RowdyRebel

Nope....just there to make sure you can make that turn at the bottom of the hill!

A "Jake" brake is just an engine compression brake manufactured by the Jacobs Mfg. Co. (Jacobs Vehicle Systems). There are several manufacturers of engine compression brakes, and they all work in a similar manner. What is likely occurring in your situation, is that on an electronic engine there is usually a setting which turns off the brake at a given RPM...preventing the engine brake from stalling the engine. Changing the brand of the engine compression brake won't stop what is happening, because the brake is functioning exactly as it was designed to do....slows you down, and then turns itself off at a set point to prevent stalling the engine.

I stopped caring what that SOB had to say a long time ago. Ok, so maybe I never cared what he had to say. At this point, he'd be a lame duck IF we had a congress willing to stand up to him or a judiciary willing to form opinions based upon Constitutional principals rather than political ideology. The combined failure of 2/3 of our government to keep the 3rd allegedly co-equal branch in check is far more dangerous than the ridiculous statements made by any 1 man...even if he does occupy the oval office.

Apparently it needs to be a complete motor that can be turned. If all I can wrangle up is a block, they can use my heads and loosely throw together the internals to make it pass. I'll have 30 days from when the new motor arrives (or perhaps is ordered...not sure) to have the core returned, so I've got a LITTLE time to try to come up with something. E7-460 is what was in there...so it would have to be a similar block.

Forward-facing cameras are great! I refuse to have one facing me, though. Anyway, when will the video be posted? Screen shots are OK...but I was expecting video! Speaking of videos, I've got a couple more to get uploaded...

I'll ask today how much they'd need.

Well, just got word that #4 cylinder came apart in spectacular fashion...piston sitting sideways in the cylinder, sleeve shattered, and the hole in the pan was likely shrapnel from the sleeve exploding. Block is junk, so I'm getting a ReMack engine...but without a core it adds around $4K to the cost. Anybody happen to have an E7 block laying around in the way that would work for a core for an '01? Came off the line June of 2000 if that matters... I'll get pics tomorrow.

That's actually what I was looking at...Rochester stage 2 w/ their turbo. Price doesn't seem too far off compared to OEM injectors & turbo, and I'm definitely replacing them with the overhaul. Just doesn't make sense to risk blowing a turbo a few weeks after the overhaul due to whatever it was that caused the failure. Glad to hear someone with actual experience with them. My truck is an '01 460P. They are also putting in a request for the XT file, but I'm not holding my breath on that one.

With my truck down for an overhaul right now, I wonder how some of that would work on a 2001...and if the price for some of the upgrades are in line with the price of the OEM parts I'd be buying anyway.

It hasn't made its way into the shop yet for a tear-down...and until it does, I'm still only HOPING there isn't anything else tore up. I'm going to be extremely lucky if patching the oil pan is the only thing needed beyond what would have otherwise been replaced during the overhaul. As for the rental truck, I may give it back at the end of the week. It's kinda slow right now, and paying the daily rental just doesn't make sense. I can afford it for a week, because the insurance reimburses it. Beyond that, though, it's got to earn its keep...and if things don't pick up, it's looking like I'd just be breaking even with it if not for breakdown insurance covering the rental expense for the first week. If I'm only going to break even, I may as well not be wasting my time....got that Suburban to finish up along with plenty of other projects that I have all of the necessary parts & pieces just haven't had the time to work on...and my time would be better spent getting some of that stuff done as opposed to riding around in an underpowered, slow truck breaking even.

HOPEFULLY this is the only hole punched. I ought to be able to weld a patch onto that while they are working on the internals...IF they ever get it into their shop. Deer season. Mechanics on vacation. Wonderful timing on my truck's part.

Stopped by the truck to pick up a few odds & ends and have another look-see. Found where all the oil came from...Ouch.

Farmers tend to vote in greater numbers than truck drivers. They also talk to each other more, and are around to give their reps an earful at townhall meetings as well as at their office. It is no surprise they get the carve-outs and exemptions that they do compared to the average run-of-the-mill OTR operation.

Funny how the cost of tuition is the ONLY out-of-control rising cost the left is NOT concerned with...gotta pay all those left-wing radical professors (who couldn't hack it in the real world) to pontificate their flawed philosophies which, although they look great on paper, simply isn't how things work out here in reality. I guess it's OK to be absurdly wealthy and have your stupidly high salary paid by those who typically fall WELL BELOW the poverty line as long as you're successfully passing on your failed left-wing ideology to a new generation of youths.

I may give this damn thing back to them after the 1 week the insurance is paying for just to preserve my sanity...depends upon if my truck is in the shop yet and wha tthe progniosis is. If I can give them their truck back next Friday and only miss 2-3 days of work, so be it. If it'll be another 2 weeks, I'm not sure what I'll do..but if I keep driving this thing for too long, I'll end up in the loony bin.

