I’m back with an Esky this time

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adventurenali92

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I know, I’m lucky if I eat once a day. You’d think I’d be a skinny S O B but I think my metabolism is way out of wack because of it. I’ve been taking balance of nature fruits and vegetables, super beets, vitamin C and D4 on a daily basis thinking I’m actually doing something healthy. These past few weeks has been a nice break besides being sick for 8 days, running up north, working on this vehicle and the sons sled. I guess it wasn’t really a break. Maybe one of these days I’ll slow down.
I sometimes get into that routine too when I’m constantly working, and then at like 10pm when I’m thinking about bedtime my body is just like “feed me dammit I’m STARVING!!” Lol
 
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Snowbound

Snowbound

Jim
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So I’m heading back up north at 6am 2mrw. My exhaust donuts didn’t come today like they were suppose to so I guess I’m leaving Jacks sled here and just dragging my brothers up. I didn’t want to load down the 02 Esky and make the trip with it again. My brother’s eco diesel lost oil pressure and spun a bearing so we can’t use his. My Duramax is hurt with a head gasket that has been seeping so I parked that until I can pull it apart and replace the gaskets and stud it. Brother has been searching high and low for another truck or an engine for his but these prices are crazy right now. I told him I would see if I could find another truck too otherwise we can’t pull our enclosed sled trailer this year and there’s no way I’m gonna let that happen. So I started looking and everything that was decent was gone before I could even make the phone call.
Long story already long, I found an 08 Silverado 2500hd Duramax fully loaded with 89k miles on it. I came across the ad last night and called first thing this morning. He said it was still on the lot so I drove an hour to go look at it. 2 hrs later I’m back home and told Jess let’s go, you gotta give me a ride to pick up my new to me truck. She wasn’t happy but she knows who she married. I buy vehicles and parts on a whim all the time.
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Snowbound

Snowbound

Jim
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Made the trip up without issue. Truck runs great. Got here about 2pm on Wednesday. I worked on my sled getting it back together until about 1am and was almost done.
Turbo had to come back off to get the chaincase and oil tank back on.48B4676B-5E13-4F0A-9BBA-54E9FFD69742.jpeg

Had a few minor issue that slowed progress but nothing major. Thursday I wired in my new fuel module and had the primary and secondary clutches apart a few times playing with weights and spring tensions. Had to adjust preload on my rebuilt shocks, hood finally went back on for what I hope is the last time for a while.
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It got to be about 7pm on Thursday before my brother and I were done and ready to ride. I had to relocate my AFR gauge because now I have a 2 pod setup with the boost gauge.
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It was about -8° at that time so we decided it would be better if we just waited until morning before loading up and heading out for a shake down run.
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Snowbound

Snowbound

Jim
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This morning I hooked up to the 4 place and after checking tires and loading up we finally headed out and stopped at our old home base watering hole, Alpine Resort on Oneida Lake.
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After getting permission from the new owners to drop there while we went riding we unloaded and started the shake down run just staying on the lake and making a few rips back and forth.
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After 2 blasts back and forth across the lake I had smoke rolling out from my side cover on the turbo side. Pulled the panel and found a coolant leak at the banjo fitting on the turbo. It was on the outside of the turbo so it was an easy fix.
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My AFR’s are about 13.8 at cruising speed, goes to roughly 12.3 as boost creeps up past 3PSI and hits 11.1 when I squeeze down hard. It’s a blast to ride now. It’ll pull the skis 10-12” off the ground at a 30mph roll.
 

iamdub

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This morning I hooked up to the 4 place and after checking tires and loading up we finally headed out and stopped at our old home base watering hole, Alpine Resort on Oneida Lake.
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After getting permission from the new owners to drop there while we went riding we unloaded and started the shake down run just staying on the lake and making a few rips back and forth.
View attachment 361255

After 2 blasts back and forth across the lake I had smoke rolling out from my side cover on the turbo side. Pulled the panel and found a coolant leak at the banjo fitting on the turbo. It was on the outside of the turbo so it was an easy fix.
View attachment 361256

My AFR’s are about 13.8 at cruising speed, goes to roughly 12.3 as boost creeps up past 3PSI and hits 11.1 when I squeeze down hard. It’s a blast to ride now. It’ll pull the skis 10-12” off the ground at a 30mph roll.

