Saddletramp
GOLD Star
Are we ready to go out on the trail now? Very nice work and well documented.
Builds Another LS swap? Really??? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter ARJMN
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- ls swap lx450 tucson csc
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- #302
Hey Steve, hope you're well. I am chasing the last two gremlins at present.
#1 I have a coolant leak that I can not find. I have ordered some UV dye and a UV light to help me find it. They arrive Thursday, so the weekend will reveal the source, hopefully.
#2 I have to have the thing dyno tuned. The existing tune does not agree with the changes to the engine, especially that lack of a cam phaser sensor, so I have rough running and a constant check engine light.
When I get those two addressed, I will be making longer and longer shake down runs to be sure there truly is no more gremlins in the works. Looking forward to getting back out again!
Saddletramp
GOLD Star
Results from recent tune?
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- #304
Hey Steve! Yeah, no results yet. I had to cancel the dyno session due to a coolant leak and oil leak. Coolant leak is fixed, but the oil leak is a frustration. Looks to be coming from the filter base on the Speedway oil pan, but all the bolts are tight and i used a new seal. I never liked that pan from the start, so the last bullet is being bitten and a turn key modded factory pan is being ordered from Mark’s 4WD. The coolant was an engine concern so I made sure it was good. The oil is just a real nuisance at present, so I have to keep washing the under carriage to keep the accumulation down. I will have the pan in April or before and I am heading to Moab on the 15th, but being that I am trailering all my toys there, i will just deal with the leak and stay on top of the checks until then.
As for the dyno, I will reschedule when I am sure I wont be dripping all over Cordes Performance’s floor. The stock 6.0 was supposedly around 400hp/400lbft with the corvette tune. Those are crank numbers and parasitics have to be accounted for so I cant say what wheel numbers would be. I can tell you the rebuilt 6.1 feels stronger than the stock iteration, and if you got by the claims of the parts companies, should have 25-30 more ponies and torques than before. The cam should have shifted the torque curve down a bit in the rpms, which seems right with how strong it feels down low. I am oh-so-close to having it back to 100% and look forward to getting out. I don’t want to have another summer without being able to escape to the mountains, so it is a big priority to have it dialed by May.
Side note, the last last bullet is actually the AC compressor clutch assembly. When I fired the rig back up, it screeched and squealed so bad i thought the mains were locking up. Turns out the Gila charge me one more fee in the form of a silted and ruined clutch assembly.
Lessons here are that mud/water/river silt sucks! I have literally rebuilt my entire rig and will still be cleaning silt out of it for years to come. Cost of having fun…
As for the dyno, I will reschedule when I am sure I wont be dripping all over Cordes Performance’s floor. The stock 6.0 was supposedly around 400hp/400lbft with the corvette tune. Those are crank numbers and parasitics have to be accounted for so I cant say what wheel numbers would be. I can tell you the rebuilt 6.1 feels stronger than the stock iteration, and if you got by the claims of the parts companies, should have 25-30 more ponies and torques than before. The cam should have shifted the torque curve down a bit in the rpms, which seems right with how strong it feels down low. I am oh-so-close to having it back to 100% and look forward to getting out. I don’t want to have another summer without being able to escape to the mountains, so it is a big priority to have it dialed by May.
Side note, the last last bullet is actually the AC compressor clutch assembly. When I fired the rig back up, it screeched and squealed so bad i thought the mains were locking up. Turns out the Gila charge me one more fee in the form of a silted and ruined clutch assembly.
Lessons here are that mud/water/river silt sucks! I have literally rebuilt my entire rig and will still be cleaning silt out of it for years to come. Cost of having fun…
Saddletramp
GOLD Star
Looking forward to getting out on the trail with you soon
- Thread starter
- #306
Well hello there. It has been some time since I last checked in. When last we chatted, I was trying to get Lexi Jo into Cordes Performance for the dyno tuning session. That event was delayed due to coolant and engine oil leaks. The last thing you want to do is to show up at a nice clean dyno cell and slobber vital fluids all over the place. Updates there now find the coolant leak resolved in the replacement of a split heater hose...a split that was so small it only opened up when under full pressure at running temp. The engine oil leak resolution, however has been a more frustrating undertaking. In previous posts, I think, I outlined the modification to the Speedway Motors fabricated pan in order to clear the axle. This was required because there is no off the shelf oil pan solution that clears the axle. Clearance is important due to the pan being no match for an axle housing angrily ramming its way upwards on a full bump event. While my modifications were successful and there were no leaks there, the bolt on filter base has leaked from day one. I have removed it, cleaned it, reinstalled it, and for the life of me have yet to figure out why it leaks. Truthfully, I never liked that pan to begin with, and much prefer the factory GM pan options. Trouble was, I had to extend the bump stops so far to prevent damage to the pan that I sacrificed about half the up travel of the front axle. What to do? Well, after coming to the end of my patience with the current setup, I bit the bullet and ordered a Mark's 4WD modified pan from Australia. When I said there were no off the shelf options, that was not 100% accurate. Mark's 4WD sells a new factory pan already modified to clear the axle. These days, I find my time being more precious than a few extra bucks, so this was a valid option I should have selected in the beginning. This allows me to go back with the engine oil cooler setup I had before the Titanic reenactment(with all new parts of course) and gets me back to a using the wonderful factory GM pan. Seriously, they are works of art for Engineers and gear nerds.
