Mekanix

I have a buddy I went to school with since elementary, so I know him more than a friend of a friend. I remember the day he bought his Cougar from a schoolmate with 60 or 70K miles on it. He finally put it in storage with 370K miles on it. Mobil 1. Can't say what frequency of oil changes, but 5K sounds about right. I also remember him mentioning, when he was short on income for about 4 years, how he would just top it off every once in a while and kept on driving it.

I'm confused, are you referring to the regulator/rectifier and the stator? The "regulator and rectifier" are not separate parts. You are absolutely right. I meant to say reg/stator. The regulator is basically 3 bridge rectifiers and some other stuff that convert the AC signals to DC voltage. Sometimes I can't the brain and has the stupid.

Reg/rectifier. What happened to me is the regulator died, then the rectifier fried. It seems like they are so closely tied that they are almost always a two part replacement. You could try to replace the regulator, then test the rectifier if you are a little strapped for cash. I just did them both at the same time because I didn't want down time. The rectifier was burnt to a crisp when I pulled it out.

I have a 99, so my book doesn't have anything on it. Found this... on another site.

I used a heal tech speedo healer when I changed gears on my 99. Worked like a charm and was easy as pie to install. I think they have documentation on how to switch it from kph to mph. Mmmmmm pie...

I can't see how anything can be better than Mobil 1 or Amsoil based on the info I have seen. I don't know about Royal Purple because I haven't seen the data, but I guess I would probably put them right up there with the rest of them. Too easy to just go get either of the two I just mentioned. My ONLY condition to need specialty oil would be to use in a pre 1985 or so engine on a fresh rebuild. The extra zinc would be needed to keep the valve train alive, but I can use off the shelf for that too. Unless I was putting it on a salad, the stuff at the store is fine enough for me...

Man, I'm just commenting so I can subscribe to this story. I still haven't actually purchased my new harness, I guess I will when if finally becomes a problem - too many things on the house I am spending money on... When I pulled the back harness down, there were literally hundreds of redundant grounds, or splices. What I noticed, in mine, was that the wires themselves were just tarnished to hell. I even cut open some that I was re-grounding and they were tarnished quite a few inches into the insulation. Electricity travels across the surface of the wire, so I can only assume that the tarnish is at least contributing to my worries. Maybe that is also what is happening to yours. The only thing I can think of that I would do at this point, if I were troubleshooting mine, would be to pull all the bulbs out and see if it would run ok. Since the issue is sporatic, I think pulling everything but the headlight, driving it in relatively traffic free zones and then putting bulbs back one at a time. I'm not saying the bulb is suspect, but I think if you found a commonality it would point to the specific wiring feeding that bulb. I think in the previous troubleshooting, whatever bulb you pulled before is pointing in the general direction of the wiring that is causing problems, not actually the bulb.

Those guys on Spike on the weekends did a comparison on a dyno. They did pick up a little bit on the dyno and they did compare new regular to new e3. If they cost more than double, I would pass because I am a cheap bastard. If I am a power nut, I would probably get them. FYI, if you or anyone are running K&N filters, I am still strongly suggesting against using them. I am an old flathead fanatic and an engineer here did a case study on them. About a pound of dust in 20K miles. Some guys on rubberduck 4X4 also did a oil analysis and kept finding silicates in their oil until they went back to their paper filter. I'll stick with what can pass as mil-spec when I can and I'll be a cheap bastard to spite myself. Mostly, I'm just to lazy to cross reference to find the right plug for my application.

That's the way mine looks.

I read this http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-grains-are-unhealthy/ when I was doing a little research on primal eating. Needless to say, many bad things I was experiencing on a day-to-day level simply disappeared after I stopped eating wheat based foods. I have learned how little I can tolerate without negative side effects. Most of what I was dealing with is pointed out in the link, I won't go over them here.

Pinching it off would work. If it were me, I would cut off the joint and weld a cap from a piece of tubing shaped like the hole the cut left. Kind of like an elbow patch on a tweed jacket, heh. Not just for asthetics, but to also remove the possibility of sound waves bouncing back and making a weird sound and to prevent the exhaust from bouncing back from the blocked off hole. I know, sounds stupid, but exhaust has a weird way of behaving. I'm thinking the reverse of scavenging... blowback?

I'm OCD about cracking open an engine. That being said, if I have to open it, it's getting at minimum, rings and head work. I think a hundred and change just for the grinding, but I wouldn't expect to get out of that engine for less than a grand. If the truck is in that great of shape it would probably be worth it, but I can get a complete engine from the u-pull-it for about 300.

