On US 89 North, coming out of flagstff, AZ...
really pretty road..pushing it quite a bit faster than usual.. have another 4 days to make 1200 miles or so...
been *across* utah, & banged around on US 60 & US 64 & whatnot in arizona, did part of US 191, but even though it was pretty in its own way, it dinna really 'oooh & ahhh' me..
anyways.. decided to take 89 up, heading into idaho, then east on US 2 to slave myself for a bit..
had some problems a while back with my serpentine belt.. i had replaced the alternator, & wanted to replace the belt, but the GMC specs & the belt manufacture's specs differed on length by about 3".. (hoidy fuck!), the first belt I went with gmc's, since they made this beautifull, pain in the ass, blast through hell, rusting & fuel sucking piece of disintegrating wonder...
it dinna fit, so at the time, i thought "bad move..."
kept the belt, though.. & put on another one, with the belt maker's specs.. tensioned it up as much as i could, & it still felt kind of loose... suffice it to say that i had no real problems for.. i dunno.. washington DC into socal up to wash. state, back down to SF & then back up.. i remember, because i had dropped off the fairies & trolls & was heading fucking *someplace*... in any case when it went, it went in Avenue of The Giants.. fucking pain in the ass.. i mean.. the belt was fine, structurally.. just stretched beyond any further adjustment..
sooo.. pulled over on the side of the road with no brakes, steering or power, & overheating to boot, "oh fuck, i says to myself.." & i wind up fucking around & am somehow able to *invert* the tensioner pulley & get the gdamned belt on..
very narrow escape.. been riding on that belt for about 30,000 miles, still..
well.. yesterday she decided she had it.. she started going *takkatakkatakka" about 30 miles from from the nearest town.. i manage to slide in by the seat of my pants, but it's sunset & after crawling underneath i see the belt has torn the lower radiator hose..
i am in a double "fuck me" situation..
i manage to limp into the parts store, & they want $22 for the belt & .. dig this.. **$130** for the hose !!!
it's not a simple molded hose.. it has a junction bracket, because the fucking american engineers decided to fuck with a tried & true design, in order to make the fucking cooling system more expensive to fucking service by the owner.. i fucking *****HATE***** american automotive fucking engineering...
anyways, i go park & figure i will decide what to do in the morning..
& when i wake up it is fucking raining.. great.. i'm going to be on my back in fucking water..
well.. after the rain stops, i limp over to a good downhill piece of asphalt, that's sort of dry.. pop the hood & take a look & crawl under & take a look & scratch my head & wonder if i am fucked..
then i remember the old belt... the original GMC spec, that dinna fit.. i had only tried it on when the tensioner was in the correct position.. i try again.. something is really odd.. even though it is a shorter belt, it too, is loose.. the alternator is a fixed position unit.. i unloosen the pulley mounting bolt, thread the belt & push down as far as i can.. i tighten her back up, but not all the way.. i push the tensioner pulley down to where it is *almost* touching waterpump pulley.. i can feel the tension on the belt.. there is maybe a 1/4" between the two pullies.. i tighten the tensioner nut, & voila!! good & tight, with an upside down tensioner..!
i start her up.. oh man!!! with the shorter belt, i have more amps, my power steering is better, my brakes seem a bit better, too.. i turn her off, since i have no coolant, & i think..
"i need to patch that fucking hose.."
patching a hose is a bitch.. depends mostly on what you have to patch with & how well you know to patch..
this is where you want me on your side, when the shit hits the fan..
i bought a pair of old, used neoprene baseball gloves.. nylon, with a nice layer of rubber..
i have my heavy duty gasket maker/sealant..
i have an old, random (& too small) radiator hose...
i have my goddamned wonderfull, high voltage, self-sealing,100%rubber tape (this is stuff that is used on high voltage distribution lines to seal cable splices)..
i spread that sealant around the tear..
i impregnate i cut a sectiojn of the glove out & massage sealant through the whole damn thing..
i mate the glove to the hose over the tear..
i cut a section of the old random hose big enough to fit over the glove.. i gasket seal her on the inside face & mate *her* to the glove...
i wrap that thing *well* with that beautifull, strong, stretchy, thick rubber tape..
it is like a fucking bondage scene being carried out in an abandoned, underground garage...
it winds up looking a bit like a burrito in black latex..
i get one last item.. dunno if needed or not, but i carry, flexible, tri-layer, water-proof flashing with me..
i give 1 wrap for shits & giggles..
i let it set for a bit..
i refill my cooling system (& remember this, because if yer overheating because of coolant blowing through ruptured hose, it can get you a few extra miles, if you have extra water to pour in every few minutes) & i drive for about 10 miles **with the cap off**..
she is staying under her boil-off point, which is sweet.. i just want to run her to heat set the repair.. if i were patient, i'd wait 3 hours, but i am fuck poor in that department..
i start climbing a pretty long grade, & she doesn't overheat, but she does want to pressurize, so the coolant ejects out the open radiator inlet..
i refill her (as expected) at a really nice scenic view of the Glen Canyon.. really sweet..
89 is a nice, nice road..
cap her up & take off..
time from first morning crawl under to final coolant refill?
