ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

[LXCam]

Just catching up on Mike's travels and latest projects! Is it just me or does anyone else think Mike needs to write a blog/book on his dining adventures... Maybe a "Wheeler's Guide to Culinary Dining!" Every time I look at those dining pics I have to go raid the fridge...! I am going to travel to some of these places just to eat!

Always enjoy the travel adventures!

Right?! Between Mike and Gary - @Swanny1953 ive got a list of joints to hit with my wife on our travels.

 

[zmotorsports]

Just catching up on Mike's travels and latest projects! Is it just me or does anyone else think Mike needs to write a blog/book on his dining adventures... Maybe a "Wheeler's Guide to Culinary Dining!" Every time I look at those dining pics I have to go raid the fridge...! I am going to travel to some of these places just to eat!

Always enjoy the travel adventures!

Sorry for making your mouth salivate Duke. I just know how much people like food on this forum and have to "show off" our eating options a bit. We don't eat out that much at home, but we definitely have our favorite places when we travel and "splurge" a bit during our adventures. I've dropped a few pounds over the past year but the wife and I still indulge a bit when we travel because we don't eat like that when we're home. We eat well as the wife is an excellent cook, but nowhere to that extent.

 

[CGarage]

Mike:

Who are your top 5 favorite suppliers when doing purchases at the shop?

Jegs, Summit, McMaster ?

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike:

Who are your top 5 favorite suppliers when doing purchases at the shop?

Jegs, Summit, McMaster ?

WOW. Haven't really ranked them to be honest. I guess it would depend on what exactly I'm working on and I probably use more than five on average.


When doing routine automotive, I'd say local NAPA has always been my go-to, however, I've been doing more with Rock Auto lately due to pricing and how quickly they deliver. Plus, I like the option to either buy OEM in most cases or at least different levels of aftermarket.

As for hi-performance, I would say Summit Racing has been my go-to vendor for well over 3-decades now. They seem to always have what I need or at least within a short delay in acquiring and shipping, even more so now with multiple locations. Back in the early days it was only Akron, OH warehouse. Summit also when I need hi-performance hoses, fittings, etc. I've used Jeg's in the past on occasion but not nearly as much as Summit, no particular reason other than personal choice and I've been dealing with them for so long it's kind of a habit, from my racing days I guess, so I feel some sense of loyalty there.

When it comes to electrical, I buy quite a bit from Sherco as well as Waytek and Del City. For oddball connetors and pigtails I use connectorexperts.com which generally have what I'm looking for.


Off-road supplies, rod ends, limiting straps, some hardware, tec. I buy from Kartek a bit, but not quite as much as when I was into sand drag racing and building sand cars, but I still utilize them.

For fabrication/machining and general repair items other than automotive I buy quite a bit from McMaster Carr. For abrasives, I use Benchmark Abrasives almost exclusively.

When I buy general bolts and nuts, I go to my local Bold & Nut Supply near my home, same with shop supplies, either Zoro or my local Grainger.

When I need specific AN or MIL spec fasteners there are a couple of online places I use so that varies depending on the specific needs. For metric fasteners I have been using BelMetric lately and have been more than pleased with their quality and service. Also, been purchasing hose clamps from them as they carry a full assortment of Norra and Oetiker clamps.

I try to support local as much as possible such as our local hydraulic hose shop, which also just was bought out or changed names again. It started as Evco House of Hose dozens of years ago, then changed to Erik's House of Hose about 5 years ago and now recently changed to LLG Industrial which I believe is nationwide.

Paint supplies I have a couple of local vendors plus I buy supplies from SPI.

For heavy truck/RV parts, I have a local FleetPride near my home that I use.

Sorry, probably much more than you asked for. Just rattling some off the top of my head that I've used most recently, I'm sure I have missed some.

 

[Mr.zippy]

I think I just witnessed a future, retired Mike traveling the country!

 

[CGarage]

I think I just witnessed a future, retired Mike traveling the country!

Impossible. Even ‘Retired Mike’ would never be caught dead at an automatic car wash!

 

[CGarage]

WOW. Haven't really ranked them to be honest. I guess it would depend on what exactly I'm working on and I probably use more than five on average.


