Great question, it's really a long story but I will do my best to sum it up quickly.
Started running real bad the day before we left on the trip. After a bunch of tests I ended up pulling the air cleaner off the carb and it ran great again. Awesome next day I got a new filter and off we go, no issues. Well 20 miles from home she starts acting up again, so I throw a fuel filter on that I picked up that day as a "just in case", seemed better. Made it to Acton when she wouldn't go over 50. Pulled off and disassembled the entire carb under the street lamp and sprayed it all out, checked everything and all seemed well. Jumped on the freeway and everything was great till I was just outside Palmdale. Starting acting up but I just decided to run it and figure it out Friday AM in Laughlin. Made it to Barstow, gassed up and continued on but she died half way to Laughlin from Barstow in the 40. Got flat towed via a tow strap 120 miles thanks to my buddy Travis in his diesel blazer. By this time it was 5am and I was BEAT, I haven't been getting much sleep prior to this trip as I was thrashing on the truck to get it ready. Woke up as early as I could (9am) and went into town to buy everything I could to fix it. I though for sure it was either the MSD distributor, coil, or carb. But no one around had any parts for the MSD, and I wasn't about to buy a $300+ carb on a hunch, so I replaced the coil, the plug wired, plugs, and fuel pump and it seemed a lot better although it still had the stumble, hesitation, and back firing symptoms. At this point it's getting close to 1pm and I was holding everyone up so I said screw it and decided to trek on with it the way it was. And I am glad I did becuase the truck ran progressively better all day. Friday night and Camp 2 My buddy Travis noticed a pool of fluid under the bronco, I checked it out and it was gas. So I pulled the gas cap off and parked the bronco nose high and decided to check it out in the day time Saturday AM. Got lots of sleep and felt much better, pulled the hose off the tank side and low and behold it's not even fuel line, but some cheap vacuum style hose. Fixed that and took it for a drive and BAM all cured (or so I though) ran awesome for about 20 minutes and started doing it again! DAMN! Oh well I am still having fun. Drove it some more and as the day went it it went away. By the end of the day it stopped completely! Awesome! Woke up Sunday and was pumped to continue on. Persuaded most to continue, although some jumped on the highway to get home for Easter festivities. Truck ran awesome all day Sunday, no issues. Made it the last 30 or so miles, jumped on the freeway for 10 minutes, got off at Outlet Center Dr. Ate some Barstow Del Taco, gassed and aired up a Flying J and headed home Another less them perfect but very much successful trip!
only1mikey wrote:Great question, it's really a long story but I will do my best to sum it up quickly.
Started running real bad the day before we left on the trip. After a bunch of tests I ended up pulling the air cleaner off the carb and it ran great again. Awesome next day I got a new filter and off we go, no issues. Well 20 miles from home she starts acting up again, so I throw a fuel filter on that I picked up that day as a "just in case", seemed better. Made it to Acton when she wouldn't go over 50. Pulled off and disassembled the entire carb under the street lamp and sprayed it all out, checked everything and all seemed well. Jumped on the freeway and everything was great till I was just outside Palmdale. Starting acting up but I just decided to run it and figure it out Friday AM in Laughlin. Made it to Barstow, gassed up and continued on but she died half way to Laughlin from Barstow in the 40. Got flat towed via a tow strap 120 miles thanks to my buddy Travis in his diesel blazer. By this time it was 5am and I was BEAT, I haven't been getting much sleep prior to this trip as I was thrashing on the truck to get it ready. Woke up as early as I could (9am) and went into town to buy everything I could to fix it. I though for sure it was either the MSD distributor, coil, or carb. But no one around had any parts for the MSD, and I wasn't about to buy a $300+ carb on a hunch, so I replaced the coil, the plug wired, plugs, and fuel pump and it seemed a lot better although it still had the stumble, hesitation, and back firing symptoms. At this point it's getting close to 1pm and I was holding everyone up so I said screw it and decided to trek on with it the way it was. And I am glad I did becuase the truck ran progressively better all day. Friday night and Camp 2 My buddy Travis noticed a pool of fluid under the bronco, I checked it out and it was gas. So I pulled the gas cap off and parked the bronco nose high and decided to check it out in the day time Saturday AM. Got lots of sleep and felt much better, pulled the hose off the tank side and low and behold it's not even fuel line, but some cheap vacuum style hose. Fixed that and took it for a drive and BAM all cured (or so I though) ran awesome for about 20 minutes and started doing it again! DAMN! Oh well I am still having fun. Drove it some more and as the day went it it went away. By the end of the day it stopped completely! Awesome! Woke up Sunday and was pumped to continue on. Persuaded most to continue, although some jumped on the highway to get home for Easter festivities. Truck ran awesome all day Sunday, no issues. Made it the last 30 or so miles, jumped on the freeway for 10 minutes, got off at Outlet Center Dr. Ate some Barstow Del Taco, gassed and aired up a Flying J and headed home Another less them perfect but very much successful trip!
Can't wait for BAJA
Mike
Awesome!!! Still made it home under its own power!!
Not only that it got a bitchin tune up in the middle of camp lol!
Next on my list of stuff to do/fix:
Install my tranny cooler
figure out why my oil pressure gauge isn't working
paint the front clip to match the rest of the truck
economig wrote:Nice write-up! Inside the engine bay pic is classic ha ha
It's a tight fit, BUT I can squeeze in there obviously. I was replacing the fuel pump at that moment. Didn't think that was the problem BUT I was running out of things I could replace at that moment.
And yes anyone with a decently prepped vehicle can join us. I know I don't have a leg to stand on judging by the pictures above, but I am usually prepped. Hell I am usually the one under someone elses vehicle fixing stuff, I love trail fixing broken stuff lol.
Oh favorite part of the trip, (if anyone cares) Sunday was jamming though the wash that parallels the 15 and came up to a fork going about 30-35mph and the sand diving the fork was a perfect little 3 foot tall lip and launched the bronco pretty good, but landing in that super soft sand was so awesome cause I didn't even feel it lol. Can't wait till the next trip!
only1mikey wrote:Oh favorite part of the trip, (if anyone cares) Sunday was jamming though the wash that parallels the 15 and came up to a fork going about 30-35mph and the sand diving the fork was a perfect little 3 foot tall lip and launched the bronco pretty good, but landing in that super soft sand was so awesome cause I didn't even feel it lol. Can't wait till the next trip!
No pics man gotta keep going in that soft stuff or we would all get stuck. I did plenty of 4x4 rescues in that stuff, mig welded extended axles and all.
only1mikey wrote:Next on my list of stuff to do/fix:
figure out why my oil pressure gauge isn't working
When I got the first Barge I thought the oil pressure gauge didn't work. While beating it in SF it started working for a while then went away. Bad connection I thought. While tearing down the motor a short while later I discovered that it had had one of the shitty nylon timing gears that had disintegrated. The PO had replaced the gear but failed to clean out all the shrapnel. This was all wedged in the oil pick up. The gauge actually worked fine, I just had no oil pressure.
