Archive for December, 2008
Learning Standard: Post #6
12/9/2008 6:57PM: Didn’t stall at all on the way to work today… but the drive home was a different story: stalled once and had a pretty horrible launch at an intersection. It seems the clutch behaves slightly different when its raining – over all it shifted smoother this evening though… stupid rain.
12/10/2008 6:45PM: Didn’t stall at all today! There was also some wintery mix outside to greet me after work, and I drove without music so I could better pay attention to the engine. Accidentally shifted from 5th to 3rd gear turning off the main road… Jeep did not like that, and I squeeled some tires.
Here’s a picture for today:
12/11/2008 4:51PM: No stalls so far yet today (to work, and to home) It’s my birthday, and I actually feel like the Jeep knows it and doesn’t want to be a dick today. There’s still more driving to do tonight though… always more chances to stall.
12/12/2008 6:22PM: Nice little western NY mini snow storm today after work… took a bit longer to get home because of slow drivers. Spent a lot of time between 2 and 4th gear, but made it how with out incident! I think I have solved my bucking/clunking problem when shifting into 2nd and 3rd… I just have to leave the clutch in longer before I start the shift, and still let it out slowly. Strange, because 3-4th and above, I usually can just let go of the clutch after shifting with no problems.
Learning Standard: Post #5
Today may have been the very first stall free commute to work and home.
A friend helped me with by stereo install over the weekend (life is hell without iPod play back!) and he showed me some new tricks.
When starting on a hill, hold down the clutch and brake peddle. Slowly release clutch until you feel the engine vibrate a little, then give it a tiny amount of gas and let up off the clutch. Worked great, no rolling backwards!
Its a Jeep Thing
Twice a year or so I make a 1000 mile round-trip to visit the family in NH. For five years it has been with my very trustworth 1995 2D Jeep Cherokee Sport. At the start of every winter season something major on it has required repair… practically like clock work. This year being the most expensive repair so far.
The Friday before turkey week my water pump exploded like a grenade – and required me having the Jeep towed to my favorite Jeep dealership in Rochester.
Total cost? Almost $700 to make it drivable again.
Moving forward… I drove it another 500 miles (after repair) back to NH – with it over heating off and on the whole way. This was also my first long drive using my iPhone as my soul means of navigation – the Google Maps GPS actually did fairly well!
It’s interesting to note, that voltage from a cigarette lighter is not enough to power the iPhone completely while it is using GPS,3G,Google Maps, and playing music.
Almost as soon as I entered NH I lost AT&T service completely… and it remained mostly unavailable through out my stay in NH.
The weekend that followed was a marathon of car shopping… saw many many Jeep Wranglers, and even test drove a few… finally settled on the very last one we found – just as we were about to call it quits for the night.
2005 Jeep Wrangler X: 26,900 miles – barely used. Has never had the top taken off, never had the doors taken off, and still had its original stock tires. Unfortunately it was a stick…. but for the deal they offered me, I was willing to learn.
I drove it home that night… and the end is history.
More pictures of stuff:
RIP Jeep… you will be missed :(
