Sorry I didnt write sooner, I was dead tired from a 4AM wake up yesterday, and about 9 hours of driving..
We got there at 9:30.. I found the GL guy, he got my paperwork ready, and said "Your truck is out there" and points to the WHOLE yard.. Gee, thanks for the helpful info, buddy.... Walking thru the yard I found it, right where I last saw it. Wasnt anything taken/removed off of it since I saw it in September... Even the air line hose, jack, and some other BII tools were still in the tool compartment.. I was very happily suprised at that fact. I popped the hood, check the oil and coolant, got inside, and turned the accy switch... The buzzer buzzed... Good so far... I turned the switch once... BUUUURRRRRR.. then twice.... BUuuuuuurrrrrr..... Third time..... buuurrrr... DAM.. Batteries have some charge, but not enough.... Get out, look arround.. While the yard is abuzz with activity, there is no one near by me.. I get the 20 foot slave cables and adapters I brought.. Connect one end to my truck.. Then go jump into the very next truck by mine.. Batts are TOTALLY dead in that one.. Great... The lube trailer on the other side of my truck was no help.. So I go walk back to the GL shed to find the guy.. Bottom line, he has no CUCV or anything to slave it off with... I find that very hard to belive... Yeah, thanks buddy... I start walking back to my truck, contemplating finding another truck, pulling it to mine, slaving it off.. Probably against GL rules or something, but I dont really care... Then I consider installing the 2 good 6TL's I brought down with me for just this situation... Kinda didnt want to have to swap batts, but it is looking that way.. As I get closer to my truck, a truck about 10 down from me roars to life. It's another lucky M35A2 winner firing up his prize. He pulls it out of the line starts heading torwards my truck to go out to his lowboy. I wave him down, ask him for a jump. He says sure. Pulls up his truck, connect the slave cables, and jump in mine. Buzzer sounds much stronger this time. Good sign. I hit the starter switch. BUURRRRR and she roars to life. YEAH! I had to play with the pedal to keep it going for a good minute, but then she levels out and idles by herself.. YEAHHH!!!!! I jump out, disconnect, say thanks to the guy, and he rolls off. I decide to check the fuel tank. I take out the strainer, dont even see anything, just blackness. No reflection of light on the surface of the fuel. Cant be much fuel in there. Not good.. My concern shifts from getting it started to now keeping it running.. Meanwhile, my lowboy driver has his trailer all disconnected, ready for me to load. I put her in gear, ease forward.. start turning.. Holy cow, no power steering SUCKS.. Of course, I need to do a 10 point turn to clear the next line of trucks. All the sudden, getting the power steering kit installed got bumped up a few notches on the list of things to do...
I clear the line of trucks, head over to my lowboy. I pull up infront of it and get lined up. I put it in reverse, start backing up.get the duals on the trailer ramps.. Starts bogging down.. More fuel... starts spinning the rears.. stop, roll forward, get into position for another attempt. Flip the front axle switch. Light comes on.. Good, that is helpful. Somehow, I manage to stall it out. DAMMMMMMmmmmmmm... Hit the starter.. burrrrrrrrrrr... Now I decide it is a good time to swap batts.. Drive my Durrango to the deuce, get the tools, batts, and swap everything out, put it all back together with in 20 minutes. Not too bad.. Start her right up on the first turn.. YEA!!! Im now waiting for it to die due to the lack of fuel problem, as I now remember NOT stopping to fill up the 2 each 5 gallon fuel cans right before I got to the GL site.. I back her right on to the trailer on the 2nd attempt, get her centered, and shut her down.. I took the rear canvas off and tied it down in the bed, saw that my bows were BRANDY NEW metal ones, and the uprights were BRANDY NEW fiberglass ones.. YEAH.. BONUS!!! I helped tie it down, covered the exhuast stack at the suggestion of my driver so the turbo didnt turn, and sent her off back home.
I off loaded her this AM. As Im driving it past my trucker buddy's shop, I decide to give them a quick "beep beep" on the horn as I roll past.. I tap the horn button. WAHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.... And it just keeps going....
I figure the horn button is stuck in the down position.. WAHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA..
I hit the button a few times... WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.... Wont stop.. So shut her down..WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I jump out.. WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Now it's REALLY LOUD since In right infront of it..... I raise the hood, and disconnect the wires to the horn.. Silence... Thank you.... I didnt notice my buddy and all of his workers now gathered arround to see what the WAHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAing is all about.. The start to clap afterwards..... I got back in and drove off... I drove it about 5 miles on back roads from the truckers place to my warehouse after adding 5 gallons of fresh fuel. Ran well after it warmed up, and the operator got a feel for the tranny.
Probably the first time it has been really driven since it got to the DRMO lot in August.
I changed the air filter and gave it a hosedown today. I need to make a list of everything I need to change and start doing it... Fluids, belts, hoses, filters, ect. Until I get tags on it, it will be in the warehouse getting ready for it's cushy civy life...
So thats my pick up story....