rattle_snake's random shop projects v0.1

[ntsqd]

Is there a reason for the merely shielded vs. rubber sealed bearings? The bearings in the OEM serpentine idlers on Snowball are all rubber sealed. One by one I've replaced them all with what came out of them.

I think that fan could be an inch or two larger OD, but if relatively short term then ROI.

 

[rattle_snake]

I had issues with my tensioner and idler on my supercharged 1988 Ford F250/ 460cid engine. The pulleys from both Paxton as well as Vortech at the time were molded phenolic pulleys and didn't last long very long as well as being on the pricey side. I machined replacement pulleys to the exact size, but allowed bearing replacements by simple snap ring retainers for this same reason. When they started making some noise it was time to change and replacing a couple of six or eight dollar bearings was much easier on the wallet than a $40+ pulley.

Nice job on the pulley bearings and A/C work Justin. Cobra should be ready for the road now.

Thanks Mike.
There is (or maybe was) a pulley design that uses two bearings. I like the snap ring idea I guess I could machine a slot to convert

Is there a reason for the merely shielded vs. rubber sealed bearings? The bearings in the OEM serpentine idlers on Snowball are all rubber sealed. One by one I've replaced them all with what came out of them.

I think that fan could be an inch or two larger OD, but if relatively short term then ROI.

Not really. I think at the time that's what i could find. I've used the rubber ones they last about the same.

I went with a smaller fan (18") for this truck to balance power loss vs capacity. Being a light 2wd that isn't going to tow or climb mountains, the 18" should be enough with A/C here in AZ. I went with the middle clutch duty. My assumption is the larger diameter fans of same product line would move more air. At some point I'll probably make a custom shroud that fits properly.

 

[ntsqd]

Disappointing that the "2RS" version of the bearing don't last a lot longer than the shielded version.

Rivet a ring around the shroud opening to close it down closer to the OD of the fan?

 

[PhantomEB]

Put 34 oz in and back in service blowing cold. Good time of year to work on A/C. The heat will be back soon enough.

I so need to make sure my AC in both the Diesel and daily are up to snuff this summer. Car also needs to be ripped into for a Thermostatic sensor on the back side of the Focus’ 2.0….

i want to just do the AC recharge myself but my brother said just bring the truck back home one day and we will get it into a shop that does anythin,everything for one cheap flat-rate.

 

[rattle_snake]

Somehow the nuts fell off of both motor mounts on the 76 F100 already. Really need the drivetrain to stay put to do a proper burnout. Going to have to get creative to be able to torque the right side. I guess I need more tools...

 

[Lumpy102]

I guess I need more tools...

for every job, every time!

 

[Ohmthis]

Somehow the nuts fell off of both motor mounts on the 76 F100 already. Really need the drivetrain to stay put to do a proper burnout. Going to have to get creative to be able to torque the right side. I guess I need more tools...

Too much power!!!!

 

[PugetDude]

Somehow the nuts fell off of both motor mounts on the 76 F100 already. Really need the drivetrain to stay put to do a proper burnout. Going to have to get creative to be able to torque the right side. I guess I need more tools...

Wrap it and strap it....

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

Wrap it and strap it....

We're still talking motor mounts here, right?

 

[Ohmthis]

We're still talking motor mounts

Ummmmm, sure!

 

[rattle_snake]

Moving on with the audio system install. Stuck in indecision on box colors so working on door speakers. The tweeters were not intended for surface mount but not cutting a large hole in the upper door. Could have just stuck only the tweeter on with double sided tape. I chose to use the swivel mounting cup and modify the trim/lock ring. After sanding off the lip I ran it over a polish wheel.


The existing speaker wiring was run bare through small holes punched in the sheet metal. Not going to fit 2 pair or any type or door lock wiring so I drilled them out to 3/4. Some split loom to protect for now. The crossovers are located in center dash where the 'radio' was, then less wiring back to the amps and can be run with the other cables.


Woofer fit nicely and use existing holes.

