Sorry about the pictures, I'm not sure why they turned out so huge here compared to other places I post stuff. I still haven't fixed the Locost yet, but I've been working on the Ranger a bit, getting it ready for a little overnight trip this week with the kids. We took it out last weekend and had a couple little issues come up, but that shouldn't be unexpected with a $500 beater. And being a 4x4 I had to take a couple poseur shots.
The rear diff had enough oil on the outside that I figured I better see if there was any left inside. It was pretty grungy, so I changed that, and in the process found that the diff cover was fiberglass or something and had a leak where it had hit a rock or something. That was easy to fix with some epoxy, but I was glad I took the time to clean it up properly.
The front wheel bearings where a touch wobbly, so I had a look there too, lots of grease everywhere except where it needed to be, and the adjusting lock nuts were nice and loose. So I got to show my son how to properly pack a bearing at least.
I figured I should also check the front diff oil, and it looked like a chocolate milkshake.
Changing the diff oil on a TTB Ranger turns out to be a pain, seeing how the cover is the control arm, and there's no drain plug. So the easiest way to do it is suck it out, but I didn't have a big syringe to use. I had one of my rare good ideas, and modified an old oil pump from a trashed engine and spun it with my drill. That worked like a charm, but I didn't take into account how much torque there would be once the gear oil made it to the pump. It ended up flailing around on the drill. I'm not sure how it got so far, but from working at the front of the axle, it sprayed oil as far back as the transfer case. I still smell like gear oil.
I also put the canopy back on, so I can potentially sleep in the back rather than a tent if I'm on my own.
Kristian
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V6 in a book frame build. Now registered.
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