Damn, that was quick! Too bad I don't want one. :icon_snooty:

I got an AFAM sprocket set and DiD chain from a local buddy who is running his own shop. Went with a +2 tooth rear to get a little more torque than stock and only AFAM let me do that instead of going small in the front. I didn't want that drastic a change yet but I did want to more easily get the front tire airborne. I did a google shopping search and I saved 10 bucks over what they listed for using the string "afam cbr 1100 xx". As a plus, I'm helping out a local good guy keep his door open. He is going to rivet it together after I put all them on for $10, so I didn't bother getting a rivet tool. I got 26K out of my DiD, but I think I'm pushing my luck.

I have family in Denton, I'd like to end up out there if work pays me to go. I love the rides up the Sandias and the trips to Jemez springs here. I seem to get caught in the monsoons and swim with my bike in water up to the bottom of my header when I get it coming back from the mountain run. I've had my poor bird calf deep in water more times than I can remember and am just too stupid to stop and get out of the rain, heh. I got ya beat for temps, though. I work nights and tend to really enjoy nighttime riding. I can throw on a windbreaker, a neck sock and my lined jacket and chaps and I stay out for hours at about the mid 20s. My back yard faces the Sandias and I can see snow on the mountain while standing in my back yard in a t-shirt and shorts. Go get one of them birds and enjoy the hell out of it!

I will say that I have over 50k on mine. I have a tendency to get caught in the rain (a lot) which I think has contributed to my ongoing frustrations with my harness. This spring I am just buying and installing a new one. It doesn't affect the function as far as my butt dyno can assess, but I had to put a piece of electrical tape over the check engine light so it doesn't keep shining red at me. I have still driven it since electrical gremlins came to stay. I did the pull the plug off, cut the wires, solder the groups together fix. It lasted for 2 years. 2 very wet years.

99 and 00 have a wiring harness issue. Best bet is to just buy a newer one than have to deal with the ghost in the machine. Some replace the steering bearings with tapered rollers, I just greased mine and put it back together and have no issues with that either. Other than that, my 99 is still flawless. I abuse the hell out of her though.

Yeah, what he said. I think it boils down to what works for you. I really had great results with counting calories. What it boiled down to for me is that I was always starving and a general pain in the ass to be around. I think I can safely blame the insulin spikes. Find what works for you, stick with it for a while, see if you need to adjust later. I finally gave up on being a beach body (always had a spare tire) but I want to be happy and do things and fit in pants off the rack and not think of myself when I see fat people on the news. I think if your diet is feeding your body, you should feel good. This makes me feel good, it may not make you feel good. Most important in my book is that I feel good about myself. I am no longer sick, and I feel a lot more energetic. i feel good. I am happy about that. Still cheering you on, man. Johnny

Congrats on starting! I'm starting again too. I'm kinda approaching mine a little different. Mostly, I was getting REAL tired of my decade long ordeal of a less than happy stomach day after day. Even when trying to eat right, I had major symptoms of IBS and plain old sick tummy. Daily doses of Pepto and Imodium just to make it thru the day, etc. I caught a little whif of info about primal/paleo diet and exercise. I figured it had its merits so I thought I would give it a try. One of the main points of the lifestyle is that grain, specifically wheat, is bad for you. They do a lot better explaining than I can, but I thought, I'd give it a try. After a week of my gut adjusting, every single symptom I have been suffering for over a decade has completely gone away. Long story short, I've been feeding my face with meats, butter, vegetables and fruits and my weight stabilized. No more wild fluctuations, no more dying of thirst (insulin spikes) and subsequent changes in weight. I haven't started logging anything here, but I am getting ready to start counting my calories again. I've actually dropped 4 pounds to 224 without trying and with no real cravings. I get hungry, but it feels different... manageable. Here is where I started getting info, ended up buying the primal blueprint book so I could get more info. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/ http://freetheanimal.com/ What I am trying to adhere to right now is gleaned from Mark's daily apple. Tracking my food on fitday to see where I am in the carbs department. from http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-primal-...rate-continuum/ 300 or more grams/day - Danger Zone! Easy to reach with the “normal” American diet (cereals, pasta, rice, bread, waffles, pancakes, muffins, soft drinks, packaged snacks, sweets, desserts). High risk of excess fat storage, inflammation, increased disease markers including Metabolic Syndrome or diabetes. Sharp reduction of grains and other processed carbs is critical unless you are on the “chronic cardio” treadmill (which has its own major drawbacks). 150-300 grams/day – Steady, Insidious Weight Gain Continued higher insulin-stimulating effect prevents efficient fat burning and contributes to widespread chronic disease conditions. This range – irresponsibly recommended by the USDA and other diet authorities – can lead to the statistical US average gain of 1.5 pounds of fat per year for forty years. 100-150 grams/day – Primal Blueprint Maintenance Range This range based on body weight and activity level. When combined with Primal exercises, allows for genetically optimal fat burning and muscle development. Range derived from Grok’s (ancestors’) example of enjoying abundant vegetables and fruits and avoiding grains and sugars. 50-100 grams/day – Primal Sweet Spot for Effortless Weight Loss Minimizes insulin production and ramps up fat metabolism. By meeting average daily protein requirements (.7 – 1 gram per pound of lean bodyweight formula), eating nutritious vegetables and fruits (easy to stay in 50-100 gram range, even with generous servings), and staying satisfied with delicious high fat foods (meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds), you can lose one to two pounds of body fat per week and then keep it off forever by eating in the maintenance range. 0-50 grams/day – Ketosis and Accelerated Fat Burning Acceptable for a day or two of Intermittent Fasting towards aggressive weight loss efforts, provided adequate protein, fat and supplements are consumed otherwise. May be ideal for many diabetics. Not necessarily recommended as a long-term practice for otherwise healthy people due to resultant deprivation of high nutrient value vegetables and fruits.