When doing routine automotive, I'd say local NAPA has always been my go-to, however, I've been doing more with Rock Auto lately due to pricing and how quickly they deliver. Plus, I like the option to either by OEM in most cases or at least different levels of aftermarket.

As for hi-performance, I would say Summit Racing has been my go-to vendor for well over 3-decades now. They seem to always have what I need or at least within a short delay in acquiring and shipping, even more so now with multiple locations. Back in the early days it was only Akron, OH warehouse. Summit also when I need hi-performance hoses, fittings, etc. I've used Jeg's in the past on occasion but not nearly as much as Summit, no particular reason other than personal choice and I've been dealing with them for so long it's kind of a habit, from my racing days I guess, so I feel some sense of loyalty there.

When it comes to electrical, I buy quite a bit from Sherco as well as Waytek and Del City. For oddball connetors and pigtails I use connectorexperts.com which generally have what I'm looking for.


Off-road supplies, rod ends, limiting straps, some hardware, tec. I buy from Kartek a bit, but not quite as much as when I was into sand drag racing and building sand cars, but I still utilize them.

For fabrication/machining and general repair items other than automotive I buy quite a bit from McMaster Carr. For abrasives, I use Benchmark Abrasives almost exclusively.

When I buy general bolts and nuts, I go to my local Bold & Nut Supply near my home, same with shop supplies, either Zoro or my local Grainger.

When I need specific AN or MIL spec fasteners there are a couple of online places I use so that varies depending on the specific needs. For metric fasteners I have been using BelMetric lately and have been more than pleased with their quality and service. Also, been purchasing hose clamps from them as they carry a full assortment of Norra and Oetiker clamps.

I try to support local as much as possible such as our local hydraulic hose shop, which also just was bought out or changed names again. It started as Evco House of Hose dozens of years ago, then changed to Erik's House of Hose about 5 years ago and now recently changed to LLG Industrial which I believe is nationwide.

Paint supplies I have a couple of local vendors plus I buy supplies from SPI.

For heavy truck/RV parts, I have a local Fleet Pride near my home that I use.

Sorry, probably much more than you asked for. Just rattling some off the top of my head that I've used most recently, I'm sure I have missed some.

Thank you so very much, having top suppliers is a big help. Please add to this list as time allows. Already found two good vendors from this list you provided that I was not aware of that are helpful for me and I will order from them.

 

[zmotorsports]

Thank you so very much, having top suppliers is a big help. Please add to this list as time allows. Already found two good vendors from this list you provided that I was not aware of that are helpful for me and I will order from them.

Happy to help. I know that is not all inclusive, just what I could think of right away.

 

[SilverJimmy]

Mike, I’ve considered using RockAuto for parts many times, especially when I’m getting ready to do a service on my 2004 Ford F-350 with the fine 6.Ut-Oh! From the dealer the oil and fuel filters are $60.00-$130.00 and the local parts houses about 50% of that. Online suppliers have the OEM filters about 25-35% less. Have you ever had a concern about counterfeit parts from any online parts suppliers? The actual cheapest has been Walmart, any experience with going with the most affordable yet still an OEM part?

 

[CGarage]

I think, as Mike has eluded to earlier, that Supply Chain Integrity is really critical and must not be overlooked. The devil is in the details. Checking country of origin on O-ring seal sets is mandatory if you want to do a good job. And be prepared. Companies in search of profits are willing to cut corners to make a few extra percentage points. This is the unfortunate world we all now live in.

I have personally had issues with counterfeit items purchased from Amazon and Walmart, both.

I think there are plenty of OEM equivalent parts available that are SUPERIOR to OEM. Oil filters come to mind. I buy Baldwin, Bosch, Amsoil, Mobil, Mann, Hengst exclusively.

Having a good, local parts house that deals in top quality parts is really important in this day and age.

Some dealers want highway robbery prices for their parts and the parts counter mostly offers horrible customer service- in the majority of cases.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, I’ve considered using RockAuto for parts many times, especially when I’m getting ready to do a service on my 2004 Ford F-350 with the fine 6.Ut-Oh! From the dealer the oil and fuel filters are $60.00-$130.00 and the local parts houses about 50% of that. Online suppliers have the OEM filters about 25-35% less. Have you ever had a concern about counterfeit parts from any online parts suppliers? The actual cheapest has been Walmart, any experience with going with the most affordable yet still an OEM part?

