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The Ultimate "Driver's" Road Trip

Cole2999

Autocross Champion
I'd advise stopping at a Harbor Freight & picking up one of their 1.5 ton race jacks. They work well I've had one for 10 years or so. It's light enough that when I travel I put in the boot & bring it along. No way I'm using that oem VW monstrosity.
That'd be ideal, but I'm not so much constrained by weight as I am space. I don't know where I could put it.
 

Cole2999

Autocross Champion
Holy shit morning has a good start. My shifting has been getting sloppier and sloppier. Grinding 2nd and 3rd, vagueness, and eventually extreme vagueness (I could move the whole lever 2 inches forward or back in gear).
I was thinking my synchros were burnt and my trans was dying, but I pulled my intake today to check the linkage and one of two bolts holding the cable guide plate was gone, the other very loose.
This probably connects with something @Joe_Mama and I were talking about, which is how my shifter rattles violently when I accelerate or lift off. I think that's due to my upgraded engine/trans months but stock pendulum (with a dogbone insert). I think the stiffness up front and flex in back rattled the bolts loose.
On the wishlist is an 034 pendulum and new dogbone insert (mine was installed by the previous owner and is looking worse for wear). I may do these on the trip, I have all the necessary tools and it feels kinda critical.
This morning I also wanted to take apart my throttle and clean it, but it's too cold. I have no idea what could be causing it to hold open, but it's concerning and I want to fix it. If anyone had an idea, please let me know.
I'm uploading video of my linkage, I'll link it at some point
 
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Joe_Mama

Autocross Champion
Yeah his shifter is fucked. That was my main concern when he left my place. The motor is solid but his trans is not great. He has a Diesel Geek short shift if anyone is familiar with those.
 

CowTownRacer

Drag Racing Champion
FYI. I have a Toren big red scissor jack that I use when I can't use a floor jack. It's is great and sturdy af. Folds up very small as well. Highly recommend it for your use.
 

Cole2999

Autocross Champion
Nah it feels just like when I installed the new motor again, which is to say extremely crisp and precise, but quick accel/liftoff still rattles it. I'm going to buy the 034 pendulum mount, an ECS dogbone insert, a new bracket bolt, and an OBDeleven, do some repairs in Vegas prob. I also need to do an oil change today or tomorrow, my oil's looking black. It's not too concerning that it's only been 4500 miles, because I used LiquiMoly flush (first oil change on this engine) and a LiquiMoly ceramic additive so there's probably extra loose sediment from the flush.
I bought a new jack (the one @1ashchuckton recommended) but now I need stands. Couldn't get them at HF because, y'know... Death and all. I gotta remember to return mine when I get home; I did my whole engine swap on them 😳 anyone have recommendations for cheap jack stands? I'm thinking Walmart
 

MrFancypants

Autocross Champion
Holy shit morning has a good start. My shifting has been getting sloppier and sloppier. Grinding 2nd and 3rd, vagueness, and eventually extreme vagueness (I could move the whole lever 2 inches forward or back in gear).
I was thinking my synchros were burnt and my trans was dying, but I pulled my intake today to check the linkage and one of two bolts holding the cable guide plate was gone, the other very loose.

This is almost certainly your problem (I'm guessing you realize this though). Can you take a picture?

What I can say is if these cables are even slightly out the shifter goes to shit.
 

torga

Autocross Champion
Man your shifter problems have gotta be spooky.
FWIW I also have the Dieselgeek and stiffer engine mounts and my shifter never rattled under hard accel/decel. Then I installed the APR pendulum arm and the 034 billet insert set and still no rattles from the shifter.

Also, the poly dogbone inserts are absolute garbage and I don't recommend them. From a "feel" perspective, they're fine. From an uninstall-ability perspective, they're awful. Basically had to destroy my ECS poly insert into 10 pieces to finally remove it. It had basically seized up to the rubber. Glad I'm running the billet ones now.
 

Cole2999

Autocross Champion
Man your shifter problems have gotta be spooky.
FWIW I also have the Dieselgeek and stiffer engine mounts and my shifter never rattled under hard accel/decel. Then I installed the APR pendulum arm and the 034 billet insert set and still no rattles from the shifter.

Also, the poly dogbone inserts are absolute garbage and I don't recommend them. From a "feel" perspective, they're fine. From an uninstall-ability perspective, they're awful. Basically had to destroy my ECS poly insert into 10 pieces to finally remove it. It had basically seized up to the rubber. Glad I'm running the billet ones now.
😰 That's exactly why I'm getting a new one - previous owner installed one. When I saw it last it was looking trashed so I figured I'd replace it since they're cheap. Some thinking will need to be done...
And the shifter part is interesting. It definitely seems like a problem stemming from the engine rotating forward and back, I can feel the engine move in the shifter. Technically there's a chance I may have used ft-lbs a for a given NM spec with the trans mounts 😅 I also thought I heard a pop from the first bolt I torqued, but I figured (hoped) it was just the mount shifting and not, in fact, me splitting a bolt in half. Highly unlikely given the size of those bolts, though, right? Right?
Anyway I checked to make sure that bolt never loosened a few times. It was actually the first thing I thought had happened once I felt the shifter rattle, I only recently developed the "upgraded mounts" theory.
Anyway... How'd the move go?
 

Cole2999

Autocross Champion
Day 7: the misadventures
So I'm writing this the day after and I'm already forgetting what I did, bear with me.

Wake up to this
Get on the road and go west, to cut through Aspen then come back to Colorado Springs.
So there's supposedly a winding road that cuts from Aspen back toward Colorado Springs. Well, I looked at the map and saw a real winding road right out of Aspen, so I set my destination.
This road was rutted dirt with rocks larger than your fists covering the ground. I ended up driving on the rocks instead of in the ruts because I couldn't clear them when I was down in the ruts, and I'd rather puncture a tire than my oil pan. This went on for about 500 feet before I said "this is the wrong road" and did a k-turn. Totally unscathed.
Then I go to the actual road. It's super slow because there's activity roadside for the entirety. At one point I nearly hit a couple (really hot) college-age girls who were playfully fighting... In the middle of the road. 9/10 butts though.
Well this 30mph road keeps going, littered with bicyclists and pedestrians. A little information: my GPS decided, once in Aspen, to tell me that sections of this road are closed October to May. When I was already in Aspen. For those that don't know, there's essentially one entrance to Aspen otherwise. Turns out, GPS was right. So what's the option?
Well, first of all I need to back track about 20 miles until I get service. That's most of this trip: wandering aimlessly trying to get service to start new directions. Once I do, GPS confirms what I suspected: I have to almost completely backtrack to get to Pikes Peak (next destination). It equates to 2.5 hours backtracking, over 5 hours spent on a dead end. Cool sights but my navigation is getting on my nerves. And I'm using Google maps!!
Anyway, I hit a couple really fun windy roads on the way, which was cool. Not cool was my shifter play. I could move it as much as my normal throw and still be in gear. Add in my throttle sticking and it was hell.
Culminating the journey to hell? Washboard roads. I want the person who invented washboard roads to have a stake ranged up his ass and mounted to a car driving for eternity on a washboard road. Fuck him. Washboard roads were the only way into my free camping site, that allegedly had "good cell service." Bullshit. I could barely load music. Set up the hammock, got fucking high, went to bed.
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Jump to next day: day eight
 
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