The Black Hole

[traveler]

Sure hope you get it done in time. If it comes down to the wire, your son can ride up with me if he wants to. Then you can spend the week together.

 

[gmanpaint]

Thanks for the generous offer Traveler! That's awesome. Love this EF family!

So......

Got the old 5.0 Used POS booster out. Installed a bolt/washer in the firewall.

Buddy who helped bleed had access to AllData, and found the stock specs for the pushrod on the 2nd gens. Same data for the 4.0 & the 5.0, doesn't matter, all the same measure. He checked them all.

I didn't have a way to measure the 0.020" gap needed between the rod and the inside wall of the cylinder. I just did the rod adjustement by what AllData called for. Used the digital calipers to measure the length, and transfered it to a block of wood. Set the pushrod on the bench, then installed it. Buttoned up the interior (seat out, brake pedal), and left the master off. Started the engine, and checked the measure on the rod. It didn't move. All good.

I didn't take a picture of the new booster measure, but here is the old 5.0 booster, showing the measure. I did have to move it to get it to the line seen.

SO ...... After 5 days of wrenching, sweating bullets, cursing up & down, hurting my back, draining the wallet, and on the very brink of calling off my first Adult Father/Son adventure.....

WE HAVE BRAKES!

Not just ok, fair, so so, brakes, but awesome brakes! Pedal is at the top of the stroke, firm, and feel good, all the way from soft touch, to hard press. Test ride around the neighborhood for a bit, to knock off the new on the carbon pads, and coated rotors, then really tested them out. People must have thought there was something wrong with the bucking bronco galloping down the street, as I repeatedly tested them. LOL


Front left -Before I turned the soft line pointing down. lol

Rear left- Before the E-brake cable replaced

Rear right

And the Napa 10" extension soft line (Thanks RockRanger for the P#) I moved it away from the shock later on.

So... We're good to go for the trip. Now to start packing everything in this rig, and the trailer. Things to bolt on still too!

Thanks for all the help everybody. Especially all the words of encouragement to keep me going. Sometime's all it takes to keep me motivated, is a little positivity.

 

[traveler]

That is the best news I've had all day! So glad you got it fixed and will make the trip. Congrats! Now... About those awesome bright red powdercoated calipers that .make mine look so crappy... Not nice to make others look bad. LoL

 

[CDW6212R]

Awesome, I am happy to hear you say it's good now. Get some good rest and finish later.

 

[410Fortune]

WELL DONE!!!!!!!!!!!! GO enjoy it

 

[gmanpaint]

A few hundred miles from home, and in a hotel parking lot getting ready to check the wheels, for brake grab.

Trans temps are hitting 230+ trying to keep it at 65 mph.

Engine load is 94-96 pulling the trailer right now, and a couple weeks ago, was under 50 at 70+mph.

Going down hill, it loses speed.

Can only think the brake bias set at the alldata specs are off for this application.

Thinking I should only have to lift one wheel for front, and one wheel for rear to spin test it.

 

[410Fortune]

trans at 230 ouch
Check rear brakes for drag for sure.......

 

[gmanpaint]

Adjusted the rear brakes. Was deffo dragging a bit.

Got back on the road but still having trans temp issue.

Pulled into a truck stop to check trailer brakes. Seem fine.

That's when I seen the pass inner fender soaked.

That's when I seen the fluids pouring out the dr side rack.

The fluids on the pass side are clear.
The fluids on the dr side are blackish.

Might have a two fold problem.
Rack seal is blown, and front differential is boiling over out the breather tube.

All I can think of is the front locker is engaging at speed from high static power. Might just take the front drive shaft off.

The rack is the bad part. To remove it at home takes me a full day, and another to install.

The coil overs have to be removed for this job, which requires a good floor jack, and good set of stands.

I'm in the middle of farm country Kansas, 700 miles from home, with my son.

Called a local mechanic shop, and they asked me to get the rig to them 13 miles down the hwy. Asked if they had a tow service, if I didn't make it. They said, hold on an hour, and we will come look at it. Nice.

Called around for a new rack, and cant get one until Tuesday, 3 days from now.

There is a motor lodge type hotel near by, and will stay there if needed, which looks like that's the case.

Will post up again, after I figure out what were going to do.

Sons beyond depressed about this, and I'm completely gutted right now.

Pretty sure this is going to ruin the trip, and we're not going to make it.

 

[traveler]

Well damn, wish I could say I've got a friend out there that could help, but you're on the wrong end of the state. If you make it out to Ouray I've got an extra transmission cooler, if that helps at all. I was planning on bringing it anyway.