Sterling, I have not had any issues with counterfeit parts, but I have had some issues with parts that have either failed early or not worked from the beginning, and that has been across the board, even with some OEM parts as of late. I have also had a few boxed/packaged incorrectly such as some ball joints and U-joints a few months back. I wouldn't say I've run across them a lot, but more than I did 5+ years ago so it is something to be mindful of. I don't purchase parts from Walmart or Amazon so I can't speak to them.

What shocks me is that nearly every manufacture now uses some form of Lean Manufacturing and/or Six Sigma and the rate at which defective and/or wrong parts that are coming out of production plants is staggering. Me thinks someone is not following the program properly...

As for filters, with NAPA not using Mann+Hummel (Wix) filters any longer as their "Gold" standard filters, I found I can actually purchase genuine Wix XP's from Summit cheaper than I can buy the new import "Golds" from my local NAPA so I stocked up on those recently.

As for diesel filters for our trucks and RV, I have been buying from dieselfiltersonline.com for the past several years with excellent results. They carry a wide variety from OEM, to Racor (Parker), Baldwin, Donaldson and a couple other high quality brands.

I think, as Mike has eluded to earlier, that Supply Chain Integrity is really critical and must not be overlooked. The devil is in the details. Checking country of origin on O-ring seal sets is mandatory if you want to do a good job. And be prepared. Companies in search of profits are willing to cut corners to make a few extra percentage points. This is the unfortunate world we all now live in.

I have personally had issues with counterfeit items purchased from Amazon and Walmart, both.

I think there are plenty of OEM equivalent parts available that are SUPERIOR to OEM. Oil filters come to mind. I buy Baldwin, Bosch, Amsoil, Mobil, Mann, Hengst exclusively.

Having a good, local parts house that deals in top quality parts is really important in this day and age.

Some dealers want highway robbery prices for their parts and the parts counter mostly offers horrible customer service- in the majority of cases.

I agree. Source is important and some aftermarket can in fact be superior to OEM, especially when OEM's had a known issue that has not been addressed. It just comes down to doing some research on the end users part.

I can tell you that the wife and I were going through some records lately as I was contemplating some labor increases as well as parts markup and after some calculations, I discovered that parts cost increases have gone up more than I think many people realize. I know it was an eye-opener to me.

Many parts have gone up 50+ percent from five years ago with fluids/lubricants going up nearly or above 100%. I found very few parts that had less than 30% increase over the past 5 years. I heard on the news a few weeks back that automotive cost of ownership had gone up approx. 44% and that kind of shocked me so that's when the wife and I sat down one evening and started doing our own investigating.

I didn't even calculate in the insurance increases, fuel, tires, or other routine expenses. When adding these up it's easy to see why people are neglecting their vehicles, especially so many of the newer ones that really have high maintenance items and schedules. Yes, vehicles can and are lasting much longer than the 100k miles that they used to, but usually by that 100k mile mark, they do require some relatively expensive preventive or routine maintenance items that if overlooked or neglected can lead to even more expensive consequences.

Another reason I'll keep my older and paid for vehicles before I think about buying anything newer. Cost of ownership is definitely on the rise.

 

[zmotorsports]

I had a gentleman bring by a small aluminum part that he needed welded last night so I hurry and knocked it out while he waited.



I had to open up a new wax cookie as I used up the last one. If you haven't tried these from Empire Fabrication, you're missing out. They really prolong the life of your cutting discs and Roloc discs when using on aluminum.


They do however, require a thorough cleaning after use as they will leave a residue that can affect the welding process. Here I put a slight chamfer to ensure full penetration and some buildup.


Clean with acetone and clean towel.


Then use a dedicated brush to remove the last bit of oxidation.




After another wipe with acetone, the parts were clamped and held in place for tacking.


Once the front and backside were welded, I built up the edges slightly which can be filed down to flush.


Done and ready for the owner to file and metal finish. He just needed me to weld it.



Thanks for looking.

 

[zmotorsports]

Next I went back to the Jeep and with the oil sending unit replaced, I moved on to the power steering leak in which I detected our last day of the trip last week. I pulled the front tire to gain better access, then bungeed the inner fender back a little.


Here with a little manipulation of the hose you can see the fluid that is leaking from the crimp. At first glance last week I thought it was the pressure side hose but upon closer inspection after our return I saw that it was the return line so rather than replace, I will just cut the crimp off and reconnect.


