Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[1muttsfan]

Paradise is a about 60 miles northwest of here. Still in the UP last time I checked

Raz you moved out of Hell (Garden City), although Hell, MI is south of Fowlerville.

 

[RaZ]

I mean a deer dove,lol Hope you had your 22 beers. Can you drink that much still?

Sadly no. Didn't have than many in the fridge.

 

[RaZ]

Paradise is a about 60 miles northwest of here. Still in the UP last time I checked

Raz you moved out of Hell (Garden City), although Hell, MI is south of Fowlerville.

That's it. I'm moving to Las Vegas. What better place for me than Sin City.

 

[saysfaa]

I didn't cut any more willows. I had to cut short the trip to the farm to take the truck in. She had a check engine light come on. So I took her in and had them look at the drive shaft too because I've been getting the same rumble between 68 and 72 that she had a few years ago when that was failing.

Good news on her engine light. It was probably a hose or seal shrinking from the cold to leak a little air. They aren't sure because the light isn't on anymore but everything looks good.

Maybe good news on the rumble. It isn't the drive shaft. Or the differential. And the "leaking axel seals" front and back are stable, the u joints are good. The whole overall mechanics are great as far as they can see. The not so good news: the rumble is still there.

She's doing pretty good for being over 20 years old.

Other than the rust is getting bad. The reputable body shops won't touch it. Even replacing whole quarter panels or such isn't an option because there is nothing solid to weld them to. We've been asking since the paint started bubbling, many years ago. Most also said trying to patch it would make it worse. It is getting to the point of trying anyway - maybe filling with spray foam or something just to keep the water out of the interior. It isn't in the interior yet. I'm thinking to try it next summer after a long stretch of hot, dry weather.

Anyway, I meant to get some willow whips. Instead, I noticed the pile of several hundred/thousand pieces of binder twine when i was taking a quick look for straw. The loose straw was too contaminated by the foxes (and/or skunks) that have wintered on it and the baled straw it for the garden so I didn't take any. I brought back a lawn bag full of binder twine. It might be interesting to make the nest boxes out of that instead of just willow. The skunks are still there, by the way. We were polite to each other.

And found enough unmowed orchard grass in a sheltered place between the barns to refill the nest boxes. I had gathered enough last summer but, uh, sort of accidentally burned it last December. I hoped what I had would last but last week the chickens started reaching the plywood under their nests. They approve of the new supply.

 

[aart]

5/8" of rain yesterday, now it's snowing.

Always a fun one...and.....
This image is Freddie Highmore of 'The Good Doctor'
as a child in 'Finding Neverland'.

 

[RaZ]

I didn't cut any more willows. I had to cut short the trip to the farm to take the truck in. She had a check engine light come on. So I took her in and had them look at the drive shaft too because I've been getting the same rumble between 68 and 72 that she had a few years ago when that was failing.

Good news on her engine light. It was probably a hose or seal shrinking from the cold to leak a little air. They aren't sure because the light isn't on anymore but everything looks good.

Maybe good news on the rumble. It isn't the drive shaft. Or the differential. And the "leaking axel seals" front and back are stable, the u joints are good. The whole overall mechanics are great as far as they can see. The not so good news: the rumble is still there.

My engine light came on a few days ago. I was thinking/hoping just the need for a tune-up and nothing major. Pulled a code for a slow responding O2 sensor. I will schedule a tune-up in the next few weeks when I get my allowance again.

I too had a strange rumble that I thought was u-joints or drive shaft. Turned out that the rear rims were caked with frozen road gravel and ice. All rims were scrubbed clean when I got the new tires but I still have a slight rumble. Could be the tires themselves. They have a pretty aggressive tread and are high pressure fill (50 PSI). Or maybe the tire rotated on the rim and are out of balance. Easy enough to check.

My driveway and road have been solid ice for days now. A little bit of snow last night then a light rain after. There is no safe place to walk. Even my dog slipped and fell. Poor old girl. I slipped on the frozen ground and grabbed the porch railing to keep from falling. I broke the railing away from the decking. The whole porch needs to be replaced. Habitat for Humanity declined my application for help. A new porch with ramp is out of my price range.

I did get 4 eggs today. Hopefully more when I lock up coop tonight.

 

[saysfaa]

Hm, they shop suggested balancing the tires. They didn't really think it was that but said tires will make some crazy noises sometimes. I didn't do it because Indy's tires were balanced again a couple of months ago, after a single tire got a weird leak - it didn't leak when parked with the damage up. It didn't change anything about the rumble. The other unlikely possibility is the exhaust system seems to not have a flex joint it should have.

Shop people said she is safe to drive so I'm going to just watch it. And not cruise between 68 and 72.

 

[RaZ]

@saysfaa Another thing to think about is a bent rim. Drive wheel on the Jeep was bent. I forgot to mention that. It happened after the first 2 tires were installed.

 

[RaZ]

An event happened today that made me remember how rims can get bent. Stopped at friends house to check on their place. Ice covered driveway that caused me to slide into the ditch when I backed out. It happened in a nano-second and I hit a rock and bounced out of the ditch. I hope I didn't do any damage but you never know.

Be careful if you have to be on the roads or have to walk to the mailbox.

 

[Folly's place]

AI has hit Michigan! Today USDA news; a flock in Kalamazoo county.
Mary