 

[rattle_snake]

Decided to go forward with battery relocation to avoid redoing the high power audio wiring. Step one was to remove the battery tray and consolidate the electrical stuff on the right inner fender. This includes the alternator regulator so the alternator harness shape was modified and simplified. I removed the horn related wiring, electric choke and deleted the shunt resistor for the ammeter.


With the regulator now next to starter solenoid the harness is more point-to-point instead of a 'Y'. The output of the alternator is now direct to battery, and main harness power direct to battery.


I made a bracket to secure the solenoid, horn relay and the voltage regulator so they don't flop around and short the exposed terminals. The ring terminals were oxidized and damaged so I cleaned and replaced as needed. The PMGR starter has it's own solenoid and It's big power wire is connected to the hot side of solenoid. The existing 4 gauge solenoid to starter wire is now used to connect the alternator and main harness from the starter terminal to the solenoid terminal. More on why later.


I removed the broken clips from lighting harness, wrapped and secured with p-clamps. Also added the horn wiring as horn is still on the core support. No sheet metal screws, instead riv nuts.


Used CAD technique to make a cover for the electronics.


Transfer to metal with mounting provisions.


Hides the clutter and makes the truck harder to steal, because no battery, and no access to solenoid.


The ground wiring needed to be modified for battery relocate. The battery was connected directly to, and only to the engine block. Extending this wire is expensive and unnecessary because the frame rail can be used. The ground has to return the starter and alternator currents so the block is now grounded to the frame, and the frame is master 'GND'.

 

[ntsqd]

With more than a couple battery in the trunk battery relocations I've encountered hard hot start problems that were fixed with a dedicated ground cable. On those I just plan on a dedicated ground cable. I'm thinking that your frame rail being a single piece that the starting current won't need to cross thru a weld like it has to do multiple times in a unit body car, but if it does give trouble that may be why.

 

[rattle_snake]

The truck frame has a very low cross sectional resistance, and would take a huge expensive cable to make any improvement. Unibody is different story as you have found.

 

[rattle_snake]

Mounted the battery in the bed with a simple bracket. Studs through the bed floor. I may make some type of enclosure in the future, at least some terminal covers.


Fuses. Subject of debate. The main wire harness has no fuse, nor the alternator, starter, ect. The non-critical branch circuits have fusible links and there are a few glass fuses under the dash. I chose to use a single ANL fuse to protect the battery from a heavy gauge cable short. The fuse is a 150A. Typical ANL will do 100% forever and 150% for 5-10 seconds. This covers the starter current well enough to 225 A. Only the battery can blow the fuse, when cable is shorted. I made a bracket to mount the fuse holder on instead of drilling the bed so this particular fuse setup.


The audio system is also on same single fuse for same reason, 2 ga cable short. They don't need their own fuse as they will never operate at the same time. All cables in starter loop are 2 ga.


The battery is connected directly to the frame. The power cables are secured to the frame with existing holes.


I chose to make the starter hot terminal the main power distribution point of the system instead of the solenoid. This reduces the total cable length both from the battery and not having starter current in the cable from starter to solenoid (that now only feeds main harness and alt). I tried routing several ways to keep the cable away from the exhaust. The resistance and loss in the wire goes up with temperature, and since it is now long, it matters more. Dangling in fresh air seemed better than going over the top of the hot pipes in engine compartment, and didn't need any clamps to secure it away from hot pipes. Not sure it will stay this way, could use a strain relief on starter side.


Wiring on outside of frame to avoid heating. This is the best route from an electrical point of view but not mechanically. I tried not to go up or forward away from battery with the cable.


Engine bay looking more clean and simple.

 

[larry4406]

I think I would put a grommet where the wires go thru the bed floor. Perhaps work in progress?

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Engine bay looks very sano...dig the solenoid cover.

 

[ntsqd]

The truck frame has a very low cross sectional resistance, and would take a huge expensive cable to make any improvement. Unibody is different story as you have found.

My working theory is that each weld is fairly resistive. IF correct that means mutli-section late model truck frames *might* be in trouble too.

Agree, you've cleaned up the engine bay considerably!

Go around forward of the headers and then double back to the starter? Pic looks like it could work with the length there. Reality is probably different. If that is possible it might offer a closer to the starter strain relief location?

