Lucky guy, huh?
What this means, to me, is that I don't get to workout. I have been at home "doing things" for these two weeks. I have had some pretty nasty accidents on inline skates and on a bicycle. As a result, I am carrying some Titanium for the rest of my life.
I am grateful to have someone who can rescue me when I have a problem, but that stops me when they aren't around.
On the other hand, I had a rather annoying surprise yesterday.
I realized that it was two weeks since I had started the Jeep. It has been sitting in the driveway wondering when I was going to take him for a drive. Two more weeks, then the support team comes back, and I go back to being an athlete carving large circles around giant gas bags and goofy golfers.
"He" is a 2002 Jeep Wrangler. January 2027 I will have had him for 25 years. I would put classic or antique plates on the Jeep but I think it is 30 years here in Florida and I am not sure that I would want to be limited to daytime only use on my own car.
Yes, "He". Black Jeep, Tan Soft top. A friend of the time looked at it and said that Jeep looks like Darth Vader. I laughed and have been thinking of it as Darth Jeep ever since.
DJ the TJ. I'll stop, it's a little "cute" for me too.
25 year old cars do weird things. I purposely got the Jeep as I thought that I could repair things on it. And I have. I have replaced Oxygen Sensors, Drained the oil numerous times, flushed the radiator, replaced the fuel rail, had the fuel injectors out, cleaned them, and replaced them, upgraded the lights to LED (all but four bulbs), and I'm on the second soft top.
There are other things that have been done like replacing the radio because I wanted to listen to CDs. A different radio for MP3 listening. Then I wanted HD Radio and a Line In port and replaced it again. Then I wanted Bluetooth more than anything else because the whole music market has changed drastically in 25 years.
I am sitting in South Florida listening to a Classic Disco feed from a "station" in London, on a Bluetooth link to my phone. As much as I hate smart phones, I rather like Classic Disco. This way I can do it on the road as well.
When I went out to the Jeep, I pulled the radio and re-soldered all the wires to the harness. That gave me four speakers. Sufficient because over about 60 mph, that Jeep only has a passing acquaintance to the music I am playing.
All that said and done, it was time to test it all out.
Accessory switch proved that the music worked.
Realizing that I needed to do more than drain the battery playing Cerrone, I thought it best to take old Darth for a roll around town.
Pushing foot to the firewall, I turned over the motor. Purrs like a kitten.
Clutch in I tried to shift it into reverse and it fought me. There was no pressure in the hydraulics to the clutch plate.
Try to shift into first, and the same thing. Nothing.
When I had the Clutch Master Cylinder replaced a couple years back, I had to pump the clutch so that I got enough pressure to engage the transmission. Remembering this, and feeling my heart rate climb in fear to above 100, I did manage to get the transmission to shift into gear.
Testing forward and reverse, and seeing that they engaged, I thought it best to take the old boy out for a short jaunt around town.
Bottom line is that with a 25 year old Jeep, weird things happen. Gremlins. Mind you, I am fond of weird cars, and that Jeep is certainly weird.
I bought it in the middle of the 1996-2006 production of the Jeep Wrangler TJ. It used to be common on the road. Through time and bad planning, my DJ The TJ seems to be one of the last of a breed. I just don't see many of them.
It isn't time to sell it. I enjoy it way too much. Every time I get behind the wheel, I get a goofy grin on my face. Besides, the EV market has not gotten mature enough for me to find one that is to my liking. I like what the Blank Slate promises. It's basically a "Work Truck" about the size of an old Toyota Truck, Chevy Luv, and Mazda B2000. 1990 Called and they are bringing back a truck in the form of an EV.
The Slate Truck also has the same ethos as a Jeep Wrangler from my era and earlier. No spyware reporting back to Ford/GM/Toyota/Who-Knows-Who. No subscriptions for hardware you have on the vehicle and are carrying around for the life of the thing.
It is as basic as my Jeep is. I like that in a car or truck. I like weird, but I also don't like paying for things I don't actually need or want. That's just pointless and stupid, and "Momma didn't raise stupid".
So for now, I have to put up with weirdness and make it a point to drive the Jeep around town more frequently, even at $4.29 a gallon, and invent places to go.
At least until my support team returns.
Seriously, look it up and make sure you are using the right fluids. I have seen videos of people destroying their vehicles by using the wrong one. If In Doubt, Get An Expert.
My Jeep uses DOT 3 Brake Fluid. Open up the top by turning it and make sure that you have it about 1/2 full. Close it tight.
It's also a good time to make sure your brake fluid, oil, washer fluid, and coolant levels are up where they should be.
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