Sounds like its moving along though.

 

Tonight I got the oil filter housing and oil cooler pulled after removing the alternator for a little extra room.
I plan on replacing the thermostat, you know "while I am here" so taking of the alternator will help with that. The truck has been running cold so I am guessing the thermostat is partially if not totally stuck open.
The inside of the engine block look very clean behind the oil cooler which is nice to see.
It looks like someone reused the outer gasket and just put RTV on it.
The inner gasket was delaminating and the oil cooler plate just fell off as I unbolted it. It was definitely leaking oil and a little anti freeze from the gaskets due to the loose and even some finger tight bolts.
I cleaned up the sealing surfaces a little before dinner with a razor blade, but will pick up some scotch brite pads and brake clean tomorrow to clean them up better before re-assembling it all tomorrow night.
I am not getting a lot done on any given night but I am sneaking up on it little by little.

 

Little by little is all that is required.....at least you have a nice shop to have the truck sit while your work on it when you can....

 

Just a quick update.
We got a good foot of snow followed by a little cold snap where it has been -15F / -20F* at nights. I have been working on plow rigs for people [my plow rig too] and trucks that are struggling in the first cold snap.
Poncho has been rolled to the side of the shop with all the parts and pieces neatly stacked up by it waiting for some free time to work on it.
Charlotte expressed an interest in helping me a bit to put it back together over the school holiday for Christmas.

 

Seems like my story ... busy for everyone else and unable to get to my own stuff

It'll slow down next week or so

Has the ground hardened up with being cold ?Have you been able to dig your blue plow truck out of the mud ?

 

I shoveled the foot of snow from around the old plow truck to let the cold pound into the ground so it will freeze up, but have otherwise just left the truck there. It was soft muddy fill that was bulldozed there a few months ago. I wanted to push back the snow banks as much as possible, but I knew I was asking for trouble out there..I found it.
Once the ground freezes up some more and I have some time I will see if I can yarn it out.

 

Its amazing how snow will actually insulate the ground or thin ice on water... if bare ground is exposed or bare ice that freeze will go down deep

 

Well Mr. Foster, you're making me feel good about moving south . . . -10 F is where I consider "you had better be prepared" cold begins . . .

If it warms up a little though, it sounds as like you and C will be having some good Christmas snow-boarding -- when you're not working on the truck. Can't beat that!

 

Well Alec, so far C and I have not gotten out snowboarding this vacation as it has been pretty cold. It is -20F* this morning and the high today is supposed to shoot up to -5. We did get in some snowshoeing to pick out out Charlie Brown'er tree out of the woods behind the house.
C and I have been having a little fun in the shop though. She helped me clean off the old gaskets and Scotch Brite the sealing surfaces of the oil cooler and the oil filter housing yesterday morning before she needed to go babysit. After I brake cleaned everything up I got them installed last night with fresh gaskets from Cummins.
I am hoping to hide out in the warm shop and work on the HX-35 turbo install a bit today.

 

Last night I couldn't get my shop warmer than 55*, I had let the fire go out and the temp got down to 9*, even after getting it up to 55* for a couple hours all the tools still felt like they were made out of ice.


It don't stay this cold here for very long, and my shop is 30x40x10 with double bubble only, when I let it get cold in there those old tractors take a long time to heat up.


come on spring..

 

76 deg. and sunshine here in southern Commiefornia. The weather is the only thing this state has going for it. That's why I keep mentioning the warm temps. I'd much rather be in Kansas or Oklahoma.

Edwin

 

got down to 4 degrees last night and all the way up to 8 today....not TC country, but I'm ready for the Hot Hazey Humid days of summer.

 

We have been in the -32*C or colder the last week or so....cold enough that even with the truck plugged in 24hrs a day, with coolant and oil pan heater the grids still come on. Have to let it warm up for a good 20 min before heading out, and even with the rad completely blocked with cardboard I still can't get it to cycle through to full operating temps. Gets nice and warm, but if I sit for 5 min or more idling, the coolant temp starts to drop....

Still wearing shorts BTW....

 

and a winter coat of course.....

 

T-shirt, light hoodie and maybe...if it's really cold...a mack jacket or fleece lined mack jacket (but never zipped up...