What did YOU do today?

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Truth.

So total tangent (sorry if there's a thread for this question) but

What is up with 5R55E? As I look through the market I am reading about the post-2001 transmissions. I know they can be "maintained" with high miles, but are these transmissions that bad?

I really just want to stay with a manual but so hard to find. My wife wants an automatic but she may just have to continue to live with me disappointing her

So, as @sgtsandman mentioned, the 5R is a descendent of the 4R which is a descendant of the A4LD. These transmissions like to be serviced and kept cool. Neither of which most people worry about. Two of the bands are externally adjustable and should be adjusted every 25-50k. Fluid and filter probably every 50k. I also highly recommend a shift kit to help with the somewhat sloppy shifts, which also produce heat.

My 92 with an A4LD that was considerably sloppy, I put a new torque converter in it at about 170k along with a shift kit set at near maximum performance and all the mods I could throw at it short of pulling the transmission completely apart. It would light up the tires after that if you hit the gas too hard… night and day difference. It would still be on the road if someone wouldn’t have hit me…

 

[JoshT]

So I look for a unicorn. You know, old guy who garaged it and just went back and forth into town?

You, have to be careful with finding those unicorns too. People go searching out "low mile" vehicles and wonder why things start leaking and falling apart when they start driving it regularly. Parts can go bad just as much from sitting as from being used.

In cases like these unicorns, while sitting there with limited use seals start shrinking and deteriorating, rings get stuck, rust starts forming, etc. When you start using it, thise things start failing and causing problems. It can be hard to tell if something drove 5 miles once a week for 20 years,

Also those short 5-10 mile trips that the old guy took can be bad for wear. Short trips like that the engine and drivetrain never get properly warmed up which isn't good for wear and can lead to condensation inside things like the crankcase and transmission. Condensation inside the crank case is never a good thing and since the oils and fluids never fully warm up, it doesn;t p[roperly burn off like it would on longer drives.

Not trying to deter you from seeking out the low mile unicorn, just want you to be aware that they can come with their own set of problems. If you find a nice truck with high miles, don't necessarily pass it over due to fear of future transmission work. Consider if the price and budget allows for rebuilding in a few years. If it does, buy it, run it until it breaks, and get it fixed. If you find a good rebuilder it'll be like new and probably last the life of the truck if properly maintained from that point.

 

[broncc]

Bought a bigger drive for the shop """tv""" so I can store more videos. I have a miniPC on the back of the tv that just shuffles through ~500gb of top gear/retro motorweek/video option/hot version/top truck challenge/goodwood highlights/crusty demons/and anything other vintage stuff I like. I just turn the TV on and off and its kind of like broadcast TV.

It's a bit easier to stay on task when you don't need to leave the garage for a distraction...

 

[pacstud]

You, have to be careful with finding those unicorns too. People go searching out "low mile" vehicles and wonder why things start leaking and falling apart when they start driving it regularly. Parts can go bad just as much from sitting as from being used.

In cases like these unicorns, while sitting there with limited use seals start shrinking and deteriorating, rings get stuck, rust starts forming, etc. When you start using it, thise things start failing and causing problems. It can be hard to tell if something drove 5 miles once a week for 20 years,

Also those short 5-10 mile trips that the old guy took can be bad for wear. Short trips like that the engine and drivetrain never get properly warmed up which isn't good for wear and can lead to condensation inside things like the crankcase and transmission. Condensation inside the crank case is never a good thing and since the oils and fluids never fully warm up, it doesn;t p[roperly burn off like it would on longer drives.

Not trying to deter you from seeking out the low mile unicorn, just want you to be aware that they can come with their own set of problems. If you find a nice truck with high miles, don't necessarily pass it over due to fear of future transmission work. Consider if the price and budget allows for rebuilding in a few years. If it does, buy it, run it until it breaks, and get it fixed. If you find a good rebuilder it'll be like new and probably last the life of the truck if properly maintained from that point.

Thanks. And tbf, my current ranger had 180k when I got it, and at the time it was only 7 years old. I've put that on it again so...

At some point I'll just roll the dice and know that I need a war chest to fix the inevitable repairs.

 

[scotts90ranger]

As with most tuesday nights it was project night with my brother, normally working on his projects... as per normal for farm equipment he had an issue tonight on an implement where a tire exploded... I don't blame it, it was old enough to be a passenger tire with only nylon cords but still be metric dimensions but a 185R14... conveniently the tube wasn't completely shot, took 3 patches to scab it back together but ended up at my shop since I have a slew of junk tires (decades newer than anything he had in 14...) and the one I just pulled off the boat trailer just had a sidewall hole so fine with a tube and was dismounted in the shop driveway .

Also worked on the #2 misfire code on his '11 2.5L Escape, thought we found it when there was oil up to the boot on that cylinder spark plug so we changed that plug, then coil but on the drive to my shop it still misfired and always on #2 so we took the 10 minutes to swap the #1 and 2 injectors. I'm hoping it's not valvetrain...

 

[superj]

Did a sleep test again last night. Doing the sleep latency test today.

They decided i have narcolepsy from the last overnight sleep test, back in september. I dont know what we are checking now

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Did a sleep test again last night. Doing the sleep latency test today.

