Fezzik: Life Begins at 200K

[Brian]

240,249

• new battery

I wasn’t planning on spending on spending three hours steam cleaning the mattress topper yesterday, but spills happen. I wasn’t planning on replacing the hose bibb on the back patio after dinner either, but the damn thing was making a mess of the patio. And I certainly wasn’t planning on rearranging a quarter of the garage while I was “in there”, but sometimes there’s a really big cucaracha.

Which made the two phone calls and three trips to two different Pep Boys locations to get a battery replaced under warranty all the more grating. I mean, here it was, 7:30PM and I hadn’t been back to my desk since stepping away to pick up P after the first day of Third Grade at 2PM. (sigh)

Pro Tip: Get yourself one of these USB booster packs. They won’t jump a dead battery, but it’s the easiest jump you’ll ever get when the car won’t start in the Homie D parking lot. They’re like US$40.

Long story short

• I bought a Group 24 Bosch Platinum Series AGM in October 2019 @ 217,255 miles.
• It came with a 3-year free replacement warranty. (See install pics, above.)
• It died less than two years later, in August 2021 @ 240,249 miles.

I remembered having to go well out of my way to get this battery, but didn’t have any paperwork or emails for it. Ended up having to check my timeline in Google Maps for 2018-2019, looking for outlier stops in the far southwest valley. Nice to see my data being useful to me once in a while, eh?

I called the nearest Pep Boys location…

• They told me I had to call the location where I bought the battery.
• That location told me I had to call corporate since they no longer do retail sales.
• Corporate told me they no longer carry Bosch, so I would get a Champion equivalent.
• They emailed me a document to take to any location for the free replacement.
• I went to the nearest location the Pep Boys site said had the battery. They didn’t.
• A very nice dude named Johnny printed a report of all AGM batteries in-stock in AZ.
• I went to the next location, five minutes down the road, where they had a Group 34 AGM.
• Dude at this store told me it wouldn’t fit and he’d have to see the dead battery.
• I went home and pulled the dead battery.
• Back in the store, dude told me they were different size and would not fit.
• I pointed out the Group 34 is identical to the 24, but 1/2" shorter. It fits.
• Register would not accept return.
• Dude got fancy, told me it would be $68. Fine. Register would not accept return.
• Dude moves to other register. Now says it will be $14. Register would not accept return.
• Other dude, tired of bullshit, walks up, flippantly dances on the keyboard, scans my return, scans the new battery, and prints a receipt showing a 100% even trade. Tells original dude, “We owe him a battery. Just give him the battery.”

I picked up Carrabba’s takeout on the way home.

Boom. New Group 34 AGM. 740CCA and 115min reserve beats the 710CCA and 60min the Group 24Bosch had. And I’ve got a receipt showing I’ve paid for it, so maybe I’ll get another one free from Pep Boys when this one fails in a couple years. Then again, maybe not. What a PITA.

Edit: Transaction notes/details, should this come up again.

• original purchase
  – 10.03.19, store 1049, transaction 079332
  – Bosch Platinum Series AGM (Group 24), SKU 0844459
  – paid $151.24
• warranty swap
  – 08.09.21, store XXXm transaction XXXXXX
  – Champion AGM (34-740CHAGM, Group 34), SKU 2071624
  – paid $0.00

[Brian]

240,256

• TPS replacement
• muttering of swear words

Okay—first of all—this is bullshit. I have a persistent P0120 TPS code. I clear it. It comes back. And has been coming back for at last a year. I’ve tried replacing the TPS twice with new sensors purchased from Amazon. I paid $25 for the first one, $35 for the second.

This should be a VERY simple fix. Two 8mm bolts. One chunky connector. 15 minutes TOPS.

Why did I wait a year to do this simple job?

Twice, now, I’ve installed new TPS sensors that either read 40%—99% or 0%—74%. Like this one, the most recently purchased unit. At $35, I’m sure it’s not as good as the $420 item my local Mitsubishi dealer would have to order in, but these are simple variable resistors. How far off could they be?

Step 1 - Mark/index the known good functional TPS sensor so you can put it back and drive the damn thing when the new one inevitably doesn’t work for some reason.

