Plan to run Rubicon but trans is starting to slip...

Believe it or not, my wife has decided that she wants to conquer the Rubicon trail for our anniversary. Yes that's right folks, I'll say it again...for our ANIVERSARY! I know I couldn't beleive it myself. Ya see, she thinks that since its in California it will be fun and cool, like maybe Monterray bay or something like that. If course it will be way fun and cool, just not anything like a beach and more like 10,000 feet above sea level in the high Sierras. I no doubt will be on cloud nine and giddy as a scool boy. I hope she doesn't do any reasearch about the famous trail and find out what she's really in store for. So that's the good news. Now for the bad. Not only am I still trying to fix the Tacoma and build a serious trail bumper on the front...now the Blazer, which has been my current daily driver for that last 2-months, transmission is starting to slip. Tonight as a matter of fact, it didn't shift into third gear...it just revved like it was in nuetral. It eventually slipped in but I know its only going to get worse. So probably about $1000 and another two months later that will be fixed and maybe...just maybe we'll be able to hit the Rubicon and tell of our eventful adventure!

I have recently been bombarded with many vehicular problems with both of my main, daily drivers. The Blazer is still OK, but using 4WD without the previous stated problem repaired could be disastrous. Someday I'll get around to fixing it once my Tacoma is repaired so my wife can let me start using the car to drive so the Blazer can start getting worked on. The Tacoma was in an accident not long ago and has required a complete front-end repairs. This included frame-straightening, grill and headlight replacements, fender rectified, a/c condenser/radiator repair. Most of that is now done, but the custom built bumper was crushed in the process and now the long process of design, bending, cutting and welding is started to happen in the garage to somehow recreate yet better the previous tube protection from before. I'll post pictures as soon as the truck nears completion and my garage returns to normal along with my car returning to me.

Broken Engine Mount...

The last off-road adventure to Lake Mountain in the Blazer had resulted in an unknown clunking noise coming from underneath the front-end of the truck. It has been in vain lately trying to locate and pin-down the source of the racket. Plus the noise only occurred while in four-wheel-drive and then only in low-range under acceleration. I thought it was the front axle or the transfer-case itself. After many crawls underneath, inspecting every bolt, joint and component I finally had the idea to check the front drive-line yet again. Upon inspection I found it to be intact, the u-joints tight with no play and the slip-yoke to be in good condition. The thought to check the crossmember just underneath the driveline came to me, so I grabbed a flashlight and wouldn't you know it, the driveline under load was being forced down towards the crossmember, grinding a concave grove into it, thus causing the noise. I then also determined the root cause of the driveline contact was a broken passenger side engine mount allowing the engine to sag downwards, tilting the transmission and transfer-case to the right. Since the driveline is on the right side of the transfer-case, the driveline was moved down in excess of more than an inch, impacting the crossmember. A six dollar part was causing a noise that I had thought was going to be very, very expensive. Next time I'll know to check all of the smallest incidentals before condemning the big ones.