Wasted ,no-good, dumbass, useless, unproductive day.

[44hunter45]

Trying to get my old 1988 GMC ranch truck and my 1983 Toyota 4X4 running again. Both have been sitting for too long.
Got the alternators off and headed 30 miles to town to get them tested. No wallet. I was gonna get food in town and the blood sugar is sagging by now.
Buckle up and head back home to get my wallet. MRS is in a talkative mood. Another hour walking backward toward the door.

Get back to town and the GMC alternator tests good, none of the chain auto parts stores can test a 1983 Aisin alternator. Just tell me they can have a new one rebuilt on the way for $300 in a couple of days. They say they can test it if I drive it in. I ask them if they have ever heard of a Yardart Vehicle. They have not. I explain that if is started, I wouldn't be there trying to get my alternator tested.

I buy two new red top batteries. $600 trips the security limit on my Alaska Air credit card and my phone blows up with fraud alerts.

Get in my new truck to come home and there is a check engine light. I run back in and ask AutoZone folks to come out and run the codes. Fuel pump or injection pressure sensor. FML!
There is a known deal where the new GM in-tank fuel pumps vapor lock in the heat. I've had mine replaced by the dealer twice, but that warranty expired at 150,000 miles. Pffft!
GM engineers apparently were not told that in 95% of the US it gets above 90°F in the summer. Must be Climate Change.

I get home (after stopping to get a couple of cans of powder and cruising the primer shelf). I start to put the alternator back in the GMC and drop a bolt. It is lost somewhere down in the bowels of the truck. Came in to to get my retrieval magnet and here I am blowing steam.

Gonna have a beer and go see if I can cut my head on the other side to match the slice the Toyota hood gave me this morning.

Rant over - Back at it. At least I didn't spend the day on HT arguing politics.

 

[Dsnow9]

Trying to get my old 1988 GMC ranch truck and my 1983 Toyota 4X4 running again. Both have been sitting for too long.
Got the alternators off and headed 30 miles to town to get them tested. No wallet. I was gonna get food in town and the blood sugar is sagging by now.
Buckle up and head back home to get my wallet. MRS is in a talkative mood. Another hour walking backward toward the door.

Get back to town and the GMC alternator tests good, none of the chain auto parts stores can test a 1983 Aisin alternator. Just tell me they can have a new one rebuilt on the way for $300 in a couple of days. They say they can test it if I drive it in. I ask them if they have ever heard of a Yardart Vehicle. They have not. I explain that if is started, I wouldn't be there trying to get my alternator tested.

I buy two new red top batteries. $600 trips the security limit on my Alaska Air credit card and my phone blows up with fraud alerts.

Get in my new truck to come home and there is a check engine light. I run back in and ask AutoZone folks to come out and run the codes. Fuel pump or injection pressure sensor. FML!
There is a known deal where the new GM in-tank fuel pumps vapor lock in the heat. I've had mine replaced by the dealer twice, but that warranty expired at 150,000 miles. Pffft!
GM engineers apparently were not told that in 95% of the US it gets above 90°F in the summer. Must be Climate Change.

I get home (after stopping to get a couple of cans of powder and cruising the primer shelf). I start to put the alternator back in the GMC and drop a bolt. It is lost somewhere down in the bowels of the truck. Came in to to get my retrieval magnet and here I am blowing steam.

Gonna have a beer and go see if I can cut my head on the other side to match the slice the Toyota hood gave me this morning.

Rant over - Back at it. At least I didn't spend the day on HT arguing politics.

Sounds about right. I’m waiting in line at the auto parts store for the third time in 3 days. All different vehicles or pieces of equipment

 

[cgasner1]

If 600 bucks set of your fraud alert you shouldn’t me so cheap

 

[noharleyyet]

Yesterday was mine. 50 miles into a trip to Oklahoma my tire pressure alert shows rapid decension on the right passenger tire. I’m in heavy interstate toll road traffic at 75mph but get the truck onto the shoulder as the monitor hits zero pressure. Get on the horn with my GM whiz bang 24/7 miracle repair network. They will send no repair truck because of the location but will send a tow truck. I suppress a few expletives and decline. The wheel and tire weighs about 80-90 lbs & it’s 95 humid degrees. Fun.