 

[bugnut]

Love the simplicity of the battery holder!

 

[rattle_snake]

I think I would put a grommet where the wires go thru the bed floor. Perhaps work in progress?

Hey Larry,
There is a poorly fitting grommet that popped out there. I didn't have anything suitable so I used a 1.25" plug and cut it up. I have a larger size grommet kit now and need to hog the hole out more or make another. I want the hole/grommet to be large enough to have the wire with lug on the end pass through without ripping the grommet out.

Engine bay looks very sano...dig the solenoid cover.

Thanks Marc!

My working theory is that each weld is fairly resistive. IF correct that means mutli-section late model truck frames *might* be in trouble too.

Agree, you've cleaned up the engine bay considerably!

Go around forward of the headers and then double back to the starter? Pic looks like it could work with the length there. Reality is probably different. If that is possible it might offer a closer to the starter strain relief location?

The welds themselves shouldn't have much resistance. I think it is summation of the whole structure, and where the battery and starter lugs are tied in. The new aluminum bodies with glued seam may not work at all.

Someone had a tantrum and cut a hole in the inner fender to access the rear exhaust bolts. I think I may be able to utilize that to get another clamp before the starter terminal.

Love the simplicity of the battery holder!

Thanks Joel. I'm getting better at doing pieces with multiple bends in the press. Start on one inner bend and work my way out, trim the ends, drill holes. The dies make for consistent radius.

 

[rattle_snake]

With truck wiring mostly in place and running again, time to test fit the speaker box. The port hits the fuel tank mounting strip. It's a different color from a donor, booger welded in with home depot hardware.


Ground the welds to nothing to remove the piece and slapped some duct tape over the unused holes. Two of the holes will be used to secure the box with some brackets.


I added a cleat to the bottom of the box to hold it in place against a ridge on the floor. Then the brackets on top can be minimal to hold the box down, and against the wall.


The space remaining on the right side will be used for wiring. I chose to place a stud in the floor for the amplifier ground cables in the corner. Each side is ground to metal and a kept nut used to hold the all thread in place, so cables on both side can be removed easily. This will also ground the cab to the frame. For the positive side I will use an isolated stud mounted to the box vertically, so the 2 ga power input wire will pass through the floor grommet orthogonally.

 

[rattle_snake]

Fixing on the fleet in addition to the more fun tasks on the F100 pickup. I finally downloaded Forscan now that it has been around a long time to address some issues on my 2014 F250. I was able to reprogram the BCM for the bigger tires, correcting speedometer and lowering the TPSM thresholds. No more low tire pressure messages.
Having issues with ABS wiring and have DTCs and warning message on startup. I read the related and cleared them. Only one reset, generic 'ABS'. I ran the ABS self test and it passes. The usual culprit is a high density connector by driver's foot. I have cleaned it, but still have a intermittent connection issue. I guess I need to look up the code exactly and see if there is anything else I can do to resolve this.

 

[rattle_snake]

And the Cobra A/C refrigerant leaked out within 2 days of repair. I'm beginning to think I had two leaks. The hose probably had a slow leak for long time, and somewhat recently something else happened, that I have not found yet.
I have inspected the system twice and cannot find any trace of a leak. The engine is clean from the last round of searching for a leak. I looked on lift with UV. Went back and looked thoroughly again, pulled off any insulation or covers on all the hose connections. I think I have touched and inspected every connection in the system. At somewhat of a loss how to move forward. I would think that if the evaporator in the dash had a leak, the interior would stink of refrigerant.

 

[ntsqd]

That *****, can't like.

 

[bugnut]

Justin, the battery hold down is so well executed, I shared an image with the body guy working on my Baja and it will be incorporated. I wanted something more secure that the toenail holder that 74 VWs come with and that will fill the bill nicely. Rivet nuts for the bolts and it will be spot on!