Other hoses and wiring moved out of the way to avoid collateral damage, then the crimp ring was sliced with a cutoff disc and a pry bar was used to open the crimp, remove the hose and then break off the last remaining piece of the crimp ring.


With the end of the tubing now exposed, I used my Imperial Eastman crimping tool to form a slight bubble or bead to retain the hose.




That is about as far as I made it last night. I still need to trim the hose back and crimp an Oetiker clamp on and then put everything back together.

Thanks for looking.

 

[LXCam]

A wax cookie? Where’d you get those at Mike.

 

[zmotorsports]

A wax cookie? Where’d you get those at Mike.

I order them from Empire Abrasives. I think they're like $5/each but they last a very long time.

 

[zmotorsports]

A wax cookie? Where’d you get those at Mike.

I order them from Empire Abrasives. I think they're like $5/each but they last a very long time.

Sorry Cam, Empire Fabrication. Saw them on Instagram a while back and gave one a try. I ordered a couple more after trying them and really liking them. They do last quite a while though.

 

[rd65]

I have used Summit quite a bit and have always had pretty good results. Jegs has been hit & miss, mostly because their website *****. I have used Rock Auto quite a bit. If I have a large or expensive order, I will use them. Other times I just use their search for part numbers that I then use on Amazon.
Have you used spray on foot powder for finding leaks? Works quite well.

 

[zmotorsports]

Have you used spray on foot powder for finding leaks? Works quite well.

I'm assuming you are referring to locating hydraulic leaks. If so, not foot powder, but baby powder does work when they are hard to detect the exact location of leaks. For this one, the leak was pretty obvious, so nothing was used other than visual inspection.

 

[rd65]

I'm assuming you are referring to locating hydraulic leaks. If so, not foot powder, but baby powder does work when they are hard to detect the exact location of leaks. For this one, the leak was pretty obvious, so nothing was used other than visual inspection.

We used it for any hard to find leak. The spray on part is key. Cleans up easy too.

 

[Xti04]

I have had great sucess with most of the online parts houses. However I just got burned on wheel hub assemblies for my car. I always try to find a good deal on a quality part, but you also have to consider time spent or lost waiting on a replacment part to show up. As far as upgrading or better than OEM parts I have a stack of special orings sitting on my parts bench awaiting installation on my 7.3 powerstroke. The diesel eats through the seals Ford used originally and I bought some upgraded seals to rebuild the filter housing. With all of the specialty forums nowadays, its a bit easier to find solutions to some of the more common pattern failures and in many instances find someone who develops an upgraded part to fix it.

 

[zmotorsports]

I have had great sucess with most of the online parts houses. However I just got burned on wheel hub assemblies for my car. I always try to find a good deal on a quality part, but you also have to consider time spent or lost waiting on a replacment part to show up. As far as upgrading or better than OEM parts I have a stack of special orings sitting on my parts bench awaiting installation on my 7.3 powerstroke. The diesel eats through the seals Ford used originally and I bought some upgraded seals to rebuild the filter housing. With all of the specialty forums nowadays, its a bit easier to find solutions to some of the more common pattern failures and in many instances find someone who develops an upgraded part to fix it.

Agreed. Another thing I consider when working on client's vehicles is "IF" there is a problem, my local NAPA is really good about paying out a labor claim as well as expediting a failed part. Whereas some of the online places are not so accommodating, especially with labor claims AND expediting parts. Many want to see the failed part before they ship another which really eats into the downtime of the client's vehicle as well as occupying valuable shop space.

 

[zmotorsports]

Friday night I arrived home, then edged, trimmed and mowed the lawns. Nothing like waiting until the hottest part of the day and the hottest day of the week to do yardwork. I'm looking forward to retirement if for no other reason as to be able to do my yardwork earlier in the mornings when it's cooler. But there are other reasons as well.

Saturday morning I was going to meet my son and grandson for breakfast but first I had a couple cups of coffee on my deck watching the world come to life and enjoying my view.


Breakfast with my son and grandson. I have looked forward to being able to have Saturday morning breakfasts with my son and grandson since he was born. Now that he is old enough, I can't wait until Saturdays so we can meet for breakfast. This is a tradition I am quickly becoming accustomed to.


