The OT
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 14,541
Likes: 2
From: Dallas-Ft. Worth
Yep -- just check yourself into the "Henry Ford" Clinic like the rest of us and you'll be on your way. Not necessarily to recovery, but to somewhere... 
Christmas lights... I put mine up during the Thanksgiving weekend. Sort of a tradition for me to do it that Friday, then take them down the first weekend into the new year.
Ethanol... I LOVED that stuff in my Vulcan Ranger ("Vulcan" is the name of the 3.0 that's ethanol compatible). It is indeed a high octane fuel. Pure ethanol is run in high compression race engines for that reason. A lot of people think "E85" means 85 octane, which it certainly is not. IIRC, it's around 104. E85 is just 85% ethanol, 15% gasoline. They denature it with gasoline so you can't drink it (plus, it lowers the octane). I think pure ethanol is 110 or 115 octane -- something like that anyway. My truck ran really great on the stuff. BUT, it had larger injectors and a sensor to determine the ethanol mix in the fuel line. It would adjust the fuel/air mix to compensate for the amount of ethanol in it (assuming that you could have anywhere from E0 to E85). The reason for that is ethanol has an extra molecule of oxygen -- so it requires less air to burn properly. BUT, less air means more fuel (hence the sensor and larger injectors -- the non Flex 3.0 had 18lb sticks, mine had 24lbs sticks, IIRC). So I lost about 15% off my MPG when running it. However, it was 30c cheaper. Back then, everyone was paying ~$2/gal, I was paying $1.70. It was a wash for me, but the truck ran so much better on it, I liked running it.
So there's a very long story on E85. Why some vehicles run poorly on it, I don't know. I think you all have probably covered most of the reasons. It is like BioDiesel in that it cleans your fuel system and eats rubber, so that may be part of it. I know I changed my fuel filter after switching, just because of that. Sorry for the long post...
Jeremy --> I gotta run, but I'll answer your PM on the way out to the test site...
Christmas lights... I put mine up during the Thanksgiving weekend. Sort of a tradition for me to do it that Friday, then take them down the first weekend into the new year.
Ethanol... I LOVED that stuff in my Vulcan Ranger ("Vulcan" is the name of the 3.0 that's ethanol compatible). It is indeed a high octane fuel. Pure ethanol is run in high compression race engines for that reason. A lot of people think "E85" means 85 octane, which it certainly is not. IIRC, it's around 104. E85 is just 85% ethanol, 15% gasoline. They denature it with gasoline so you can't drink it (plus, it lowers the octane). I think pure ethanol is 110 or 115 octane -- something like that anyway. My truck ran really great on the stuff. BUT, it had larger injectors and a sensor to determine the ethanol mix in the fuel line. It would adjust the fuel/air mix to compensate for the amount of ethanol in it (assuming that you could have anywhere from E0 to E85). The reason for that is ethanol has an extra molecule of oxygen -- so it requires less air to burn properly. BUT, less air means more fuel (hence the sensor and larger injectors -- the non Flex 3.0 had 18lb sticks, mine had 24lbs sticks, IIRC). So I lost about 15% off my MPG when running it. However, it was 30c cheaper. Back then, everyone was paying ~$2/gal, I was paying $1.70. It was a wash for me, but the truck ran so much better on it, I liked running it.
So there's a very long story on E85. Why some vehicles run poorly on it, I don't know. I think you all have probably covered most of the reasons. It is like BioDiesel in that it cleans your fuel system and eats rubber, so that may be part of it. I know I changed my fuel filter after switching, just because of that. Sorry for the long post...
Jeremy --> I gotta run, but I'll answer your PM on the way out to the test site...
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,144
Likes: 11
From: Rochdale MA
Travis that really wouldn't suprise me if that was an actual picture of you when you were a kid!!
[quote=Izzy351;6757518]Yep -- just check yourself inot the "Henry Ford" Clinic like the rest of us and you'll be on your way. Not necessarily to recovery, but to somewhere...
quote]
Why do that? I have my support group right here. So it works a little backwards. Instead of talking you out of things.....you get reasoning why you should do things!!!
Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,777
Likes: 0
From: Buckingham, IA
Yeah, the driver gets into trouble because "a customer is upset that their delivery hasn't arrived". Heard and experienced this and will never call them about a delivery again. I have too much respect for their drivers.
