What are you doing today? [Part II]

[xavierny25]

Solar installation crew came out to do there thing.
Some of these pics are from my Ruko drone. I had it flying around while the guys took short breaks. Didn't want to accidentally fly it into any of them so I made sure they weren't on the roof when I did.

 

[Sparky]

Nice. We have solar on our roof (installed early this year) and then our electric rates went way up this summer, so I'm glad we have it. Our highest electric bill this summer was about 75 bucks, if it wasn't for the solar (that I'm paying around $100 a month for) our bill could easily have been pushing $250-300.

 

[BrianF]

Just on a break from last minute fencing. So we got a massive snow dump and partially cleared the yard, feeding horses and got all the waterers up and running. We got an Alberta clipper coming this weekend so we are getting a massive dump of snow and wind..... great.....

 

[NJTB]

Pulled the plug, bought a 2015 Acadia. And yes, it's damn expensive, however, I found EVERYTHING car wise is that way. I bought it at a dealership a couple of miles from my house.
Before you guys smoke me, yes, it's a dealership that I've dealt with before and they're not bad. Comes with a 6 month warranty, first 2 oil changes are free, etc.
It's got the V6 and 6 speed, AWD. No trailer hitch, and it surprised me a bit it was unibody. Two things I did'nt like but I had to get with the program. Fact is at my age I'm probably not going to be towing anything.
The dealer put brakes on and changed the trans fluid, everything seems decent, engines quiet, no squeeks, rattles, etc.
Managed to scrape up enough of a downpayment that the car payments aren't absurd.
Picking it up Monday.

 

[Mooseman]

Pulled the plug, bought a 2015 Acadia.

Congrats! Getting a "new to you" vehicle is always fun. Maybe you'll be able to populate our 'Other GMT' section when you start getting into it.

 

[Sparky]

Yes cars are expensive. Our Odyssey we just bought was the most I have ever spent on a vehicle by a long shot. Ouch. Better get a decade+ out of it for the cost it was....

 

[northcreek]

And hence my complaint of no low oil level warning system. I know for guys like us, it's easy and second nature to check the oil but the vast majority just know how to drive their vehicle to a quick lube when it's overdue for an oil change.

I think the engineers blew their wad designing the low wiper fluid warning system....

 

[flyboy2610]

I think the engineers blew their wad designing the low wiper fluid warning system....

Whatever makes 'em happy, I guess.

 

[azswiss]

Uh oh . . .

 

[BrianF]

I spent most of the afternoon clearing snow. Thankfully the snow wasn't as bad as anticipated. It was not dry powder that drifts like a homeless man. Still plenty to move though.

Made some pizza dough in the bread maker but it cavitated so I ended up with mush. Meh so I made more and went out and did an oil change in the skid steer. Actually was quite easy.

Tomorrow is more clearing before the real cold rolls in.

 

[BrianF]

My fk boys, I spent hours clearing today and still not close to catching up. My wife left a message with the dealer, asking about a snow bucket and a blade. This poor girl just ain't big enough. This pic is from the turn off to the driveway. Could be worse.

 

[aaserv]

Been using the Envoy as my daily driver for a couple of weeks as my van is giving me fits. Time to sell it as its 1 problem after another with almost 350K on it.
The problem Im having with the Envoy is now that Im filling it with gas a few times a week the pump shutting off every 10 secs is driving me nuts so its time to fix it. Looking up the charcoal canister at Rock Auto they only have 1 source currently and its expensive. But as Im looking at the 1 for my 5.3L and I switch over to the 4.2 ....it shows several options and 1 of them is the exact same 1 they show for my 5.3L . Can anyone confirm that they both use the same canister?

 

[Sparky]

Check your fill neck first for any kinks. I had issues on my 02 and it was a kink in the rubber hose right where it fitted to the metal neck.

 

[flyboy2610]

Pull the hose off the filler neck and check that the rollover valve isn't stuck.

 

[Blckshdw]

Had the day off, was supposed to have a follow up appointment with an orthopedist to address a hip issue that's been developing (torn labrum ) but that had to get rescheduled.

With my free time and the great weather before that tropical system brings rain and cooler temps, trotted out to the beach. Not nearly as many rental cabanas setup, but the vacation folks were already posted up in front of them and I got here at 10am.

As usual, someone thought I work here and came to ask me about renting the cabanas. Nice family from MN. I really need to get a sign to hang from my canopy: "the guys in the blue shirts will talk to you about rental fees when they come around"

Figure I'll stay until about 2:30 then head back while traffic is still light. Then gear up for another few days in the office.

 

[NJTB]

Picked up the Acadia today. Nice car but can't hold a candle to the TB.
Popped the hood, everythings buried, Had to google where the battery is (under passenger floor), but it does have jumper terminals under the hood ????
Couldn't get a good look at the fan belts, PCM is mounted to the radiator support.
Working on this thing seems very difficult for a backyard guy.
Boy do I miss the TB.