They decided i have narcolepsy from the last overnight sleep test, back in september. I dont know what we are checking now

If it makes you feel better I’m doing a 24 hour EEG now

 

[superj]

Dang, sounds like just as much fun

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Dang, sounds like just as much fun

Quite likely

 

[sgtsandman]

Since the weather is kind of crappy, today is planning and setting up for future projects. First, a shelf for the shed to store the overlanding equipment I removed from the 2019 for the winter. Second, figure out what I did to the radio settings on the ham radios that are in the 2011 since they aren't hitting all of the repeaters I have programmed in them (probably user input errors). Third, make sure I have everything I need to upgrade the utility trailer suspension over the winter.

 

[pacstud]

Getting TSP to clean my driveway. Made through a differential oil change with no spills, not a drop....

And then when cleaning the pump it friggin exploded like a <insert entendre here> so...TSP and power washer time.

 

[Blmpkn]

Bought a bigger drive for the shop """tv""" so I can store more videos. I have a miniPC on the back of the tv that just shuffles through ~500gb of top gear/retro motorweek/video option/hot version/top truck challenge/goodwood highlights/crusty demons/and anything other vintage stuff I like. I just turn the TV on and off and its kind of like broadcast TV.

It's a bit easier to stay on task when you don't need to leave the garage for a distraction...

View attachment 135251

Aaahhh crusty demons.. that's a name I haven't heard in a long time..

 

[racsan]

Im getting ready for a hayride in a couple of days, drove the tractor on to the trailer to see how it sits. seems fine, a little lighter than the 2000 Ive had on there before. I do need a better tow vehicle though.

 

[WarcrimeActual]

Applied BSM to DSB.

 

[JoshT]

Mentioned earlier in the week that I was going over to mom't and take a look at getting one of the generators that dad had running. Must have been in the the WDYDTYRT thread since I don;t see it in the last few pages. Not sure why I posted there, unless I didn't realize I was in that thread, this one is a better fit.

Put if off waiting on mom to bet back from a roadtrip with some of the extended family. Finally went by today and she still wasn't there. Made it back from the trim fine and had fun, but then my sister needed her help with a last minute school event. As long as they were having fun, that's all that matters. Managed to dig into the generator a little more. It is a Powerhorse 2300i quiet inverter generator, looks like a Northern Tool brand and would have been bought quite a few years ago. Would like to use it at the hunting club to run a window unit. Using one of his bigger ones now (Champion 3500 IIRC), but this one should be quieter and plenty of power for the task.

Anyway I have no idea the last time that it ran, but dad was pretty good about keeping small engine stuff running, or fixing it after it stopped. When I was picking up a generator to take down there the other day, I knew that the 3500 would start, but wanted to take this 2300 because easy to load and quieter. (Did I mention that it should be quieter than the 3500 yet? LOL) Pulled the rope, and no start. Wasn't sure if it had gas, so added fresh, still no start. Verified spark and fresh fuel in the carburetor, still no start. With what I had that was as far as I could go at the time. Loaded the 3500 in the truck instead and went.

Got back on the 2300 today with a can of starting fluid to see what would happen. Semi success. It'll start on ether and run with the choke on. Won't start with just the choke and won't stay running without it. Looks like the carb needs a thorough cleaning. I could buy a can of bucket (or cans) of carb cleaner, pull the carb and let it soak, spend time with tip cleaners trying to clear the passages. OR I could spend $35 and get a new chinese carburetor for this old chinese generator, slap it on, and go.

Considering that I'd be spending $15-20 for the cleaners, need to buy or cut new gaskets, and have better things to do with the time, I think I'll be buying a new carb.


While over there I also took a run at one of our 4-wheelers. We've got 3, my 2010 Rancher 420, dad's 2008 Foreman 500, and our older Kawasaki 300 4x4. Installed a winch on the 420 a couple weeks ago then had to rus to get it back out to the hunting club because the 500 was giving issues starting and staying running. I seem to recall a similar issue some last year, but this time around may have been because it sat untouched since June. When I carried the 420 out to swap them around it started andhas run fine since. Anyhow, dad has had the 300 running off an on over the years, but always seems to be fighting carb issues from what I remember him saying. IIRC he had it running prety good earlier in the year and was trying to fix a fuel leak issue. That's what he was doing on it when he went into the hospital. Had it sitting on the concrete pad so he could watch for the drip. Unfortunately I had to do an emergency repair on the car and pushed it off to the side on the dirt and hadn't touched it since.

I tried to get it going last week so my mom and sister's family would have two of them available to ride. Of course the battery was dead so put it on charge. Back at it today and it wouldn't even think about starting. Since I had the ether handy I gave it a shot. It fired and tried to run, but no bueno. Drain tank and fresh gas, verified fuel flow through the petcock and to the carb. Open bowl drain on carb to get the old out and fill with fresh, nothing comes out. Either something is blocking the bowl drain or the float valve is stuck. (I'd opened it earlier, but wasn't checking for flow so may have been drained already.) Seems like I'll be opening that one up too while I'm fixing the generator. I think it already had a fairly new carb installed and was running earlier this year, so want to try to use it if I can. If I can't I'll buy a new one for it too.