Here you can see the clearanced oil sump and relocated drain plug. The bonus benefit here is that this will drain directly down into a catch pan, not onto the tie rod where it will split and spray all over the floor.
Those that know me and my inventory of tools will know that I own a TIG welder and all the tools needed to do this mod myself. Those same folks may ask why I didn't do it myself. I defer to my statement above about time being so precious these days. My new role at work has me running all over to keep up, and the extra dollars offset the purchase of this jewel. Also...I burnt up my TIG torch over a year ago and have failed to replace it.....
Here you can see the clearanced oil sump and relocated drain plug. The bonus benefit here is that this will drain directly down into a catch pan, not onto the tie rod where it will split and spray all over the floor.
Those that know me and my inventory of tools will know that I own a TIG welder and all the tools needed to do this mod myself. Those same folks may ask why I didn't do it myself. I defer to my statement above about time being so precious these days. My new role at work has me running all over to keep up, and the extra dollars offset the purchase of this jewel. Also...I burnt up my TIG torch over a year ago and have failed to replace it.....
- Thread starter
- #307
Going a tick out of chronological order, I also just last Saturday got back from a week's vacation in Moab. That was my 7th time visiting there and it never gets old. I simply love that place and had I known what real estate there(and everywhere) was going to come to these days, I would have leveraged myself to buy a place there as a getaway. It is truly one of my favorite places to spend some downtime.
This trip we had a mixed group of MTBers, dirt bikers, and hikers. That resulted in me loading up all the toys in and taking the whole show on the road. The mountain bike and camping gear got packed in the 80, the 80 and the 500 got strapped down on the trailer, and trials bike, gas, and all the extras were piled in the back of the truck. It made me smile just to see all the toys loaded knowing I was going to have a grand week.
The original plan was to work a half day Friday and push to Flagstaff for an overnight camp. The weather had other plans for me. When I got to Flagstaff and stopped for fuel and food, the temps were dropping. By the time I finish a Hatch Chili Grilled Chicken sandwich and Amber Ale at Grand Canyon Brewing, wet clumpy flakes were descending upon the area. This was my queue to shag azz out of there as I was not equipped to swag it in those temps, nor did I want to risk driving out in the snow covered morning with all my toys in tow.
I pushed through three separate bouts with the whitening conditions. I seemed to be on the front edge of the weather system the whole drive. In the end, I made the decision to keep pushing through the res, hoping I made the right call. By the time I made my final fuel stop about an hour outside Moab, it was 1am and I was ready for some sleep.
Fate saw me through to Moab and iOverlander put me into a designated camp spot that damn near saw me slide sideway into a ditch and a very bad recovery. That is the reason I always buy 4WD trucks. You may only need it a few times a year, but if I was in a 2WD rig, I would have been hosed. My apologies to the other campers there as it was 2am and this idiot in a 46 foot long diesel rig was in low range praying I could ease my way out of that offcamber mud pie. I was able to just swing around, clearing another car by about 4-5 feet while shining my head lights on sleeping bodies under a tarp next to it. I got out, and gave zero sh%&s if I got a ticket for camping in a no camping zone, but exhaustion won out and I pitch the swag and passed out. Morning came and snow had turned to rain. While not downpour proof, the swag was mostly dry and cozy warm.
Equal parts curiosity and caution to be sure I was legal and thus covered by insurance, I ran across the scales on the way out of town after filling up. I was surprised to see that my total weight was 18,160lb. Heavier than expected, but still well under certified ratings of my truck/trailer. These modern common rail diesels surprise me all the time how good they work. That Cummins is a freaking workhorse.
This trip we had a mixed group of MTBers, dirt bikers, and hikers. That resulted in me loading up all the toys in and taking the whole show on the road. The mountain bike and camping gear got packed in the 80, the 80 and the 500 got strapped down on the trailer, and trials bike, gas, and all the extras were piled in the back of the truck. It made me smile just to see all the toys loaded knowing I was going to have a grand week.
