SA: AK>AZ - Day 2 to Wyoming
 

Helena, MT to Thayne, WY for my armchair roto-pilots. (map)
A late start (which I pay for at the end of the day...) got me up and out of Helena down the I-15 towards Butte, MT. Once again, in spite my whining about staying off the dreaded, dull interstates, I-15 stepped up with another great twisty Canyon run up to the pass over Helena and then down to Butte. 2 lanes each way and very low-volumes of traffic meant I could pretty much charge thru at whatever my Drivers License would bear! A quick gas n' munchies stop in Butte (pic) and I was off East-bound on 287. I continue to be rewarded with Big Empty Roads! The only downside was there was a good 30+ MPH headwind the whole day and, dammit, with only 100HP on tap it really could be a literal drag. The winds also brought absolute clear-blue skies and mountains seen at both horizons as I cruised thru sprawling ranch country. The Madison River flows beside much of the 287 and I was always catching glimpses of fly-fishers standing in it, thigh-deep, casting their reels. I am not sure who was happier!

To be clear tho, this was NOT the roads of the previous day thru Montana's north west. These were pretty straight roads, which is nice for ogling the scenery, but not so much for sports cars. Approaching the entrance to Yellowstone, the road veered right and headed into Utah and got even straighter, which I was not sure was possible. And with it:
Traffic! whaaaat? People, its almost winter! Go home already.

And I began having my own distractions. The 12A would warm up to an alarming degree on long up-hill climbs, something it previously never did. (Previous meaning before I did an overhaul of the cooling system in Alaska: all new hoses, clamps, cleaned-out rad and Evan Cooling swap. THAT adventure, with a bogus Chinese aluminum rad are note in another Thread...). The needle just seemed to want to stay up in the near-top-third of the gauge. This has haunted me since leaving Alaska. My roto-guru assures me this is within the tolerances the engine can manage, but here -in the middle of nowhere- that is not so calming. I need more cooling surface. So I crank open the OTHER radiator: the in-car heater. And open the windows. and sunroof. Grudgingly the needle drops to a more-acceptable middle-of-the-gauge. Did I mention I am driving to Arizona?
Yeesh...

A new rad is on order...

So.
As evening approached I risked a side journey up towards the Tetons, which would take me the long way around the mountains to my stop for the night. At first, zipping thru the hills and pastures was exhilarating. Best drive of the day. THEN I hit the townships built up around The Tetons and it turned into one of the most conjested runs of the trip.
I gritted my teeth and followed the Herd up the Teton Pass and was at least rewarded with a pretty remarkable sunset overlook of the Teton Valley into Wyoming. (pic)

Night fell fast and the remainder of the trip was winding thru blackened canyons and unseen mountains to my destination in Thayne, WY. I am appropriately ensconced in a log cabin for the night...
2 days down. Two to Go. Tomorrow its into the backroads of Utah. I think I will wear short pants....

Stu Aull
80GS
Wyoming

I'm very much enjoying reading your travel threads and seeing these pictures!! 2200 miles is a long trek. Good idea on replacing the radiator. Is the fan clutch in good working order? Once you get the car to AZ, is it staying there with you permanently? Did you bring your unobtanium parts with you on the move?

Very much enjoying this read as well. It's helping pass an otherwise drearily boring day in my cubicle. I wish I was out there in mine doing a drive like this! Sorry to hear about the engine heat though, hopefully that stays in check! Good luck on the rest of the journey.

Coming from the great white north, you might need to "adjust" what you consider normal traffic to be. I'm sure there will be less Moose, but maybe more people roaming the roads in your new neighborhood. Butte Montana, the boyhood home of Robert Craig "Evil" Knievel. Keep it on all 4's Stu.

I thought you got a new radiator? Anyway, you definitely have a cooling issue. Things to check (and I know you probably have)

1. Lower engine pan on that goes from the OC to the crossmember.
2. Gaps between OC and radiator sealed.
3. Clutch fan functional.
4. MOP working (if you aren't getting oil it can show up as being hot due the mixture being lean and not as much lube on the rotors).
5. OC tstat not stuck or only partially opening (not sure how to diagnose this)
6. Fresh antifreeze.

Love these travel threads!

Fan clutch? GOOD Q! alma can say is it still spins freely (not TOO freely...) and is not locked-up. But its the original part. I would have to say it would seem _awfully_ coincidental to have that fail just after installing all the new stuff?!
My Parts Swag: NO! Incredibly, once we filled a moving van AND a 12' trailer, there was NO ROOM! :P
Its all in storage in Alaska and we will fetch it on a trip up next summer. Meanwhile, Mazdatrix is my best RX-friend as I get to REbuy stuff I need right away. Like a Rad. Jeez...

Stu

Thanks t_g-
1, 2 seem fine, as before the Big Overhaul
3 Likewise clutch is as before and cooling was excellent previous to the OH. However, not to say it is functioning as well as it could be. Of course, I have a spare. In Alaska...
4. checked it on the OverHaul and even replaced the gasket,; oil in the lines, FWIW. I always DO a premix tho with ea gas fill as a precaution ...
5. New T-stat went in. One "presumes" its OK?? Levels on the Temp gauge change mostly under heavy loads like a big hill climb, then settle right down on the downward leg of the hill. Or in cooler weather its fine to (like todays run).
6. fresh EVANS, but still trying to get a fix on how it performs. I may have bungled the install.
When I get to AZ I am going to swap the rad and re-do new EVANS and see if this helps. Gotta a 7stock to go to!!
Stu