 

[zmotorsports]

And the Cobra A/C refrigerant leaked out within 2 days of repair. I'm beginning to think I had two leaks. The hose probably had a slow leak for long time, and somewhat recently something else happened, that I have not found yet.
I have inspected the system twice and cannot find any trace of a leak. The engine is clean from the last round of searching for a leak. I looked on lift with UV. Went back and looked thoroughly again, pulled off any insulation or covers on all the hose connections. I think I have touched and inspected every connection in the system. At somewhat of a loss how to move forward. I would think that if the evaporator in the dash had a leak, the interior would stink of refrigerant.

That ***** Justin. I'm in the same boat with my son's WJ. When we replaced the engine last summer, we thought we found the A/C leak when we tore the dash apart and replaced the evaporator. Charged up the system after the engine was completed and it leaked out within a couple weeks. We pulled it back in, injected 150 psi of nitrogen into the system and discovered a leaking O-ring connection at the condenser. Fixed that, charged it up again and a few weeks ago my son informed me that it was discharged again. I need to get it into the shop and hit it again with nitrogen until I find the damn leak. This is getting ridiculous; I have never fought a refrigerant leak like I have this one and it's ******* me off.

 

[rattle_snake]

Justin, the battery hold down is so well executed, I shared an image with the body guy working on my Baja and it will be incorporated. I wanted something more secure that the toenail holder that 74 VWs come with and that will fill the bill nicely. Rivet nuts for the bolts and it will be spot on!

Glad it was helpful Joel. I guess I don't have any pics of the bracket itself. There is a tab welded on the bottom to prevent the battery from moving sideways (to the right) that isn't really visible. I'm contemplating adding another on the left. In a roll over or high speed crash the force due to weight is high and could knock the caps off and then cause bat to shift left and short across terminals.

That ***** Justin. I'm in the same boat with my son's WJ. When we replaced the engine last summer, we thought we found the A/C leak when we tore the dash apart and replaced the evaporator. Charged up the system after the engine was completed and it leaked out within a couple weeks. We pulled it back in, injected 150 psi of nitrogen into the system and discovered a leaking O-ring connection at the condenser. Fixed that, charged it up again and a few weeks ago my son informed me that it was discharged again. I need to get it into the shop and hit it again with nitrogen until I find the damn leak. This is getting ridiculous; I have never fought a refrigerant leak like I have this one and it's ******* me off.

Hmm. Ok I'm not alone. I don't have nitrogen. I have Argon, C02 and C25, could any of them be used in place of N2? Soapy water in spray bottle? This is 134 system with original oil.

 

[zmotorsports]

Hmm. Ok I'm not alone. I don't have nitrogen. I have Argon, C02 and C25, could any of them be used in place of N2? Soapy water in spray bottle? This is 134 system with original oil.

Justin, the only gas that I know of endorsed for use for testing of refrigeration systems is nitrogen. I have a large bottle of it because I used to service so many shocks on sand quads, sandrails and snowmobiles.

 

[ntsqd]

Are there any o-ring kits offered? Just replace them all?

I'd be OK with using Argon, but I wouldn't use CO2 or any blend of it. Seems like N2 would be most ideal, but how big are the refrigerant molecules in comparison? No way would I use Helium, because then everything would leak!

 

[zmotorsports]

I grabbed an assortment of refrigeration (green) O-rings from my local NAPA. I think they were packaged by Performance Tool, they were relatively inexpensive so I bought the assortment to have on hand.

 

[rattle_snake]

I have a pretty good stash of A/C o-rings on hand. The shop replaced the rings on the hose that was repaired. I'm hesitant to disrupt all the connections. Need to make another full effort in finding the issue. Given it leaked out in 2 days it 'shouldn't be that hard' to find....

 

[Bob Heine]

I replaced the evaporator and dryer in our 2004 PT Cruiser myself in 2008. Paid a shop to have it evacuated and recharged. When the system lost its charge six years later it turned out to be the evaporator again (cheap HF detector found it). Paid the shop $1,500 to do it the second time and it's still blowing cold after 10 years. Having said that, the evaporator will bleed out next week. This is why I paid to have it done the second time....