The original plan was to work a half day Friday and push to Flagstaff for an overnight camp. The weather had other plans for me. When I got to Flagstaff and stopped for fuel and food, the temps were dropping. By the time I finish a Hatch Chili Grilled Chicken sandwich and Amber Ale at Grand Canyon Brewing, wet clumpy flakes were descending upon the area. This was my queue to shag azz out of there as I was not equipped to swag it in those temps, nor did I want to risk driving out in the snow covered morning with all my toys in tow.
I pushed through three separate bouts with the whitening conditions. I seemed to be on the front edge of the weather system the whole drive. In the end, I made the decision to keep pushing through the res, hoping I made the right call. By the time I made my final fuel stop about an hour outside Moab, it was 1am and I was ready for some sleep.
Fate saw me through to Moab and iOverlander put me into a designated camp spot that damn near saw me slide sideway into a ditch and a very bad recovery. That is the reason I always buy 4WD trucks. You may only need it a few times a year, but if I was in a 2WD rig, I would have been hosed. My apologies to the other campers there as it was 2am and this idiot in a 46 foot long diesel rig was in low range praying I could ease my way out of that offcamber mud pie. I was able to just swing around, clearing another car by about 4-5 feet while shining my head lights on sleeping bodies under a tarp next to it. I got out, and gave zero sh%&s if I got a ticket for camping in a no camping zone, but exhaustion won out and I pitch the swag and passed out. Morning came and snow had turned to rain. While not downpour proof, the swag was mostly dry and cozy warm.
Equal parts curiosity and caution to be sure I was legal and thus covered by insurance, I ran across the scales on the way out of town after filling up. I was surprised to see that my total weight was 18,160lb. Heavier than expected, but still well under certified ratings of my truck/trailer. These modern common rail diesels surprise me all the time how good they work. That Cummins is a freaking workhorse.
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- #308
After a slow wakeup and a swig of cold brew from a can, I thought it proper to head to Sand Flat Recreation Area and begin the fun. It was still raining in the valley and it was flat dumping in the Le Sal Mountains above, a condition that altered our plans for the week, but that wasn't going to stop me from riding the trials bike on the Slickrock Trail. I was almost the first person there being barely past 8:00am.
If you have never ridden a trials bike, it is a blast. You will never find a tire that gets more traction and you can climb/ride lines that are hard to believe. That said, I was shocked to find that even Slickrock can get slippery in the rain. I had a few scares and decided to be smart and not end the trip on day one. Beautiful views regardless of rain.
Over looking the Colorado River.
A while later, everyone got to town and we met at Moab Brewing for the kickoff celebration.
If you have never ridden a trials bike, it is a blast. You will never find a tire that gets more traction and you can climb/ride lines that are hard to believe. That said, I was shocked to find that even Slickrock can get slippery in the rain. I had a few scares and decided to be smart and not end the trip on day one. Beautiful views regardless of rain.
Over looking the Colorado River.
A while later, everyone got to town and we met at Moab Brewing for the kickoff celebration.
- Thread starter
- #309
This is a Cruiser forum. Where is the Cruiser content you may ask. Well, I am getting there. Like I said above, this was a mixed group of hobbyists. I did make time to take them out in the 80 between other activities. We ended up running Hell's Revenge and Fins and Things. Those are not the most technical trails, but for folks not accustomed to the 4WD life, they were plenty exciting. We saw this really nice 200 Series pass us at the hot tubs.
Simple pic of the Le Sals from Fins and Things.
Pic of my buddy while resting during Five Miles of Hell on the dirt bikes. That track is brutal, relentless, and you are guaranteed to throw your bike on the ground at least a few times. I did, but luckily didn't break anything too expensive.
We rode 3+hrs and made about 2/3rds of the way. When we made it to the 2nd bailout, we were both relieved to call it and head back to town for beers.
Forest Gump Hill from the drive home. What a week!
Simple pic of the Le Sals from Fins and Things.
Pic of my buddy while resting during Five Miles of Hell on the dirt bikes. That track is brutal, relentless, and you are guaranteed to throw your bike on the ground at least a few times. I did, but luckily didn't break anything too expensive.
We rode 3+hrs and made about 2/3rds of the way. When we made it to the 2nd bailout, we were both relieved to call it and head back to town for beers.
Forest Gump Hill from the drive home. What a week!
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- #311
Had Colorado plates if I remember correctly…
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- #313
That is pretty funny. Had I not been trying to herd four off-road newbies into the 80 ahead of a gaggle of Jeeps, I would have flagged you down for a look. A silver 200 is pretty high on my want list.