How does it compare to your brother's? Surely y'all lined up at least once. :D
 
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Snowbound

Snowbound

Jim
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I passed out last night before I could finish.
I’m seeing right around 7psi max boost which is on the high end of where I want to be but I’ll keep it there and won’t hold it at that point.
Everything seems great so we head out down the trail. We get some miles on and end up at Swamp Lake at a little resort that used to be owned by Fuzzy and Nancy called Moran’s Landing. But I guess they sold it in April of last year and the new owners did some work to it and changed it around a lot. It was nice and now called Karch’s Up North Resort. They still had my swamp water though!
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Fuzzy was our snowmobile club president, but now that he’s gone some Amy chick stepped into his shoes. We gotta find Amy for our paperwork. Amy owns Boombas Bar and Grill but she’s way down near Tomahawk. We’re here to ride so let’s go. Back on the sleds and head over to Boombas for a beer and see Amy. She wasn’t there, I guess she broke her leg. But the bartender gives us the paperwork to fill out and we give her the $25 for the year.
Now we are gonna need gas so let’s head into Tomahawk to BP. I notice the last 3 miles my brother is only doing 30-35 mph. Not like him. We get to the fuel pump and he said I’m seeing my oil light flicker if I go over 35. Then looks down and sees oil on his right boot and suit leg. Looks at sled and there’s oil all over the running board and down in the belly pan. I had to pee so bad my back teeth were floating so I went in and hit the bathroom. While in the gas station I looked for some oil and no way, they had Amsoil 0w40 that we use. I grabbed a couple quarts and headed back outside. It’s about -1° at this time and he’s looking over his sled and says the oil tank is leaking. I told him to put some oil in and let’s head back, which is like an hour and half ride by sled. He said no way, he’s not risking it and having his sled spin a bearing like his truck. So I made the run back solo, I made it back to the truck, loaded mine up and drove back to Tomahawk in 1 hr 18 minutes. I hauled balls.

We get back to the house and this is what we find.
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Snowbound

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Jim
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I feel bad because I’m the one who talked him into using the gasket. But it was installed 3 weeks ago, the gasket wasn’t squeezed out prior to this so I doubt he overtightened it and it sat with oil in it for that time too and not a drop. I’m thinking it has to have something to do with the heat from turbo and down pipe right next to oil tank.
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So now the oil tank is siliconed back on and he swears off that gasket like it’s the devil. I told him I don’t know what happened or why but if you look at the gasket I put on mine it’s still right where it should be. But he seems to think it will fail on me because his did. Now I just have to prove him wrong.
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Snowbound

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Jim
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How does it compare to your brother's? Surely y'all lined up at least once. :D

Did we line up? You bet your a__ we did. Out of the hole, it like we are tied together. About 30’ out I’m pulling out on him and put about 3 sled lengths on him. Once I’m at about 87mph he starts closing the gap fast. But only because I’m a 153” long track and he has a 141”. My track drivers are smaller than his for more low end torque so he has more top end even though I changed my gearing this year from a 49 tooth bottom gear to a 41 which is the same gearing he has on his sled.
But I’m running a 210 hp Push turbo kit and he went with the 190 hp Hurricane kit. If I use 110 octane I will be 240 where he will be at 210. I’ll put a sneaky Pete nitrous system on my sled if that’s what it would take to stay out front, but the sad thing is, so would he so I gotta watch him!
 

iamdub

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Did we line up? You bet your a__ we did. Out of the hole, it like we are tied together. About 30’ out I’m pulling out on him and put about 3 sled lengths on him. Once I’m at about 87mph he starts closing the gap fast. But only because I’m a 153” long track and he has a 141”. My track drivers are smaller than his for more low end torque so he has more top end even though I changed my gearing this year from a 49 tooth bottom gear to a 41 which is the same gearing he has on his sled.
But I’m running a 210 hp Push turbo kit and he went with the 190 hp Hurricane kit. If I use 110 octane I will be 240 where he will be at 210. I’ll put a sneaky Pete nitrous system on my sled if that’s what it would take to stay out front, but the sad thing is, so would he so I gotta watch him!

The close competition and comparing the two systems make for exciting contests!

I've never ridden a sled. Hell, I've never been in more than about 2" of snow. I'm absolutely jealous of your fun and can't imagine rippin' the powder at ~90 MPH :headbang:
 

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