2.5 fucking hours.. : )
it's been shady & it's been a nice morning of desert rains..
we'll see if i am full of shit or if this fix holds, but.. it looks good.. it's gotten me 80 miles, so far, & no leaks..
nonetheless.. if i see a parts yard, though, i think i'll take a dive... : )
anyways.. stopped, had a bite & am on my fucking way : )
yah!
really pretty road..pushing it quite a bit faster than usual.. have another 4 days to make 1200 miles or so...
been *across* utah, & banged around on US 60 & US 64 & whatnot in arizona, did part of US 191, but even though it was pretty in its own way, it dinna really 'oooh & ahhh' me..
anyways.. decided to take 89 up, heading into idaho, then east on US 2 to slave myself for a bit..
had some problems a while back with my serpentine belt.. i had replaced the alternator, & wanted to replace the belt, but the GMC specs & the belt manufacture's specs differed on length by about 3".. (hoidy fuck!), the first belt I went with gmc's, since they made this beautifull, pain in the ass, blast through hell, rusting & fuel sucking piece of disintegrating wonder...
it dinna fit, so at the time, i thought "bad move..."
kept the belt, though.. & put on another one, with the belt maker's specs.. tensioned it up as much as i could, & it still felt kind of loose... suffice it to say that i had no real problems for.. i dunno.. washington DC into socal up to wash. state, back down to SF & then back up.. i remember, because i had dropped off the fairies & trolls & was heading fucking *someplace*... in any case when it went, it went in Avenue of The Giants.. fucking pain in the ass.. i mean.. the belt was fine, structurally.. just stretched beyond any further adjustment..
sooo.. pulled over on the side of the road with no brakes, steering or power, & overheating to boot, "oh fuck, i says to myself.." & i wind up fucking around & am somehow able to *invert* the tensioner pulley & get the gdamned belt on..
very narrow escape.. been riding on that belt for about 30,000 miles, still..
well.. yesterday she decided she had it.. she started going *takkatakkatakka" about 30 miles from from the nearest town.. i manage to slide in by the seat of my pants, but it's sunset & after crawling underneath i see the belt has torn the lower radiator hose..
i am in a double "fuck me" situation..
i manage to limp into the parts store, & they want $22 for the belt & .. dig this.. **$130** for the hose !!!
it's not a simple molded hose.. it has a junction bracket, because the fucking american engineers decided to fuck with a tried & true design, in order to make the fucking cooling system more expensive to fucking service by the owner.. i fucking *****HATE***** american automotive fucking engineering...
anyways, i go park & figure i will decide what to do in the morning..
& when i wake up it is fucking raining.. great.. i'm going to be on my back in fucking water..
well.. after the rain stops, i limp over to a good downhill piece of asphalt, that's sort of dry.. pop the hood & take a look & crawl under & take a look & scratch my head & wonder if i am fucked..
then i remember the old belt... the original GMC spec, that dinna fit.. i had only tried it on when the tensioner was in the correct position.. i try again.. something is really odd.. even though it is a shorter belt, it too, is loose.. the alternator is a fixed position unit.. i unloosen the pulley mounting bolt, thread the belt & push down as far as i can.. i tighten her back up, but not all the way.. i push the tensioner pulley down to where it is *almost* touching waterpump pulley.. i can feel the tension on the belt.. there is maybe a 1/4" between the two pullies.. i tighten the tensioner nut, & voila!! good & tight, with an upside down tensioner..!
i start her up.. oh man!!! with the shorter belt, i have more amps, my power steering is better, my brakes seem a bit better, too.. i turn her off, since i have no coolant, & i think..
"i need to patch that fucking hose.."
patching a hose is a bitch.. depends mostly on what you have to patch with & how well you know to patch..
this is where you want me on your side, when the shit hits the fan..
i bought a pair of old, used neoprene baseball gloves.. nylon, with a nice layer of rubber..
i have my heavy duty gasket maker/sealant..
i have an old, random (& too small) radiator hose...
i have my goddamned wonderfull, high voltage, self-sealing,100%rubber tape (this is stuff that is used on high voltage distribution lines to seal cable splices)..
i spread that sealant around the tear..
i impregnate i cut a sectiojn of the glove out & massage sealant through the whole damn thing..
i mate the glove to the hose over the tear..
i cut a section of the old random hose big enough to fit over the glove.. i gasket seal her on the inside face & mate *her* to the glove...
i wrap that thing *well* with that beautifull, strong, stretchy, thick rubber tape..
it is like a fucking bondage scene being carried out in an abandoned, underground garage...
it winds up looking a bit like a burrito in black latex..
i get one last item.. dunno if needed or not, but i carry, flexible, tri-layer, water-proof flashing with me..
i give 1 wrap for shits & giggles..
i let it set for a bit..
i refill my cooling system (& remember this, because if yer overheating because of coolant blowing through ruptured hose, it can get you a few extra miles, if you have extra water to pour in every few minutes) & i drive for about 10 miles **with the cap off**..
she is staying under her boil-off point, which is sweet.. i just want to run her to heat set the repair.. if i were patient, i'd wait 3 hours, but i am fuck poor in that department..
i start climbing a pretty long grade, & she doesn't overheat, but she does want to pressurize, so the coolant ejects out the open radiator inlet..
i refill her (as expected) at a really nice scenic view of the Glen Canyon.. really sweet..
89 is a nice, nice road..
cap her up & take off..
time from first morning crawl under to final coolant refill?
2.5 fucking hours.. : )
it's been shady & it's been a nice morning of desert rains..
we'll see if i am full of shit or if this fix holds, but.. it looks good.. it's gotten me 80 miles, so far, & no leaks..
nonetheless.. if i see a parts yard, though, i think i'll take a dive... : )
anyways.. stopped, had a bite & am on my fucking way : )
yah!
