Did the blue wire mod via the upfitter switches & a relay. This AZ heat and 32ft 5th wheel makes my truck work extra hot climbing the hills to the high country, so figured I'd give it a shot for extra help & control & not wait until 218* for PCM to command full fan

 

If you had known, you would have said: F the wiring upgrades, change your damn brake fluid!!!!

 

Fixed the error. And just finished the toe alignment. Man, do I hate not having a lift anymore.

 

I fixed the quote - do do your alignment on the floor? We did the race car that way - must've been close enough, or wouldn't have won...

 

Yep. I've done it that way when installing new components and in the past have gotten alignment very close or on the mark when taking it in for alignment afterward. Enough so that on occasion I sometimes do not take the vehicle in at all. I've not had to with the F-350.

I learned the technique from racing and it was reinforced when I was at Elkhart Lake working with Rouch Racing. It was an "I'm not an idiot" moment to see them use a sophisticated version of string theory to realign the car after my company's COO crunched his ride during a practice run. He was driving a car for them. Maybe you used something like this, they did.

https://www.wheelalignmenttools.com/...gnment-system/

Sometimes I do the string layout with jack stands to set toe as long if I can find the data for the difference in front and rear axle track, but I've also made some hardware out of 8020 aluminum that makes it much easier to check toe on an axle, losing the vehicle centerline toe, and another tool to check caster/camber.

I really don't try to play with caster, but I'm comfortable with the camber, depending on the vehicle. The camber is off on the MDX, but the friggin 16mm nuts and bolts were frozen solid, to the point my 3/4" impact would not bust them loose (air delivery restrained). Really need to get that Milwaukee 1/2" impact. So today, I'm ordering replacement strut/knuckle bolts to cut the old ones out and have another go of it.

The "tools" are based on Tenhulzen's plates, but I think better. Since I have mass quantities of 8020 and hardware, it's a no-cost for me, but probably cost close to or maybe cheaper if you had to buy the aluminum.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/tnh-3300

So I've grown a pair...




Fitting one against a wheel to show, they set to the rim, and you use a pair of the same tape measures to get your toe in inches or metric. Or at least two tapes that measure exactly alike. After every wheel adjustment, you have to reset against the rim as the rims move. It is just a slight reset; the tapes do not have to be redone. The tapes go across the vehicle and get locked on the lower bar by those thumbscrews on the lower plate. On the MDX, the readings are around 78."





To check Camber/Caster, it's just a simple bar with standoffs for the rim. They are ground so the bar sits flat, checked in the same manner as you do a level. You have to use a level across the driveway to get the slope and use it to adjust the values you read. In the case of my driveway, it leans 0.5º low to the Northeast. The right post on the bar has been slightly ground so the bar sits flat. Larger dia rims would need another bar; this is at the max.






I used to use my angle finder wire tied to the bar (the magnet does not work well on aluminum) but have switched over to using an AngleFinder app on my cell (the reason for no picture of it on the bar). With the case on the iPhone, it fits right in the groove, and the side buttons do not affect the angle measurement. I've checked cal every way to Sunday and have found it to be very accurate. I can also lay the iPhone on the tire to get the two turn angles when checking the caster, 15º, 20º, whatever it takes. Unfortunately, it is an app that is a PITA due to the ads.




The iPhone laid horizontal to the ground.

 

Pretty nice for a home set up! A friend of mine and I used a couple of pieces of PVC one slipped inside the other with a tape measure attached and 90s on the ends for Toe. We had a simple angle finder originally for camber and then I went all out and bought a digital unit (I think it was a SmartCamber?) - this was back in the '90s. We used these mechanical lever scales (they actually used bathroom scales) to corner balance the car - IIRC they were called Ruggle Scales? Ah the things you do grass-roots racing...

 

Its less expensive then going to the shop.

It's a lot less tedious than using string. Back in June 2017, I was still using string. It's rare for me to bring that out and doing all the back and forth setup alignment of the string to the vehicle, unless I really, really have to. And that only got me toe. I can live with a little dog tracking.

 

Took the starter on and off to may times and took the oil cooler cover off too many times. I spent a little time backflushing oil cooler and doing distilled water flush and fill then added ELC. Next time! Fumoto valve for passenger side drain plug and FixUr6 oil cooler cover. One more starter removal and cover removal; then I’m only going to take off that starter when I need a new starter, and I’m never taking that oil cooler for any reason!

 

Over the last week I dropped my f350 off at the shop, today paid for it. Will pick up tonight. Almost $900 for 2 brake calipers, vac actuator, outer tie rod end, assorted brake lines, hoses and fittings, plus labor. Now I gotta get the engine leak looked into.

 

I used it to haul lawn equipment over to my new house to mow and weed the yard. Then hauled the stuff back to the residing hone.

 

Oil Change, fuel filters, installed a rebuild cluster from circuit medics.

Back flushed the oil cooler, changed thermostat, installed a coolant filter. Drove around a bit, went to work and found it pissing out the front driver side. I will be tracking down this bloody leak now after work.

 

Check for a cracked wye (Y) under the degas tank, make sure you got all your connections tightened back up after the flush...

 

I found it, back of the upper rad hose. Positioned the clamp differently, not seating well I guess.

 

Replaced a HID lamp today on my fresh headlight install . So-far so-good. One bulb just wouldn’t light every time. I Swapped the problem bulb from side to side and the problem went with it. Weird it was intermittent. I’m a noob with this stuff but I’ve noticed there is a small, relatively inexpensive device referred to as an igniter available, I’m thinking that function would be included in the ballasts but maybe that’s something I might need to add to my system if I continue to have issues? The bulbs do light up gradually and take 7-10seconds to get near full brightness. The factory installed ones in my wife’s car take a couple seconds and build up gradually in brightness too but it’s much faster.

 

Ran it over the scales at the landfill. 8,600lbs is what it said the truck weighted.