 

[gmanpaint]

The current skinny.

New 5.0 rack installed.

Pump is shot. Been hunting a new one for 2 days.

Went 2 hours south to autozone for the pump that said they had it. Nope, they we're wrong.

Now traveling 3 hours east of that place to another store that claims they have the 98 mounty pump.

Another 4 hours back west to the rig.

Install the pump in the am, and continue on to Colorado.

Will edit this as things progress.

 

[gmanpaint]

New skinny...

New pump is in. Steering is stiff like engine off at idle. Raise rpms to around 3k and it gets easier.

Flushed it with 3 quarts still the same.

O'Reilly rack came with the valve already installed.

So we have a 5.0, 5.0 pump, and 5.0 rack. Should work as intended, but doesn't. We're at a loss as to why.

Going to try to continue on, and see how it does. If it is impossible to use on a trail, we're heading home.

 

[gmanpaint]

So...

It's now Wednesday and we took the rig with no power steering up ironton, then poughkeepsie, and lower mineral.

Interesting day.

Used 2 low locked to free up the front as much as possible. Was a fight for sure. When we got close to the wall on poughkeepsie I had to engage 4wd low, locked.

While climbing some harder stuff, and fighting the wheel harder then ever, something happened.

The steering got a little easier. Pump was making noise like air in the system. So on the way down it kept getting better and better. Yay.

About 30 mins till the end of the trail, we came across a waterfall. Stopped for a picture, and as we moved forward, the drivers tire kinda dropped into a small puddle.

Then we heard a loud pop.

Cracked the stock cast drivers manifold clean in half. Yay.

Took it easy until we got it back to camp. Mrboyle is going to step and be my hero, and help me fix it the best we can to get it road ready for the 1200 mile trip back.

Looks like the trailer is definitely getting shipped back from Colby Kansas, as I have no other means to get it home.

What a trip this has been. Doing my best to keep my sanity right now.

Yay.

 

[BKennedy]

It still looks cool!

 

[gmanpaint]

Pretty doesn't cut it. Lol

MrBoyle found a new manifold, and we will install it Saturday. Just one extra day here is all.

Rented a jeep for tomorrow, and will do the box cannon falls thing on Friday. So we are still enjoying ourselves the best we can.

The trailer is a whole nother thing.

 

[BKennedy]

Maybe do a comeback run in two years. I should be able to make that one...

 

[traveler]

Maybe do a comeback run in two years. I should be able to make that one...

I promised my wife we were coming back next year LoL. Of course there is Moab in May too....

 

[410Fortune]

power steering blockage has freed itself! YEAH! Must have been some blockage in the lines, the old system likely had the same issue?

So you dipped the tire into some water and the manifold snapped from the cold water? Sheesh!
This is one clever marketing campaign by Jeep!! I know the new bronco is uber cool but to steep so low as to mess with our explorer elites out on the trails? Just to rent one jeep for one day...they have truly reached a new low.

Any members willing to help you tow the camper a little closer to your destination?

Why not tow it yourself?
Truck still getting hot? even with the PS now "working"?

 

[gmanpaint]

Didn't have any power steering pump issues before the pump swap. Even when the rack blew all the seals, it still worked as it should. Wasn't until after the new pump was installed, it had zero pressure, and a stiff as a board wheel.

Tomorrow when we remove the exhaust manifold, we will remove the pump lines, check for anything wrong, flush the system, and bleed it again.

Got any tips for removing the drivers manifold without dismantling the rig? Lol

Best I can see, the wheel liner to work on, steering shaft comes off, then straight up with the manifold.

 

[Rick]

I don't know what it is about CO and exhaust manifolds. When I lived in Denver for a year I took my 1970 LeMans to the top of Mt Evans. On the way up the engine developed an exhaust leak. Turned out that one of the exhaust manifold bolts had worked it's way loose and fell out. As far as I could tell the manifold had never been removed.

 

[Turdle]

The driver side is the easy one thankfully. even then though it may be a chalenge to get to the very front bolt behind the ac compressor. A wrench will fit in there but it may not be enough to pop it loose. I also recommend using a good ratchet with short of extension as possible, tap with a hemmer to break bolts loose. tapping in each direction is key to avoid bolt breakage.

you might need to move the ac cpmressor side accesory bracket forward. I "think" one of those bolts penetrates into the coolant path so coolant may drain. I could be wrong bout that but be prepeared to drain and catch coolant if need be. You should not need to remove the bracket just get it forward about an inch.
Torsion adjuster key bolts will work as manifold to downpipe bolts in a pinch.