Step 2 - When new TPS doesn’t read correctly, use scribe to mark range in the hopes there will be some obvious variance between the two sensors.

Step 3 - When this still doesn’t work, grab the first new TPS, mark it accordingly, install, then remove and take pictures of nearly $50 worth of defective Amazon merchandise discovered too long after delivery to be returned. Vow to write scathing, 1-star review after updating build thread.

Step 4 - When even THIS doesn’t work, grab the old, dusty, used TPS sensors Josh gave you nearly two years ago that you didn’t try yet because you had new sensors. Set them all out for a nice picture.

Step 5 - Marvel at how easily the first one you grab immediately dials into a 0—89% range like the dodgy one that’s been shifting your Aisin automatic like a right moron and works perfectly the first try in less than five minutes.

Step 6 - See if anyone on the forum— (ahem) @MrGalantguy —might have a spare TPS screw/bolt lying around to replace the one that disappeared into the engine bay but did not fall out the bottom on that final try.

Fezzik now seems to be running well. Acceleration feels more brisk; gear changes more crisp. Time will tell if I see better than the 14.3mpg (16.4L/100KM), if the code comes back, or the TPS just falls off the throttle body because Murphy showed up.

On the plus side, the number of things I’ve got sitting around waiting to be disassembled so we can figure out how they work is growing nicely. I’m looking forward to figuring out why these new sensors were defective—and how they really work.

Next time this happens, I’d like an option somewhere between $30 parts that don’t work at all and $400 parts that aren’t worth the asking price. I mean, again, these are simple resistors.

[Brian]

Saving for later.

r/overlanding - Pics of my DIY roof rack I made out of superstrut as requested

I’ve seen this stuff before, but never knew the name. Looks like I might be able to make a basic roof rack for under $100 with this.

I just need to mount an awning, maybe a hot water tank, and the eventual Thule box.

[webkris]

@Brian

“We owe him a battery. Just give him the battery.”

Customer Service 101 right here. ^

[Brian]

Row52 did it’s job.

First Montero to hit a yard within 50 miles of me. A teal 1995 SR. The alert came in Friday afternoon. The yard opened at 0730. I got there at 0900. Another Montero guy was already rolling the rear axle (locker) out the door.

I didn’t expect to get as much as I did, nor did I expect to, but it was a decent haul. Still had the key tucked into the headliner. No pictures of the truck, but here’s what $180 gets you at pull n save.

And I’m not the only one who uses stereo wiring to bundle up parts, right? This was all one trip, plus my tool bag.

[Brian]

241,763

• re-sealed tcase

I think it might have been April when I discovered the tcase leak. Ernest said there’s a gasket on top where the lever goes in that’s almost always cracked and he didn’t think mine was that far gone.

What followed was a good four hours of careful disassembly, cleaning, and resealing. Took me so damn long I forgot where a couple electrical connections went. (Seriously. No idea. Just gonna wait until something doesn’t work.)

Look how much cleaner and tidier!

(Didn’t have time to clean further.)

Here’s a couple shots of the cut and fix I made to get the tcase sealing boot over the fulcrum. Das Boot just has to keep the elements out of the cabin. In the spirit of British auto manufacturing in the 90s–That’ll do.
#ziptie

[Brian]

243,382

• #theroadtoRADwood begins
• front end rebuild

Finished my first attempt at cosplay.

Then got out my tools.

And got started.

Fortune smiled upon me!

I stopped by Homie D’s for a can of termite spray and, on a whim, thought I’d price an extra battery for my old Ryobi. They had a 2-pack of batteries for $79–and a 1/2" 3-speed, 300ft-lbs Ryobi impact with a big battery and charger for $99.

Damn thing scares the bolts loose. It’s like an Uzi.

E:2140 - Banana Guard 16 was a hit. I didn’t cut eye holes so I was led around by a friend, and I was soaked in sweat after an hour, but it was worth it. This is our season.

And Fezzik looked pretty cool, too.

[Brian]

PROGRESS

Git it. GIT IT!

And I’m feeeeelin’… good.

