ChefYota4x4

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PS> One of the great things about living in CA? SO MANY of the places that I go camping provide me with TONS OF MESQUITE, just laying around!!! lol..... Then, in the Sequoias, I can find TONS of redwood plank for doing whole slabs of salmon, etc.(You basically soak the plank for hours and then cook the fish sitting right on it, cured or not with whatever goodies you prefer for seasoning.... Just have to make sure the heating, like with smoking, is indirect, otherwise you have TONS of smoke and an awful flavor in your fish/overwhelming... And the plank will dry out too quickly. You want BUTTER/FLAKING-MELTING IN YOUR MOUTH fish, ya know? )

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

Yeah, it is a VERY cool find, IMHO! to most, its' SOOOOOO UGLY! lol.... But I think it's a reliable lil gem!

Thanks, but sorry bout the pecans.... "PAUL, WHY IS YOUR NECK LOOKING LIKE A FOOTBALL????? What? Epi-pen???????" lol...

Far as the steak, .... always a way to make an 'average' steak better... And I don't mean "tons of seasoning" is the key, either, lol. Slowing down the cooking, if they're lean, along with 'needling' them(It's a multiple needle tool that you can use to tenderize the crap out of them without turning them into hamburger, lol).... can help you wind up with 'bliss' rather than 'meh', while eating a london broil or 'standard' cut sirloin... Ya know? Marinading can help LOTS, too... And I LOVE using Coca Cola or root beer or even cherry coke to provide a base for a quick marinade that also provides a NICE crust/glaze if you bathe it while it's cooking. Balsamic, Tamari(aged soy, DELISH) AND Worchestershire are my usual suspects for making an average cut a bit more 'WOW', ya know? lol. (Just don't leave ANYTHING in Cola too long... Very acidic.)

For chicken..... LOVE using Negra Modelo Can in the center of the bird on the grill. (If you don't have a beer can chicken/other meat cooker, ...GET ONE! lol. Doesn't hurt to soak that bird in a brine, either Let it sit for 24 hours in some dark beer, brown sugar and kosher salt with onions, pepper and other herbs spices.... HOLY CRAPOLI, ..you'll see what I mean when you eat the 'former flyer'! hehehe.

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

WOOT! I agree! NOTHINGGGGGGGGGG, IMHO, is quite like a 'FEAST OF Q!', ya feel me?

Seriously.... EVEN QUALITY HOT DOGS or my home made sausage just taste TONS better off the grill!

PS> Home made sausage is another 'hobby' that I highly recommend! If you show up with some home made brats or kielbasa or italian.... YOU'RE A HERO, TRUST ME! BTW, ..... YES, home made sausage, regardless of how good some brands are, are ALWAYS better! FRESH GROUND MEATS ARE FAR SUPERIOR! So, unless you buy a local purveyors sausage before you heat up the grill..... NO package will ever taste as good!

BON APPETIT, HOMIE!

Terrys87

iTrader: (1)

Love my travel trailer. We looked at a drive style camper and 2 were Toyotas. There are pros and cons to both. You get to the site and no other mode of transportation or towing limits your size and is not as easy a driving one. Either way you go they are great. Splurge for the extra on AC. I almost bought a pop up without AC and when I got one that had it, was so glad I did.

Here is one I found on the net and have used at a campground for roasting. It was a work out. Best to have alot of help. Worked great, we just did half of a pig and had a feast. One of these days I want to learn how to do a pig in the ground. Have been to several whole roast and they are great.

Cuban Christmas...http://cuban-christmas.com/pigroast2.html

vang_22re

Haha your grammars always crack me up!!

I got to start making my own home made sausages too and hell yea home made is always better than off the counter IMO. Keep the food pics and recipes coming. O yea and......


Stay fresh home boy!

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

YEP, that works, Terry!

I don't use that elaborate of a method... And you can even use the fire pits at sites if you're willing to take the time to dig them out/bring over creek/river rocks for the outer frame/insulation. We've done whole Ostrich, sides of Buffalo, Sides of Beef, 15-20 racks of beef ribs... But what REALLY blows people away, even ones that SWEAR they 'wont like fish, of any kind', is how a whole thresher or other shark winds up tasting like a cross between 'good pork, chicken and it's own obvious unique flavor'... The key is FRESH MEAT, I repeat.

RANDOM MOMENT!!!! hehehe.... Found this pic I'd been looking for of both my Ford Products I'd been getting a photo shoot of back in 94 or so....



I sold both of those, different times, for .......OMGOSH, i can't even say it without having an cranial aneurism! lol. I could have a small fortune coming if I'd just been able to keep/store them over the years... But oh well, SPILT MILK JUST ROTS AND ISN'T WORTH KEEPING IN MY MEMORY BANKS, ya know? lol.

vang_22re

Those are sexy looken machines!! Haha

jason in tn

Mark with an offer of food like that I'm tempted to just drive my runner out there, as it seems we can't get a load close to save my life lol.hopefuly see you soon buddy food or not.

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

Why thank you kindly, Sir! lol. I MISS them, both! Miss my Chevelle's, 70 Z28 and Sunbeam 289 Tiger, too! lol... But alas, I'm not disappointed in my love of Yotas in the least! lol.

Can't wait to see you guys again, man! Sux it's not happening any sooner.... But such is life and so on, lol.

aviator

Seen that #8 style offset smoker in action and they reportedly work well and are cheap to buy and easy to use...

pecan allergy not killer like a peanut allergy... usually I just avoid eating them... if I get some xmas cake with pecan [if I have to eat it to be polite] I just pick off the pecan, smile and swallow and suffer a massive headache soon after... aspirin is my friend at xmas... lol

Terrys87

iTrader: (1)

I remember when you could buy a first gen Camaro for a cheap price. Now if you had a couple of them you could retire. I miss the old hotrods. Those are sharp. Still kicking myself in the butt for selling a 71 GT Torino fastback.

