FlyingJ

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Everything posted by FlyingJ

  1. Absolutely. We run a generator when it is legal. The National Park Service (who run the National Seashore) prohibit generators and any motorized watercraft on the beach. When possible we have a generator and also use a small Zodiac or jet ski to run out our baits instead of a kayak. That said, I'm a much bigger fan of no generators on the beach. They are loud and to me, end up taking away from the experience. In the heat of south texas summer though running a generator to power a box fan in every tent is something I can very easily get over. Killing threads since 2004.
  2. That is definitely a consideration, and when we travel down the beach but not quite as far there are several extra batteries that make the trip. Going the full distance though things like the batteries and other more luxurious items get left behind to make room primarily for additional water, coolers of ice and extra food. It really is a whole lot easier when we can send a truck on a two hour round trip into town to pick up some supplies after a few days than when that round trip would take 8 hours and 60 miles each way of back breaking off road travel. We really lucked out our last trip though. There was a dredging operation and a dude was stationed on our side of the cut to watch out for any sea turtles that might have gotten injured/killed by their machinery. He traveled back and forth to the nearest port by boat and not only brought us ice a couple days but also brought some fresh eggs after our four dozen turned into only 4 with the bumpy ride down. Killing threads since 2004.
  3. One of my favorites was as a kid when either the Atlanta Journal-Constitution or possibly more likely the Marietta Daily Journal ran an article (with picture) showing the site where The Big Chicken had once stood but been dismantled and removed. People were freaking out! For those that have never experienced The Big Chicken...in Marietta you'd likely get directions to NYC as something along the lines of just 900 miles North of The Big Chicken. http://roadsidegeorgia.com/site/bigchicken.html Killing threads since 2004.
  4. Listen to them at the link below. Have to be honest that it is better than I expected an unprocessed performance to be. Definitely not a fan of the over processing. Listening to the song below makes me think they should just forget the computers and let their voices be the art, forget all the manipulation. They have have the talent, why F*^& it up? http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=m7GjoKXE78w Killing threads since 2004.
  5. Agreed. I failed to mention in the first post that the biggest reason for not running the engine to recharge batteries is fuel consumption. 60 miles down a 4wd only beach at aprox. 6mpg makes for a very fuel hungry trip. With an extra 5 gallons of fuel added for the return trip I get to the first gas station just as I pass 1/8th of a tank. Worse case scenario of somehow being stupid enough to drive back at high tide, in soft sand for all 60 miles leaves me getting off the beach practically farting in the gas tank in hopes of it being combustible. Needless to say, exploring options for safely carrying additional fuel in/on my Jeep are really the bigger priority. Killing threads since 2004.
  6. I ended up picking up a SunForce 5 watt trickle charger. http://www.sunforceproducts.com/product_details.php?PRODUCT_ID=58 I'm not expecting a fully recharged battery, but I'm hoping it will just take the edge off enough to leave me a little more juice after 4 to 6 days on the beach. If this one doesn't work it will go to my buddy as a maintenance charger for his boat and I'll keep looking. Killing threads since 2004.
  7. Most definitely. I don't do DIY when it comes to electric stuff. Bad results tend to be too expensive. When I buy one it will be something like the following, with everything included: http://store.sundancesolar.com/su6vsoch.html I mainly wrote to see if anyone had especially good or especially bad experiences with any certain brand, etc. It's not easy for any type of electronic gadget to hold up to the salt/sand spray and humidity of the south Texas coast. We'll see how it goes with this! Killing threads since 2004.
  8. Who has a solar battery maintainer and what do you think? I want to keep the battery in my Jeep topped off while spending upwards of 4-6 days at a time 50-60 miles down the beach. The Jeep is an integral part of the camp (roof rack mounted tarps form our shade/kitchen area) so I try not to run the vehicle to avoid the exhaust and extra heat. By the end of an average trip the battery is typically giving all it has just to turn over the engine. I always have a portable booster box, but ideally I would like to be able to use that as a portable power source (to run a spotlight) and then be able to recharge it using the vehicle during the day. Any suggestions regarding brands/models that you have used would be great. I will connect directly to the battery, but I am also interested in hearing what people way smarter than me have to say about the type of chargers that plug into a 12v outlet. Thanks all! Killing threads since 2004.
  9. We have a junior program with my service. Kids 14-18 can join, are put through first aid and cpr training to start and then do monthly meeting/trainings. The do classroom training that eventually leads to a first responder (actually Emergency Care Attendant here in Texas) cert and they practice with all the various equipment we keep on the ambulance, etc. They are encouraged to do ride outs on the ambulance where they have the chance to take vitals, assist with splinting and bandaging, etc. They do a lot for us too, taking part in parades and other PR events, volunteering to staff first aid stations at festivals, etc. It's an awesome group! Killing threads since 2004.