I'd LOVE to be a college professor.... Want to walk out? Fine...there's the door. 2 minutes later, after everyone who wants "free" education has left: POP QUIZ! This will be worth 30% of your final grade. Make-up essay will be offerred to make up half the points you could have earned had you stuck around to take the quiz. In the essay, I'd want to see that you understand that: 1) actions have consequences, 2) nothing in life is "free"...SOMEBODY has to pay for it, and 3) your future is your own responsibility, and if you want to reap the benefits (good job, wealth) you have to make the investment (hard work, saving, and your education). Bottom line, if you don't give a damn about you, nobody else is going to give a damn about you either. Even if you DO give a damn about you, others still probably won't give a damn about you because they have their own self to give a damn about...no time or energy left to give a damn about you...so if you want to make a better life for yourself, it's up to you to give a damn about yourself. If you don't give enough of a damn about yourself to put forth the effort to make that happen for yourself, why should anybody else give a damn for you?

I MISS MY TRUCK!!!!!! So this rental truck is basically a standard "fleet spec" glider kit freightshaker. 435 HP/1450 ft lbs 60 series Detroit, 10 speed Eaton Fuller transmission, and who knows what gearing in the rears. The thing is as gutless as a truck can get...but it still had me feeling like a damn rookie trying to leave the yard with it. The shifter is located damn near behind me...even with my hip would be a generous way to describe it's location. The "towards the dash" gears (R, 2, 4, 7, 9) are farther from the dash than my "away from the dash" (LL/L, 2L/2H, 4L/4H, 6L/6H, 8L/8H) gears would be found. I've driven SPORTS CARS with a shorter throw between the gears. I'm trying to bobtail out of the yard and I slip it from 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd, and when I tried going from 3rd to 4th I ended up back in 2nd THREE TIMES before I finally got it to slide over to 4th. This thing changes entire gears with less movement than my truck takes just to find neutral! The fact that my arm is uncomfortably stretched BEHIND me to find the shifter doesn't help. Then, with 50+ fewer ponies under the hood and lacking 200+ ft. lbs of torque than I'm used to, this thing jus has no "go" to it. The low range is fine...slips easily from one gear to the next....but then you've really got to wind it out in each gear or else you're lugging in the next. A 13 speed would make this thing SO much more driveable. Then, it's governed to 64.3 mph. The 1st day I had it (Thursday), I went to the Mack dealer to retrieve my loaded trailer and then went what SHOULD have been 45 minutes up the road to deliver. Took me an hour to get there. Another hour to make it back (which again, should have been a 45 minute trip) to drop & hook for my load delivering Friday. Already not looking forward to driving this POS. So Friday rolls around and I decided to just run the big road. This gutless wonder doesn't get up to speed very well, so no telling HOW much time it'll add to the trip taking the 2-lanes the whole way. I was just making it to Effingham (usually anoug 2.25 to 2.5 hours) 3 hours into my day. Going that route, I can usually be at the receiver in 3.5 hours. Taking the 2 lanes, usually in 4.5 (no scales that way...and I HATE interstates). It took me 4.5 hours to get there ON THE INTERSTATE!!! Coming back, my backhaul loaded right there along the 2-lane route, and since I'm paying by the mile for rental, I decided to take the 2 lanes back home. Loaded 30 minutes from where I had delivered....and it was another 5 hours to make it home. I can usually run the 2-lanes BOTH WAYS and keep my drive time between 9 and 9.5 hours. I was right at the 11 hour limit running the big road up and the 2-lanes back. PATHETIC!!! Then, the thing just felt mushy. No feel for the road at all. Soft, cushy springs and A LOT of body roll/sway. Sure, you don't feel every bump...but if you can't feel what the truck is doing on the road, it's impossible to react to what needs reacting to and correct what needs being corrected. It is SUPPOSED to be a truck...so it SHOULD ride like a truck. If I wanted to "float", I'd get a boat. When I'm in a truck, I want it to ride like a truck. I don't see how guys can do that...run an under-powered truck that is cut back that far down the interstate every single day. Can't (or at least SHOULDN'T) pass because you don't have the pedal to get it done quickly without blocking things up for everybody else. I told the wife if I EVER start considering selling my truck and being a company driver in a fleet-spec truck to smack me upside the head with a large, heavy object to knock some sense into me. In all honesty, I'd rather change oil & tires at Walmart than be stuck in that miserable existance. At least I have getting my own truck back to look forward to. With 485 HP/1660 ft lbs combined with the 18 speed and 4.17 rears, there isn't much that truck of mine CAN'T handle. If they can get their hands on the XT data file for me, it'll be that much better. Anyway, if Hell is anything like this, I don't wanna go there...so if you're wanting to find me tomorrow morning, I'll be at church making sure my eternity doesn't involve a fleet-spec'd freightliner.

