Ahhh, the rustbelt project.. looks like quite the task.. good write up and progress report. Seems jeep has a funky fuel pump relay and wire circuit from a couple others I've heard about. Tom must be a good inspiration From: elky-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:elky-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of John Christensen Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 2010 5:40 AM To: El Camino List Cc: Cindy Christensen Subject: [elky] Fwd: Auto Club Update I am going to try to help Tom out at 2:30-3:30 today. I got the chance to help a couple weeks ago. He has 16 or 17 Kids to supervise, and they are all under cars all at once.... with everything apart, and has to be back together and cleaned up by 5 PM. Challenging to say the least. They have my size for the T-shirt. Below is what they are working on. JC >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Hi Members. In the past week, much progress has been made on the old Cherokee. From interior, to brakes, to fuel system, to engine maintenance the truck received a lot of attention. In addition, Mr. Stombres made more progress on his Tahoe undercoating and rust treatment, Tyler completed more engine maintenance on his car, Mike did some electrical work on his Jeep, Ryan did some more work on the Craftsman lawn tractor, and Tyler finished up the t-shirt design. During our last meeting, the carpet came out, and we really got a look at the floor in the Jeep. If you haven't seen it, the news is not good. Unfortunately, we have a lot of very severe rust to deal with. I have seen this on other "rust-belt" Jeep Cherokees before, so I believe that it is not uncommon. Due to the limitations of our vehicle value, we will be exploring some inexpensive methods of "shoring up" the floor rather than full replacement. We also know that we need to remove and reseal the windshield soon to stop the water from entering the passenger areas. The Leidis are bringing a powerwasher to this weeks meeting for the purpose of blasting the stink and dirt out of the carpeting. It should be exciting! Last time I checked, the weather was looking good for this activity and for the necessary drying time after the fact. We should also finish shampooing the seats while we are at it. Thank you in advance Leidi family. Many of you witnessed the poor condition of the rear brakes and the "lot rot" evident on the front brake rotors. Since my Auto II classes are presently studying brake system service, the Jeep became their first full brake job. The rear brake shoes have been replaced, and the front brakes have been disassembled cleaned, lubed, and the rotors resurfaced. More exciting news, is that Jordan has been picking away at the electrical issues plaguing the fuel pump. By the end of the week, the Jeep engine came to life using its own battery and electrical system (no help from hot wiring the fuel pump). The oil was changed in one of the Auto I classes so we could do some more engine testing. On Saturday, I came in to clean one of the storage areas, and Jordan came in to see what he could do on the Jeep. He decided to complete some unfinished work on the brakes in the hopes of a test drive. After resurfacing the drums (they will need replacement if we sell the truck), he dropped a seat back in place, and we made some practice runs in the parking lot. Although we were tipping out of the seats during the cornering practice (wish I had a picture), it drove pretty well through all 5 forward gears and reverse. The engine noises quieted down with the increasing engine temperature and the reintroduction of oil throughout the valvetrain. The clutch seems a little "iffy" at this point - more diagnosis is necessary. We were anticipating that a clutch replacement would be needed based on our interview with Mrs. Schmidit, the previous owner. Therefore, this week we need to start scraping away at rust inside the vehicle and clean everything thoroughly. We may also want to diagnose the severe power steering system leak. It would be good for the vehicle and the environment if we can fix that sooner rather than later. I like Jordan's suggestion that the windshield repair take place on a Saturday so we can do the whole job at one time. Maybe we can think about a date for that task. More exciting news - the 2010 - 2011 t-shirt design is complete. Thank you to Tyler for the design idea and to all who provided suggestions and feedback! These will be available to members for approximately $12 each - the final quote is not back yet. If you have not been at a meeting in a few weeks, then I do not have your t-shirt size. Please let me know if you are interested in a t-shirt this year and also the size you would like to order. Also, the price of the shirt should not be a reason that you do not get one. If you need help with the cost of the shirt, just let me know confidentially, and we will get the cost covered for you. This Tuesday, our meeting is in the usual time slot. There is also a SkillsUSA club meeting from 2:30 - 3:30 in room B124 that some of our members will be attending. We have several members in both clubs, so this would be a great day for others to go check out this very fun "education to careers" club. Jordan, Matt, Cody, and Casey are all part of both clubs, so talk to them if you have questions. Thanks to all, and I hope to see you or hear from you soon. Mr. S auto_club_oct2010.JPG