  10. Unfortunately, forever. I have "changed lives" several times, going from dressing for work in NYC to working as a wildland firefighter in the middle of nowhere. Every move and new career has resulted in a new or different wardrobe and I can never get rid of the old stuff, because you know, what if I need it again! I'm about to do a local move into a place with significantly less storage and plan on using it as the impetus to provide the local thrift store with a pile of clothes to sell. Killing threads since 2004.
  11. No intake cleaning yet, but it's on the list. Going 7,500 miles between changes would be awesome, but I spend so much time driving on the beach (30 to 50 miles at a time up and down Padre Island for fishing) and on dirty ranch roads, etc. that I will pretty much always stick to a 3,000ish oil change. Killing threads since 2004.
  12. wish i would have seen this discussion before you took it to the dealer. just replace the TPS on my jeep, had the same issues, (different motor, i have an inline 6) $45 bucks.....all fixed, for now.
  13. Well, I'm cautiously optimistic after one week now without a stall. I replaced both the rotor and the throttle position sensor at the same time and the problem seems to be gone. Seems much more likely it was the TPS that was bad, but I didn't want to wait any longer to just knock out everything I needed to do. One nice thing after all that was done is that I'm seeing 1.5 to 2mpg better fuel consumption. Killing threads since 2004.
  14. FlyingJ

    Blue balls

    Killing threads since 2004.
  15. As long as the decision and the feelings behind it truly were his feelings, so be it, good for him. If the feelings that he expressed were really dad telling him what he needed to do so that he didn't risk having a son that got beat by a girl than it's a whole different story. From the several stories I've read it sounds like the kid really did make the decision, and I hope that is true. It's a moot point now since she lost, but when I first read about it I really only felt for the girl. If she had gone on to win then it would have been a win with an asterisk as she had not truly beaten all opponents. I would hate for her to get that far and have people belittle the achievement due to the way it happened. Killing threads since 2004.
  16. I was in the EXACT same situation in college. I moved into an apartment with two guys. Came home one day and the guy had gotten a dog. Both roommates were well aware of my allergies, but the moron didn't even think twice about it. The dog was a freaking mess, and probably the only warm blooded creature on earth more stupid than my roommate. The dog (a basset/beagle mix) shed like crazy. My roommate routinely bathed it in our shared bathroom and never once cleaned up or vacuumed anywhere. For an entire year he could never understand why there was always so much dog hair in his bed when the dog wasn't able to get up onto it. He never bothered to ask where all the hair his dog left around our part of the apartment or in the bathroom vanished to. Killing threads since 2004.
  17. Having added a fuel system/injection cleaning and de-carb to the list I'm still stalling. A new throttle position sensor and rotor are waiting for a few minutes of free time to install. Hoping I can make that happen on Saturday! Killing threads since 2004.
  18. I have frequented the Jeep forum in the past, but for some reason have been unable to connect to it the last few days. Not sure if there was a site issue or my computer at work was just throwing some attitude. Just visited the site now on my mac at home and got there fine. The diagnosis via the dealer was "well, definitely no vacuum or intake leak," so we suggest you pay us $600 to do all of this other stuff and we'll see if any of that does it. So, I'll be working through some of those things on my own. More later when I'm not in a rush... Killing threads since 2004.
  19. Thank you all for the suggestions. At this point the Jeep is at the dealer. I really am a somewhat adequate parts changer at best, though I'm trying to learn what I can here and there. I am hoping within the confines of the initial diagnostic fee they can pin point the problem and from there I can decide whether it is something I can do on my own, take to my local mechanic (who is a much more capable parts changer but not the best diagnostician) or just have the dealer do the work. I have a shark fishing trip about 50 miles down the beach on Padre Island National Seashore coming up and without a reliable vehicle that I know will get me back and forth it will probably get canceled. That is major no bueno, so throwing a little more cash at it than I care to has become the best option. I did have the transmission and transfer case fluid flushed just before this started, so an extra thanks to the person that mentioned that. I'm going to call and make sure they know that. Much appreciated! Killing threads since 2004.
  20. Thanks for the input. Forgot to mention the air filter and sea foam, but those are both part of my regular maintenance. I spend a significant amount of time driving on the beach as well as very dirty ranch roads and change the air filter at least every other month, if not monthly. I use Sea foam regularly as well. Started right up this morning and ran just fine for several laps around my work parking lot but ended up stalling as I came to park and then started doing the "bouncing" idle again. At this point I'm just happy it stayed running enough to drive it to the dealer instead of having it towed 45 miles. Killing threads since 2004.