The other half of the SSI ponze scheme is that people just aren't having kids anymore. A woman born in 1935, on average, had 3 kids. Today? The average family has 0.9 kids. In other words, there aren't enough people entering the work force to support the people leaving it. Funny how the left's favorite charity (planned parenthood) caused the demise of the left's favorite entitlement program. Personally, if I could, I'd opt out of SSI altogether. I can see a better ROI putting that money into a savings account that doesn't even keep up with inflation compared to what will be there for me in SSI 30-35 years from now...IF I live that long...and if I don't, my family would get to keep what's left in the account rather than the pathetic excuse for a "death benefit" paid out by SSI. If someone in the private sector was attempting to operate a system EXACTLY like the government has run SSI, they'd be in prison...which is exactly where many politicians ought to be. At least when accosted on the street by a thug demanding my wallet, I can shoot him. Can't do much to keep the politicians at bay because too many stupid people think the new/higher taxes won't apply to them and vote these SOB's into office for the free shit being offered at taxpayer expense. I'd like to see a Constitutional Amendment that stated any budget deficit would be covered first by legislator & legislative staff salary cuts, then to executive branch salary cuts, and finally to judiciary branch cuts. When federal payroll = $0, if the deficit still has not been covered, the tax rate for elected government officials shall be 100% for ALL sources of income (investment, capital gains, annuities, gifts, campaign contributions, etc...) until such time as the budget is once again balanced and debt has been repayed (and shall remain so even after the individual leaves office). If that still does not cover the debt, THEN AND ONLY THEN should the national debt be increased. There is no consequence for irresponsible actions if you do so as part of your "official duties". There should be.

He played the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo this year, but I couldn't go that night. We went Wednesday & Saturday, though...

Motor was a 2000 E7-460 with the 460P file. Cam done around 450K along with the oil pump and mains, and the cam was so badly worn I kinda figured I was on borrowed time ever since. Otherwise, it hasn't been touched internally to the best of my knowledge (bought it @ 260K). Mileage is actually higher than indicated due to several weeks over the years when the VSS was broken or malfunctioning...them round tuits are tough to come by sometimes.

Well, got me a rental truck lined up. Costs me per day, 5 days per week plus mileage. Not TOO bad...more than I'd HOPED, but less than it COULD have been. Keeps money coming in to keep bills paid and save up for the BIG bill when the truck is fixed. Talked to Mack today, and they said they can control costs better doing the overhaul in-house as opposed to buying a whole new engine (which is what it is). As long as the block is good, that's the route we're going. Haven't even drove a mile in the freightshaker and I'm already anxious to get my Mack back. Company shop is running it through fixing a few minor things before I take it, and dispatch is checking to see if I can deliver a load tomorrow that wasn't scheduled 'til Friday. If I can't deliver 'til Friday, we'll push the rental start date off until tomorrow...either way. As for recognizing me, as of now I won't have a CB in the truck. Not sure it's worth the effort pulling one out of my truck to install in this one for a couple weeks. Besides, not certain I want to be recognized driving a freightshaker. Could be worse, though. Company used to have V****'s. I think I would've just taken the time off if that were the case.

I was pretty quick shutting 'er down. I'm just hoping the mile and a half or so I coasted into the old rest area didn't hurt the transmission. I had it suggested to me to price a ReMack engine instead of just having this one overhauled...gotta weigh the cost vs. down time each way and go from there. The one benefit of a new engine would be that with it split from the transmission, there would be no extra cost (other than the parts) to do the clutch. Never have been happy with this one...won't keep adjusted and doesn't even come close to pinching the clutch brake, so it may as well not even have one in there. But, like I said, it all depends upon what everything costs and how long it'll take them to get it done. If I can rent/borrow a company truck to keep working, whatever it costs me to do that is definitely going to be factored into the equation...not to mention I'll have to drive a freightshaker. Anyway, that's the one good thing about being leased onto a company...loaner truck. If I was on my own, I'd REALLY be hurting. I can afford to take a couple weeks off...or I can afford to fix my truck...but NOT both!

Anyway, the O/O friend who pulled the trailer back to Mack and gave me a ride home had tore up his trailer a little today...so I did some welding and got him patched up & on his way again. At least I could help him out for helping me, even though the help would have been given either way whether or not there was a reciprocal favor to be done. That's one reason I like running local...never too far from friends to help get you out of a bind. Sure, I could've had the whole truck & trailer towed...but it would've cost me more than the $168.75 I was charged. Overall, considering how bad it COULD have been, I'm going to bed tonight feeling lucky. I may be snapped back to reality when I find out how bad it broke...but I had a major overhaul planned 3 weeks from now, anyway...so as long as nothing broke that wouldn't have been fixed anyway, I got off lucky.

I HATE seeing my truck like this...

...at least it's a pretty nice day weather-wise. They're expecting severe weather tomorrow.