Project VXOverLand

[Thelgord]

Today I received my new (slightly used) ABS control module:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/04-05-Dodge...53.m2749.l2649

I found this thread: http://www.vehicross.info/showthread...ht=Durango+abs

It was what convinced me to try it. It worked perfectly! I found several for the VX specifically that cost from ~$80 to as much as $180. This one is less than $40.

Ticking off the list, one item at a time ...

[Malibu_Robert]

Congratulations Chris! You did a great job rebuilding your VX. I will miss reading your saga now that you have it running well. But hey, perhaps someday you will buy a second one!

[Thelgord]

Just because the major work is done, doesn’t mean I have nothing else to fix LOL!

[Thelgord]

I order some of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I hoping they will work to mount my LED light bar from my old Tacoma on the roof rack. If they work well, I can use them mount all kinds of things. Quick Fists mounts, camera mounts, whatever... Should be here in a couple of weeks.

My passenger door window regulator should be here this week as well. I am looking forward to getting that finally sorted.

As much as I wanted to swap out the U-Joints, it is not in the budget this month (~$140). Next month is my road trip (not in the VX) to a family reunion. The U-Joints will probaly wait until August.

I also still need to order switches for my switch mount that I have ready. I have a usable switch for the light bar, but I am not sure it is the style I want use. It worked for the Tacoma, but the Isuzu switches are a bit different. I haven’t yet test fitted to see if it will work, or how it will look.

I will say that it is nice to start adding adding some optional equipment rather than just working to keep Izzy on the road, which has been a monumental task to this point.

[Thelgord]

Sunday I pulled a 28 hours shift. Tuesday I pulled a 28 hour shift. I am exhausted.

And yet! And yet, I still work my VX! LOL! I got my new window regulator from Isuzu! Yay! My passenger window works!

Finally! Phew ... knocking down that list of fixes one at a time. However, I still have a leaky transmission pan issue to sort out. I think I am going to drop the pan again and try another gasket. I just can’t get this thing to stop weeping. Maybe i’ll try gasket sealer next time? Maybe ... we’ll see ...

[Thelgord]

The new mounting brackets will work! I pulled the wind deflector off the roof rack to do a test fit. I also made sure the mounting bolts for the light bar are the correct size and length. Looks like this may work out after all.

Unfortunately that’s all I could do today, and I did that in the dark. My work schedule has been killing me. But, my rotation is over! Yay! I wont have to do that again for at least a month. Back to back 24+ hour shifts are killer.

It was getting close to 10pm here, when I finished all the test fitting so I figured I better get some sleep before I go playing around with electrical stuff in bad lighting while tired. While I still have a lot to do over the weekend around the house (stupid rain makes everything in Georgia grow into a jungle), I hoping to have the time to get this part of the project done this weekend.

[Thelgord]

This week i got a new engine code. Throttle Position Sensor. I am purchased a new one (the wife is going to be mad) but due to thunder storms in tonight I won’t get it installed until morning. I also picked up some RTV for the transmission pan weeping. Tomorrow I will pick up the fluid I need for it and some new crush washers.

[Thelgord]

Got the new TPS in, so far so good.

Mounted a BlueSea fuse block to the top of the cable controller for cruise control. Perfect fit. Now I can start working on getting my trailer plug mounted and wired up.

Pulled and cleaned the transmission pan. New gasket made from RTV. No leaks! Yay! Finally! I forgot what a PITA dropping the pan is. The crossmember did NOT want to line back up. I have use my floor jack and shift the transmission around to get all the bolts to line up. It was a fight, and there was a thunderstorm starting, but in the end the storm changed directions and now my transmission is working great again.

[Thelgord]

Thanks! I still need to buy switches before I put it all together

[Thelgord]

I took some very munch needed vacation time, so I havn’t been around. But I am back again

Of course, as soon as I get back, the window motor on the drivers slide tries to take a dump. The motor and gears are all actually fine. However, I could slide the window up and down by grabbing the window and push/pulling.

I pulled the door panel and motor. The regulator was fine so I looked at the motor. It seemed to turn fine and get lots of power. Then I grabbed the three sided lug for the regulator. The lug stopped but the motor was still humming along. I popped the cover plate I found the problem.

As I said, the gear itself is fine. However, it is attached to the center shaft (the one that turns the three prong lug) with layers of rubber. It is blown out. As a last ditch effort to repair rather than replace, I got some two part epoxy resin and filled the gaps between the in the inner and out rubber pieces. It is curing now, so I still don’t know if this going to work.