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 14,541
Likes: 2
From: Dallas-Ft. Worth
Smokin
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,849
Likes: 0
Lisa, don't badmouth gasohol here in Iowa. ...Plus it is higher octane than regular. It will cause problems if you have dirt in your fuel tank as it will loosen it and plug filters. May have to have Randy's Jeep cooling system pressurized to find the leak. Sometimes those can be a pain to find. Hope it isn't a head gasket. Was he involved in the work at the coal train derailment ?
Coal derailment? Was there a derailment in Iowa, or are you referring to the coal train derailment picture I posted? If it was in Iowa, I am not 100% positive but he didn't say anything about it. UP also has hundreds of miles of track in Iowa, so it was probably a UP train if thats the case. the IAIS trains don't tip all that often.
The varnish may have been knocked loose.
All vehicles [i]should[/] have some kind of fuel filter in it. If this one is fuel injected, it may just be something as simple as a sock in the tank. I'd lean toward an inline somewhere along the framerail, though I don't know that for a fact. Anyway, those deposits that are now busted loose could have easily clogged the filter. That's classic symptoms of a clogged filter.
Another thing it could be is a collapsing rubber fuel line,
All vehicles [i]should[/] have some kind of fuel filter in it. If this one is fuel injected, it may just be something as simple as a sock in the tank. I'd lean toward an inline somewhere along the framerail, though I don't know that for a fact. Anyway, those deposits that are now busted loose could have easily clogged the filter. That's classic symptoms of a clogged filter.
Another thing it could be is a collapsing rubber fuel line,
Why some vehicles run poorly on it, I don't know. I think you all have probably covered most of the reasons. It is like BioDiesel in that it cleans your fuel system and eats rubber, so that may be part of it. I know I changed my fuel filter after switching, just because of that. Sorry for the long post...
thanks!
Gone, but not forgotten
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 5,026
Likes: 2
From: Charlotte-Fairbanks-Bflo
How much per month? I thought about that for my motor home once, but at the time the damn dish was too cumbersome.
Joe, this may be a question you can answer...all of the mobile broadband plans I'm looking at are based of a certain GB of usage. Both Verizon and Sprint have the same price for 5GB. My question this: is there any way for me to tell or test what my monthly average GB internet usage may be?
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 14,541
Likes: 2
From: Dallas-Ft. Worth
Satellite is still expensive, from what I've seen. But that may have been just because of WHERE I was looking. Over in Iraq, they wanted like $600 for the HW, and $200/mo. Something rediculous like that. I didn't bother looking any further when I heard the rates. Just not worth it for my short time over there. A lot of the contractors had it -- they were there for a year minimum, and I ran into some that were there for 3 or 4 years!! I guess that gravy train will be coming to an end, eh?? 
Gone, but not forgotten
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 5,026
Likes: 2
From: Charlotte-Fairbanks-Bflo
Where was this taken. Looks like something you'd see in Frisco, but it's nothing I recognize.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 7,191
Likes: 4
From: Blairsville,Ga
I do remember it is more than cable or DSL and it don't work well in the rain
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 14,541
Likes: 2
From: Dallas-Ft. Worth
Gone, but not forgotten
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 5,026
Likes: 2
From: Charlotte-Fairbanks-Bflo
Went to bed at 10 Eastern, got up this morning and it took me 75 minutes to catch up and do a few posts. Then I finally checked the daily numbers. Ha, won 5 bucks last night. So my day is off to a good start.
Gone, but not forgotten
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 5,026
Likes: 2
From: Charlotte-Fairbanks-Bflo
Just curious here. Where do the closed OT's go? I just did a quick search of the pages covering the past 3 months looking for an old OT thread just for the hell of it and could not find one. Does that mean that if they are closed off they go into cyberspace and never to be recovered? I would think not.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 25,090
Likes: 1,112
From: Rio Rico, AZ.
Oh one more OT...
Randy's been having issues with is '93 Cheap Cherokee. V8 (5.2 liter I think). ANYWAYs....he claims he filled it up the other day with that 10% ethanol 90% unleaded crap. I asked him what he did that for since he doesn't have a flex-fuel enabled vehicle, and he swears up and down that such a small percentage of ethanol is okay to run in a standard gasser.