 

[TollKeeper]

A little off-topic but could you elaborate on this as to why? I was really interested in the latest Silverado LT with the new interior and last Column Shifter with the V8.

And yess I was surf shopping for vehicles that are wayyy over what I can afford again

The engines are having problems with lifters, and the DOD/AFM system. Catastrophic failures. Engines eating themselves with less than 4000 miles. A couple people under warranty have had to had the engines replaced 4 times by 20k miles!

Some that have installed a range disabler to get around the issue are still having the problems.

GM thought they found the issue was a manufacturing defect, but even after being corrected, the problems continue.

 

[TollKeeper]

So over the weekend...

Spent some time with the kids and wife. Went to Lowes and bought a storage shelf for my basement pantry/stock pile.. My wife had been buying things, and had no idea what was there, and it was so crammed in there, you couldnt figure it out..

So got the shelving unit set up, and began sorting out the stuff.
12 boxes of cream of wheat
7 boxes of generic rice crispies
18 bottles of baby formula oatmeal
18 jars of peanut butter
42 cans of Goats Milk Concentrate

1 can of chili
2 cans of soup

And thats about it...

So spent nearly 300 bucks getting Canned goods.. Soups, chili, fruits, vegetables, and some other things like flour, sugar, yeast, cooking oil, baking soda, baking powder..

EDIT: still got to go back to the store and get some Shower soap/shampoo, Hand Soap, Dish Soap, Laundry Soap, toilet paper, lighter fluid, matches, and bleach.

 

[northcreek]

Had to google where the battery is (under passenger floor), but it does have jumper terminals under the hood ????

Surprised to read that, we have a 2015 Equinox(smaller suv), same 3.6 engine and the battery is under the hood...wonder what GM's reasoning was on the Arcadia...

 

[Mooseman]

The problem Im having with the Envoy is now that Im filling it with gas a few times a week the pump shutting off every 10 secs

Also Check your vent valve and filter. To confirm where it's blocking, disconnect the vent valve to the filter and try to put some gas in. If that doesn't change it, disconnect the hose from the canister to the vent valve and repeat. If that fails, disconnect the hose from the tank to the canister and repeat. This should confirm where the blockage is.

No clue on the 4.2 vs 5.3 canisters but I can't see why it wouldn't work if they are the same physically.

 

[BrianF]

I went for a decent rip on the sled today..... well...... it starts good but is a bit cold blooded if you don't give her any throttle input. But thats to be expected on such an old girl and simple carb.

It ran good until I hit the deep powder. It powered down to a damn near crawl. It did not feel like a bog but rather no power. No sign of snow ingestion and nothing soaked. What it looks like is the primary clutch not fully engaging and needing a deglaze....which I knew from the start.

But, she idles good, doesn't stall and thankfully I got her turned around on the narrow uphill trails that she was buried on. I fattened up the hi needle and it just kept getting better on the hard pack. More pics to come.

 

[BrianF]

So I got the clutch done. Actually quite easy, just needed some torque on the old 1 1/8 socket and some rope in a cylinder. The thing was filthy, having some rust, coagulated garbage and what was possibly copper anti seize.

She works a hell of a lot better but still powers down in the powder. Popping the hood I found its piling up the snow and its soaking something causing the loss of power. I fattened the hi needle even more and backed it up to where she was happy.

 

[BrianF]

Well the powder is here and time to make some trails.

 

[TollKeeper]

I SOOOOO want to go sledding... 5 blown discs.. and 2 small kids, keep me at home

 

[Mooseman]

I am so jealous!

Today, went for my 4th shot, which was quick and painless. Then did some more yard work. Pulled the leaf net from the pool and pumped some of the water from the cover, then blew the wet leaves off the net and put it away. Letting the leaves dry before raking and bagging them. Blew and raked other leaves in the yard. Filled about 10 bags.

 

[BrianF]

Well its supposed to be -29c ambient tonight so I won't be sledding too much..... but I also have to be careful as these old sleds are a bit rougher to ride and more awkward of a riding position. If I don't take it easy, it inflames my SI joint.

I'm lucky my kids enjoy it and are at the age to drive on their own. Possibly this week or next I have to get the other sleds from my acreage and bring them here. Have to make a fun day out of trail riding and end things with a fire in the back yard.

We have an abysmal winter out here. Its cold, long and can be pretty hostile. Sledding is one of the only things that makes it bearable.