[Brian]

Got the driver side LCA out last night while the girls were at dance class. Would have got them both if the sleeve through the lower strut mount on the other side wasn’t fused to the bolt and holding everything in.

I mean, just look at the damn thing. It’s bending the mounting tab away. Gonna try hitting it with fire today real quick. We’re stealing away for our anniversary this weekend and it would be nice if I had both LCAs out before we left.

[Brian]

Grandma Obi was in town and gave us the better part of a weekend away. Came home Sunday rejuvenated and got back to work.

It’s almost like they knew it would pull this shit. Guess what. Still not out of that lower mounting bracket.

Next obstacle: Looks like I gotta disco the brake lines anyway. And the steering linkage at the box. And get new braided lines, rotors, and pads moving.

It’s gonna be a last minute jam sesh.

Sprayed everything down with Easy Off oven cleaner, then pressure washed. Got a call in to my mechanic about pressing bushings in/out of the arms while I focus on the lowers.

[Brian]

Damn. It’s gonna be close.

• 11/09 - bushing & ball joint press kits arrived
• 11/13 - brake pads arrived 3 days early!
• 11/15 - brake lines arrived 5 days early! (From Kuala Lumpur!)
• 11/10 - brake rotors arrive
• 11/13 - strut mount bushings arrive
• 11/17 - alignment appointment
• 11/19 - leave for RADwood

And I still don’t have a press figured out.

Aaaaaaannnnnd I just ordered a ball joint press. And upper and lower strut mount bushings. From Russia.

[Brian]

My first time pressing out bushings. Took a little finesse, but I’m feeling a bit more confident. Lower front bushings are out!

Next up, gotta try getting the lower rears out. Then I break the brake lines and get the uppers out. From there, it’s reassembly.

Fingers crossed.

[Brian]

The Road to RADwood ended here.

We started by pressing out the first UCA bushings. Piece of cake! Figured we’d be done and gone in about two hours.

Figured wrong.

So first of all, I cleaned out the UCA bushing shells real good before I realized what I was doing and started peeling them out with a chisel point. #facepalm

Then we decided to warm up for pressing in new bushings by starting with the “easy” lower strut bushings. First, we’d just pop that one sticky bolt out.

Riiiiiight.

[PajEvo]

Wo duder fezzik owes you big time. I think you’ve done more work on old fezz than I did on all three of my gen2s put together. Ouch.

Sunroof drains though. You do em yet? Super simple if you haven’t… I had to do them in the 100 after rain ran down the back of my neck on a trip last summer.

[Brian]

Appreciate it, brother. Yeah, it’s been rough. Josh coined the term today:

The Fezzik Factor

It’s like Murphy’s Law–but worse. Lulz.

I haven’t done the sunroof drains, but that’s the next focus of my efforts. I want a twinkle headliner before Christmas.

Once the front end is sorted, I’m pulling the headliner and cleaning the sunroof tracks best I can without removing it before the fiber optics go in. Gonna install a couple more boxes of Noico while I’m at it.

These setbacks really suck, but Fezzik’s almost done. Rear bushings and brakes, tires, and then it’s a roof box away from being donezo.

And we’re gonna use him up after that. I don’t know if we’ll ever wheel Moab or run the AlCan together, but you’ve got a hell of a park in your backyard and I expect to go camping with you sooner than later.

[PajEvo]

dude. We are camping. Full stop. Not if, just WHEN.

Actually, we just go back from camping. Just a one nighter. Luxo barge, not rough and tumble. I’ll add a pic in the right place, so as not to clutter up fezziks drama. LOL

Get some sort of rigid nylon cable. Blue jacketed clothesline wire, thicker weed whacker line… Then find the hole at the top on each side, and run the line down and out through the drain in the bottom. I took the further step of blowing it out with a blow gun on lower pressure. Some say you run the risk of blowing the lines off altogether, but the memory of cold water running down the back of my neck was still fresh, and I didn’t take any chances with leaving anything in there that could block it up.

[Brian]

I will do that, man. Fezzik sleeps between a dying pine tree and a healthy ficus. There are needles and leaves everywhere all the time. And it seldom rains, so I’m sure things are in there.