So long story short, he says it sputters when he pushes down on the throttle, as if it is running out of fuel. Once he gets up to highway speeds, it behaves normally. It doesn't have a fuel filter that I am aware of, or anything else that would need cleaning. Fuel pump is working obviously, it never quits it just sputters. This is all 2nd hand information, I haven't heard or seen it doing this.
This sounds like an ignition mis-fire. Plugs and wires are losing thier ability to channel the spark to the electrode during periods of high engine load and electricity always finds the easiest path to ground - and that could easily mean through the side of the insulating boot on the plug wire.
Back off on the throttle to just enough to maintain cruising speed, the cylinder pressures go back down and now the easiest path to ground is through the electrode again. Step on the gas to pass a car, cylinder pressures go back up, resistance to jump the gap at the spark plug goes up too and now it is easier to jump through the side of the spark plug boot.
If this car has never been tuned up, then it needs to be done.
A bit of background on this vehicle: It has a coolant leak. I have been all over his *** about figuring out where this is coming from, and told him to check out the water pump. He says it only leaks when its parked, never running.
A marginally loose hose clamp will do this. It will be tight enough to seal when the engine is hot and the flange is expanded a little, but when everything cools back down, it becomes loose enough to leak.
Simply tightening all the clamps is usually enough to seal it all back up again.
When he first got it (was his grandfather's Jeep) it had an Oxygen sensor issue, but has seemed to run just fine since then.
It also burns oil. Not much, but a little bit. Oil pressure in this thing is all over the place, to the point to where it is worrisome. It gets up to the high end of the gauge when you really lay on the throttle, and drops back down when at idle.
So, upon first glance, what do you think? Once I get there I'll have a chance to inspect it.
Jeep only has like 53,000 miles on it.
Randy's been having issues with is '93 Cheap Cherokee. V8 (5.2 liter I think). ANYWAYs....he claims he filled it up the other day with that 10% ethanol 90% unleaded crap. I asked him what he did that for since he doesn't have a flex-fuel enabled vehicle, and he swears up and down that such a small percentage of ethanol is okay to run in a standard gasser.
So long story short, he says it sputters when he pushes down on the throttle, as if it is running out of fuel. Once he gets up to highway speeds, it behaves normally. It doesn't have a fuel filter that I am aware of, or anything else that would need cleaning. Fuel pump is working obviously, it never quits it just sputters. This is all 2nd hand information, I haven't heard or seen it doing this.
This sounds like an ignition mis-fire. Plugs and wires are losing thier ability to channel the spark to the electrode during periods of high engine load and electricity always finds the easiest path to ground - and that could easily mean through the side of the insulating boot on the plug wire.
Back off on the throttle to just enough to maintain cruising speed, the cylinder pressures go back down and now the easiest path to ground is through the electrode again. Step on the gas to pass a car, cylinder pressures go back up, resistance to jump the gap at the spark plug goes up too and now it is easier to jump through the side of the spark plug boot.
If this car has never been tuned up, then it needs to be done.
A bit of background on this vehicle: It has a coolant leak. I have been all over his *** about figuring out where this is coming from, and told him to check out the water pump. He says it only leaks when its parked, never running.
A marginally loose hose clamp will do this. It will be tight enough to seal when the engine is hot and the flange is expanded a little, but when everything cools back down, it becomes loose enough to leak.
Simply tightening all the clamps is usually enough to seal it all back up again.
When he first got it (was his grandfather's Jeep) it had an Oxygen sensor issue, but has seemed to run just fine since then.
It also burns oil. Not much, but a little bit. Oil pressure in this thing is all over the place, to the point to where it is worrisome. It gets up to the high end of the gauge when you really lay on the throttle, and drops back down when at idle.
So, upon first glance, what do you think? Once I get there I'll have a chance to inspect it.
Jeep only has like 53,000 miles on it.
Agreed, 10 ethanol is fine for the cars. This sort of blend has been around for years.
FTE Legend
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 37,887
Likes: 20
From: North Central Rural Sask.
We set it up ourselves, its very easy to do. It also works OK. They slow you down if you use too much speed for over an hour or something stupid like that though. So for downloading files over a gig or so I just leave my desktop on overnight downloading.
The latency is terrible though!
All in all its better then dial up, it loads most pages fast, and is pretty reliable (bad storms will screw with it though).
I would still like to upgrade to a wireless system, but the tower is juuuuusssssttttt out of reach right now.