Weeks after verifying that the FJ80 didn’t have some kind of electrical problem causing the battery to drain, I finally got around to going to Sears and picking up a new Enersys-built Diehard Platinum battery. Hot or cold, the current draw was below 10-miliamps which was well within spec, and the old Optima was only putting out 12.3-12.5 volts. I’ve grown dissatisfied with Optima batteries. My first one lasted almost as long as my original factory Toyota Yuasa open battery (which lasted about 7-years with maintenance!), but my second Optima went flat in less than 5-years. Continue reading ‘Tons of Fun’
That was quick & easy, the connector for the alternator wasn’t on good. Pluged it in good, cranked up the car, 14V baby! And while I was looking for wiring gremlins, looked at why the fans were constantly on. Yet another problem all the FXs I’ve had suffered. Looked over the FSM. Finally found it, doh, now I remember! All my FX’s also had A/C that was disabled/removed, and in so doing a pressure switch was either unplugged or chopped out. This switch runs in series with the fan temp switch so if it’s simply removed, the fan gets stuck on. The proper way to do it is to jumper it, or like how I did on previous and on this one for now is to just take the pressure switch and plug it in and leave it dangling. Aaaah, silence of no fans with cold engine. So wow, finally both cars are ready! The AE86 has a leaky brake master, but that’s easily fixed and can pass safety even without.
And after messing with all this alternator stuff, I just realized I am the man of alternators. Allen installed a new one into this FX, and stuck the old one in the trunk of the AE86. In all likelyhood that alternator is probably still good. I have the one in the 2nd FX, and one on the original FX block. So I have 4 FX alternators. Maybe if I took one of my bikes and hooked a belt to all of them I could power my house during a power outage….
It took three tries to finally get the toe-in adjustment set correctly on those new Northwave Ninja shoes. Now they’re all set and I only need the camber shims to set the rotational angle.  I took them on a test spin, and they feel a lot better than when I first installed the cleats, but I really do need the shims. I put on a set of shortened Nike spikes. The threaded holes in the sole are fairly deeply recessed, so you need about 7mm of thread showing below the base of the spike for them to be fully engaged. I pushed out the threaded studs, cut down the ends of the plastic spikes, then reinserted the studs so more thread would show.
D = 4.22-miles, Vavr = 11.3 mph, Vmax = 25.4 mph, T = 22-minutes
Hrm, monday freeride is totally rained out. Pick up a new battery from Sears. Expensive. Heavy. Noticeably heavier than the Exide Optima clone I replaced. Go home and fortunately the rains have stopped. Quickly take advantage of that and fix the bad alternator wire. The soldering is a little iffy. The heavy gauge wire is too big even for the butane iron on full blast. Reinstall the alternator and belt. Install new battery and replace bad clamps. Car starts no problem. Yay! Then I go to measure voltage. It’s only running 12 volts, and when I stop engine, voltage goes up. Looks like alternator is not outputing anything. I then watch the dash, the charge light does not come on when I switch ignition on. This indicates that there is no power getting to the alternator to initially start it functioning. Damn. After checking fuses, I quit for the night. I’ll have to recheck the alternator plug, and also here’s one I didn’t think about until reading up on alternators on the net. If the bulb is burnt out, the alternator won’t work.