This is going to sound all in left field but... fuel pump? Ford pumps don't tend to go out all at once. They hang on for a while but the pressure is just not up there. Also, fuel pressure regulator may be not holding enough pressure. Without enough pressure, you aren't getting good atomization and it will stumble and lots of poorly burned fuel will affect your mileage. Mostly not about the mileage, but about the stumbling, though. Also, just as an aside, I would strongly recommend changing out your K&N filter for a standard paper one. I know you get more performance (2-5 hp?), but I have seen from the Hummer H1 website and an engineer here in town that works on Ford flathead showing data that suggests those "high flow" filters are definitely not "high filter" filters. Apparently, somewhere around a pound of dirt over 20K miles flows thru them? I don't have the book in front of me, I'm at work. http://www.rubberduck4x4.com/ has some article in there, but I don't have time to find it. Apparently they were doing oil testing and found silicates in the oil (sand) and when they went back to a paper filter, the silicates were no longer found. Not a big fan of sand in my engine, but that's just me. Also, paper filters are mil-spec and K&N aren't.

That sounds a lot like what my harness was doing before the solder harness "fix". It took care of it for a few years, but now I have so many ghosts in my machine that I am just going to buy a new harness from the ecu to the motor. Almost $400 last time I priced them on bike bandit. Mine is a 99. I have black electrical tape over the check engine light and I just ignore it, but I have barely ridden it as of late. Still runs like a train though. As a review of my previous problem, when I rode in the rain, blinkers acted really weird. Also my check engine light would fade on and off. A few days of dry weather and it would go away. Eventually the light was on more and more and then I did the harness cut and splice. Year before last, I tore the harness apart and did redundant grounding. It did nothing to make the light go out. New harness is still cheaper than a new ecu, and I think I missed a wire because it will start with the kickstand on. Might as well get myself a new harness now!

I'm starting on a Paleo diet. I tried the fricken raw vegan, couldn't do it. Tried vegetarian, I like meat too much. Paleo is almost Atkins. Apparently you eat what you can gather and what you can kill (greens, fruits, vegetables and meat) No grains, no processed foods. I ordered a book, the Paleo Blueprint, so I have a better direction on where to go. I lost all the horsepower I gained a year and a half ago... I know that didn't really help you any, but I'm going through the shaky shakes too. I think it's sugar withdrawl. I eat an apple or a banana and it goes away.

If you still have those sidi boots by the time next payday rolls around, I want them. Translates to shoe size 11, right?

When you're done, you can come over and do mine. Nice work.

I got this for working in the garage. http://www.doityourself.com/invt/mr-heater...eater-515891469 Not the exact model, I think mine is only up to 55000 btu. Either way, it sounds like a jet taking off when it's fired up full blast. I can heat my garage from 20F to 75F in about 5 minutes. I think if I was working out in the garage, I would light this puppy, get a towel, come back and turn it off and use electric heat to maintain the temp till I was done. I use this in my garage and fire it about every 30 minutes when I start getting cold. Just long enough to get a drink or wipe my hands and I am toasty again.