What did you do with your GMT400 today...or yesterday....

[Big T]

Lol you seem to spend a lot of time doing other stuff, what's one more

900 miles plus a day job.:

 

[MrMarty51]

900 miles plus a day job.:

900 miles in Montana gets You to almost no place.
I have drove farther than that just to party for a day.

 

[dieselolds]

I picked up a set of stock turn signal lenses/housings for my 96 gmc truck from rockauto.The current lenses are aftermarket with a lot of moisture trapped inside.Maybe today I’ll get a chance to put those on.

 

[Big T]

900 miles in Montana gets You to almost no place.
I have drove farther than that just to party for a day.

It would be a big effort to travel and do the repairs. This is not like stepping outside and working on a vehicle in my driveway with all the tools I have available.

Also, they have me real busy at work what with all the problems in bank commercial real estate portfolios. This is not on the scale of the residential mortgage problem of the 2008 Financial Crisis, not even close. That said, it’s not immaterial.

 

[Husker6.5]

900 miles in Montana gets You to almost no place.
I have drove farther than that just to party for a day.

Sounds like Texas, too. It's just a little 600 mile jaunt from El Paso to San Antonio!

 

[MrMarty51]

It would be a big effort to travel and do the repairs. This is not like stepping outside and working on a vehicle in my driveway with all the tools I have available.

Also, they have me real busy at work what with all the problems in bank commercial real estate portfolios. This is not on the scale of the residential mortgage problem of the 2008 Financial Crisis, not even close. That said, it’s not immaterial.

Fully understood.
I figured with a tow dolly it’d be a fast trip over then back to Cali again.
And, I did throw in a little humor in the just to party for a day.
Oh yeah, those were the days my friend I thought they’d never end, ride that old Harley for hours on end just so I could brag I did that just to go get drunk.

 

[Big T]

Sounds like Texas, too. It's just a little 600 mile jaunt from El Paso to San Antonio!

Montana is the 4th largest state by land size, but has just over 1 million people. Every drive is measured by time, typically hours.

My last trip up I fished a creek above Georgetown Lake for pre-spawn stage Brook Trout. Georgetown Lake is 43 miles from us by the way the crow flies. My round trip drive that day was 230 miles. Something about mountain ranges in the way. There is a shorter route over Skalkaho Pass but you are slowed by 30 miles of dirt road over the pass. Very scenic though.

 

[ak diesel driver]

Cut Alaska in half and Montana would be 5th

 

[Big T]

Cut Alaska in half and Montana would be 5th

I’ve driven almost every marked road on the map of Alaska. It is yuge. Coastal is scenic. Interior is all Boreal forest until just before the Brooks range where the trees end. Would love to do that again.

 

[Will L.]

I’ve driven almost every marked road on the map of Alaska. It is yuge. Coastal is scenic. Interior is all Boreal forest until just before the Brooks range where the trees end. Would love to do that again.

Take me with you next time!

 

[dbrannon79]

Well today I wired in the trailer brake controller that was in the truck when I bought it not knowing if it worked. I had cut it out back when I was redoing some if the PO's wiring under the dash long ago. got it all connected up and well what do ya know, it's dead!

no output to the line going to the trailer connector. used my test light and I only get a slight glow on it no matter if I slide the switch on the controller or not, nor does it turn on my brake lights.

I have never needed to use one of these before but I just might have to sometime this month. I guess I need to look for another cheap one since I most likely will never need it again.

 

[ak diesel driver]

Most people look at a map of Alaska and think the roads it shows are major hiways. Most are two lane

 

[dbrannon79]

update on the brake controller. I got it to show a green light by connecting up a small load to the line going to the trailer connector. I googled how to test without a trailer. it showed how using a test light or putting a small load on the line. I used 12v fan.

tried adjusting the level knob and power level knob but nothing changes when holding the slide switch. the light is supposed to change to red but never does. I have never messed with one of these before. it's an old voyager 9030 controller.

 

[dbrannon79]

Never mind, doofus got it working! LOL
I had two issues. the first one was I went back and re-read the instructions and see I was supposed to be holding the brake pedal instead of sliding the slide switch! the other issue is where I mounted the controller. I had mounted it to a metal brace under the dash trying to avoid putting screw holes in my dash plastic. the controller was positioned almost level in the cab with the truck that when turning the level adjustment knob it had maxed out one way before anything started happeneing. I will have to re-position the controller some so the knob has some more to go when it hits level.

now all that is left is replace the trailer plug on the rear hitch (broken pin) and it all will be working and usable.

 

[Big T]

Most people look at a map of Alaska and think the roads it shows are major hiways. Most are two lane

Yeah and the Dalton Highway is just packed mud.

 

[Husker6.5]

Yeah and the Dalton Highway is just packed mud.

Better if you drive that in the middle of winter.

 

[Big T]

Better if you drive that in the middle of winter.

We drove it in August at 80 mph in a ‘95 K2500 Suburban diesel. It’s like wet clay with cement mixed in. Trucks are all going 80+ mph on it.

 

[Big T]

I think that I got enough stuff cleared to pull the trans out from the top of the engine bay:



Need to get underneath and pull CV axles, lower engine mounts, lower trans mount bolts, separate trans and pull the clutch and flywheel. Remove the hood. Add a chain to host it. Pull it forward and up, should be good. Probably not get it out today.

 

[dbrannon79]

If it's anything like when I did the Jetta, even though there should be enough room to pull up from the top side, there was just no way once the input shaft cleared the engine and flywheel. Had to go out from the bottom. ended up pulling the sub frame and supporting the engine from the top with a support bar. then lowering the trans out.

mistake I made the first go round was not having the car up in the air high enough. if you end up having to do this, be sure the front end is up high!

funny thing was how the Jetta was built, I didn't have to pull the wheels or axles off. they unbolt from the trans and just moved out of the way. the car could be sat back on the ground after bolting the sub frame back in and lca's back in place.

 

[Big T]

If it's anything like when I did the Jetta, even though there should be enough room to pull up from the top side, there was just no way once the input shaft cleared the engine and flywheel. Had to go out from the bottom. ended up pulling the sub frame and supporting the engine from the top with a support bar. then lowering the trans out.

mistake I made the first go round was not having the car up in the air high enough. if you end up having to do this, be sure the front end is up high!

funny thing was how the Jetta was built, I didn't have to pull the wheels or axles off. they unbolt from the trans and just moved out of the way. the car could be sat back on the ground after bolting the sub frame back in and lca's back in place.

I have a YouTube video from a guy who pulled it from the top on a V6 with 6 spd manual. This engine is smaller, so should come out from the top. I will have to remove the clutch and possibly the flywheel. May have to remove fan shroud and fans as I will need to slide the trans foward then up. Of course I’ll let you all know how it goes.