He's growing so fast and such an inquisitive and creative little guy. And he talks a mile a minute as he just observes everything around him and comments on it. I have to keep reminding myself that he's only 2-years old as I am amazed with his vocabulary and his sentence structure for such a young age. My son and DIL are really doing a great job as parents and I couldn't be more proud of them.


Both our trucks were clean.


I had encountered an issue with my Amp Research power step on Friday night upon arriving home from work. On occasion it will stick out and not retract, but Friday it stuck mid-way and that has never happened. I grabbed my meter to see if I had blown a fuse and as I touched the fuse holder the step retracted. I could move the fuse holder around and hear the module clicking internally so I knew the fuse holder must have a bad connection internally. Saturday morning as we were leaving breakfast, I noticed that it did not extend. This close of issue has not happened before so upon arriving home, I pulled the truck inside the shop to replace the fuse holder.


After replacing the fuse holder for the power steps and parking the truck back in the attached garage, I continued where I left of the other night forming the bubble on the transmission return line.


Then cut the hose to length and assembled the hose with Oetiker clamp.


Lastly, I wiped the frame rail down from the spilled power steering fluid and reassembled the inner fender back into place.



Thanks for looking.

 

[Dh3256]

What is the flaring tool you are using? I have tried a bunch of different flaring tools and wasn't really happy with any of them, I'm hoping you found on that really works.

 

[zmotorsports]

What is the flaring tool you are using? I have tried a bunch of different flaring tools and wasn't really happy with any of them, I'm hoping you found on that really works.

The one I used in this instance is my old Imperial Eastman 2000-FS. I think the newer ones come in a nice blow molded case or metal case, mine is an old version that I keep in the original box. I have used it to flare a LOT of lines/tubing over the past 30+ years and it works great.

That being said, I also have a Mastercraft hydraulic that I absolutely love. However, it is a little more cumbersome to use on the vehicle in many situations. This was one of them where I just didn't have enough room to get the hydraulic handle up inside the inner fender area.

Back in my thread somewhere, I show both of these flaring kits laid out on my workbench, I just can't remember where exactly.

 

[Swanny1953]

Mike, I had a similar issue with the AMP Research steps on my Jeep. It seemed to be solved with a little WD-40, so a binding issue, not electrical. It has reoccurred a couple of times, but seems to go away with additional lubrication. Fingers crossed!
I'm a little jealous of your Saturday morning routine with your grandson and having him follow you around the garage with his inquisitive nature. Our 3 grandsons live about 45 minutes away and it seems we are always going their way for our time with the girls and their families. They come our way a few times a year, mostly for holidays and such, and the boys are always pretty much focused on getting to play on the golf simulator. Both families have lots going on with sports and the like - I think we could probably go to a sporting event every day if we really wanted to!! I have a '66 Chev C10 pickup parked in my SIL's shop that we hope to work on with the boys when they get a little older (the oldest of the 3 is 10, the others 6 & 3), but my suspicion is that sports and their very active lifestyles will probably get in the way of that as well. A man can dream!!!
I'm a little late in this, but thanks again for sharing the pics/details from your trip. Looks like a lot of fun, just sorry it coincided with our time in SLC and being unable to get together with you.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, I had a similar issue with the AMP Research steps on my Jeep. It seemed to be solved with a little WD-40, so a binding issue, not electrical. It has reoccurred a couple of times, but seems to go away with additional lubrication. Fingers crossed!
I'm a little jealous of your Saturday morning routine with your grandson and having him follow you around the garage with his inquisitive nature. Our 3 grandsons live about 45 minutes away and it seems we are always going their way for our time with the girls and their families. They come our way a few times a year, mostly for holidays and such, and the boys are always pretty much focused on getting to play on the golf simulator. Both families have lots going on with sports and the like - I think we could probably go to a sporting event every day if we really wanted to!! I have a '66 Chev C10 pickup parked in my SIL's shop that we hope to work on with the boys when they get a little older (the oldest of the 3 is 10, the others 6 & 3), but my suspicion is that sports and their very active lifestyles will probably get in the way of that as well. A man can dream!!!
I'm a little late in this, but thanks again for sharing the pics/details from your trip. Looks like a lot of fun, just sorry it coincided with our time in SLC and being unable to get together with you.

