It’s been snowing a lot since daybreak…
…and around the time TB needed his morning walky I started worrying about the chickens’ top cover so I cleaned off the Jeep and headed out to Landlady’s early. Before I left the driveway I knew I was in trouble; there was no trace of tracks in the sand at all and also not a lot of information about important things like rocks and bushes. People in snow country know what I’m talking about: That flat light that filters through a mile of cloud and falling snow just whites everything out.
I wasn’t lost lost, I mean I was in the wash and I know where the wash is. But exactly where in the wash I was, was kind of a mystery. By the time I made it to the horseshoe turn in the wash I knew I was off my line but I didn’t know I was nearly 100 yards off the line until the left side of the Jeep went up on the bank of the new main channel last year’s floods cut – and for about five seconds I thought it was going to roll. I really did.
Turns out the top cover was perfectly fine, not collecting snow at all even though what we’re getting is pretty wet and dense. So I topped off their water and food and didn’t even stir them up collecting eggs; I just cleaned off the windshield and went home by the road, which I could at least see. Naturally the snow started falling heavy again just as I started out, so I had to stop several times to scrape the windshield. You know what would be great? If somebody would invent a way for a car to clean its own windshield. They could call it …
Being in snow country, I totally understand what you’re writing about when you talk about everything blending in to a grey/white landscape. I’m glad you didn’t find and sink holes or big rocks the hard way. As for the windshield wipers…. ya, it’s the little things that make driving that much more simple like being able to see where on is driving. Remember, it’s always bad when the auditory alarm goes off. That loud crunching noise of an impact is something which is never good to hear.
364 1/2 days/year it’s wasted effort, but for those other 12 hours, snow stakes. Never seen them except in the Alps and Sierras, but it’s SOP there (I’m sure they are used elsewhere, but never been in deep snow country elsewhere). The wash running would likely obliterate them, but a series of 4 ft high markers every 50-10 feet or so might be handy sometimes, even if it’s just a cheap Tractor Supply metal fence stake with a highly visibly PVC sleeve over it.
What is your wiper issue? Just the blades? Or the motor? Or the transmission? Or???
Reminds me of how glad I am that we don’t live off road in the forest anymore. So far it looks like you’ve gotten more snow than we have, here in Colorado “snow country”.
“What is your wiper issue? Just the blades? Or the motor? Or the transmission? Or???”
Never quite figured it out. It’s not an electrical problem specifically, because accidentally hitting the switch can cause the arms to rise annoyingly into the field of vision a little more every time you hit the ignition until they complete one sweep, which might take days. It happened suddenly about 2 years ago, coincidentally just as I was driving home from the shop in heavy rain after fitting a new set of tires.
How easy is it to remove the switch? Is it on a “malfunction stalk” like Government Motors likes to use? Or a simple switch on the dash? Is there a wiring diagram in the Haynes which shows pin out? And do you have a multimeter?
With your local weather, you might not need wipers all that often, but when you do, well…
RE: wipers. Is the wiper motor easily accessible? If so, can the mechanical linkage between the motor and the wiper arms be removed at the motor? If it’s not “electrical” then that means mechanical; wiper motors are simple one-direction 12V DC motors, with an attached reduction gearbox with the gearbox ouput shaft connected to the wiper linkage. If removing the linkage allows the motor to operate the problem’s in the linkage; might be a bind in the gearbox, but those are (supposed to be) sealed and filled with grease. The 2-year wiper cycle rate seems to indicate either a bind or, maybe, motor brushes. If it’s the gearbox, AFAIK that’s available only with a complete motor&GB assembly.
AlGore’s Intertubes reveal a $35-$55 price range for “replacement jeep wiper motor” which is sufficiently cheap that if it’s the motor it wouldn’t be cost effective to pay to have it rebuilt. If it’s linkage, I dunno, that’ll be bearings/bushings.
Does the windshield fold down on the jeep? Amazon sells swim goggles for about $6…..
I haven’t paid that much attention to the wipers, to be honest. This isn’t the PNW, and it’s a “can’t when it’s raining, don’t need to when it’s not” situation. As far as I can tell the motor and linkage is buried pretty deep, so I haven’t played with it.