Tire has a 3” gash on the inner sidewall. The debris had to have come off a vehicle not far in front of us in heavy fast traffic.

Running on the spare we cancelled the trip & u-turned for home. Thankful.

 

[44hunter45]

If 600 bucks set of your fraud alert you shouldn’t me so cheap

Yeah, had to raise it. I think she set it that way to catch me buying rifles.

 

[44hunter45]

Update - Got "Big Red" the 88 GMC turning over. Now I can tell the clutch isn't working. Need to pull the bed to replace the fuel pump that I threw inside the cab a couple of years ago. Still - I love that old rig. Already scratched up and holds a crap ton of hay and firewood.

Got "Red Green", the 1983 Toyota 4x4 put back together. If you saw it, and the TV show, you would instantly understand why MRS dubbed it that. I need to Jerry rig a couple of fusible links to get it back to life. I blame @BAKPAKR for this adventure. He is pressuring me to get up on those narrow scratchy high country goat trails. If I get it running I will trailer it to the trailhead. It is not street legal.

I should just buy an F'ing SxS and toy hauler. It's only money.

The first beer just kicked, I may sit out on the porch a bit.

 

[44hunter45]

50% success. The Toyota is running. MRS45 is truly impressed. It has been hidden under a growing pile of ranch throw away crap for 20 years. Longest call back for a garbage run ever.

Sometimes you just need to take a break. I re-wired the two fusible links and got it all the juice it wanted. I had run it dry when I parked it there. Shot some everclear in the carb and it fired up. It ran until the alcohol burned through. I will have to get gas in it tomorrow and some fuel additive.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Yesterday was mine. 50 miles into a trip to Oklahoma my tire pressure alert shows rapid decension on the right passenger tire. I’m in heavy interstate toll road traffic at 75mph but get the truck onto the shoulder as the monitor hits zero pressure. Get on the horn with my GM whiz bang 24/7 miracle repair network. They will send no repair truck because of the location but will send a tow truck. I suppress a few expletives and decline. The wheel and tire weighs about 80-90 lbs & it’s 95 humid degrees. Fun.

Tire has a 3” gash on the inner sidewall. The debris had to have come off a vehicle not far in front of us in heavy fast traffic.

Running on the spare we cancelled the trip & u-turned for home. Thankful.

Yesterday for me to, middle of nowhere back road between montana and idaho. 1 on truck and 1 on trailer. Jack folded on me to. Day shot to hell. Altho while I was waiting for a vehicle to hopefully pass by I was able to fish in a small mountain stream that was near the road.

 

[ismith]

Trying to get my old 1988 GMC ranch truck and my 1983 Toyota 4X4 running again. Both have been sitting for too long.
Got the alternators off and headed 30 miles to town to get them tested. No wallet. I was gonna get food in town and the blood sugar is sagging by now.
Buckle up and head back home to get my wallet. MRS is in a talkative mood. Another hour walking backward toward the door.

Get back to town and the GMC alternator tests good, none of the chain auto parts stores can test a 1983 Aisin alternator. Just tell me they can have a new one rebuilt on the way for $300 in a couple of days. They say they can test it if I drive it in. I ask them if they have ever heard of a Yardart Vehicle. They have not. I explain that if is started, I wouldn't be there trying to get my alternator tested.

I buy two new red top batteries. $600 trips the security limit on my Alaska Air credit card and my phone blows up with fraud alerts.

Get in my new truck to come home and there is a check engine light. I run back in and ask AutoZone folks to come out and run the codes. Fuel pump or injection pressure sensor. FML!
There is a known deal where the new GM in-tank fuel pumps vapor lock in the heat. I've had mine replaced by the dealer twice, but that warranty expired at 150,000 miles. Pffft!
GM engineers apparently were not told that in 95% of the US it gets above 90°F in the summer. Must be Climate Change.