Fingers crossed!

[Thelgord]

I went to my local pull-a-part today because the inventory showed a 2000 trooper on the lot. Yeah ... that wasn’t exactly true ... no trooper.

So, based on a suggestion from FB I pulled a new motor from a Nissan. In fairness, the poster never mentioned what type of Nissan. I didn’t get there until I got off work (4:30pm) and drove across town so it was almost 5pm. They close at 5:30.

I did a quick google search and found something called a Tsuru that used the same window lift motor. Knowing this is not an American vehicle I had heard of, I search for Tsuru in America. All of the links on the first google results page said Nissan Sentra. I checked the inventory again and realized I had about 15 minutes before they closed the doors.

I found one stripped the drivers door and started to disassemble the window regulator. I got it loose enough to the get the motor out of the door. It was about the right size, but I didn’t want to strip the brass screws holding it to the regulator so I just cut the regulator cable and hurried to the counter with less than 5 minutes to spare. $20 later, I had my part.

After I got home I worked very carefully to preserve the mounting screws as they are the same as the VX, and mine have been removed and put back on enough times to be ... well ... less than ideal. After getting the last screw off, it popped free, and my heart sank. The new motor had the square peg instead of the three pronged attachment the VX needs. As it turns out, it was also flipped so I would have need to put it on the passenger door, and the mounting holes didn’t quite line up.

Damn it.

After checking with RockAuto, I actually found one cheaper on amazon when you factor shipping. I know RockAuto offers a core charge to get $25 back, but when I ordered the two motors that are in my VX now, I sent the OEM ones in for core replacement and never got my core charge back. After many weeks of frustrations and many emails they claim they never received it. They are ... somewhere ... but I have no idea where. For now anyway, I cant trust RockAuto to honor the core charge policy. Which is fine, as they still offer great prices on other items, and I still do business with them. I just don’t worry about any core charges anymore.

Well, that was more of a rant than I intended.

Anyway, I now have a reman on order from Amazon and, with luck, it should be here Thursday or Friday with expedited shipping. In the meantime, Georgia is in it’s rainy season, and I need to be able to roll the window down when I pass through the security gate at work, then roll it up when I park it, so I will be using the wife’s car for a couple of days.

Owning a VX is so much fun! LOL!

On the plus side, I do go to my local pull-a-part quite often, so i can return the window motor for credit towards my next purchase.

[ipd]

I'd just crack the door and hand my ID through it.

I have the SBC brackets installed. Seems to be holding the passenger side mostly in place. Driver's side is tiling forward. If i pinch the window and tug backwards it works fine though. I don't have enough expertise to make a perm fix though--since the SBC brackets aren't working.

[Thelgord]

Went for a short trip yesterday, got me home with no issues. I was going to drive it work that same morning. Backed out of the driveway and got a metal on metal squeal from the front end. Not sure what side. I took the wife’s car to work instead. Today after work I took another look at it. At first I thought it may be a break caliper sticking. Still not sure what side. I will have to lift the front end and remove wheels to do more diagnostic measures.

1) It seems to be worse when turning.
2) It is not smooth, more of a pulse that changes proportionally with speed.
3) Applying the breaks seems to do nothing to change it.

So, I either have a completely frozen caliper. Possible as I had to unstick the front passenger side when I purchased the VX. Or, I may have a bad wheel bearing. Damn it.... This VX is going to be the death of me yet.

Anyway, I wont be able to start pulling stuff apart until this weekend. Fingers crossed it will be an easy fix, but nothing on this VX has ever been easy.

The plan: Jack up and pull one wheel at a time. Rotate the hub to see which one (or multiple) are dragging/grinding. Remove the break caliper of the offending wheel. Rotate the hub again to see if it still grinds. If it does, I need a wheel bearing.

I may have been mistaken in purchasing this particular VX... just a thought ...

[ipd]

Hey...I wasn't gonna say it. Every used car may have gremlins.

On the bright side, you may be "over the hump" when it comes to issues. Hard to say for certain though. I wonder if the previous owners neglected their kids/pets/relationships as badly as they neglected their cars.

[Thelgord]

No worries. I am still going to press forward. Just gets very frustrating to keep fixing one thing after another. Part of the reason I haven’t done any real serious off-road with it yet because I just don’t trust the VX not brake catastrophically. For now anyway. I am sure it will get there, and there have been times I thought I was over the hump on this one. It’s just not today it seems. I was looking a diamond in the rough, but it keeps dragging me back to the forge.