Gary, please be sure to reach out again next time you are in my neck of the woods.

As for the steps, I am positive mine was electrical as there is no binding. I lube the pivot points at each LOF service with TriFlow for that exact reason, to keep them operating smoothly. This was definitely an electrical source issue.

I have some cars bouncing around in my head that I still want to build someday while I'm still above ground, but want to wait until I have more than a few hours a day to work on them. I can only hope and pray my son and grandson will be able and want to assist me throughout some of the builds. I look forward to being able to teach my grandson how to use the machines and equipment in the shop and how to weld if he so wants to. Although right now his favorite tool is the shop vac. He goes right to it and wants to play with it. With all of the choices, THAT is what he heads for.

 

[LXCam]

Eat up the time while you can guys. We lucked out on our recent vacation with our two oldest being between sports schedules. Having our 9 & 7yr old boys with us for two weeks made the trip beyond memorable.

 

[PugetDude]

Although right now his favorite tool is the shop vac. He goes right to it and wants to play with it. With all of the choices, THAT is what he heads for.

Hey, it's loud, movable, and you see instant results. What's not to like for a toddler?

 

[ntsqd]

Looks like that Imperial Eastman 2000 FS flaring tool might be NLA. It is still on I-E's page, but I've found no vendors with inventory. The lowest cost one that I've found so far was $400 used on ebay.

 

[zmotorsports]

Looks like that Imperial Eastman 2000 FS flaring tool might be NLA. It is still on I-E's page, but I've found no vendors with inventory. The lowest cost one that I've found so far was $400 used on ebay.

I didn't realize it was no longer available. Last time I looked, which was a few years ago, it looks like it came in a much nicer blow molded case than what mine came in. I can attest to the quality of it though, so if it's no longer available then I don't think you can go wrong with a good used one.

I was able to locate the picture of mine.

 

[ntsqd]

The ebay listing was packaged like Mike's, not the blow molded case shown on I-E's page. I didn't mind the difference in packaging, it was the price that stopped me short. There was another one listed in the molded case and for considerably more money.
I am interested in one for exactly the reason Mike shows.

 

[Jayman17]

I love going out for breakfast so I think your idea of a guys breakfast is a great idea. Hopefully it becomes a tradition that continues over the years. Love the photos from your last trip too!

 

[jeffmoss26]

oops posted in the wrong thread

 

[ntsqd]

Mike, I would guess that you might use an inductive heater on stubborn bolts at work once in a while? Have you any suggestions on which to buy?

I'm running into some BHCS M6's with dry thread-locker on them that have been torqued to the point where more often than not we strip out the drive hex before we can get them loose. An impact just seems to strip them out even faster. I'm thinking if heat can defeat the thread-lock then we might have a shot at getting them loose without needing to drill them out.
Thanks in advance!

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, I would guess that you might use an inductive heater on stubborn bolts at work once in a while? Have you any suggestions on which to buy?

I'm running into some BHCS M6's with dry thread-locker on them that have been torqued to the point where more often than not we strip out the drive hex before we can get them loose. An impact just seems to strip them out even faster. I'm thinking if heat can defeat the thread-lock then we might have a shot at getting them loose without needing to drill them out.
Thanks in advance!

Thom, I have the MiniDuctor at my home shop that works great. It's not something that gets used often, but when the need arises, it is worth its weight in gold.

 

[ntsqd]

Thank you!

 

[CGarage]

Ideal application for that tool…

 

[madison069]

Thom, I have the MiniDuctor at my home shop that works great. It's not something that gets used often, but when the need arises, it is worth its weight in gold.

How can you tell someone don't live in the rust belt, without them telling you they don't live in the rust belt?


Of course, I need to get me one. I've had too many close situation where flame shouldn't have been introduced at but was my last-ditch effort.

 

[zmotorsports]

How can you tell someone don't live in the rust belt, without them telling you they don't live in the rust belt?


Of course, I need to get me one. I've had too many close situation where flame shouldn't have been introduced at but was my last-ditch effort.

Agreed Cody. I am very comfortable wielding a torch as I have used one for much of my life, but even being as comfortable as I am, there are situations and areas that I am less prone to want to use an open flame and that is where the inductance heater shines.

