Family Trip: Boulder, Colorado
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In a move that some might call crazy, I decided to take the diesel Suburban to Colorado. The whole purpose of this machine is to provide economical, comfortable transportation for my family. So, if I didn't take the Suburban on this trip, when would I use it?
Our run from Indiana to Colorado was mostly uneventful. In areas where the speeds were in the 65-70 mph range, we got 25 mpg on the freeway -- which is what we expected. When we got further west and the speed limit popped up to 75 mph, and we were running in the 75-80 mph range, it dropped to 23 mpg. Still not bad for a heavy, brick-shaped vehicle.
The trip ended in a climb into the foothills outside of Boulder where my parents live. The 4BD1T pulled the Suburban up the hill just fine. EGTs rose to around 1000F, which is within the acceptable range. I'd like more boost and power, and I may do some tweaking while we are on the trip
We found one issue that needed to be corrected as soon as we got to my parents' house. The Suburban was wandering all over the road at highway speed due to a steering box that had way too much slop in it. I had replaced this box for the same reason last weekend, and it felt better through the week. As we got down the road, the thing loosened and driving became tougher than it should be. At a (rare) fuel station stop, I had my wife wiggle the wheel while I looked at the output shaft on the box. It was actually translating right and left within the deadband, rather than turning.
Swapping a steering box in my parent's driveway, in the foothills outside of Boulder, CO.
So, when we got to my parents' house, we did some visiting, and then I made my way out to the Suburban to start removing the box. I had purchased the remanufactured unit from O'Reilly in Indiana with a limited lifetime warranty. I didn't have my receipt on the trip, but I gave them my phone number and gave me a fresh unit. The slop was obvious, even sitting on their countertop.
This morning the box is reinstalled, the alignment was checked, and we'll make a run to Denver to take the kids to the aquarium.