Well, after a year of my K5 being stuck up in TN, the time came where I *had* to get it back. My brother's landlord was sick of the "abandoned" vehicle 
So a friend of mine with a truck drove me up there. He was also going to tow me back if the K5 failed. I checked the rear axle fluid and it was full...good. But then I noticed fluid running off the transfer case and a puddle on the gravel underneath. We emptied 2 quarts of 85W into it and got it close to full. Then we tried to start it--nothing from the starter, no seatbelt buzzer, no parking brake light. But the interior lights and headlights were working. We finally nailed it down to a faulty connection in the wiring harness connector on the firewall. I removed it and cleaned it out, then reseated it. It took about 15 seconds of trying, but finally the beast came back to life.
As it warmed up, I noticed that the temp was getting hotter than I prefered. I felt the timing had something to do with it (wrong cam, runs crappy, timing was real advanced) so I back it off quite a bit and it cooled down.
So the journey began and I got about 2 miles down the road before it was hot again. I pulled over in a church, backed off the timing even more. It helped, and while it was still hotter than I'd prefer, it was at least not exceeding the 210° mark.
I avoided interstates, and took US Hwy 411 all the way into GA, and then Hwy 41 down to the house. It was very tedious for the first 30 minutes or so, then I started to get used to it (and its problems) again. The pinion whines, but worse under NO load. Cruising on flat ground wasn't an option, so I was constantly accelerating or slowing down. Once I got used to it, I was able to relax and enjoy the great East TN scenery that passed by my windows (which were, of course, rolled down).
It took about 3 hrs, but I made it home and the K5 is once again parked in my driveway.
Now... I just need to swap (or rebuild) the rear axle, replace the ball joints and wheel bearings on the front and align it, replace (or rebuild) the t-case (has metal shavings in it
) and re-cam the engine 
to make it a DD again.
So all it begins when I get paid again!! In the meantime, I'm gonna clean up the inside, maybe strip out the rubber floor mat and go rust-hunting. I'll also properly clean up the connector on the firewall and coat it with dieelectric grease to keep it that way.
They're just baby steps, but this site has motivated me a lot, and made me realize how much one man can do alone with a good set of tools and good advice from others. Now that my junk is in the driveway, I can get a lot more active here on CK5!
~jp
So a friend of mine with a truck drove me up there. He was also going to tow me back if the K5 failed. I checked the rear axle fluid and it was full...good. But then I noticed fluid running off the transfer case and a puddle on the gravel underneath. We emptied 2 quarts of 85W into it and got it close to full. Then we tried to start it--nothing from the starter, no seatbelt buzzer, no parking brake light. But the interior lights and headlights were working. We finally nailed it down to a faulty connection in the wiring harness connector on the firewall. I removed it and cleaned it out, then reseated it. It took about 15 seconds of trying, but finally the beast came back to life.
As it warmed up, I noticed that the temp was getting hotter than I prefered. I felt the timing had something to do with it (wrong cam, runs crappy, timing was real advanced) so I back it off quite a bit and it cooled down.
So the journey began and I got about 2 miles down the road before it was hot again. I pulled over in a church, backed off the timing even more. It helped, and while it was still hotter than I'd prefer, it was at least not exceeding the 210° mark.
I avoided interstates, and took US Hwy 411 all the way into GA, and then Hwy 41 down to the house. It was very tedious for the first 30 minutes or so, then I started to get used to it (and its problems) again. The pinion whines, but worse under NO load. Cruising on flat ground wasn't an option, so I was constantly accelerating or slowing down. Once I got used to it, I was able to relax and enjoy the great East TN scenery that passed by my windows (which were, of course, rolled down).
It took about 3 hrs, but I made it home and the K5 is once again parked in my driveway.
Now... I just need to swap (or rebuild) the rear axle, replace the ball joints and wheel bearings on the front and align it, replace (or rebuild) the t-case (has metal shavings in it
) and re-cam the engine to make it a DD again.So all it begins when I get paid again!! In the meantime, I'm gonna clean up the inside, maybe strip out the rubber floor mat and go rust-hunting. I'll also properly clean up the connector on the firewall and coat it with dieelectric grease to keep it that way.
They're just baby steps, but this site has motivated me a lot, and made me realize how much one man can do alone with a good set of tools and good advice from others. Now that my junk is in the driveway, I can get a lot more active here on CK5!
~jp