  21. I absolutely changed, though it's less with different groups of current friends, but with different groups of friends as those groups have changed over the years. In college I lived with a couple car freaks. I got totally into working on my car all the time, cared about buffing out every scratch I could find (even though I was driving a 12 year old Volvo 240 I bought for $1,000). I lived in NYC for 6 years and found myself much more interested in wining and dining. Became a beer snob, etc. Also lived with a cyclist so bought my first road bike and started biking. Spent two years as an AmeriCorps volunteer on crews with mostly 18-20 year olds (I was 26). Found myself acting (to my chagrin) much more like them, often immature, etc. Didn't like that and after the first year made a concerted effort to stop it. Moved to Texas for a job working with ranchers. Tried hunting for the first time, enjoyed it. Bought a few firearms and now shoot rather proficiently. Obsessed with fishing now that I live on the coast and had a partner at work introduce me to it. I have no idea what my next move is, but I look forward to it and seeing what new me there will be when it happens. Killing threads since 2004.
  22. Each time I see a person with a seriously messed up grill I think about Lee giving complete hell to a waitress at the Mexican place in Cedartown. He kept urging her to come out and do a tandem, and that he would even do her video for free, just as long as she promised not to smile. Killing threads since 2004.
  23. Agreed...Coca Cola being number one on the list. The others for me include Kraft Mac & Cheese (specifically Blues Clues and/or Shrek), Kraft singles, Skippy chunky peanut butter and Heinz ketchup. Pretty much everything else you can bring me a store brand. I really don't eat cookies, but I'm pretty sure if I was buying sandwich type cookies for me to eat they would most assuredly be Oreos. For a big group? Probably going cheap. Killing threads since 2004.
  24. Hi everyone, Having an issue with my 96 Jeep Grand Cherokee (5.2L V8). I'm on a 24 hour shift at work and spending any down time trouble shooting with plans to take it to the dealer in the morning if I haven't gotten it running by then. Here's the deal... It's been idling funny. Not sure how to describe it other than to say it is a "bounding" or "bouncing" idle, going from 2-300 up to 800-1000rpm and bouncing up and down. This doesn't always happen and I have had it happen first thing in the morning as well as after I've been driving all day. Most often it "bounces" but does not stall. Sometimes it goes so low it barely hangs on or eventually stalls. It's also been stalling, hot or cold, always as I am coming to a stop. It happens 3 or 4 times in my 4 mile ride to work first thing in the morning at 40 degrees and happens at the end of a 35 mile drive at 70 degrees outside. Sometimes it happens consistently, other times it doesn't happen for days. I've changed the plugs/wires/cap, PCV valve, fuel filter and IAC motor and ensured the throttle body is clean (PCM was replaced two years ago). No change with the first two. I did the fuel filter and IAC motor this evening. It seemed to be idling much more steady than normal for a while. Started it back up and let it idle while I was trying to listen for an obvious vacuum leak. I can't find any obvious (it would have to be SUPER obvious as I really am pretty clueless) leaks. While looking for leaks the idle began "bouncing" again, did it for about a minute and then stalled. Now the car starts and will run for about 5 seconds before stalling. The throttle body gasket appears good and again no SUPER obvious vacuum hose leaks, but I do not have the ability to pressure test. I do have a code reader but no codes have been thrown. Just working through all of the suggestions in my Hayne's manual, everything keeps pointing to a vacuum leak somewhere. I really do miss the "Bently Bible" manual I had for my old Volvo 240. With that book in hand I used to feel like I could do anything. Any suggestions are appreciated. Like I said, I'm at work here until 9am and have two hours off before I'm supposed to be at my part time job. Hopefully the good citizens of my county will forget the number for 911 this evening and I'll just keep plugging away until it will run or it's hooked up to a tow truck and on the way to the shop. Much appreciated! Jason EDIT TO ADD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqL8hn0SRFs Here's a video of the idle "bouncing" I mention. This is about normal, but the range of the bounce is anywhere from 1,000rpm down to just barely staying running. Killing threads since 2004.
  25. Thanks to both of you. In a former life I did a fair amount of very basic VB programming in Access and Excel so the combo box isn't a foreign concept, but one I have most certainly forgotten everything I ever learned about. I may just end up brushing up and going that route. I will check out your auto complete search. I did find that with the list box as I have it, if I have typed a name in once it will auto complete, so the most simple answer for the moment will probably be to move my list to the top of the column and hide the rows. The list is dynamic though so that won't be a long term option. Thanks folks! Killing threads since 2004.