 

[stockerwithalocker]

I could be crazy but if you are evacuating the system using a vacuum pump, i would think argon in lieu of gn2 wouldn’t be an issue? Especially since it’s in the atmosphere, inert, and a noble gas

 

[ntsqd]

Maybe not a chemical issue, but could be a molecular size issue. Helium will go thru just about anything, even solid 316 SS (I have witnessed this!), due to its tiny size. I've no idea how Argon's molecular size compares to N2's size, but if it is enough bigger then leak checking with it would be moot.

 

[Chateau Slate 66]

I would NEVER do this, but when I was young the old timers would use propane.

 

[tarbellb]

You can scoop up cheap tanks of Nitro on FBMP / CL with all the growers and craft beer out there

 

[PhantomEB]

I replaced the evaporator and dryer in our 2004 PT Cruiser myself in 2008. Paid a shop to have it evacuated and recharged. When the system lost its charge six years later it turned out to be the evaporator again (cheap HF detector found it). Paid the shop $1,500 to do it the second time and it's still blowing cold after 10 years. Having said that, the evaporator will bleed out next week. This is why I paid to have it done the second time....

Yep I have a shop 5 min from my brothers place that does anything from a smart car up to a one ton dually 150$ CDN so next time I hit back home it will taking my diesel there for an empty and recharge, they even put a little in before to test for leaks before moving on to the prime job.

 

[Bob Heine]

Based on my experience with a GE GeoSpring hybrid water heater, I try to find the Country of Origin information for any heat exchanger. GE manufactured their hybrids in China and mine gave up the ghost so many times I gave up and replaced it with a regular water heater. When I bought the evaporator for the PT Cruiser, I assume it was made in China but didn't think to check. The car was built in Mexico and the A-C shop owner told me he only used OEM, made in Mexico parts.

 

[rattle_snake]

Finished out the speaker box and all the wiring for the audio system. I waffled on colors for awhile and eventually just had to pick something to move forward. The amp recess is body color white over two coats of Kilz. I body worked the box in prep for paint but ended up going with vinyl.


The cab back wall is ugly with holes and weld burns so I made a panel to cover it out of corrugated plastic. I try to avoid press board or wood in general except for speaker box itself.


Vinyl selection local to me is very limited. The old school fabric shops on my side of town are gone. So I got what I could find. Doesn't match seat very well, will probably recover when I find something better.


Only four sides of speaker box need to be covered. I made a pattern from the box and adjusted it smaller so the material would be tight.


Only needed two short seams on the corners.


Glued the vinyl on and installed the equipment for the last time.


Connected the signal, speaker and power wiring and did a basic tune.


System performs as expected. A single shallow 10 can only do so much, it has plenty of power and won't clip. It's loud enough for windows down at speed. The door speakers sound OK, the tweeters up high definitely help. The head unit connects reliably, but has to be turned 'on' each time the key is cycled.

 

[rattle_snake]

Went another round on fixing the fleet. I dug in further to the ABS warning on the 2014 F250. The fault is specific to a dedicated communication bus between the ABS module and the Safety module (seat belts, air bags, ect). It continuously sends messages back and forth, and when it doesn't, it sets a DTC. The culprit is the connector between them. I can wiggle and tug on wires and make the fault clear. It seems the fix is to wire jumpers in parallel around the connector. I assume the DTC will set again on next drive cycle. So have to find the offending wire colors. A high speed signal is more susceptible to signal degradation from connector pins than a DC voltage. Any extra resistance or capacitance can smear the signal edges which can be detected as a fault. Wrong address, ID, message data, checksum or nothing at all.

Also still looking for A/C leak on Cobra. The previous hose leak left some oil on the garage tiles. I cleaned it up and found another much smaller spot of A/C oil behind the right front tire with UV light. I racked the car and inspected again but cannot see any trace of oil on the car itself. I put a squirt of 134 in it and did soapy water on everything. No bubbles. The evap drain is in that general location. I poked my finger in the drain and there is no oil residue to be seen or felt.
I'm wondering if the evap has a leak, and the condensate forced some out. I believe that the evap drain drains onto the exhaust, and the heat may make the residue disappear. Just a guess at this point.