Fixing Eddie

[firefire]

Hi.
Since I had a new brake hose for the rear axle I thought I would replace the old one. An hour work maybe ?
Not so. I soaked the fittings with rust release first. The fitting on the right side loosened nicely. The one on the left side loosened too from the hose. But was rusted stuck on the pipe. So to avoid twisting the pipe off I had to disconnect the other end from the wheel cylinder,That done I could unscrew the pipe from the old hose. Next was disconecting the hose from the pipe up in the frame. That fitting would not get loose. When you start rounding off corners its not fun. Then I dug out my old friend, Knipex.These bite harder than a hyena. With a snap the fitting came loose. Next was getting the rust stuck fitting loose from the pipe. Put it in a wise, aluminium on the jaws. Aplied lots of rust loosener but the fitting would not move. Then I heated it up. More rust loosener. And jiggeling the fitting carefully right and left. Twisting the pipe as little as possible. I think I spent 20-30 minutes doing this before the fitting finally let go of the pipe. Then putting in the new hose. The new  was thicker then then the old one. The pipe for the axle vent was barely long enough.  But I got it all together after 2 1/2 hours. Eddie got new motor oil, filter and new oil in the transfer case yesterday. Next up are changing the oil in the axles. None of them has drain plugs or an easily removable cover  Tips ? Greetings Stein

[Gary Lewis]

You are wise to be careful and not twist the fittings off.  Well done!  

And I think that 2.5 times what I expect in time is about usual for my projects.  So it doesn't surprise me it too that long.

As for the axles, you can snake a small diameter hose down to the bottom of the axle housing if you work at it.  Then connect that to a suction gun and you can drain the axle that way.

[firefire]

Hi. Did as you proposed Gary. From the front axle I got all oil out. From the rear 2,9 l out of 3,1liter.  Filled them up again with new oil. While I was doing this the postman came. He came with a package from Rock Auto. Sometimes everything goes wrong The package had big openings in both ends. So we had to check for missing parts. One shock absorber and a Ignition Lock Sylinder was missing. The rest was there : 5 shock absorbers, 2 motor mounts and 2 tailgate Support Cables. And a magnet picture of Vince`s Dodge Obviously the carton could not withstand the weight of its contents. Why cant the warehouses learn to pack heavy stuff ? The postman filled out his report and went. We had checked the boxes against the packing list, so ok. I opened 3 out of 5 boxes and saw they were the correct models I had ordered. So I had the 4 shock absorbers for the front axle. Jacked up Eddie, put him on stands and off with the wheels. Out with the old shock absorbers. Then I saw that the shortest shock did not have a sleeve in the lower bushing. Wanting to finish this I cut a pipe that fitted inside the bushing. Then the long one. That one would not return from compressed with out considerably force. Had to hold it in a wise to be able to pull it out. After that it slowly came back from compressed. Took several minutes. Stupid me mounted both shocks. Then to the other side. Off with the old ones. The new long one operated normaly. Then I opened the second box with the short shock.This one had a hole in the side and were of course broken. Then I realised that the boxes with the short shocks had been opened before and taped shut with clear tape. I am sure they have been returned from some other customers because of their defuncts. And by mistake ( I hope ) ended up in the warehouse inventory and sent to me. Now I have sent a complaint to Rock Auto. Their return / refund system usually works good. I have asked for a refund on all shocks except the long one that was ok and the one I got for the rear axle. I have lost faith in Monroes OESpectrum. There must be something better, but what ? Greetings Stein.

[Gary Lewis]

Glad you got the fluids changed.  Sad you had such bad shipping.  That is really a bummer!

I thought maybe Bilstein shocks are made in Germany, but it turns out that they are made here in the US in most cases.  So unless you know of brands made there which would fit I don't have any suggestions.

[firefire]

Hi. Decided to replace the door window glass channels. The old ones were trash.And as usual it took more time than planned. There were some rust that needed attention and also new paint.That little swing out glass took some time. When all is ready I lowered the glass in the door.With the help of the rope its easier to lift it when you are putting it back in to the rails. Then in with the frame and put on new sealing.. It was surprisingly easy to press it in the rails. The more difficult part is to get the glass in place. I tipped the forward rail backwards to give the needed clearance to get the arm for the window motor back in its rail again.And the finished product A  different thing that bothered me were loose vents. Tape a strip of Velcro back on both ends and they fit snug. Then they sit in your wanted position. What else ? Got a DAB adapter mounted. Norway doesnt use the FM band any more. Filled up the tank. Tomorrow we will go for a weeks holiday. I may give you some reports during the trip. Greetings Stein.

[Gary Lewis]

Well done!  But yes, it always takes longer than expected.  Still, you results are excellent.

A week with the Bronco?  Cool!  I do hope you'll share your experiences with us.  

[firefire]

Hi. Now we have been travelling for 2 days. Eddie has been behaving very good. Only thing is his gas consumption. 10,6 mpg..
Its been a lot up and down. Hills with 10% climbing and such. Ålesund-Geiranger-Sognefjellet-Hardanger. Exactely why he is so thirsty I dont know. Summer price for 1 litre gas is 18 NOK. Apr. $ 9 pr. gallon.

[grumpin]

Beautiful scenery!

The C6 automatic transmissions aren’t known for good MPG. If I get 10.6 in my truck I’m pretty happy.

I actually think the PO put in an aftermarket torque converter. Because I have gotten 11.3 MPG on flat ground running 60-65 MPH. Around 10 MPG in the mountains.

[Gary Lewis]

Yes, beautiful!  Please keep the pictures coming!

[Gary Lewis]

I should have asked, is that the Hardangerfjord?  We cruised down it to Eidfjord.  Is that where you were?