 

[zmotorsports]

OK, bear with me, this is going to be long and probably boring to some, but it's been a hell of a week. I thought I would share this week's struggles. Maybe it's just me that feels this way at times, but I hope not and if so, maybe it will resonate with others. I haven't been as active on here this week, but I have come here to seek a reprieve from the mental anguish and reading about fellow members projects and work has helped.


I have had my *** kicked this week by probably one of the most basic systems on any vehicle, the power steering system. I really didn't feel like posting this, mainly because it was self-inflicted and I didn't want to rehash it all over in my mind again. Maybe others feel this way at times and maybe not, but at one time during the past week, I felt like I was really questioning my career choice and really questioning my abilities as a mechanic. However, my son thought I should share this as maybe it would prevent someone else from making the same mistake and save them the time and frustration that it caused me, as well as show that I am not free from such frustration and mental struggles.

I left off showing the return line repair on my Jeep's power steering line. The WHOLE reason why I chose to cut the line and bubble the end IN the Jeep was to save time from having to remove the line and do it on the bench, which I knew in my head was the right way to do it. But nope, I chose to do it in the vehicle to "save time".

With access being so tight and limited, I had used a cutoff tool to reach in through the inner fender to cut the crimp off the hose where it connected to the rigid line as well as to cut the tubing for the bubble. I also dressed the burr on the end with a small 2" Roloc disc trying not to cut across the face of the cut and introduce metal shavings into the system. Well that didn't go as planned, not even close. Yes, I made the cut and deburred it fine which allowed me to reach in with my Imperial Eastman crimping tool and create the bubble on the line, however, even after a quick fire to flush the line, then fill, then quick fire to flush more, I ended up with metal shavings in the system. Enough that it stuck the flow control/pressure relief valve in the bore AND this is where I made matters worse.

After a couple of reservoir fills, firing to flush and going through a couple quarts of fluid, I reconnected the line and bled the system. I then started it and had power steering for a brief time, then it went away. I was on the right track with my thinking in that I must have stuck the valve. Sure enough, I disconnected the high pressure line, removed the threaded fitting/union from the pump and as I was removing the union I didn't feel any spring pressure which I knew I should have pushing on the union. Nope, the union came out and no valve and no spring. I grabbed a mirror, looked up inside and sure enough it was stuck up inside the bore. I was able to reach in with some long needle nose pliers and finally pull it free from the bore along with the spring.


I felt around the valve and sure enough I felt grit on it. DAMN IT! After I was so cautious to flush the system and not connect any lines until I did so, I still got **** in the system. I noticed some slight scoring on the OD of the valve to where I could catch it with my finger nail so I knew I had to clean that up as well as remove the pressure relief check ball, spring and anvil from inside but didn't want to create more damage by just clamping it in the vise as the nut on the end is quite tight. I machined a piece of aluminum and bored it to the exact OD of the valve, then cut a slit in it using the bandsaw. I slid the valve inside the aluminum then clamped it in the vise to hold the valve so I could remove the internal components. The tool worked great.


Here is where I made a bad situation worse. Once the valve was completely disassembled for cleaning, I chucked the spool valve up in a collet in the lathe to deburr the OD. I knew these were precision machined, BUT yet I thought I had plenty to work with and by just "touching up" the OD with some fine emery paper it would deburr the valve and help it slide in the bore better. Yes, it did, a little too good I guess. I reassembled it and upon the bleeding and testing I had "some" power assist, but at idle it fell on its face.


All of this was on Monday evening and I was so frustrated by this time, when the wife got home I just threw in the towel and called it a day. Tuesday evening, I went back at it diagnosing the problem. After multiple times removing and reinstalling the valve thinking there must still be debris in the system, but not really finding any in the valve each time, I began thinking maybe something else was wrong. I went back to the basics of the system component by component trying to think of something, but the only thing that came to my mind was how can I not figure this out, this is the simplest system in the entire Jeep.....

This is where I really started missing my good friend and mentor as we would talk through such dilemmas often and bounce things around between the two of us. I never felt inferior and often he made me feel better about the situation if for no other reason than talking through it. I really don't feel like I have that person any longer other than my son and he has his own family and stress so he doesn't need mine.

