Mike – Page 55 – The Jeep Guru

June 28, 2011June 28, 2011

How to replace Volvo 850 rear brakes

How to replace brakes on the rear of a Volvo 850

The rear brakes on the 1997 Volvo 850 are one of the easiest I have worked with. To service only the pads, the calipers do not have to be removed. However, to replace a rotor, they do have to come off.

Begin by raising the car and removing the rear wheels. The pads are held I the caliper by two pins. Use a punch to drive out the pins. Use care with the spring clip as I was not able to get a replacement locally.

With the pins out, remove one of the pads. Leave the other in place for the moment. Use a clamp or vise grips to compress the piston back into the caliper. If you have removed the other pad, the other piston will move rather than forcing fluid back to the master cylinder.

Once the piston is compressed, insert the new pad. Then, remove the other pad and repeat the compression procedure. Inset the other new pad. Align the holes in the pad with the caliper and tap the pins back in place over the spring clip. Center up the spring clip once the pins are in place.

Repeat the procedure for the other caliper.

If the rotor is scored and need to be replaced, the caliper must be removed. There are two bolts that hold the caliper to the backing plate. Note that the there is no flexible line at the caliper. There is a loop in the hard line that allows just enough clearance to remove the caliper from the rotor. Be sure to have some wire ready when the bolts are removed to secure the caliper in place so that it does not hang from the line.

With the bolts removed, carefully pull the caliper back off the rotor and secure it with a piece of wire tied to the spring. Make sure the parking brake is disengaged. If the rotor is binding on the parking brake loosen the shoes.

Remove the wheel alignment pin using a 10mm wrench. Some penetrating oil like PB blaster may help in getting it loose. Then, tap the rotor off the hub using a soft hammer.

Install the new rotor noting the alignment of the hole for the pin. Reinstall the pin to hold the rotor in place. Slip the caliper back over the rotor and reinstall the bolts.

Replace the wheels. I found it easier to rotate the alignment pin to the top when setting the wheels back in place. Tighten the lug bolts and reinstall the hub caps.

Test the brakes before driving. Gently slow down without coming to a complete stop a few times to bed in the new pads.

You can get the parts at Advance Auto. If you buy online and pick up the parts at the store you can take advantage of the internet discount codes.

June 24, 2011June 24, 2011

Peterbuilt Hot Rod

While waiting in line to get stickers on our Jeep for the Great Race, this awesome Peterbuilt hot rod pulled up behind us. Unfortunately it started to rain and hail so, I did not get to learn much about it. It was powered by a twin turbo diesel of some kind.

The front axle was aluminium and someone mentioned he found it in a pile of scrap aluminum. The front suspension is like an over sized T hot rod with radius arms. He maintained air brakes on all four wheels however.

June 22, 2011June 22, 2011

Off road in Vermont

Wheeling in Vermont

While pre running the course for the last day of the 2011 Great Race, I looked up and saw two Jeep Wranglers in a yard close to the road. I then noticed the blonde woman standing beside one. I then saw the Opal Justice stickers and I knew it had to be my Facebook friend Sue. I had never met Sue, but we banter on Facebook almost daily.

I stopped in the road and quickly backed up and rolled down the window. She knew we would be in the area and we were hoping to meet up after the rally. Neither of us had any idea that the route would take me past her home.

She met us at Hemmings in Bennington after the event. She and her husband invited us to go run a trail with them.

The next morning, we set out to meet her. We got a bit confused with Dorset and East Dorset but managed to make it to our rendezvous point just a few minutes late. Keith couldn’t make it, but Sue led us up a very interesting trail.

I was surprised when we turned off the paved road that there was a sign that said ”TRAIL.” We climbed up what looked like an old rail road grade. The trail was rocky and slightly washed but Janice’s stock XJ made it fine even loaded with three people and our luggage.

At the top of the hill, Sue led us to the coolest place I have ever been in a Jeep. We got to drive inside a cave. We parked with our headlights illuminating a deep pool of green water. The cave was formed by marble quarrying.

We spent some time hiking in the cave and exploring the cuts in the rocks. Sue told us of some of the many parties she had had in this cave over the years including her wedding celebration.

Sue took a more adventurous path out of the cave. She then led us to an overlook where we could see the entire valley. Next, we followed her up a challenging climb so that we could look down a shaft to the area where we had just been inside the cave.

After touring the top, we went back down and picked up her friend Lisa. Her Jeep was in need of repairs so she tagged along with Sue. We then took a trip across the ridge line toward the next town. This trail was very narrow and I was concerned I might get a scratch or two but I made it just fine. Only one rock scraped the cross member, but only gently.

At the end of the trail, we popped out in a working marble quarry. There were huge chucks of marble waiting to be transported down the mountain. The mine entrance was gated but we waked down to see the huge steel door that seals the entrance to the mountain. This is possibly the largest marble tunnel in the world.

We were somewhat concerned that the lower gate might be closed since no one was working at the quarry site and that we might have to re run the trail to get out. However, the gate was open and we were able to get started on our way back to Tennessee.

The short wheeling run was a great way to meet some friends and to end our long trek north. I have always wanted to drive a Jeep into a cave and now I have. Thanks Sue.

June 21, 2011June 21, 2011

Hotels

I have been staying in a lot of hotels lately. First was a trip to Galveston Texas and then a trip from Chattanooga to Vermont traveling with the Great Race.

The one thing I noticed in al the hotels that I stayed in this past month was that they are dark. The shift to energy saving light bulbs seems to be the cause. In most rooms, I had to get right under the lamps to be able to read my book.

All the hotels I stayed in used electronic key cards. Occasionally they would be deactivated by having them too close to a cell phone, but for this trip my keys always worked.

Another common theme for this trip was a lack of towels. In my previous experience, there were always plenty of towels. But in all these hotels, there was a bare minimum of towels.

Wifi varied greatly from hotel to hotel. The two worst were Holiday Inns. The signal strength was fin e on the router, but the actual link to the internet was slow and often dropped out altogether. In other places, I had trouble getting a signal in my room, but when I did get connected it was fast and reliable.

The hotel in Galveston we booked through Hotels.com. This was a very pleasant experience with low rates and no problems. The hotels for Great Race were handled by Great Race’s corporate travel agency. While I had no trouble with my room reservations, others traveling with us did. The only problem I had was waiting for the person with the hotel info to arrive and get our rooms arranged before I could check in.

Find the Best Deals at hotels.com!

June 20, 2011June 20, 2011

Vintage car photos from the Great Race 2011

We followed the Great race from Chattanooga, Tn to Bennington, VT working checkpoints along the way. Here are a few of the photos of vintage cars that we shot along the way.