[firefire]

Hi. Its the HardangerfjordBut we are more at the start of the fjord.A place called Norheimsund. Eidfjord is at the end. From the cruiseship you cant see the crazy standard on much of the roads. Tomorrow we will go further west. Eddie still runs without problems.
Greetings Stein

[Gary Lewis]

Yes, we sailed the length of the fjord.  And we drove/rode in a coach along some of those roads, for sure!  Beautiful country!!!!

[firefire]

Hi. Nice you got a tour on land🙂 Much of the roads are really bad. Its seems to be a forever  lasting project to improve the standard. For tourists its funny, challenging and maybe scary. For truck companies and businesses its very costly. Now we have started on our way back home.  West and north. Since you have a past in the oil,  Typical German touristBut its very few of foreign tourist becaise of Covid.A typical ferry. We have some thousand in Norway to cross all our fjordsAn interesting grave yard in a fjord. Had a little dock for bringing the coffin by small boat. Graves from before 1900 and till today.. And a wiev towards the north sea
 Greetings Stein

[firefire]

Hi. Now we are home. Eddie behaved very good. Only thing that malfuntioned was the key operation of the back window. But only one evening. It " cured " it self...Here are some more pictures. From Hardangerfjord to Stadt, Vestkapp. The most western part of Norway. Askvoll Out at the north sea the landscape gets barren.Vestkapp It was a nice trip. Greetings Stein

[Gary Lewis]

Those are beautiful pictures!  Glad you had such a good trip, and that the Bronco performed so well.  

[grumpin]

Great pictures, great trip. Glad it worked out well for you!

[firefire]

Hi. Glad you liked the photos. For the time I am trying to figure out how to get better mileage. So I have picked me a test route that is 66 miles long. Speed limits between 30 and 50 mph. And a little  up and down. The ignition is at 10 `btdc. I adjusted the 2 idle mixture screws a half turn in. Still got -18 / -19 hg vacuum. Engine runs strong and nice at 550 rpm. Will leaner idle mixture affect fuel consumption besides at idle ?  Checked for false air around carburetor. None. Checked the hose for ported vacuum to the purge control valve ( Opens and closes for sucking gas fumes into the intake manifold ) Found a vacuum leak at the connection to the vacuum control valve ( opens and closes depending on coolant temperature ). Disconnected the ported vacuum hose from the hose to the distributor and the hose from the charcol canister to the intake manifold. Closed their connections with capps. This is hard to explain but I hope you ( the reader ) understand. Went for a ride. Average consumption was 2 liters/ 10 km. About 11 mpg. Its 10% better than during our holiday. So today I reconnected the charcoal canister to the intake manifold and the ported vacuum hose. But without the vacuum control valve in the line. Drove the same route again. Same fuel consumption. Next time I will put in the old ignition control module to see what happens. The goal must be minimum 15mpg.
Picture here is of one our trucks in a yard ( Vard ) were I picked up an empty 40`container.  Its a cruise ship with ice breaking capabillities. Le Commandant Charcot .The first in it class. Cruiseline is called Ponant. 5 stars luxury. But the point is. Only the truck , tractor as you say, weights 4 times the Bronco. Engine is diesel V8, 650 HP and 16 liters. Diesel consumption for the tractor only is 1,4 liters / 10 km. About 17 mpg. It is almost unbelievable.
Ok. Enough for now. Greetings Stein.

[FuzzFace2]

Adjusting the idle mix screws will not change the MPG as you are not using the idle part of the carb.

Do you have gas with Ethanol in it and if so how much by %.
I ask because we have 10% in or "normal" gas and we have 15% that can be used in 2000+ cars / trucks and 85% for flex cars / trucks.
This 10% kills MPG as it takes 2x the Ethanol to make the same power of non-Ethanol so what have we gained?

How have you been checking MPG? Is the speedo / mileage spot on? If not that can throw off the numbers.
A AFR gauge (air fuel ratio) can be a big help in tuning the carb for MPG.
Reading plugs can be hard with todays gas and why the AFR gauge is the way to go.

Did I read you are getting 15 MPG?
If so I dont thing that is all that bad for a heavy 4x4 with a 351 motor and auto transmission.
I am knocking on the door to 15 MPG and I have a 4x2 short bed pick up with a 300 six & stick transmission and over drive, not that it helped much.

I have not checked the MPG on my work truck.
This is my old one, new one is red has a larger motor both w/10 speed transmission.
Pulling 80k cement

And my 10k gallon LP trailer

Just my .02
Dave ----

[Gsmblue]

Always enjoy reading about your work and adventures.

[firefire]

Hi all. Thanks for feedback. Dave. In our 95 Octan gas there is 5 % ethanol. In 98 octan there is none. There has been talk about going to 10% , but sofar it has not been implemented. And I hope it will not. I calculate the mileage based on my speedo. The speedo surely is not 100 % accurate, it may be 10 % off in either direction.. But I can use it to see if mileage gets worse or better. I hope to reach 15 mpg with the Street Demon carburetor. Thats what I got with the old original carburetor when I drove Eddie from Drammen to Skodje. About 350 miles. Nice truck :). Is yours a one man company ?
I wrote I would put in the old Ignition Module for testing. But I cant find it Have probably thrown it.. Here is a picture to show you how I have connected the Gas Emission Canister to the intake. Marked the hoses with white crayon. Red line is from ported vacuum. Black sucks fumes in to intake. Here is also a picture of 2 VDVs. Vacuum Delay Valves. As you can see they hold vacuum for a shorter or longer time. Sorry, ended up side down Ok. Thanks for now. Stein