I get home (after stopping to get a couple of cans of powder and cruising the primer shelf). I start to put the alternator back in the GMC and drop a bolt. It is lost somewhere down in the bowels of the truck. Came in to to get my retrieval magnet and here I am blowing steam.

Gonna have a beer and go see if I can cut my head on the other side to match the slice the Toyota hood gave me this morning.

Rant over - Back at it. At least I didn't spend the day on HT arguing politics.

Maybe spend all day tomorrow watching Vise Grip Garage on YT and?

 

[44hunter45]

Maybe spend all day tomorrow watching Vise Grip Garage on YT and?

I've never gotten into those Hot Rod flipper shows on Discover or wherever that was. My kid likes them, but he doesn't know a 9/16 from a 14mm or a 5/16 from an 8mm.

My 14 1/2 Y.O. granddaughter is turning into a total gear head though.

 

[ismith]

I've never gotten into those Hot Rod flipper shows on Discover or wherever that was. My kid likes them, but he doesn't know a 9/16 from a 14mm or a 5/16 from an 8mm.

My 14 1/2 Y.O. granddaughter is turning into a total gear head though.

My wife and kids love watching his show, he’s pretty entertaining.

 

[Khunter]

Yesterday was mine. 50 miles into a trip to Oklahoma my tire pressure alert shows rapid decension on the right passenger tire. I’m in heavy interstate toll road traffic at 75mph but get the truck onto the shoulder as the monitor hits zero pressure. Get on the horn with my GM whiz bang 24/7 miracle repair network. They will send no repair truck because of the location but will send a tow truck. I suppress a few expletives and decline. The wheel and tire weighs about 80-90 lbs & it’s 95 humid degrees. Fun.

Tire has a 3” gash on the inner sidewall. The debris had to have come off a vehicle not far in front of us in heavy fast traffic.

Running on the spare we cancelled the trip & u-turned for home. Thankful.

is your spare not a regular matching tire? I get so few flats, so rarely I think I would have carried on.

 

[duckhunt]

I used to enjoy working on my own older vehicles until it got to be once one was fixed the other would break down, on and on. Got rid of both of them and got a 2020 tundra. Now I really enjoy not working on vehicles.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

I'm just glad to see I'm not the only person who goes through this when they're doing a car project. Number of busted knuckles, curses, and requests to smite the ass hole who hid that bolt in that impossible to reach location.

Sometimes it feels personal. Like the design team at Buick knew you'd own their vehicle in twenty years so they have to plan out how to make it as painful as possible when something needs changed

 

[noharleyyet]

is your spare not a regular matching tire? I get so few flats, so rarely I think I would have carried on.

Spare is oem 275/70R18 Michelin Highway vs 35x11.50R20 Toyo A/T

 

[shannerdrake]

Spare is oem 275/70R18 Michelin Highway vs 35x11.50R20 Toyo A/T

Did you have to do a lift to get that 35 on?

My Trail Boss has 32.5s from factory and the open wheel well bothers me. But I hear it doesn’t take much to get rubbing on one.

 

[noharleyyet]

Did you have to do a lift to get that 35 on?

My Trail Boss has 32.5s from factory and the open wheel well bothers me. But I hear it doesn’t take much to get rubbing on one.

3” Cognito Lift and UCA. I need a better jack, and a quality rechargeable impact wrench.

 

[Dsnow9]

3” Cognito Lift and UCA. I need a better jack, and a quality rechargeable impact wrench.

Milwaukee m18 impact

 

[noharleyyet]

Milwaukee m18 impact

1/2"?

 

[44hunter45]

I used to enjoy working on my own older vehicles until it got to be once one was fixed the other would break down, on and on. Got rid of both of them and got a 2020 tundra. Now I really enjoy not working on vehicles.

I told the pretty girl at AutoZone - " I used to enjoy working on all my cars. Then it got to where I enjoyed working on project cars. Now I just hate working on cars. "