 

[xavierny25]

We always put up real trees for Christmas but after a lot of thought my mother-in-law got us a Balsam Hill Christmas tree. The delivery of the tree was a train wreck but after unboxing it seems like everything is okay. It was double boxed with plenty of bubble wrap and foam pads. Since we had to unbox and test it we are just going to leave it in it's little corner.
I can control it remotely via wifi anywhere I am. Each bulb can be set to just about any color individually. It truly is the last tree we will ever need. I am however going to miss the smell you can only get from a real one.

 

[Sparky]

Did some cleaning out of old junk from the basement and garage. Since the truck is now gone, I really didn't need my never-finished retrofit parts. So in the junk bin went the torn apart, half chopped up headlight housings. I kept the practically brand new Mini H1 7.0 projectors, shrouds, bulbs, harnesses, etc. Maybe if I have a bunch of extra time someday (ha) I'll throw them in the Civic. It is the only car that has dull halogens now. The Odyssey has halogen projectors, but I put some Lasfit LED bulbs in and I'm actually impressed with the output.

Then I dug out my old Trailblazer's retro'd headlights which had gotten trashed by mice while in storage (lenses full of dirt, nesting material, and poo), and tore them apart to save the pair of Mini H1 4.0 projectors. Never know when I could use something like that. Probably never will, but hey.

Thinking I should post a for sale ad or thread someplace. I have a few odds-n-ends that are probably worth something. OEM Silverado tail lights, Diablosport i1000 tuner I used to disable AFM, a TPMS sensor programming tool, maybe some other random stuff.

 

[Mooseman]

Diablosport i1000 tuner I used to disable AFM

I hope you unmarried it from the truck before you got rid of it. Apparently it costs a bit to send it in and have it unlocked again.

 

[Sparky]

I hope you unmarried it from the truck before you got rid of it. Apparently it costs a bit to send it in and have it unlocked again.

Yup I did. Costs more than the tuner is worth to unlock it!

 

[Blckshdw]

Had a follow up appointment with the orthopedist this morning to review the MRI scans on my hip that's been acting up since April. X-rays were clear, so we were suspecting I had a torn labrum. MRI showed my labrum was fine, and while the gap between the ball and socket was also good, there's signs of the cartilage wearing in a couple of spots, and that's my problem.

Thankfully this means surgery is off the table for now, so that was a huge relief, considering I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact I'd need to go under the knife, for the last few months. The treatment plan now will consist of physical therapy for the next 6 weeks, and possibly some 'gentle yoga' which is just the stretching portion, so no crazy poses that risk me falling on my face.

I've got a number of plans for December while I'm on PTO, and it will be good to not be laid up in recovery the entire time.

 

[northcreek]

Bracing for the huge lake effect snow storm which will be moving in the next three days. The Lake (Erie) is warmer than it has ever been this time of year (50F) so the effect will be greater.
We are prepared though, which basically is having enough beer for three days...

 

[northcreek]

Woke up to this today, and it’s still coming down. My plow truck got buried and the high pressure fuel pump died so the FITECH will not work. Had to resort to using my tractor and froze my ass off but, it's a bear.
More pics when we dig out in a few days (weeks?).

 

[BrianF]

I hope you lakes region people fare out well!! My God that's some nasty weather!!!

 

[Mooseman]

And freaking early too. Sometimes we don't get any snow here until January. We're getting a little of it too but nowhere hear as bad as that.

Stay safe brother.

 

[northcreek]

This is what 74" of lake effect snow looks like after rough clean up. More coming Sunday, hopefully not as much....

 

[BrianF]

Well sweet baby Jesus!! Glad you have some equipment to dig yourself out. Thats one hell of a mess. What ambient temperatures are seeing before during and after a storm like that?

We have some warmer weather roll in, not like -14c with -21 windchill is a show stopper. I put some miles on my sled and found a few issues. Some deformation to rhe belly pan is directing a spray of powder onto the secondary, causing slipping or some issue causing the sheaves to not open and close on power demand.

Then found both plastic drivers are cracking. Not horrible but I will need to source some aluminum ones from the early 70's OMC sleds. Not impossible but pricey. I think 250$ American plus shipping. In the mean time I will clamp them, which may just work out indefinitely seeing as I'm an easy rider.

 

[northcreek]

What ambient temperatures are seeing before during and after a storm like that?

Right around the freezing mark during, now in the evening it's around 26f. Tonight snow comes back with wind but, will be shorter in duration. That tractor was the best money I've ever spent..

 

[Mooseman]

Seeing all this snow got me motivated to clean out the garage. 7 hours and a full garbage can later, it's now clear enough for me to bring in my sled to do some maintenance on it. It'll have to wait until next week as I'm taking the TB to the DIY garage tomorrow so I can replace a front axle seal and hub.

 

[BrianF]

That temperature sucks in my mind. Makes the snow heavy and it sticks to the ground. Perhaps not bad to bucket out though. We normally get that dry powder that drifts bad if just fat in its direction.