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

I'll post my convo with the guy at the end... But basically it's running WAY too rich(double??... you'll see in the scan of my test results).....



I also did some videos that I'll post in a few. Just gotta upload em. In the videos I basically gave the run down on a couple things and tested the EGR with a Mighty-VAC to see if it holds vacuum..... it did. Also tested the EGR using mighty vac at running at idle and 2Krpm as well... Both cases it tried to stall when I applied vacuum. Also showed a test of vacuum pump on the FPR.... When removing the vacuum from it, the idle increases dramatically, as it should, and when applying vacuum to the top of the FPR it seems to drop in IDLE a bit again.

The test guy is a good guy... Very helpful to me and I've used him for years. He talked to me quite a bit, but said, "If I can't see the compression right now, etc., I can't give you a REALLY accurate picture... But 9/10 times what I'm seeing here is caused by a "bad EGR Solenoid".... NOT usually the EGR, while it can be a problem. This Solenoid has cycled around a million times in this mileage... and, well, they just go! Also, it's lean when it shouldn't be and rich when it shouldn't be... So something weird is going on... But still think it's somehow related to EGR system or possibly something in the top end/ Valve lash, etc."

....AHHHH, really? Ok, well, far as the Modulator/Solenoid; Not sure if there's a test for it... Have to read my book again... But guys, I REALLY NEED SOME TECHNICAL HELP HERE,....... please? lol.

I'll post the vid's next... I can't remember exactly who the smog guys were who said to hit them up... So I'll have to read back and in other threads to find them...

Thanks for your help, guys... IF I can't get help here... I have no choice but to take it in to J.A.C. or something.... But this would maybe explain why my mileage in town has been so bad.

csuviper

Hmmmm

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

SPEAK TO ME! lol...

I just noticed I passed the 15MPH portion(while BARELY at the NO PPM portion).... And failed the NO PPM in the 25MPH section by 500+ points?

This doesn't seem TOO dramatic to me... The problem is, ..... before I even rebuilt it the first time, with 257K on it, IT PASSED WAY BETTER THAN THIS! WTH??????

Terrys87

iTrader: (1)

Mark.. I have always been able to get an EGR working just by cleaning them. I have fixed several, but we dont get the sniff test you get. The modulator seems doesnt seem to much to go wrong with it. It does have some filter element that I just clean with an air hose.

Little things like this can stump me. I would start with a fresh tune up and Seafoam in tank and thru the Plenum.

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

Thanks Terry....

Yeah, I already cleaned out the EGR when I did the rebuild... Also air shot the filter...it's just a lil disc in the modulator/solenoid. I'm not even sure how it works of if it is even a likely culprit... I hate to spend 75$ on it when it might not be needed(that's exactly why I didn't replace it last time when I passed but was a lil rich). Just not sure what to do. I might just need a pro, like J.A.C. to help me measure the 02 with their specific scope and then adjust things til it will pass. But I'd like to find out if there is an 'obvious culprit' and just fix it, ya know?

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

PS> The smog guy said my timing was acceptable at 7* BTDC and understood that I ran it that way to get the most out of the 261 CAM, etc..... But he said, "Well, this is CA, it get's more and more strict... could just be the CAM, while acceptable in most situations, is the element putting it over the limit. Might have to re-check the lash and be sure it's not 'too much'(?) on the exhaust side and causing the 02 to read, 'OH, too much air, add fuel'..... Don't think the 02 being further back cuz of the header application is the problem... Never know". Ugh! lol.

RMP8080

Mark, it maybe a injector or two, cleaning them may help.

try http://www.cruzinperformance.com/fuelinj.html

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

Hey buddy....

Well, they've all been serviced around 5K miles ago by RC Injectors("Excellent" in the final 'Status' with all new screens, etc., etc., ...fully redone and serviced).... Plus, I think it's fairly interesting that while on the HWY I can get 20-21 MPG and in town, even gramma'ing it, I am lucky to get 14.5mpg... Usually more like 13mpg if I stomp on it at all here and there, strictly city.... The smog guy explained to me that "This is because you're computer is in a steady loop and is not having to adjust between idle and 1500 or above RPM.... THAT, along with other unseen issues you might have, is what causes a dramatic drop in MPG's... The TPS/02/CTS/AFM are all communicating and adjusting.... You know, the 02 sees 'MORE AIR' so it dumps more fuel... Or it's really cold out, same thing. Plus, at 3000rpm on the hwy, your not dealing with a lot of possible vacuum leakage like you would at idle or under 2000rpm.".... He said more, but I think I'm already mixing some of what he said up, lol.

Next post is the videos........ PLEASE GUYS, throw up anything you can think of.

One of my thoughts is the CAM/valve lash

PS> He told me that the Charcoal canister?>>>> It's normal for it to hiss a lil bit when you kill the motor after a while of running. And it passed all those vacuum tests anyhow, so just saying-- I can rule out the Charcoal Can having anything to do with it.

So, to reiterate;

1. IT PASSED EVERYTHING in regards to gas cap/evap system/etc. NO vacuum issues between that stuff

2. It passed the 15MPH test, however slight

3. It FAILED the Sniffer "NO PPM" portion at 25MPH....

rworegon

Chef, how old is your catalytic converter? NO is formed when cylinder temps get in the 2500deg f range from running lean. A vacuum leak in a brittle/cracked tube may be a place to look especially if the vacuum goes up as the RPM increases. From other threads: EGR, PCV valve, O2 sensor....

Thankfully, were I live we don't have to mess with this testing......yet.