Sunday, 05 August 2007
Clear to partly cloudy, 20-25C, still
We awoke early and puttered around the condo until opening time then headed down to Blendz for Belgian dark chocolate mochas. The sun was just coming over the mountaintops, and the still-sleeping village was quiet and deserted, save for a few odd souls who had risen with the sunrise. We wandered down toward the health clinic, passing fresh bear scat on the sidewalk. The intent was to go to the tennis club for breakfast, but mapless and going on only a vague recollection on its location, we ended up going on a nice 1.5km stroll down Blackcomb Way, then over to 99 and back again – basically circling around the tennis club! Not to say a brisk walk on a crisp, clear morning was unwelcome – it was a good way to loosen up the tightness and soreness from the many riding days before. The air was cool and a layer of convective fog hung in the low-lying areas aside Blackcomb Way. The sun rising in the clear sky would soon heat the air and burn the fog away, but in the meantime the wispy ether cast a faint rainbow in the light that managed to ply the spaces between the pines. Continue reading ‘Whistler MTB – Day 10’
Saturday, 04 August 2007
Scattered clouds, 22-28C, breezy
A beautiful morning broke on our last riding day. The forecast was for clear weather for the next few days after the wet spell yesterday morning. We finished the bagels for breakfast, pretty much depleting the groceries we bought at the beginning of the week. Today was to be a medium length ride out North. According to the maps, it wouldn’t be a deathmarch like the Riverside-See Colours and Puke ride, or the Kill Me, Thrill Me-Green Lake Loop ride. Continue reading ‘Whistler MTB – Day 9’
Friday, 03 August 2007
AM – rainy, 20-23C, still
PM – overcast, 23-25C, still
As predicted, the morning was rainy. The wispy, high-altitude clouds that rolled in yesterday afteroon were the precursors of the moist front that arrived from Hawaii via the Pineapple Express. I awoke before dawn to the sound of rain falling on the vinyl furniture out on the terrace. I closed the window and returned to sleep. We eventually had Pizza muffins then went down to Blendz for Belgian dark chocolate mochas. We wandered around the village, eventually ending up back at Opa! in Marketplace for lunch. It was busier this time, but the workers’ routines were getting more established, so I got my food quicker. The weather was clearing up and the ground was drying up, so we headed back to the condo to gear up for an afternoon spin. We could have easily taken the whole day off, but it seemed like such a waste since we came all this way to BC to ride. Continue reading ‘Whistler MTB – Day 8’
Thursday, 02 August 2007
Clear, 20-29C, light breeze
The morning was clear and cool – perfect weather for a good long ride. That’s definitely what we would get today. We rode over to the golf course and got on the Valley Trail Northbound. Crossing the railroad tracks, we skirted around the right of Emerald Forest and headed North. We crossed over Highway 99 and picked up the bike path on the other side and followed it out to the terminus past Green Lake. Continuing along 99, we passed a pair of RCMP officers dealing with a pair of kids who drove their Southbound Hyundai off the road into a gully. A little ways on, we could see the trailhead before a concrete barrier at a right turn in the highway. Continue reading ‘Whistler MTB – Day 7’
Wednesday, 01 August 2007
Clear, 25-29C still
This was to be a rest day after the long ride yesterday. The legs and ass both needed a little rest. Jeff had gone downstairs to Blends Coffee to get some Belgian dark chocolate mochas in the morning. I had a raisin bagel with cream cheese, milk, OJ and yogurt for breakfast then watched a little TV and had a nap. At lunchtime, we walked down to Marketplace and went to Opa! restaurant next to IGA where the Chinese restaurant used to be. It is a fast-food Greek-style franchise. They had souvlaki plates and pita wraps. I had a pita wrap with gyros meat. It was good and adequately large with fresh, quality fillings. The service was a little sketchy and random since they had just opened and none of the workers had developed routines yet. About $6 CAD with tax. Continue reading ‘Whistler MTB – Day 6’
Tuesday, 31 July 2007
Sunny, 24-28C breezy
I awoke yet again to the keitai and returned to the comfort of sleep. Considering the physical fatigue I had, I surprisingly wasn’t able to sleep straight through the night. I would usually wake up before sunrise and check the clock on the keitai, only to discover that it was still like 03:00. It was hot at night, even with the window open, and the bed wasn’t that comfortable either. Breakfast was pizza muffins, coffee, milk and OJ. Today was going to be a deathmarch, so I filled the reservoir to capacity. The legs were a little tired, but the ass was getting sore from all the saddle time. Continue reading ‘Whistler MTB – Day 5’