September 9, 2023, Chinaman Gulch
Chinaman Gulch
We had a good day on Chinaman last Saturday! There were some issues and some trail repairs, which made for a longer day than usual (we got home at about 10pm), but we had a good day and gathered some valuable intel on our machines. There was Homer and Ainsley in their Jeep, Thomas in his buggy, Anthony in his big F150 (drive there and back), Mike in his Jeep, and me n Ben in my Dakota.
We departed the Red Rocks Safeway at 0800 and made our way west to Johnson Village, did head calls and snacks, and on to the trail head. There were a bunch of other machines already on the trail and a few just starting up, so we knew we'd have some company. With everyone aired down and ready we made our way onto the trail.
The gatekeeper is as formidable as ever - Mike was on point, I was second, Thomas was third, Anthony forth, and Homie was tail gunner. We were focusing closely on Anthony's Ford simply because it had very little armor - no rock sliders or skid plates, and we were paying close attention to his belly clearance taking care to get his tires placed just right so he wouldn't drag the belly, especially the precious t-case. Anthony told us he was having armor installed this week, and we didn't want to make things worse, and with careful spotting (mostly from Ben - great work man 👍 ) everyone made it up this challenging section without issue. I was delighted to confirm that Budd drives just as sure-footed as its predecessor, and the chassis felt really good. Oh and...we think the Dakota's name is "Budd" - Big Ugly Dodge Dakota.
We all worked our way up to squeeze rocks, which has opened up in recent years, and presented little challenge, and then on to the left turn towards the loop...and that’s about when I started to notice my steering getting ‘sticky’.
By the time we got to the loop junction Budd's steering was definitely having some sort of problem, and so we stopped in the sandy clearing to try to figure out what might be going on. We jacked up the front end to get the weight off of it, and when I gave the steering some input(s) there was definitely something ‘sticking’...and...well...lemme just say that when you’re preparing your next off-road adventure...be sure to pump some grease in your front end joints! Yes...that’s right – amid the dozens of checklist items for the build I apparently neglected to write down “grease knuckle joints”. I know there was some grease put on the kingpin bushings and lower bearings when I assembled them but I’d apparently not swung around to top them off once assembled. However...as Lady Luck would have it, Mike just happened to have a mini grease gun and two extra cartridges stowed in his Jeep, all of which we force-fed into my front end. It apparently still could use more, but it was enough to tame down the issue, and the front end seemed happy enough the rest of the day, which was great, but I was soon to discover that wasn’t the only problem I would have that day.
We all got cleaned up and ready to press on, and that’s when we heard Thomas’ on the radio saying, “the buggy won’t start”. We all gathered around the buggy, and Ben, Homer, and the rest of us began a deep-dive into the buggy’s electrical system. It took a while, but after several versions of following wires, checking continuity and voltage, we got power to the starter motor, and the buggy was back in action.
As we were working on both Budd and the Buggy there were several other vehicles that came into and off of the loop, including a pretty big old Ford Bronco on 40s, a trio of big Grand Cherokees (one of which was tubbed-out on 42s), and a pair of full-size 90’s(?) Bronco’s heading up the trail. The weather was perfect and it was no surprise to see a host of other machines out that day. We cleaned up again and headed towards the rock garden. It was right about this time when I started to have “fuel problems”.
We think the main problem was ‘heat-soak’ – too much heat under the hood collecting in my fuel system. The Dakota's main tank feeds low-pressure fuel along the chassis up to a small surge tank in the engine bay where the EFI pump routes high-pressure fuel to the Sniper EFI, and while I won’t go into the technical specs of how it was built I will say that my idea to place the EFI surge tank under the hood was apparently not the best decision. As best we can determine the combined typical running heat of everything was too much for the surge tank and rubber lines to the throttle body, and as a result...despite EFI and everything...the fuel system was vapor-locking. The system would run for a while but then would lose fuel pressure, which would kill the engine. The only way to limp the truck along was to stop, try to let it cool off, let the low-pressure pump try to pump fresh fuel into the surge tank, and hope the high-pressure side would clear itself out enough to run the engine. The truck wasn’t ‘broken’ - it would move, but it was in short 5-10 minute spurts (with similar length stops), which meant we all had to sit and wait for it to limp itself along the rest of the day. I'd fire it up and get as far as I could, and then when the pump started to whine and the fuel pressure dropped I’d shut it off...and wait. Alas, this added up to a pretty long day, and I thank everyone that went for their patience as I limped the truck along.
Granted it was a test-n-tune event, and I learned a lot about the truck, fortunately early enough before Chili Challenge that I’m already correcting the fuel system to eliminate the same problems reoccurring. Also during the day, Anthony would report he was running hot, and his alternator warning light was intermittently coming on, but neither issue manifest into a show-stopper, and he wheeled his truck all the way through the trail, and then drove it home. Pretty solid machine! I don’t think Mike or Homer has a single issue the whole day.
Once we were off the trail we loaded up, cleaned up, and head home together, which was mainly to ensure Anthony got home without some unforeseen issues. We got home at about 10pm, and armed with a lot of valuable information I think I’m on track to do Chili Challenge in a month.
I've already got the surge tank relocated - its new home is under the bed, far away from any heat, and I'm in the process of rebuilding/connecting the fuel lines. I'll also be inspecting the front end soon to ensure there wasn't more damage or new bushings needed. I also want to give a proper shout out to Homer and Ben who have stepped up to help me with many items getting the Budd ready, including welding, spare tire assembly, and other get r done items. Thanks guys!
BIG thanks to everyone that went – I really appreciate everyone’s help, patience, and grease! I know I can't hit the Eagle Rock night run (which is a bummer 'cuz that always a blast), but I may bring Budd to RORP one more time just as a final 'good to go' before Chili Challenge - TBD. Thanks again everyone!
- Sam
