRAKMOTIVE, are those the ones which Jamie and others have had come with bad splines? I think those were costing $500+ apiece, maybe more. I read that they have corrected the issue, but getting the first ordered parts corrected has been slow.