As usual with every passing week I try to get a load of gravel in to spread out over the vast shitty areas that exist around here. This time I continued with the covering of the side park/work area near the storage trailer. As was the case with the area where the LUV is currently at, I was able to get the grounds covered rather fast. As it stands I can park another vehicle next to the LUV and be on gravel, able to work on it without standing in or laying in mud. Of course if it does rain the ground will still be moist but at least not sloppy. In time I will manage to get more gravel on top of the already spread gravel so I can build up a good bed all around that will allow us to do everything up to driving over the rock without the worry of exposing mud.
In order to make this happen I did have to take on a side project. Since we're going into the fall that means more rains to come. The wiper motor on the F250 was dead so every time I went out for a gravel run I had to make sure it was on a day that it didn't rain. I went ahead and ordered a wiper motor a week or two ago. After getting it I went ahead and just before making the gravel run (since it was going to rain that day) I went ahead and replaced the motor. As easy as one would think this is it wasn't exactly problem free. The motor is held on by three bolts. The lower two bolts came off easily but the last one, which was under a lip on the wiper arm panel. What this ended up meaning was I had to remove the wiper arm panel or at least get it freed up (since the antenna is attached to it) so I can expose that last bolt, and of course get to the clips that hold the motor's arm to the wiper arm assembly. I had to pull the window molding free as well as remove the wiper arms then go ahead and remove the screws holding the panel on. About 8 screws held the panel on. After removing the panel I was able to get the old wiper motor off. Now time for the new unit. Once the hard stuff is done and the experience is gained from taking the stuff apart, the reassembly always goes easily. Everything was just done in reverse. Bolting up the new motor, securing the wiper arm linkages to the motor's arm with the clip it uses, plugging the motor up and then reinstalling the panel, all done in order. The wiper arms went back on, but the blades will need replacing as they are completely trashed. But the main thing is once everything was put back together, I clicked on the switch and BAM! The wipers are working once again. Once I replace the blades (which will be some decent ones and not the cheap shit) I will be able to ride the F250 anytime rain or shine. There's a few other odds and ends I want to address on this truck to make it more ready for the long haul. I still have to see what is up with the HVAC system since the vents are stuck on the defrost setting. It would be nice to get this addressed so the truck can at least have heat this winter and AC in the summer next year. Another thing I have to address is the starter. It appears weak when starting cold but when the engine is hot it will bind up on cranking, sometimes taking a couple of attempts to get the engine to turn over enough to fire up. It needs replacing. I also need to replace the two rear tires as they aren't exactly the multipurpose type. The tires are more road tires and I need something that has at least a little dirt gripping capability as this truck does see dirt quite often and being able to dig its way through dirt and grass and light mud would be a solid plus. Like with the other vehicles, this fall and winter I want to get all these little things taken care of so the fleet will be in A-1 shape for the long run.
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