I talked with a couple of my coworkers whom I have worked with for nearly 3 decades and I respect as mechanics, but to be honest, was quite disappointed in the conversations. I had inquired about how many power steering systems they had worked on and began explaining my situation. One guy even said "there's a valve in there?" What? Are you shitting me, you didn't even know there was a valve in the pump? He said he had replaced multiple pumps and gearboxes over his lifetime but never had an issue and never had the need to dive any deeper into the systems. I guess that kind of makes sense, but this kind of deep dive into things is something that I used to discuss with my friend and mentor because we were both likeminded in the fact that we wanted to know the "why" behind things and "how" they worked, not necessarily R&R components and hope they work.

So without any more information, I went home and started at the source and tore the pump out of the Jeep and tore it apart thinking maybe debris got into the pump and it ate itself from the inside. Upon teardown, I didn't find anything inside. I then opened the metrology drawer and began taking measurements of the bore and valve to gain a better understanding of the clearances and here is where I discovered my error. These tolerances are supposed to be much tighter than I originally thought them to be, think more like an automatic transmission's valve body where tolerances are in the 20-30 micron range, not necessarily thousandths of an inch. Upon inspection the flow path and seeing how an excessive tolerance between the valve and the bore could bypass and return to the pump, this became my working theory.

I figured I had removed to much material when I was trying to clean up the spool valve and fluid was bypassing the valve and recirculating back into the pump body, exacerbated at idle due to lower flow anyways. A blip of the throttle gained me "some" power assist, but this was merely because flow increased. Part of my conversation with my coworkers was trying to correct them in their thinking that pumps create pressure. They kept telling me that the pump's pressure output should overcome any leakage, but I was trying to explain that pumps don't necessarily create pressure, they create flow and the pressure comes from resistance in the system, not the other way around.

Well, with my working theory my son came by the other night and after a nice discussion, we figured we were onto something but a new spool valve was next to impossible to come by. I even called my local Dodge/Chrysler dealer and gave them the pump # to see if they had one in stock. Shocking to me was to find out the Mopar has discontinued the power steering pumps for the Jeep JK. Holy ****, with all of them on the road, I was shocked to see the manufacturer had decided to discontinue that. So I had no choice but to go aftermarket. I have used a few different brands over the years purchased through my local NAPA, but the past several years have tried to use OEM when possible.

I did read good things about Remy pumps and my local NAPA had one in their warehouse, which came as a kit. It had a new pump WITH the pulley included as well as a new reservoir and an inline filter which they recommended installing. I have only installed filters in the power steering systems in the past on a few specialized systems, but as a general rule I have not. Mainly because I didn't want to add any form of restriction into the system, however, with mine having some debris I figured the kit would be the way to go and I would install an inline filter but make it easy to replace and add it to my checklist as a routine maintenance item, that way it wouldn't end up being a restriction unless it starts to become plugged.

I have also found on these earlier JK's the high-pressure hose deteriorate from the inside and create blockages in the system. I didn't think that was my problem, but my local NAPA had a new high-pressure line in stock so I thought it would be cheap insurance to replace it while the system was open.

With the entire system open now I was able to flush and clean it thoroughly component by component as it was going back together. Here is the new high-pressure line next to the OEM. Perfect match and clocking of the fittings.


With each component disconnected one by one, they were flushed and cleaned before reconnecting. I think I had half my toolbox out for this job.


OEM pump still disassembled on the bench as I began reassembling the power steering system in the Jeep.




With the rest of the system cleaned the pump could now be installed as well as the new reservoir. Also, at this time I figured I would address another issue. I wanted to have my air intake duct to sit slightly lower between the engine and radiator, however, the main connector to the Camaro SS fan was right under the intake duct, preventing it from sitting any lower. I fabricated a Z-bracket to standoff the connector about 2 inches and allow a bit of space which will allow the air intake to sit about a half inch lower. I wanted the connector to have a good mount though because it will now be closer to the power steering pulley, so a new bracket was fabricated in which to attach the connector to.

New O-ring installed on the high-pressure line and the high-pressure side was completed. There is still a good 1.5" between the Camaro SS fan connector and the pulley.


Now to move onto the supply side and the return hose. I installed the inline filter just inside the inner fender which will be easily accessible for maintenance. While I had the lines disconnected, I also took the time to put some slip through abrasion protection on each of the return lines as well as the feed line from the reservoir.



Stay tuned for a few more pictures.