Sometimes Things Don’t Go Your Way (Post #473) 3/23/2014

I once blogged that every time I touch the Range Rover something goes wrong. Well yesterday was no exception. Mr. Fisher and I were sorting out our two camping kits. We were trying to determine how much gear we were going to be hauling to S.C.A.R.R. We determined that we had a fairly large amount of kit. Mostly lots of pieces that don’t necessarily fit efficiently in the back of the Range Rover. Let’s be honest, it takes a lot of gear to make two 50-year-old guys comfortable for two days of camping.

I decided it was necessary to remove the 70% seat out of the back. I know Bill Burke removes his 30% seat to house his ARB refrigerator. So with that idea in mind I went to remove the seat. Basically it is four 10mm bolts and the seat comes out. I flipped the seat up and started to work on the bolts. It took some figuring to sort out they were 10mm. I took 10mm sockets to use but my 12 point socket in 3/8ths didn’t turn the nut. I wondered what size the nut was if 10mm didn’t work. Turned out my 12 point socket was stripped. That’s disappointing but not a show stopper. I had a 10mm in 1/2 that was 12 point and narrow walled. That narrow wall was very necessary because the nuts are very close to the seat bracket.

IMG_4580

I got the socket set and made one turn and bingo, the bolt breaks. Continue reading “Sometimes Things Don’t Go Your Way (Post #473) 3/23/2014”

Oil Pressure Switch (Post #472) 3/21/2014

I found a loose wire and was not sure where it went. It had an odd funnel shaped plastic bit attached. After a bit of looking I found the sensor it went to. It was the oil pressure switch.

Looking down on the passenger side
Looking down on the passenger side

I was not sure if oil would come out when I removed it. It didn’t. I wrenched off the old and put on the new. You can see the comparison in the picture below.

Side by side comparison
Side by side comparison

The switch is basically a membrane that flexes and makes contact. I have not had any lights since it was broken and I don’t expect anything to change with a new one installed.

With 205,000 miles on the Range Rover you don’t want to take any chances.

This job was a one on the Difficulty Scale. I chose NOT to have a 6 year old help even though my grand children were at the house. Wrench off the old wrench on the new. Plug in a wire. Easy peasy.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

Unplanned Problems Solved (Post #469) 3/18/2014

In my post Unplanned Problems I talked about a missing exhaust gasket and a broken bolt. Both problems were more or less easy to solve. I had to wait for Mrs. Okierover to return to the house with the CR-V so I could fetch the parts I needed. The weather turned cold and I had to bundle up to finish up the jobs.

The exhaust gasket was, as I predicted, unavailable in the Oklahoma City metro area. I’ll have to order it from one of the vendors. I talked to JagGuy and bought some High Temp RTV.

RTV

I smeared it on the one gasket I did have.

Continue reading “Unplanned Problems Solved (Post #469) 3/18/2014”

Oxygen Sensor Replacement (Post #468) 3/18/2014

Its been a while since I installed new oxygen sensors. By my reckoning I installed them about five years ago. I didn’t take a mileage reading then but I can guess it was at least 25,000 miles ago. Oxygen sensors have a life cycle of about 25,000 to 50,000 miles.

DSCN3077
New Oxygen Sensor

If you notice your gas mileage drop by at least 2 mpg you can guess it is your oxygen sensors. They don’t always fail and give you a code 43 or 44. Its part of your regular maintenance like plugs and wires. Continue reading “Oxygen Sensor Replacement (Post #468) 3/18/2014”

The Millennium Falcon made by Land Rover (Post #458) 3/5/2014

Millennium FalconI was grounded this weekend with what is probably bronchial pneumonia. Lots of coughing, a very high heart rate from the medications, and an overall very tired feeling. Being relegated to the couch and bed all weekend, I watched a lot of television. I watched an entire afternoon of Star Wars movies. Episode 4 and Episode 5 mostly. I’m not a fan of The Muppet Show Episode 6 due to the ridiculous effort to cutesy-fy the franchise and merchandise the crap out of it. Okay back to the main point I came here to write.

The Millennium Falcon is obviously a Land Rover.

By now you must be saying “What.the.hell?” So hear me out…. Continue reading “The Millennium Falcon made by Land Rover (Post #458) 3/5/2014”