[Brian]

Reveleation: Fezzik Factor is ME.

Thanksgiving Day

I went out to try pressing out the old lower control arm bushings. You know, the difficult ones everyone complains about because they’re pressed into the chassis. I’ll be damned if they weren’t the easiest of the 10 total bushings we pressed on this truck. Just took the right tools.

The driver side was a bit trickier as you can’t just remove the stub CV axle so cleanly. Fortunately, you put a jack under the diff, spin the rear diff carrier mount bolt out from the passenger wheel well with some of those 1/2" extensions you have left over from changing the starter on Rocinante, and your cut-with-a-Dremel-to-Pantera piece of exhaust coupling works a treat!

VICTORY!

Got the first upper control arm back in. Even got the steering linkage matched back up first try. With 10 minutes left before I needed to pack up and clean up for lunch and a movie—the new Ghostbusters is everything you want it to be, by the way—I was able to get them both installed.

The passenger side is a bit tighter than the driver, but I’m sure it will work itself out.

[Brian]

The Day After: I AM THE FEZZIK FACTOR NOW.

I can see it so clearly. @CrankshaftCulture The Universe was talking. I wasn’t listening.

First, I set out my new Adventure Driven Design idler with the CrMo kingpin and bronze bushings. (Mechanical engineer approved!) After bead blasting the case at the shop, it was ready for a couple coats of Rustoleum. Josh was nice enough to include a spare idler arm and the OE kingpin, should I run into any trouble. Of course, then I damaged the tired old bushing on the tired old pitman arm while separating it from the steering, uh, bar. Didn’t have another one of those lying around, so I had to order one.

In the meantime, I set about cleaning and spraying everything with a couple fresh coats of paint to cover up the rust left over from the old lead acid battery days. I set aside the old idler assembly and tie rods, and set out to do the easy job of pulling the rear wheel bearing seals. Sharper eyes will notice there are wheel bearing pictures in the next grouping. No, instead, I tried prying out the MB160850 knuckle oil seal.

I feel like I might have damaged the mating surface, but it might also be I simply removed the rubber from the seal, leaving the shell behind once again. @PajEvo any thoughts here? I had to remove one of them anyway. It was crumbling apart, but now I’m not sure if I should be getting in there with a pry bar and popping those shells out or those are part of the knuckle. Jeez.

Knowing I wouldn’t be installing my LCAs today after all, I decided to see what I could get ready to install when the parts come in this week. I’ve got calipers, lines, rotors, and pads. I figured I could at least get the hubs cleaned up, add new bearings and seals, and mount the slick new rotors.

I may have had a drink at this point. Got the races cleaned out. (Have since noticed RTV remnants inside the race and need to clean it out anyway, but that’s another day’s work.) And then I noticed I had the wrong seals for the wheel hubs, too! Those new Timken bearings look real nice, though. It’s nice handling something mint and precise amidst all the greasy tomfoolery.

Finally, with the last of the satin black Rustoleum I used to paint the bed of my RC truck a month or so earlier, I hit the wheel wells to cover up any exposed metal. I’ll be showering everything in WD-40 a few times between now and next summer, but things are looking fresh now.

Also on order: three sheets of 12in x 24in x 1/16in HPDE so I can make skirts to keep shit out of the engine bay. I masked nothing off, but it looks great from six feet away and the rust is covered. What else do I need?

I love this picture.

Finished strong with another pineapple cider.

• pitman arm and plastic sheets arrive 11/29
• (2) Musashi MB526395 oil seal, fr hub arrive 12/01
• (2) OE MB160850 oil seal, knuckle arrive 12/06-12/08

I’m gonna see if I can get those knuckle seals sooner locally. (Not holding my breath, though.)

[PajEvo]

Wow buddy. You really are breaking through your barriers on this one. Good on you!

I feel like it’s the shell left there still, bit hard to say from a pic and it’s been a LONG time since I was that deep into a gen2… you’ll know as soon as you get the new seals, right?

Just… You know. Don’t order via Canada Post, unless you’d like to finish it in the spring.

Keep it up buddy. Really looking great!